The Lilacs’ debut album Keeping Up With The Joneses is due for release on October 2, before an accompanying tour in 2027.
Guitarist Sam Birchall believes the Wigan four-piece have blended some of their early energy with some new dynamics.
“It’s mega exciting, it’s been a pretty long journey already up to here and it’s been so enjoyable up until now,” he said.
“For a band, you get to that point where you think: ‘Now’s the time.’
“We feel like we’ve picked up a bit of pace in the last few years and grown our audience. It feels like the right time to do it.
“Every artist will always say their last work is their best work, but I think this really is.
“It’s got some of that classic Lilacs youthful energy and girl meets boy type of stuff, but it’s got a level of maturity as well. When we came to write it, we really thought about the lyrics more and musicality to introduce a few different bits.
“It’s classic Lilacs with that bit of growth and development so we’re really proud of it.
“It’s another big step for us. There’s been a lot of steps where we’ve gone up in venue size or signed to a label, but this feels like the next big step.”
Shows up and down the UK, as well as in Europe, will give fans the opportunity to hear the Lilacs’ debut album.
The standout date is 3 April 2027, when they take to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse.
“The tour is amazing,” Birchall added.
“We always seem to step up each time. We knew the next one was going to be big. This tour feels like there’s some proper big venues in it.
“We’ve always been one of those bands that seem to develop a decent audience everywhere. We’ve tried to push everywhere and try to play gigs in loads of different places, and it shows on the tour.
“There’s a Lilacs contingency absolutely everywhere, it’s amazing to see.
“We’ve always been the same four mates that started this band from our bedrooms, and did the Castle to 50 people. We never took it for granted. We always put gigs up for sale and think ‘are people going to rock up to this and buy a ticket?’
“We’ve always surprised ourselves and sold-out the next one – we can definitely see it growing.”
The Lilacs’ next show comes at the Arts Club on Sunday as part of Liverpool Sound City.
“It’s one we’ve had on our radar for quite some time and never had the chance to play it,” Birchall stated.
“Liverpool has an amazing music scene, and Sound City as a festival itself – you look at some of the historical line-ups, there’s been some great bands.
“We’re looking forward to it. We recently did the Academy 1, and it was such a great night, we’re always so well received there.
“The Arts Club speaks for itself, it’s such a unique venue. We played it on a tour in the past and I enjoyed playing it.”
Following a recent battle with cancer, Birchall is pleased to be performing again and focussing on the band, with the 25-year-old receiving the all-clear earlier this year.
“I’m much better health-wise, and mentally to get back on the stage – that was always the goal,” he admitted.
“It was such a bad situation that got thrown on me, but I was always pretty positive and took the little step back that I needed to.
“The guys at Christies did an amazing job and managed to get me all cleared up.
“The end goal was getting back and playing with the band. The timing of the album has been perfect for me because when you go through something like that, people can feel a little bit lost.
“It gave me something great to focus on. It’s the next step to kick back with something positive.”
Catch The Lilacs at Liverpool Sound City at the Arts Club, Sunday 3 May at 9.30pm.
Follow @thelilacsofficial on Instagram for updates.
