The dance and synth-pop band have returned – this time as an Olly Alexander solo project
08/04/21
Photo credit: Press
Last month, synth-pop trio, Years & Years released a statement that would leave many in a state of shock and heartbreak, and others in a state of realisation that this appeared to have been a long time coming, with the warning signs in front of their noses for, well, years and years.
This was the news that three was about to become one, and the band would be parting ways, leaving Years & Years as an Olly Alexander solo project.
The former trio explained, “There’s been some changes that we want to fill you in on. This upcoming new album has been an Olly endeavour and we’ve decided that Years & Years will continue as an Olly solo project. The three of us are still good friends. Mikey will be part of the Y&Y family and play with us live and Emre will focus on being a writer/producer
“These past twelve months have been crazy for us all and we want to thank you for the love and support you’ve given us over the years (& years)
“New Y&Y music will be coming this spring.”
Today (08/04/21), the very poppy, “debut” solo track from Olly Alexander, ‘Starstruck’, was released. The upbeat, euphoric dance tune contains the same anthemic chorus and energetic beats that made Years & Years (the three-piece) so successful, over the past decade, and touches on the theme of human connection.
In conversation with Capital FM, to promote the new track, earlier today, Alexander explained that the reasoning behind the band’s split was due to being “in this band for a decade, and in that time, we’ve just grown apart musically. We kind of stopped making music together, and when we announced that I was going to be Olly Years & Years, it had kind of been a long time coming if that makes sense.
“We all got into a new way of living our lives and working together quite separately, and then after the pandemic, I feel like we had all this time to really reflect on what was going and it made sense that we kind of went our own ways.”
In addition to this, when asked about his decision to remain as ‘Years & Years’, rather than switching to another name, or simply going by ‘Olly Alexander’, he stated that, “These songs I’ve written like ten years ago, some of them, I don’t want to let them go, I still want to do it, so I felt like this just felt right to stay as Years & Years I think.”
And even before its release, the track started to gain some popularity amongst fans, with Alexander offering his followers an early preview of the track on TikTok last month, alongside a dance challenge that he had created, further proving that this is a track that will thrive upon the return of nightclubs and live music, once restrictions allow, later this summer.
So, three piece or not, ‘Starstruck’ is the positivity we all need right now, and well worth a listen, especially as things are seemingly brightening up again.
KATIE HILLIER
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