If you’re looking for a new band to get into, keep an eye on Lizzie Died Young. The shoegaze band is getting ready to release its debut single, “Say Perhaps to Drugs,” after spending a lot more time on the track than originally planned.

I sat down with three of the members, minus Nick. I was able to talk to Val, Alex, and Maraya about the new song, their influences, how the band came together, and why their first release has taken so long to finally make its way out into the world.

First things first, the band name.

According to Val, Lizzie Died Young started with a Pinterest scroll. She saw “Lizzy” on one post and “Young” on another and thought the two sounded good together. Val liked the name from the beginning, and apparently so did other people. When the band was booked to open for Cathedral Bells and Strawberry Milk Cult, the promoter had picked them out of a list of potential band names because they liked the Lizzie Died Young title. 

So, LDY it was.

The band itself has gone through a bit of an evolution. Val and Nick were the original members, but Alex joined later on bass, followed by Maraya on guitar. All three members came into LDY with experience from other bands, so the project became a bit of a collision of different musical backgrounds and ideas.

“Say Perhaps to Drugs” started pretty simply. Val and Alex were trying to write something new after the band hadn't made a song in a while. The song started with a guitar melody, then a vocal melody, and eventually the rest of the band jumped in and started messing around with it.

The title came from a surprisingly random source: some gift-wrapping paper on Alex’s wall that said “Say perhaps to drugs.”

Val thought it sounded cute, and that was enough to turn it into a song.

For Alex, “Say Perhaps to Drugs” also feels like a good introduction to the band because it was one of the first songs the entire current lineup really worked on together. Maraya’s guitar parts helped fill out the track, and the song eventually became one of the band's favorites.

At the same time, it’s only one part of what LDY is working toward. The band is also putting together an EP, and “Say Perhaps to Drugs” actually leads into another song that builds into a bigger crescendo.

When it comes to influences, the band pulls from a pretty wide range of music. Val has been listening to a lot of Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters, especially admiring how much emotion Fiona puts into her performances. Val said that feeling is something they hope to carry into LDY’s future releases.

Alex has been paying close attention to production and vocal layering, taking inspiration from Ear’s use of male and female vocals. Feeble Little Horse has also been a big influence, particularly their gritty, punchy production that still manages to stay melodic.

Maraya is interested in the more experimental side of shoe gaze. They brought up Swirlies and their ability to create strange sounds that make you wonder how they even got a guitar to do that in the first place.

Before Lizzie Died Young, all three members were already involved in different projects around the local music scene. Val had played in a previous band with Nick and also made solo music. Alex has played guitar, bass and drums in different projects, while also developing an interest in audio production and engineering. Maraya previously played in a band called Willowick with Nick.

Their paths kept crossing through shows. Eventually, those different projects and friendships started turning into the lineup that LDY has now.

That history also plays into how they approach playing live. For Val, the main goal is pretty simple, have fun.

Val and Alex talked about whether they should focus more on the audience or on themselves while performing, and ultimately decided that enjoying the music comes first. If the band is genuinely having a good time, hopefully the audience will pick up on that energy too.

Maraya agreed, pointing out that trying too hard to cater to an audience can sometimes feel forced. Instead, they would rather play because they actually love playing.

That doesn't mean they aren't thinking about how to make their shows better. Val wants to bring more movement and energy into their sets and make them feel like a full performance rather than just standing around and playing songs.

As for what they want people to get from their music, they want people to have a good time listening to it.

Alex, who is producing the single, has been especially focused on making sure the track sounds finished and intentional. They don't want the band's first release to feel rushed or like they simply recorded something and immediately threw it online.

And that is probably the biggest reason “Say Perhaps to Drugs” has taken so long to come out.

The song was originally supposed to be released about a month earlier, and the band has already pushed back the release date a couple times. But rather than rushing it out, they're taking the extra time to finish the production and make sure everything sounds the way they want.

For a band putting out its very first song, that makes sense.

Alex is usually more of an album person and was initially hesitant about releasing a single at all. The band originally wanted to release an EP, but that would take even longer. Eventually, they decided that getting one song out into the world was better than making everyone wait forever. 

And “Say Perhaps to Drugs” seemed like the right choice. They agree that the song has more to say lyrically than some of the band's other tracks.

So, if you've never heard Lizzie Died Young before, now is a pretty good time to start paying attention.

The band is still new, still figuring things out, and still building toward their first full project. But between the shoegaze influences, weird guitar sounds, layered vocals, and obvious enthusiasm for making music, LDY already has a pretty clear idea of what they want to sound like.

“Say Perhaps to Drugs” is still getting its final touches before mixing and mastering, but hopefully College Station won't have to wait much longer.

In the meantime, keep an eye out for Lizzie Died Young and maybe catch them at a show. You might get to say you heard them before everyone else did.