Two of a Kind

Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe met at a college house party at Berklee College of Music when they saw each other wearing exactly the same outfit. They
discovered they also shared mutual musical upbringings and goals and “got together the next morning to work on some music and never looked back,” says Laessig (lead vocals/keys). Ten years later, they still dress alike onstage—and have matching hairstyles—when performing with their “percussive, energetic and vocally powered” quintet Lucius. “We met the boys in Brooklyn about three years ago and started working while we were recording Wildewoman (2013),” she says of the band. “We were able to experiment and take our time—and freed our interpretations of our own songs.” Fittingly, the group’s name comes from Wolfe’s (lead vocals/synth) English bulldog who “was a true character, always doing something funny and surprising—we liked the juxtaposition,” says Laessig. Lucius also draws inspiration from the vibrancy and energy of New York. “There’s a true heartbeat to the city and it’s motivated some of our percussive elements.” As far as their creative process, always moving “can create a tunnel-vision effect, never knowing where we’re going next, but it’s also exciting,” she says. “We are constantly transporting ourselves in some way—aurally, visually, soulfully—and doing our best to bring the audience along for the ride.”