Following the release of their debut single ‘Hot Mess’ - which landed a coveted spot on Spotify’s ‘Glow’ and ‘Garden Indie’ playlists as well as on Apple Music’s ‘New Alternative’, ‘New in Indie’ and Deezer’s ‘Alt Rated’ playlists - London indie-pop trio LuxJury are back with their new single ‘Couples Therapy’, out on 21 February.

Equally as seductive as their previous single, ‘Couples Therapy’ highlights lead singer and founder Nicole Fermie’s gift for telling captivating stories with a heavy dose of ironic self-awareness. A self-professed latecomer to the queer party, she made great cliff notes along the way. The cliff notes were put to music which translated into alternative, extremely positive, autobiographical pop guitar music. Like if Prince went down more of a singer songwriter route than outright sex machine.

On ‘Couples Therapy’, Nicole tells the story of the consequences of a wandering eye, and the complexities of romanticised encounters. She says, “Couples Therapy was initially inspired by a girl at work who’s mere presence upended my life for a few months and drove me to end a long term relationship I was in. I wrote the track months later reflecting on the absurdity of intimacy, and how words and skin carry equal weight in how close we feel to people. 

The song is a balance of indulgence and responsibility, where the verses are an enticement towards the new and tantalising, whereas the chorus - literally a chorus of multiple voices - brings you back to reality. Underneath it all, you feel the bitterness of denial and the constant effort to oppress how we feel. Across all cultures, we can never seem to talk about the things that actually matter - especially with those we’re closest to. It also explores the rise of polyamory and sexual fluidity and misunderstandings around what it takes to sustain these states emotionally for all involved.”

Naming George Michael, Angel Olsen and the Vampyros Lesbos soundtrack as their main inspirations, LuxJury draws from their combined influences, fusing elements of pop, rock and soul baring lyricism to create their own distinctively captivating sound. 

Having grown up in a deeply suburban part of Vienna without a shred of rock and roll to guide her through, Nicole turned to music as the only medium for transcending the boredom and monotony of a static neighbourhood. Encouraged into classical piano by her Asian parents, she eventually managed to get her hands on a guitar - “mainly to elevate my social status at school - which needed all the help it could get. Eventually picked up drums and bass too - anything to get me into bands. The first band I ever played in was a Weezer covers band.”