Tom Parker and Ollie Marland, the two names behind the duo, have kept things under wraps until now.
Lost + Found are making moves on the electronic scene. The release of their first single ‘We Belong Together’ is a rework of the classic Mariah Carey track ‘We Belong Together’.
Although you probably haven’t heard their sound before, you may recognise the faces behind the duo. Tom was in a band who sold over 5 million singles, and 1 million albums in the noughties. Ollie, on the other hand, is a YouTube sensation whose face you will recognise. The two met around six years ago when they were working the festival circuit and hit it off. They’ve supported each other through the ups and downs of navigating the music industry and have come up with a new sound that suits them to a T.
When I asked them about their new musical style, they were careful not to conform to one genre. Ollie told me “we like to produce what feels right in the moment, so we don’t want to have to commit to one dance genre. Our music probably crosses through a few genres. We have some house records, but also some that sit more on the pop side too. “
One thing that they are sure about though is that they’re moving away from the mainstream circuit and working on their art on a more serious level.“The music is very British and European Dance, but more than anything we want to be accessible and not genre-specific. Now we’ve moved away from the mainstream circuit, and we’re able to put out music that’s wholly under our control – not falling into a genre or being compliant.”
Their new track sits somewhere between the boundaries of pop and electronic, and as a rework of an old Mariah Carey favourite, it’s sure to be well received. Their new sound is full of intelligent editing and musical flair and considering they produce all their own music now, it’s pretty impressive.
Tom has undergone a massive change in direction and has started working on the production side of things. His transformation from boy band puppet to serious artist is pretty impressive, and in a few short years he’s become an expert producer after having no experience in it at all.
He told me, “I always had an interest in production when I was in the band, and when it all ended I booked into the studio to just have a play around and see what came out of it. For 4 and a half years I did that, and I learnt everything about the production side, so now we are totally self-sufficient. I love that idea of being free agents. It’s different to what I’m used to as you have to conform in a big group, whereas solo you can have creative freedom.”
The opportunity to work on something completely independent of any direction or pressure has proven fruitful for the northern duo. Now that they are free from the major label machine, you can tell that they feel able to add their unique touch to their sound in a way they haven’t been able to do before.
While chatting, they also made it clear that as their sound has evolved, so has their audience. Their new re-emergence onto the music scene is something different for them. The music scene their entering now is entirely different from the music scene that they used to know.
They told me, “with playlists and online streaming; artists can be a bit more experimental. People are happy to stick a song on a playlist and listen to it as an individual track. This is great for artists, as it allows them to put music out at their own time when it’s ready.”
There is a hint of rebellion in their new music that we like. They told me “no one is going to tell us what we’re going to do as artists. When you sign to a major label you don’t have freedom and control, but now we do, we’re excited to start producing new music on our terms. “
You can find more images from our shoot with Lost + Found in Volume #32.
