Brit rock frontman and vocal virtuoso Luke Spiller kicks off the release of his forthcoming, debut solo album with the title track, “Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine,” out today on all platforms via Big Machine Rock.
Co-written and produced by Jon Levine (Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Drake), the song was born from a collection of poems Spiller had written as an ode to a love so dangerous it almost felt fatal. The single intros a brand new look at the already well-known artist that subverts genre and highlights raw talent.
“Everything you are about to hear is a door opening into my debut album that showcases my own personal experiences,” Spiller explains. “I’ve never been this honest in my music before, and it’s definitely been a rollercoaster of emotions. I hope people will find their own stories they have experienced within my songs, and in some cases, even find peace in doing so. I’m really excited for what the future has in store for me. This is only the beginning.”
In 2019 Luke Spiller found himself in a state of self-inquiry. For over a decade, he’d made a name with the formidable British rock band The Struts — enlisting his retro sonic inspirations, singular vocals, and anthemic songwriting to help boost the group to the top of the charts. But three albums and multiple world tours later, Spiller started to wonder what it would be like to shift in his own direction. The dramatic, avant-garde music he’d grown up with and the unbridled, large songs he wanted to write didn’t seem like a fit for his current project. “It’s been a long time in the making,” he says.
Spiller began to dive deeper into his songwriting, turning his typical writing process on its head. Starting with only lyrics and a title, he crafted material written as poetry – self-expression in its purest form. The resulting songs became his forthcoming debut solo record, Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine – an epically cinematic sonic expedition that mirrors a James Bond score and documents all the love, heartbreak, and beauty Spiller first experienced when he moved to Los Angeles.
From the lush opener and title track, “Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine,” to the earnest and heartfelt “She’s Just Like California,” the record is an introduction to a vulnerable, and often publicly hidden, side of the flamboyant frontman.
Freshly uninhibited and entirely unapologetic, Spiller worked alongside producer Jon Levine (Sabrina Carpenter, Dua Lipa, Drake) and guitarist/producer Jason Faulkner (St. Vincent, Air, Beck) on the 10 new tracks that, despite their intimate nature, don’t shy away from bombastic strings and over-the-top orchestration.
“In terms of big sound and theatrics, those come naturally to me,” he says. “That’s the way I’ve always written, and that wasn’t an issue. This was a case of finding great lyrics that told a great story with truth and vulnerability. I really wanted to tell my own story in this record.” And on Love Will Probably Kill Me Before Cigarettes and Wine, he’s done just that.
