Losing Yourself in Lost Spaces
Written by Hannah Wayland
Graphic by Emily Lantzy
After releasing 8 singles since their formation in 2016, indie synth-pop band Lost Spaces has released their debut album no-vacancy. Hailing from Kuala Lumpur, the ‘almost family’ band consists of brothers Sam and Lukas Lopez, cousin Imramn Marshall, and friends Lim Yi Shien and Lim Hong Koon. Keeping with the times, this album revolves around vocalist Sam Lopez’s search for love and authenticity in a digitally crowded and clouded world. Seeing love and connection through screens more often than face-to-face, Sam chronicles his love and misadventures when it crosses paths with technology.
One of the band’s most streamed songs of all times, “boxset.girlfriend,” leads as an example for the theme and tone of this album. Through this upbeat tune, Sam tells the story of falling in love with someone on social media who doesn't, and most likely will never know who he is. It’s a battle between his heart and his head over the idea of ‘love at first sight,’ which is similarly shown in the next track “instant.romance” with its clear disapproval of this idea. This album seems to clearly ask the question, “What is love in this modern era and how do we navigate it?”
Including their first ever single, “fake.guitars” with their most optimistic take on love, the band’s evolution towards the difficult topic of these modern day love stories can be seen in their more recently written track “discohaze” featuring JAIE. With lyrics traversing the troubles of long-distance relationships, and seeing the one you love through a screen rather than by your side, Lost Spaces show their range and distinguish themselves as not just another cheap pop band.
Along with showing their range as artists, Lost Spaces weaved a story of two lovers into the album itself. Throughout the songs, as well as in dedicated storytelling tracks such as “voicemail-01” and “capsule-03,” the story grows and changes, much like the band’s sound. Changing from upbeat, synth-heavy pop tracks with vocals and sound samples to bring the tech fantasy to life, to nearly acoustic tracks like “0419” that contain only slight vocal effects reminiscent of some of The 1975’s work, it’s clear this band isn’t stuck to one sound and style.
With many more stand-out tracks like “soft.tides,” “bad.motel,” and “35.mm,” Lost Spaces’ debut album no-vacancy stands out amongst the oversaturated indie-pop scene. With their mix of infectious hooks and love-soaked lyrics, this little band seems like one just ready to keep outdoing themselves.
Make sure to support lost spaces by streaming no-vacancy on all major platforms or downloading it through iTunes, and by following them on instagram (@lost.spaces) and twitter (@lostspacesband).