Establishing an identity as an artist is something that takes time – and can often be intangible in how you truly ‘discover’ what it is that will define you. For many, it takes years of pushing and working to find your creative voice. For those truly getting the ball rolling in their music career around the start of 2020, such as Forlorn, it’s safe to say there were some additional curveballs and obstacles. “We started kicking things off in 2019,” says guitarist Edd Kerton. “[Our] first single drop was on Valentine’s Day 2020, and then literally within three weeks … we had to push pause.”
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Getting off your feet as a young and aspiring band is no small task, and even though Forlorn seemed to have every obstacle possible thrown at them. From the throes of touring hiatuses early on, and line-up changes and timeline delays due to the pandemic, they seem to have only come out the other side stronger than ever before. However, pushing to establish themselves as a presence in the scene and on social media proved to be a challenge after their schedule was hampered by the lockdowns. “It was tough.” vocalist Megan Elliott shares. “It was a case of like having to stretch things out … like, oh, what are we going [to post] about this week? Because obviously we didn’t have any live shows [to promote] or any photos to share … it’s amazing we’re still here, really.”
That time away allowed the band to reevaluate their goals, though, and in turn made their re-debut as shows began to start back up again all the more satisfying. Kerton says, somewhat in jest, “We get to be a real band now,” but in a way there’s no joke in that, as the limits of what bands could reasonably do during the extended period off touring would lead most artists, old and new, to ponder ‘What are we even doing anymore?’ Over that time, however, Forlorn, perhaps unintentionally began building upon what would become their now lovingly-branded style of ‘Midsommar metal’ – owed to the aesthetics of Ari Aster’s 2019 horror film Midsommar, of which their music video for “Colour Lost” paid homage to.
“It definitely developed over time,” says Elliott on their aesthetic shift. Continuing on its adaptation within their image, and how it links to her on a more personal level, she detailed “I personally identify as a Pagan – or a Green Witch specifically, [and with] the “Colour Lost” video we did, a lot of people said that kind of ‘ethereal, outdoors-y’ look really suits you guys. So, we decided to keep on going down that path.” She adds, further bolstering her connection to the aesthetic, “I run a dried flower business … [so I decided] ‘I’m going to wear a flower crown in the next video,’ and it all developed from there really.”
Their shift in sound is notable, too. Elliot assumed the role of sole vocalist, and the band honed in on what exactly they wanted their sound to be in a big way. Kerton lists influences such as The Dillinger Escape Plan for the band’s older material, but admits that the style of bombastic, chaotic riffing doesn’t translate quite as well to the low, guttural tuning of a baritone guitar, of which he’s taken to using on their latest material. For the gritty, low-tuned brand of chaotic post-metal see on their newer material, Kerton further lists influences like Meshuggah, as well as more left-field choices such as the shoegaze genre as a whole, and numerous soundtracks ranging from eerie horror scores to the works of legendary composer Angelo Badalamenti.
Elliot’s own wide-reaching influences are notable in their sound, too, from the industrial sounds of Type O Negative (of which the band covered “Love You To Death” from back in 2020), as well as post-metal and iconic 2000s metal outfits such as Cult of Luna, Converge, Gojira, as well as more modern picks like Fit For An Autopsy, Architects and Loathe.
Through these changes, bolsterings of their image and sound, and the ability to finally get out there and make a name for themselves, it seems they’ve made quite the splash already in 2022, having made sizable impressions on support slots for bands like Devil Sold His Soul and Ithaca throughout the year. In that sense, the band are more than making up for lost time. “I was really happy when we did that tour with Devil Sold His Soul, because they were really influential for me.” says Elliott, “a lot of stuff like in their material. [particularly] the atmospherics … particularly on their earlier stuff [were highly influential].”
The journey’s only just begun, though. As Forlorn look ahead to the future, while concrete plans remain an uncertainty for the band, there is still much to get excited about. In the coming weeks and months they have plans to roll out two brand new singles, mixed by the now-legendary George Lever (Loathe, Sleep Token, Monuments), though an extended release isn’t yet in the works. “For maybe the next release, [we are potentially looking at] doing a longer piece of work. The collection of four singles [we’ve made] exist within the same period of time … so they could be on the same CD, but [as of now] they’re not.”
For now though, given the impact they’ve made in such a short time since re-entering the cultural space of metal, there’s no doubt that Forlorn will become one of the most exciting voices in the already-lauded UK metal world. For all things Forlorn, metal, and music in general, keep it locked on Boolin Tunes.