Most people return from a music festival with a good tan, bad hangover and new Facebook friends they will only see again in their timeline. For Lex Famous, Hoff and Metty, meeting at Splash House (a wet and wild music fest in Palm Springs) was as they say in the movies, “the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
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The affable, easy on the eyes trio make up LA-based Overjoy, an indie dance group on the rise with a new E.P. “Another” about to drop. Crave has the exclusive premiere of “Gimme Your Love,” a “fire” song made for late summer with its tropical and tribal Vitamex blend of lush synth sounds chilled over chopping percussions that rise and shine in synch with Lex’s provocative whispers that have less to do with what she’s saying, but how she’s saying it. It’s electronic music that is 100% organic, not only making your body move, but your soul feel.
I chatted it up with Lex, Hoff and Metty on a three-way call as they’re prepping for their first “real live” show debuting in September.
Crave: So, Lex you all met at Splash House (Metty and Hoff were DJ’ing). What was it about the guys that made you approach them?
Lex: Uh, have you seen them?
Hoff: I had on my tinted glasses!
Laughs all around.
I mean music-wise?
Lex: I don’t think I even heard their set. It was more about I just enjoyed hanging out with them. You know how you meet people and make plans, but never actually go through with them?
All the time.
Lex: Well, we actually did and made a song. And kept making them.
Speaking of, your songs sound like actual songs with stories to tell, not just dance music anthems.
Hoff: Lex’s lyrics are more profound than like the regular pop dance songs you hear nowadays. Which is cool because it adds a bit of depth to the tracks.
Metty: Our original plan was to work with different vocalists, but then Lex came in and her songs were great. She’s part of the band now. She actually is the band now.
Define what each member of Overjoy brings both as musicians and people?
Lex: I honestly think about this question all the time as if we were Barbie Dolls. Hoff brings suave, calm, polish. I just imagine a beautiful polished synth sound that smooths everything over and makes sense of things… and Metty is like the percussions. He’s got all these zings and he’s got this personality. He’s subtle, but he’s exciting. Yeah, so that’s how we roll.
Hoff: Lex brings the hope and heart and freedom of an artist. Me and Metty can get caught up in the logistics sometimes. Lex is completely flowing in the wind which is a great contrast.
Lex, a lot of your songs are about love, falling in and out of it, but there’s a joyous feeling in them as if both can be meaningful life experiences.
Lex: I don’t want to feel like a lovelorn songstress. I’m glad it doesn’t come off that way. The songs are usually about those two things. I was thinking about that in the shower the other day. So I’m really proud of “Holiday” (another song off the new E.P.) which is just about that fun night out when you meet someone and everything changes.
Okay, give me your top 3 love songs?
Lex: Oh goodness… “These Eyes” by the Guess Who.
Metty: “Songbird” by Fleetwood Mac.
Hoff: “And I Love Her” by The Beatles.
Lex: That was on my birthday mix when I turned 25 (hums guitar strums).
Metty: And, now it’s on the Crave interview.
We’re premiering “Gimme Your Love,” what was the process behind it?
Metty: We’re at A Club Called Rhonda (LA’s infamous pansexual mobile LA disco dance party). I decided to throw a little after party on a whim. About 30 people came to a place that only fits about 10. I looked over at Hoff on the couch and he had his shirt off —
Lex: No, I had put it back on.
Metty: Okay, it was back on… And then I look at him and Lex were recording voice notes on their iPhone.
Lex: The whole couch was bumping!
Metty: The next day as everyone was coming back to life, Lex was like let’s listen to that loop from last night. We all heard it and we were like ‘that was pretty epic.’ Hoff built the (“Gimme Your Love”) chords from that.
Lex: I don’t know if the three of us had ever written chords before in the same room. Within 10 minutes we were doing the breakdown for “Gimme Your Love.”
Hoff: It was a real in the moment type of inspiration —
Metty: It was an “aha moment!”
Hoff: You can still hear that actual iPhone recording. It’s what opens up the track.
Lex: That was a good night.
Here’s a colorful video of “Holiday” another song on the upcoming “Another” EP. For more info on Overjoy go to their Facebook page (here).
