The atmospheric multi-faceted singer-songwriter London Thor’s latest EP, Cinematic Love is out now, and it is about to be the soundtrack to all your moody days. It’s trance pop. It’s the long boarding on the beach, headphones in ears, flying by, trying not to, but still thinking about you EP. She is a mega woman, taking on all roles in entertainment. A chameleon over many mediums: acting, writing, directing. We follow her in and out of her worlds. Through her music, we peek into her heart.
The EP has a song for every temperament of love. From day-dreaming love in songs like the title track “Cinematic Love,” to struggling with not wanting to be alone but not liking where you’re at in “Place Like This.” The collection of songs have us floating through our feelings while basking in the sun. There’s a warm vibe all over this EP. Something London Thor wanted to explore after all the darkness in 2020. This is her little love letter to us. It makes us feel good. We got to talk to the LA-based beauty about exploring her sound, her go-to sad song, and writing her new EP “Cinematic Love.”
What’s a typical day in LA look like for you? What do you do when you’re not making music?
My life in LA during COVID-19 has been very mild, to say the least. When I’m not in the studio working on music I’m usually at my house hanging out with my dog. Besides working in the studio with Billy Lefler, my only social interactions have been with my family at my childhood house. We have a close group of friends that have been quarantining together since last March at my old house and I like to go over there every week and work on film projects with them. I also like to try and get out every weekend to hike different trails around LA with my dog.
Tell me about making your latest EP, Cinematic Love. How long did it take to finish? Do you have a favorite song or line?
We started work on Cinematic Love back in April or last year and were completely finished with it by September. It was a really quick process, we were writing and recording new songs every week. It’s hard to pick a favorite on the EP. I’m really attached to “Place Like This” because of the message behind it. But I also love “King of the Old Days” because it was such a change from what I’m used to writing and was just so much fun to work on.
What’s your favorite thing about making music? What’s the hardest part?
I think my favorite thing about making music is getting to tell a different story with every song. It’s just another form of storytelling, and in many ways can be a very emotional form of storytelling. The hardest part of songwriting for me has been having the courage to share my ideas with others. When I’m writing alone and don’t have a producer or co-writer working alongside me it’s a little easier, but I’ve always struggled to feel confident in my lyrics and have really had to work on just vocalizing my thoughts and opinions when I’m working with other people.
You’re a woman of many talents over different mediums. How do you balance them?
I was always under the impression that you can balance and manage everything at once if you just work hard enough. This past year I have realized that that is not true for me. Trying to find a balance between music, directing, screenwriting, and acting has been difficult. At least for the moment I’ve found that something has to give, obviously not forever and not entirely but in order to keep my personal life and my mental health where I want it to be I try to make myself OK with the fact that I’m going to have to take a little attention off of one thing or another.
Who are you listening to nowadays? What’s a song you put on when you need a pick-me-up or a good cry?
I’m really bad at keeping up with current music. I have a habit or finding a song, loving it, and then listening to it over and over again. Lately I’ve been re-listening to “Get Low” by James Vincent McMorrow, it’s become my “driving song.” “Dreamland” by Glass Animals is also high on my list of songs I listen to when I’m having a good day. When it comes to songs I listen to when I need a good cry, I always turn to Chelsea Cutler. I absolutely love her songwriting, lately her song “NJ” has been my go-to sad song.
What are you looking forward to this year?
This year I am looking forward to getting back in the studio and making new music. I feel like I have a much better grasp on who I am as an artist lately and I am really excited to get back to work and explore more of this new sound.