23 is the first single of the new Lucky Iris era. The track is about the stress of getting older but somehow feeling younger than ever. A feeling which at times seems silly and all-consuming but it’s there all the same... Written and produced by the pair, mixed by Richard Wilkinson (Adele, Kaiser Chiefs) and mastered by Antony Ryan (Oh Wonder); ‘23’ is the mesh of the duo’s love for hyper-pop hooks and the quintessential age of British indie music. Supported by Help Musicians and released through Launchpad+.
about:
“It’s kind of silly when you think about it, the stress of getting older. Especially when you’re in your 20s. But that’s the thing, it doesn’t feel silly at the time, it feels all consuming. This pressure to be all grown up, but somehow you feel younger than ever. I’m no movie buff, but I’ve always remembered this scene in ‘The Perks Of Being A Wallflower’ where they’re driving along, and they talk about being 16 going on 17 and how they feel their adolescence slipping away; they then stand up in the back of their very American pick-up truck going over a giant bridge to somewhere, screaming to “Hero’s”. I realised that at 22 going on 23 I’m sitting with those same feelings of time slipping away. And also the realisation that I’m likely to always feel this way.
If the song was instead, I swear I blinked now I’m 53, I think it would have the same sentiment. We’ll always have something to figure out, why not now? “23” is about taking a moment to look at where you are now and acknowledging that you’re always going to question these things. So, the song is our take on that scene that’s been stuck in my head, but it’s about us, in a ford fiesta, on the M1, singing along to our own songs because that’s what keeps us going.”