There is a sense of sorrow in London artist great area’s latest EP, light decline, but the consonance of her melodies belies the words she sings. Live, her performances express the somber alienation of the city dweller. During her set at Nina HQ in December 2023, she stood alone in front of projections of buildings while singing lyrics with a clever dismissiveness: “So many individuals / So very individual.” She is currently on the tail end of a two-month stay in the US—she opened for bar italia on their recent US tour, and is now playing a handful of dates with Lolina. We reached out to her via email while she was on the road, and her unedited responses are below. light decline is out now on Lolina’s Relaxin Records. 

What is your history with the bass?

great area: Someone i worked with at Lush when i was 20 decided i should play bass. It was a good call.

What is your take on recent trends in men’s fashion?

Hmmm im not sure i have a take- The only recent runway trend i can remember is for men to wear only boxershorts and 10 denier tights. This look didnt really make it to the streets for some reason.

What was the saddest thing you saw while driving across America with bar italia?

We saw alot of sad things. Maybe its not good to rank them.

What is something London has that New York lacks?

Humidity.

What is the role of irony in music?

Um to annoy people?  

What is the role of emotion in art?

People want to feel something

*most people

Can a broken heart be fixed?

Yes. Fuck ‘em.

Three melodies you can’t get out of your head right now?

The peep show theme tune.

The peep show theme tune.

The peep show theme tune.

Imagine this scenario: you are locked out of a room that you need to get into. You have no phone, no keys, no pants. All you have is a fire extinguisher.  How do you get into the room?

lol

When does time move by so slowly?

When you are locked out of a room that you need to get into. you have no phone, no keys, no pants. All you have is a fire extinguisher