Lucius have shared a new song, and while it serves as a holiday soundtrack, it's also a tribute to their late collaborator and producer Richard Swift.
"We were on tour in Europe when we lost Richard. We didn't get to say goodbye face to face. We didn't get to go to the memorial service," the band's Jess Wolfe said in a statement. "I didn't get a chance to hear his voice. I only talked to him while he slept, hoping somehow, in his dreams, he was hearing us. We sang to him. We sang to him and it was the worst and best gift we'd ever received. Somehow, pouring out something for someone who has done so much for your musical life, is the only way to cope. This loss really messed us up, as I know it did all of us in the musical community, and we felt the need, the urgency, to make sure to do something about that."
As such, Lucius have founded the Fug Yep Soundation — an organization dedicated to giving financial aid to Swift's family, as well as MusiCares and Music Support UK.
The organization will release a series of 7-inch records in memory of Swift, the first arriving courtesy of Lucius on December 7.
They've done renditions of "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Keep Me Hanging On," both of which were recorded by Swift before he passed. The single artwork is also Swift's original work.
Stream "Christmas Time Is Here" below, and pre-order the Lucius 7-inch here.
In addition to Lucius, artists like Dan Auerbach, David Bazan, Jessie Baylin, Fruit Bats, Gardens and Villa, Damien Jurado, James Mercer, Pure Bathing Culture, Jonathan Rado, Nathaniel Rateliff and Shannon and the Clams have pledged support for Fug Yep.
"We were on tour in Europe when we lost Richard. We didn't get to say goodbye face to face. We didn't get to go to the memorial service," the band's Jess Wolfe said in a statement. "I didn't get a chance to hear his voice. I only talked to him while he slept, hoping somehow, in his dreams, he was hearing us. We sang to him. We sang to him and it was the worst and best gift we'd ever received. Somehow, pouring out something for someone who has done so much for your musical life, is the only way to cope. This loss really messed us up, as I know it did all of us in the musical community, and we felt the need, the urgency, to make sure to do something about that."
As such, Lucius have founded the Fug Yep Soundation — an organization dedicated to giving financial aid to Swift's family, as well as MusiCares and Music Support UK.
The organization will release a series of 7-inch records in memory of Swift, the first arriving courtesy of Lucius on December 7.
They've done renditions of "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Keep Me Hanging On," both of which were recorded by Swift before he passed. The single artwork is also Swift's original work.
Stream "Christmas Time Is Here" below, and pre-order the Lucius 7-inch here.
In addition to Lucius, artists like Dan Auerbach, David Bazan, Jessie Baylin, Fruit Bats, Gardens and Villa, Damien Jurado, James Mercer, Pure Bathing Culture, Jonathan Rado, Nathaniel Rateliff and Shannon and the Clams have pledged support for Fug Yep.