As Lia attests, such attitudes remain a serious problem in alternative music, and something the space needs to address urgently. For The Mysterines especially, having their songwriting credentials questioned is particularly galling when the band have, technically, already had a Number One song. After meeting new-wave icon and former The Jam frontman Paul Weller at a show, Lia was invited to contribute lyrics to his chart-topping 2021 LP Fat Pop (Volume 1), with her writing going on to feature on the track True.
She’s humble about the experience – “I think those lyrics are a bit shit, to be honest – I could’ve done better!” – but it’s proof that those that matter know Lia and her band are a group to be taken seriously. And, not content with resting on the laurels of an incredibly successful debut album campaign, The Mysterines already have their sights set higher. Reeling, Lia says, is just the beginning of their story.
“I’ve seen this weird trend with bands recently where they seem to think it’s cool to not give a fuck, but that’s not us,” she explains. “Why bother doing this if you aren’t going to have ambitions? For us, despite Reeling getting in the Top 10, those ambitions aren’t great chart success; when it comes to The Mysterines, the ambition is making great records and selling out shows – stuff that matters to our fans and actively involves them.
“We never even bothered about trying to get an album on the charts, which I think demonstrates our position on that,” Lia adds. “It’s an ego thing for a lot of people, but our main takeaway from so many people buying the album is the belief they must have in it – that makes us believe in The Mysterines that much more. That’s what we’re really proud of and what’s making us happy.”