The Love Ways are a rock band from Brooklyn, NY. Currently operating as a two-piece (Mark Shreve - instruments and songwriting, James Langlois - vocals and lyrics), The Love Ways bring a thoughtful and confident guitar-driven rock sound that evolves from but still evokes their core early-2000's influences (The Strokes, Jimmy Eat World, The Killers). The new single Desire Lines follows the repetitive and unplanned paths we take throughout our lives. These off-road grooves of life and love that we settle into, traffic us on trails which only we can see on our life's journey to choice, self-definition, and permanent change. It asks, "in the conclave of the self, which color will your smoke be in the end?".
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Hey Mark & James! What made you each want to become a musician?
MARK SHREVE (instruments, songwriting) - Music was always a huge part of my household and I don’t really remember a time where being a musician wasn’t part of how I thought about the rest of my life. Thinking back on some specific moments though…so after my first drum lesson when I was 10: I remember that feeling. It was that inaugural big realization of doing something because I believed it had value in and of itself. Like if I stopped, if I sucked, nobody was going to care. I wasn’t getting graded on it, nobody was counting on me. But I started learning and then I just wanted to get good; to get really good. It was the first big thing where the reward is the action in itself; purely because I loved it and to me it was worth not letting myself down. Any time I get that feeling now with whatever I’m pursuing in life I know I’m onto something special if it reminds me of how drums first made me feel. Then obviously my first few shows: Green Day at Wembley when I was 12 & The Starting Line at The Mean Fiddler when I was 15 (no parents this time!) were massively impactful; the feeling I had at those shows was unlike anything else the world had yet given me.
JAMES LANGLOIS (vocals, lyrics) - It seems to have always been in the cards for me, from my Dad playing “Sweet Baby James” by James Taylor on a beat up old acoustic for me when I was a fetus to growing up surrounded by a family of musicians and artists of different stripes, it’s always felt like a natural form of expression. I was a huge metalhead from ages 4-6 (Anthrax/Sepultura/Biohazard were introduced to me by a cousin’s friend) and started to learn how to play drums as result and then, after I became deeply smitten with Nirvana/Green Day/Weezer when 7 or 8 or so, the guitar came back into my life. My parents were kind enough to get me lessons and to pay 10 dollars a month to rent a Korean knock-off telecaster which I have to this day (it was finally paid off at some point). If I had to truly trace it back to a particular inciting incident though it was probably seeing the Irish punk band Black 47 in the Bronx when I was in first or second grade. It was my first live concert and really contextualized the idea of a band being an actual group of humans who made music. Then it was off to the races.
Who helped you most in your musical journey?
MARK - There’ve been a number of peers, professors, tutors and teachers over the past 2.5 decades but by far the biggest help and largest influence has always been my Dad. He’s an excellent musician, guitarist and mandolin player. He’d been in bands, toured the country, and never stopped playing and performing. Even now he’s in a band that’s bigger than mine (laughs). He set an example of what great musicianship is like for me and was always so supportive. Ours was always a house that valued and championed music. He helped me understand what excellence in music looks and feels like and why it’s rewarding to reach for it. He showed me that no matter what else is going on in your life you’re as much of a musician as you challenge yourself to be, and always made me feel like my accomplishments in music had true worth, true value. He’s somebody I always looked up to and am still trying to impress (laughs).
JAMES - It’s hard to pinpoint any individual person in the cavalcade of friends, family and teachers who’ve introduced me to so many facets of music. So much of my musical journey has been investigative - a series of deep dives inspired by intelligence that came over the transom from friends and through other vectors. Perhaps the most obvious answer for me is the community of people around me through the years who have introduced me to new bands and gone to shows with me and the friends i’ve made at those shows. It’s a rather complex web and I sure am grateful for what its given me.
Your latest release is 'Desire Lines'. Can you share with us the background of its creation and did any unusual things happen during its creation?
MARK - Yup, I sure can. So I live in NYC but I grew up outside of London. I pay for a VPN so that I can stream Kerrang TV in the US - watching it was a huge part of growing up for me. Anyways - I got into a cadence of putting it on every day while I was working and it was really taking me back to that time; being like 14-18 in Surrey and just completely falling in love with music. Like it (music) just consuming my identity. So I’ve got Kerrang playing, I’m hearing a mixture of new bands and new music and if you’ve ever watched Kerrang you know they’re still playing the hits from like 2004 [laughs]. It made me almost homesick in a way; certainly nostalgic at least. Definitely made me want to write something that would have sounded great during that time period of like 2003-2008. I wanted to write something that if my 15-year-old self had heard it, I’d still be listening to it now. That’s “Desire Lines”. Or think of it like this: you’re watching music videos. “Mr. Brightside” comes on, then “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World comes on, then “Desire Lines” comes on and you think “yup”.
JAMES - Yup
What social issues are you most passionate about?
JAMES - Access to food and healthcare are two big ones for me. The first of which I do a little bit of work with in my neighborhood. The chance to live a healthy life should be the bedrock we stand on. Unfortunately that’s not the case.
MARK - While there are a bunch of social issues that are important to me (reproductive rights, food & healthcare access, freedom of speech) I’d say most of my social work is focused around my running club where I’m a board member and run leader. We’ve got 2.2k members in NYC and we’re all volunteer-led. It’s really terrific honestly - so we obviously run a bunch and provide community athletic and running-focused resources for free to the community, but outside of that I volunteer with the club regularly at kitchens, food pantries and clothing drives. As a board member I’m also really lucky to be involved in my club’s running scholarship and grants program. Feels real good and I’m real proud of the club.
How do you stay up-to-date with the latest musical trends?
MARK - (Laughs) I don’t. Well I mean certainly not like I used to. I think it’s common as you get older to find things that you identify with and stick with that, so I try and be careful about getting too comfortable. (Laughing) For example when Every Time I Die broke up last year I was sitting there like “damn, liking that band was about 85% of my personality the fuck am I supposed to do now?”. So really, I fervently support bands I already like - always see them live, always buy merch, I’m a good fan whenever I can be. I also try and make an effort to check out the openers for bands that I like. I’m a proponent of getting as much live music as possible outta the ticket you bought and it’s a great way to support younger bands and hopefully hear some stuff you really love. Then outside of that I (as stated above) watch Kerrang TV to see what new stuff is out there and then I read blogs/ig accounts etc. I trust and see what they’re recommending. Honestly I don’t think my taste is *trendy* so I don’t really care about trends I just care about what I like and try to make sure it’s not the same stuff I’ve been listening to for years. So with that in mind I’d love to plug some new(ish)/young(ish) artists that I think absolutely slay: Gel, Kenny Hoopla, Greyhaven, Marmozets. I’m also real lucky that a lot of my favorites are still putting out career-best stuff: first time I listened to Genesis by Deftones it was like a fucking nuclear bomb went off in my apartment when Chino came in; and try telling me Alexisonfire aren’t better in their 40s than they’ve been at any point in their career. And if you ain’t heard Tom’s back in Blink so maybe I should say the trends follow what I want and not the other way around (laughs).
JAMES - I don’t if I stay up to date with trends but I mostly follow my interests down all of sorts of rabbit holes. Sometimes current artists are included in that and sometimes they’re not. Anybody who’s been forced to be a passenger in my car when i’m driving can attest to my obsessions. It just depends on what day you find me on. Do I have Christian Lee Hutson, Phoebe Bridgers on repeat? Am I screaming along to Idles and Turnstile or do I just have a mix of The National, Titus Andronicus and John Moreland on? I go through cycles that repeat. It makes it very annoying to be my friend.
Is there a hidden meaning in any of your music?
MARK - Hidden meaning? Nah but everything I write (I handle the instruments and songwriting, James does our lyrics) is a nod to something I love or was inspired by. For example our 2021 song “Wild Life” - the goal there was to make it feel like one of me & James’ favorite songs - “Dimed Out” by Titus Andronicus. The lyric video we did for “Wild Life” is a direct nod to +@’s video for Dimed Out. Not even just a nod, an homage. In “Desire Lines” the feel is a nod to The Killers & Jimmy Eat World. And the chorus progression I lifted directly from one of my favorite songs (not Killers or JEW); it’s funny - to me it’s all I hear when I listen to Desire Lines but nobody’s successfully figured it out yet (smiles).
JAMES - I’d certainly hope things are plain as day for the listener on the lyrical side but I am always pulling from life and art when I write so the attentive listener can certainly do a little digging to find richer meaning in the words. For instance, with “Desire Lines” hopefully they’ll be as excited to learn about what desire lines are and how they apply to our lives as I was.
What’s an average day like for you?
JAMES - Generally a combination of fuck around and find out, design work and woodworking.
MARK - Man oh man my days are regimented and intentional. Every day I wake up and do 100 push-ups, drink black coffee and listen to big riffs until I have lunch (I’ve eaten the same thing for lunch every weekday for 3 years now). I go running every day - not the same distance each day but enough that I do 50 miles / week. An average run’d be like 10 miles in Prospect Park for me. What else…I’ll try and dedicate at least an hour to let’s call it “open play” in Pro Tools so that I’m constantly creating and working on songs. The really great days are the ones where that hour morphs into 8+ and I’ve got something I send james 40 texts in a row about. Outside of all that I try and be a good partner, be a good friend, a good family member. I try and be intentional about the things I care about and how I’m showing up to them and/or improving on them each day/week/month/year. On a given day I’ve normally got one sitcom going for background noise around the apartment and one serious show for dinner times. Throughout all the above I also am really lucky to have a job that’s really great and that I really love. Lastly, I’d like to point out that if you’d asked me and James this same question 9 months ago we both would have just said “Elden Ring”.
Please discuss how you interact with and respond to fans.
MARK - Pre-pandemic, after a show…it was easy. We each just thanked our girlfriends for coming and then went home (laughs). Now that TLWs are more of a recording project (we’re not touring or anything) and I have a job outside of this it’s really just trying to be gracious. I get a lot of “your band is actually good!!” from people I meet in my running club or through work. I think if they’ve taken the time to not just listen to what we’ve worked on but to give us their thoughts on it then we’re really pretty lucky. I try and be real gracious and thankful. I also love feedback so I’ll often ask what about it they liked or didn’t like, or really try and talk about it. If someone’s a fan and reaches out I want to let them know I’m really grateful that they took the time to listen to us. I’ll respond to anyone who reaches out.
JAMES - When friends say they like the music or the videos I can’t help but be happy that someone responded to a piece of art we put out so I can’t help but be grateful. It is nice, when you’re just making songs that you want to listen to, when the circle widens a bit.
What advice would you have for someone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
MARK - Ooh this isn’t something I’ve been asked in an interview before. There are some time-tested ones I’ll throw out: you’re your primary audience, write the things you want to hear. Outside of that I’d break it down into three categories so first when it comes to songwriting: give yourself some grace - try and just sit down and write. Don’t be pissed if what you come up with is a shitty punk song and isn’t exactly Sgt Pepper’s. If you’re stuck, make it goal-based: don’t sit down and say “I’m going to write a song now”, sit down and say “I’m going to write a song that sounds like [a song you like]”, or “I’m going to write a song that is in 6/8, or that has a complicated rhythmic thing, or that has a key change”. Secondly, when it comes to your instrument(s) though: be hard on yourself. Practice. Make it a priority to learn; to get better. This is the part where you can measure and track your progress. Do that. Seek instruction, fall in love with your instrument and take pride in your ability to make it do what you want it to do. And then thirdly on being a musician: be ambitious and give yourself stakes. The stakes won’t appear on their own; write something and show it to people. Book a show where you gotta perform it and if you blow it people will see. Play a bad show and book another and try again. Listen to what your peers are doing and try to outdo them. Care about what you create, be proud of it, and put it and yourself out there.
JAMES - Consume all the art you can and feel out what your lens on life is. What color does the world have through your particular set of eyes? Write things that you would speak to you if somebody else wrote them and realize that anyone who tells you that everything has already been said is a fucking idiot.
What are your plans for the future?
MARK - Our immediate plan is to put out another single in the near future. We recorded it in the same weekend where we did “Desire Lines” so it’s sitting there waiting to be let loose. James & I really enjoy making music videos as well so we want to do something new and fun and rewarding for it so I’d say that’s the next step - we’re in the pre-production/discussion/sending youtube clips back and forth phase of that video now. Once we’ve got alignment on what we want it to be, he and I are gonna head into the woods and start filming. And I mean that literally; we’ll be out in the woods. Some time after that you’ll have a new Love Ways single and I promise you it’s gonna be different to what you’ve heard so far. I’m really excited to share what we’ve got (smiles).
JAMES - I’m going to make dinner and then do what Mark said above.
Do the percussion elements in 'Desire Lines' evoke more emotion in you than in the other songs?
MARK - I’m a drummer before anything else so drum tracks & percussion are always top of mind for me. Like any time you listen to a Love Ways song rest assured every hit has been thought through (laughs) - no beat, no fill, really none of it is ever accidental. I will haveI always spent a ton of time focusing on the drums to ensure it’s something I’m proud of and something that serves the song. In that sense I don’t know that the drums in DLs evokes necessarily more emotion than other songs, but there’s a ton of intentionality. I’ll say this too: when we did our last song “Wild Life”, the drums weren’t at all technical or intricate so with “Desire Lines” I wanted to really play some interesting stuff. When writing DLs, I knew it needed to grow as you listen - to reward you for sticking with it. Themes are repeated but never in the same way. The drums are the main way I accomplish that and there’s a big emotion of ‘letting loose’ I’d say. The drums start real tight: kick, snare, toms. Taut, functional fills. The choruses open WAY up. Massive, bright cymbals, chord changes come early on the upbeats, we recorded tambourine doing sixteenths to add drive, high end and momentum. Second verse we’re on the high hat and it’s driving but much looser - it’s much more of a groove. Then from that point on if you listen, I strip away more and more from the drums: they go harder and bigger but get less technical. The song gets ‘rockier’ as it goes and the drums steer a lot of that. For example in the last chorus - it’s a real small thing but I do one fewer snare hit every other bar; specifically because I wanted a feeling of “we’re going hard now, gotta strip the excess weight”, give it that “I ain’t got time to bleed” ethos (to quote one of my favorite movies). Man am I thrilled that you asked me to talk about the drums (laughs).
How long did it take to write the lyrics for 'Desire Lines'? What do you want to convey to the listeners?
JAMES - The lyrics came from some partial fragments i’d jotted down previously and then when Mark sent me the first demo of the things cohered pretty quickly. Once we got into the studio we tweaked the melody and messed around and edited the lyrics a bit on the fly but that was all a fast process as well. As for the conveyance, to me the lyrics describe the looping and habitual patterns of life and relationships. They examine the ways in which the past is always present and how while we are never truly divorced from people we may not be close to anymore we’re aware of their presence because of the part they play in the way we are currently constructed. So, while we repeatedly walk down our old desire lines, we also wear in new ones to guide us along.
According to you, what kind of energy flows from 'Desire Lines'?
JAMES - One that looks forward and backward and acknowledges both directions in something of an incorporative way. Or something.
MARK - Honestly, an energy of “competence” and familiarity I think. The goal with “Desire Lines” is to feel like you’ve lived with it for years if not decades the first time you hear it; it should make you really, really excited and want to jump and dance but also feel comforting and familiar. I’d love to hear that listeners feel a “I want more” energy as well; feel free to hit repeat and keep the energy flowing.