THE LOVESONG
Ephraim / Guitar
Nic / Bass, Vocal
Ding / Drums
Musically, The Lovesong blend elements of punk rock, hardcore, soul and noise with an inventively syncopated rhythm section often steeped in dub or reggae influence. Following in the footsteps of the American hardcore tradition, that band draws favorable comparisons to Fugazi, Cursive, The Dismemberment Plan. Notable is Ben and Ephraimfs inventive, interlocking guitar playing, which often defies the traditional notion of eleadf and erhythmf guitars, often featuring unusual and dissonant chords and progressions.
2005 saw the independent release of THE LOVESONG's first EP, a collection of songs that Ben had written between 1999 and 2005, recorded at the studio where he worked as a part-time engineer. Originally limited to 50 copies, the EP was met with much enthusiasm and support, selling out in a matter of days without any promotion or performances. To Ben's surprise, it even managed to get raving reviews from a number of popular local magazines, such as BC and Esquire.
In reponse to the interest, and the selling out oof numerous reprints of the EP, Ben decided to try to make THE LOVESONG a live band again, especially since his brother Nic and vocalist/guitarist of the legendary Think Up A Clear Sky Suhail Stephen had both returned from overseas. With Nic on bass and Suhail on drums, the band finally had a solid line up.
They played their first show in October 2005, and have been hard at work ever since, playing to different crowds across Hong Kong, as well as being involved with both a 3" CD series (released by Lona Records) and a Chinese compilation CD entitled 'Emo Rocks China', which features bands from Beijing, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Xian and Hunan. Below is a t-shirt that was printed to coincide with the CD release.