Interview with Ed Ciarfella | By Natalya Daoud
Influenced by Fugazi, At The Drive In, and Bette Midler, the Orange County, New York, trio LACES OUT released their second single, “Fortunes,” on July 28 and their self-titled debut EP on July 28 via Nefarious Industries.
The band features members from the Warwick, New York-based band Pigeon, with Ed Ciarfella on vocals and guitar and Steve DeLucia on drums, as well as Ray Wasnieski on bass. The trio met each other in high school, but really started working together as a band in 2016.
Their first single off the EP, “Will To Become,” features a mixture of Alice In Chains and Soundgarden and introduces LACES OUT’s ‘90s rock-infused sound. Second single, “Fortunes,” gives off a Nirvana vibe with added metal vocals. Ciarfella describes their music as “noisy rock ‘n’ roll, I suppose. Lots of different influences at work, but ultimately, the listener will have to decide for themselves.”
The five-track EP was recorded in about three months, and each song was written and recorded in the same order as they appear on the record. “This was our challenge to ourselves as writers: could we manifest an EP song by song and be happy with the outcome?” the band mused in a statement via Earsplit PR. “The answer was ‘yes,’ and more so than other projects, in which we spent countless practices scratching and rewriting. It was super fun writing these songs together this way, and we hope this is heard when listening to it.”
The EP was recorded live with Jeff Rendano at Boom Stick Recording in Monroe, New York, and LACES OUT will be selling it on limited-edition 7” vinyl—which comes with stickers and a poster—at their shows and online.
They plan to do a regional tour in the fall and a couple more weeks in the winter. “Well, it’s very loud, driving even!” Ciarfella says of their live show. “We only play for 25 minutes to a half-hour usually, and our hope is that you feel what we feel when we play for you.”
