LNDN’s song “Life Like That” and the accompanying music video for the track, are reminiscent of a lot of quarantine-era content. The song sounds like a cut track from Lauv’s Without You EP, while the music video, a stunning collection of exterior woodsy/water shots, immediately brings you back to Taylor Swift’s folklore era.

Inspired by LNDN’s frequent moves around Canada- from busy cities to quieter, more secluded places- “Life Like That” embodies the best qualities of atmospheric bedroom pop. I spoke with Landon, who follows in the footsteps of Hrvy and The WLDLFE with a hyphenated artist name, about the song, his musical inspirations, and more. 

“Life Like That” tells the story of LNDN’s journey as he moved around from place to place. From urban cities, like Toronto, to smaller, rural areas.

“I had many opportunities to move home and move closer to family, which always means a lot to me,” he said. “But I had this stupid, arbitrary number in my head that was like ‘I can’t move home until I make x amount of dollars doing music. It was a very prideful, silly hustle mindset. It’s like… go be around the people you want to be around. Go spend time with your family. The song is reflecting on all of that.”

Despite his frequent ventures, he is, by no means, disassociated with any particular place. He currently resides on Vancouver Island, Canada. “It’s easier to write songs that you really want to write here,” he said. “In Toronto, it was kind of just paying attention to trends and trying to not get caught up in all that. There are a lot of musical people on Vancouver Island…. so there is no shortage of talent, but there’s a little less of the hustle mentality, which I think lets people be a bit more honest in their music.”  

LNDN is influenced by some of the heavy hitters of bedroom pop, such as Jeremy Zucker, FINNEAS, and, of course, Lauv. The sparse piano intro, layered vocal harmonies, and even certain melodic cadences and runs in “Life Like That” are almost certainly a nod to Lauv’s imitable style, but LNDN is nothing but fresh and original. 

He also claims Marianas Trench as an influence, which may have had a hand in the development of his theatrical approach to music.

“Masterpiece Theatre was one of those albums that made me say ‘I want to make music like this,’” he said. “I wanted to figure out how they made this. At that point I thought, to record music, you go in room with a band and record it live, but once I started listening to them and Ryan Tedder from OneRepublic, I realized that production is kind of its own thing and that you’re a composer at that level.”

He implements well-placed key changes in “1974” and “Sundress Sangria,” two tracks from his EP (NOW) Summers Over, but says he isn’t TRYING to be theatrical. “I don’t think about it too much,” he said. “It just comes as an answer to a problem. Like, ‘What should I do in the bridge here?’ or ‘What should I do in the last chorus?’ I’m a sucker for pop. I like pop music, I like pop songwriting. I don’t need crazy, jazzy instrumentation but it is fun to go outside of what a typical pop song can do, once in a while.” 

LNDN used a portion of the Summers Over EP to explore the concept of and take jabs at the idea that, according to news outlets and, occasionally, our elders, millennials are “entitled” and “lazy.” The “Spoiled Babies” interlude is a collection of overly dramatic cable news headlines on the subject and leads right into “1974.” While the Charli XCX/Troye Sivan collab “1999” saw the pair craving the chance to go back in time to experience all the pop culture goodness of the late 90’s firsthand, LNDN’s “1974” is about going back to a time when you could afford to live; “I heard that all the houses were less pricey than my car. I wish that I could live, live in 1974.” “The song is just a commentary on that,” he said. “We’re all born into circumstances we don’t control. What does that do to a generation? Constantly being the scapegoat?”

He also talked about his relationship with today’s modern technology, which was, most definitely, not around in 1974. “I flip flop on what I think of the internet every day,” he said. “Some days, I think it’s a beautiful, great tool. Other days, I think ‘What I would give to live in a world without it?’ One of my favorite things that people tell me whenever I complain about this, like ‘Oh, I’m an artist. I should post more on social media.’ They’re like, ‘Just be yourself, that’s all you can do.’ But, I’m like ‘Myself doesn’t want to be on social media.’” 

He tries to disconnect when he can, especially while traveling or camping. He lists Bali and Laos in southeast Asia as his dream destinations, but thinks that traveling and seeing the world is crucial for artistic growth. “I think something good to do as an artist is get perspective,” he said. “If you’re going to be putting ideas out into the world, you should probably try and have different experiences. Become a more well-rounded person. You can do that through books, or just talking to different people, or learning new skills, but travel is my favorite way to do it.” 

LNDN’s music is bold, poppy, and prime for big stages and audiences, which he wants, but he would be content with even the most intimate of gigs. “I really like doing acoustic sets and backyard shows,” he said. “Backyard shows, living room concerts… that’s my favorite kind of show. My music is… there’s a lot more going on there, so I’m trying to figure out how to blend those two ideas. If I could just tour people’s living rooms, that would be my favorite thing. My favorite way to connect with an audience. I just want to do everything.” 

You can follow LNDN on social media here: 

Facebook / Twitter /Instagram / TikTok

You can stream “Life Like That” here: