Rhythm of Love: In conversation with Lateral Move

Lateral Move from Nagaland is gaining recognition in the competitive music scene after winning several beat contests and recently being named one of the top 30 artistes in Nexa Music Season 3.

The band, formed in 2023, reflects eclectic influences in their music by blending indie rock, pop, and world music elements. They use their creativity and imagination to share their stories with the world.

The indie rock-pop band consists of Ren O Mayer on vocals and rhythm guitar, Akam as the lead guitarist, Apong on bass, and Andrew on drums.

In an exclusive interview with Eastern Mirror, Lateral Move opened up about their journey and creative processes.

Eastern Mirror: How did the formation of Lateral Move come about and what inspired you to start it?

Lateral Move: The band started with a beat contest, but at that time, there was no vision to take the band any further. Surprisingly, we won the contest, which sparked a fire in our hearts. We then began competing in more contests, and to our surprise, the results were outstanding! That was when we realised that this band has a bright future, as long as we give our best.

Eastern Mirror: Who are some of your biggest musical influences, both within and outside of Nagaland?

Lateral Move: There are many artistes and bands all around the globe that have massive influence on us, but to name some of them, we have Young the Giant, Two Door Cinema Club, Chon, and Prateek Kuhad, and though we have many influences from Nagaland, there’s some band we’d like to mention specifically that quite influence us as a band. Bands such as We the Giants, Trance Effect, and Polar Lights.

Eastern Mirror: What has been the band’s most memorable performance so far, and why does it stand out? 

Lateral Move: Our most memorable performance was at the Final Smash Contest of 2024. The other contestants were incredibly talented, which made us quite nervous. Fortunately, we emerged as the winners, and we were overjoyed, screaming in excitement at our achievement.

Eastern Mirror: What are some of the biggest challenges you guys have faced as a band and how have you navigated them?

Lateral Move: Some of the challenges we faced as a band were managing our time for the band since some of us are still pursuing education and the rest are working full time in the church and private sector.

The only way we could navigate this was through our sacrifices and more hard work trying to keep everything balanced.

Eastern Mirror: What strategies do you employ to stand out in music contests?

Lateral Move: It’s very simple for us; we don’t try to be unique or something extraordinary in our music but the one thing we focus on is our authenticity and we try to make it as easy and simple as possible so that the listeners could connect with the message of the song.

Eastern Mirror: Can you describe your creative process when composing music and how do you collaborate as a group?

Lateral Move: Most of the time, our vocalist would come up with the melody and lyrics and share them in the group chat. We would work accordingly, sharing our thoughts and music in the group. Later, on the weekend, we would meet up and work on the song until it’s good enough for us.

Eastern Mirror: How excited are you guys about being selected as one of the top 30 artistes in Nexa Music Season 3, and how is preparing going on for the upcoming stages of the competition? 

Lateral Move: We are very surprised and humbled at the same time to know of our selection in the top 30 artistes out of so many talented artistes and musicians in the country. We thank God for this wonderful opportunity. We are preparing really hard and tight for this one, and we hope that everything will turn out to be good for us.

Eastern Mirror: Are there any upcoming projects or new music releases people can look forward to from Lateral Move?

Lateral Move: Yes, there are many new music releases that we are planning to come up with very soon. We are working hard and hope that they will be out at the right time.