Creating a Dreamy Soundtrack to Life: Lola Marsh

Lola Marsh, the enchanting music duo, has been captivating the hearts of fans all around the world with their ethereal blend of dreamy indie-pop and mesmerizing Middle Eastern folk influences. From their early beginnings to their most recent successes, join us as we dive deeper into the creative minds behind their magical world, filled with love and fantasy.

Creativity is a big part of your music and video clips. In this creative process, how do you balance between your music and video clips?

Gil Landau: We are working hard!

Yael Shoshana Cohen: It is so important for both of us to always been in touch with the music video directors to be sure that the visuals align with the message of the music. We don’t want to feel like we’re forced to do something, or present ourselves in a way thats against who we are. Feeling comfortable regarding the music videos is important for us.

Besides your own music, which genres do you listen to the most?

Yael Shoshana Cohen: All kinds of genres! I’m a little bit of mix of everything. When I’m cleaning my house I’m listening to pop, when I’m going on a run, it’s pop or indie or hiphop, it changes.

Gil Landau: My listening habits have changed a lot in the past ten years because I feel that now I listen to a song as a producer. I can listen to some techno track and be really thrilled by the synth sound that it has, and I will push the like button, then it’ll go to my liked songs. So, basically, I’m listening to everything, I think. I try to listen everything, actually.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: When we are cooking with my boyfriend, we always listen to old French music, that is my favorite playlist on Spotify.

Is there any musician, band or song you admire and you think ‘this is how I would do it’?

Yael Shoshana Cohen: Wow, so many! There are so many great musician that inspire us. I don’t know if it was you Gil, or another friend played it for me; but when I heard Tame Impala for the first time, I was like: “Okay, wow!” They’re really good. It was ‘Elephant’. It was the first song that I’ve heard from them.

Gil Landau: Tame Impala, Bon Iver, Sujfan Stevens, I like all Jack Antonoff productions. Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, a lot of singers. 

Both of them: Arcade Fire.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: Phoebe Bridges, Dua Lipa.

Gil Landau: I like War on Drugs, actually. I like this 80s vibe. Everything, really. I’m listening to everything.

Do you have a favorite song on your discography and if it is, what is the story behind?

Yael Shoshana Cohen:  I would say, it is “She’s a Rainbow” for me. It is combination of uplifting, but still, little bit emotional. Very emotional. And it has a good message. It took us some time to write this song, and I like that. We waited with this song. I remember we had the chorus first, then, after a while, we found a verse. We were waiting for a really good verse because we had really good chorus. Sometimes in the writing process, it takes a while.

Gil Landau: Mine, too. I think there’s something classic about that song, and when I listen ‘She’s a Rainbow’, I’m shocked that we wrote it because it sounds like it already exists, and that’s what’s so special about it.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: That song can live forever.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: To-do list for supermarket, and birthdays! If someone has a birthday, I will plan on the notes. Passwords as well.

Gil Landau: Songs. I always have songs. Letters, or long messages that I want to send. The things I need before tour. Actually, I have been doing it for years. I go back to the same list and keep updating it all the time as we are touring.

Yael Shoshana Cohen:  I have it, too. It saves life. Also, dreams. 

We know that you write your own music. So, what is the writing process like?

Yael Shoshana Cohen: Every song is very different. There are songs where it’s very easy, it just pops. Just like a finger touched us and we have a song, and sometimes, it takes time to understand what the song needs. I think, for both of us, we really get along. Usually, when we are in writing process it’s very fun and creative. I think it’s a place for us where we feel comfortable with each other.

You’ve been making music professionally for over 10 years from now. So, now, where do you draw inspiration from?

Yael Shoshana Cohen: Lots of things; from our personal life to a good movie that you have something to talk about, and I think that the inspiration is people that surround us. The inspiration is like a memory.

Gil Landau: From everything! The inspiration is now. Like this interview, because everything can be a story and everything has its own sound. We’ve experienced so many times where one of us came to a session as “I’m drained, I have nothing to say, I’m empty.” Then, after a couple of hours of work, suddenly, “Hey! Something happened.” Sometimes you have to play a few songs and, suddenly, you have an inspiration.

How do you balance creative collaboration with individual creative expression within the band?

Gil Landau: We don’t have a lot of time, actually. We both don’t have this desire to create something alone, individually. We do it once in a while, but not really, because this band is our life, basically. 

Yael Shoshana Cohen: It’s our top priority, for both of us. We are together most of the time.

How do you feel about Istanbul? Is there a song that makes you feel like you are in Istanbul?

Yael Shoshana Cohen: There is one artist that I really love. (Yael plays a song from Cem Karaca) 

The last time we were in Istanbul, we had a day off, or a couple of hours off and we traveled in the city a little bit, went into a couple of stores and they played this song. I “Shazamed it” and I was like “Whoa!”. I remember I played it for Gil and he’s always with a guitar, playing it. So, we were both like ‘Whoa!’ This is very inspiring. 

What is changed for you since Covid-19 because we know that there are the traces of pandemic and lockdown in your album Shot Shot Cherry?

Gil Landau: First of all, we have a new album.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: Unplanned.

Gil Landau: Actually, that’s what we did mostly in the Covid. I got married, too. It’s also a big change. 

Yael Shoshana Cohen: I broke up with my boyfriend but, I found a new love. So, both of us are in good relationships.

Gil Landau: After lockdown, tour is more exciting now. Suddenly, you understand it better because it was not obvious before. 

Yael Shoshana Cohen: I remember the first tour that we had in Europe after Corona, we were allowed to fly and tour again and I saw the sparkles within the crowd’s eyes.

This was actually a pandemic album. So, what are your major feelings to play those songs live?

Both of them: It’s fun.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: It’s always fun to play new songs.

Gil Landau: When we write songs, it’s fuel for our souls. It really gives us a lot of energy. So, during the pandemic, these songs gave us a real and good energy to keep on going to our life.

Yael Shoshana Cohen: And a purpose. Seeing the reaction of the crowd, it’s always fun. We always ask them, ‘Did you listen to the album?’ And they are like, ‘Yeah!’ So, it’s fun.