Following a few years kicking it around town in other projects, it was only in 2015 that Lachlan X. Morris stepped out on his own and began taking Newcastle by storm. He’s been quick to get cracking though - quickly amassing an ever-growing discography of classic rock mixed with warped garage pop. Currently gearing up to drop his second album Premeditations, today we’ve been treated to one more taste in the form of the new clip for his latest single 'Stray Dog’.

Built around a pounding drum beat and filled out with blissful guitars and ear-worming synths, ‘Stray Dog’ opens like a garage rock track but quickly shifts into something far more hypnotic and immersive, with Lachlan’s spacey vocals drifting across the instrumentation. The groove shifts at the chorus and things cool off slightly as Lachlan weaves a melody that tangles around the blissful guitar chords, somehow feeling refreshingly modern and nostalgic at the same time. Finally, ‘Stray Dog’ meanders off track and rides out a glorious psych-rock outro, dense with quivering keys, soaring guitar leads and steady grooves.

Created by Brayden Porter, the new clip for ‘Stray Dog’ manages to feel just as restless and unpredictable as the track. For from a regular clip of the band performing, the video sees Lachlan and his crew running wild in the studio as the cameras roll - expect a heap of colour, some Satanic influences and a whole lot of weirdness. To celebrate the release of the new clip, we caught up with Lachlan to find out about ‘Stray Dog’ and the upcoming album.

TJ: Hey Lachlan, tell us about yourself.

LXM: I’m a Newcastle-based artist. I thoroughly enjoy dad-rock, 70’s satanic horror movies (and also Blues Brothers), sandals in every season and coming up with ridiculous names for expensive boutique guitar pedals. I think ‘The Procrastinator’ would be an amazing name for a delay pedal.

What’s the story behind your latest single Stray Dog?

I set myself the goal of trying to write a psychadelic Motown song, with that classic four to the floor rhythmic push. Think Four Tops ‘I’ll Be There’. So that’s where the initial beat and dramatic chorus chords/melody came from. The actual lyrics are essentially coming from times when I’ve felt so stuck in a place and need a release. I wanted some unsettled rhythmic changes to add to that claustrophobic energy, so that’s what you get in the verse.

The new clip is real sick - how’d that come about?

Thankyou! I wanted to make the video look as vague and exciting as possible. With a 70’s satanic ‘bad trip’ sheen over the whole thing. Faceless angels, subliminal messages, and terrible fashion choices all helped I think. If you’ve seen the Magical Mystery Tour then you know what we wanted to achieve. It all works as a fairly effective visualiser for how I feel on this song. A bit distressed and looking for some form of release. We pretty much had my friends studio for the day, so we didn’t stop to think for one second. If we had a manic idea, we went for it instantly. Skip around in kimonos? That’ll work.

Since starting in 2015, you’ve released a heap of music. What’s your process like?

I like to record as often as possible. I find it really fulfilling to spend days at a time on fragments of ideas, smashing the coffees and crafting the fragments into songs. My drummer/producer Fraser Marshall and I end up spending most weekdays locked away trying to see how far we can push it. The scarier the better. I tend to not put too much thought into these ideas at first so we are free to take them anywhere we are feeling. Because of this routine, the next album is done and we are starting pre-production on the next-next one.

You’re currently gearing up to release your second album Premeditations - how’s the rest of the year looking?

I have my dream band all lined up and ready to let loose on stages in every direction! Bunch of fun shows booked for November/December. Really excited to give people the chance to hear the songs off the new record. If you like riffs and sci-fi conspiracies, then I think this is your album.