Boston Indie Band Gollylagging Talks New Album 'Real Life'

Gollylagging, a band from Boston takes pride in its uniquely spur-of-the-moment mentality. With their roots in indie rock and shoegaze-adjacent sounds, the quartet — Jules Skiffington, Jake Regulbuto, Joey Lorant and Andrew Garas — first caught our attention with the release of their singles 'Bronco' and 'Comet'. Their loud and dense sound suggested a band that knew how to use heavy distortion without burying the underlying pop hook. 

Photo Credit: Renee Newman

The full scale of this dynamic can be appreciated on their debut full-length, Real Life, arriving October 16. This album marks a structural shift for the band. Because all four guys are writing together now, the new record has a really warm, lived-in feel. It nods to the music they grew up on, but still captures that loose, anything-can-happen energy of four friends just playing in a room. Jules Skiffington describes the record as their most versatile and eclectic work yet, expanding beyond their core sound with country-influenced tracks, hard-rocking elements, and electronic flourishes so that no two songs feel identical. 

You won't find them celebrating the release with a run-of-the-mill promotional event, either. In a playful and unexpected move, they have taken over the historic Brattle Theatre in Cambridge to screen Albert Brooks' 1979 film Real Life, a rather unconventional way to mark the release of a shared title. Ahead of the drop, we had the opportunity to sit down for a laid-back conversation with the four-piece. We dug deep into their collaborative process, their ties to the local underground scene, and everything that went into shaping the sound and spirit of Real Life.

The album isn't about just one thing—it's hard to pinpoint. It's like asking what a tattoo means when sometimes it just represents a specific moment in your life. I view this album as a snapshot or a timestamp of where we are.

For people who are not familiar with you just yet, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from, and a little bit about this musical project?

Jules: I play guitar and sing on half of the album. I’m from Malden, Massachusetts.

Jake: I play guitar and sing the other half of the record, and I'm from Connecticut.

Joey: I'm Joey. I play bass, and I'm from Newton, Massachusetts.

Andrew: I'm Andrew. I'm from southern New Hampshire—Hudson—and I play drums in the band.

Your name is a twist on the word "lollygagging," a colloquial term that means to waste time or fool around. How does your name tie into your music?

Jake: I came up with the name because I wanted to say "lollygagging," but I mispronounced it. I thought "Gollylagging" would make a good band name because it isn't a real word, so no one else would have it. Plus, it's memorable.

Andrew: We just agreed on it on a whim, and it’s been that ever since.

What drew you specifically to explore shoegaze and its adjacent sounds over other genres?

Jake: We like trying different guitar tones, messing around, and making stuff sound crazy, which is probably why we get put into the shoegaze category sometimes—which is cool. We don't like to be pigeonholed into a single genre, but we don't mind being compared to or playing with bands that are strictly shoegaze.

Jules: Yeah, we all listen to a lot of different music. If I’m listening to a shoegaze band and I like their tone, I might want to try something similar. But I could also be listening to a completely different genre and want to replicate that sound instead. It’s really whatever suits the song.

How do you make your music stand out from the cookie-cutter forms of trending indie rock that we see nowadays?

Jules: Authenticity is probably the most important thing to me when it comes to making music. I had a band in high school, and I remember thinking, "We need to do something like this," trying to replicate other bands' sounds. Later, I realized that we don't need to copy anyone. Now, I try to envision music through my own voice. Over the years, I've developed a style that I can reliably tap into.

How do you divide your creative process? Who writes the lyrics, the riffs, and the beats?

Jake: We split the songs up. We assign "captains" for each song who work on them until they're about 75% done. Then we make a demo and send it to the other members to ask what they think is missing or should change, letting them do their thing. Sometimes we'll just hang out and finish a track together. That's how I approach my songs, at least.

Do you ever start with a single bassline or a drum solo and add onto it, or is it usually guitar or lyrics first?

Jake: For me, I figure out pretty much the whole song on acoustic guitar. If you can't play a song on acoustic guitar, it's probably not that good. So I start there, and if the foundation is strong, the lyrics usually follow pretty quickly—though some take longer. The demos start with a simple, repeating drum pattern because I'm not great at programming drums, and then I add whatever else I want on top.

Is there something in particular that inspires your writing?

Jules: I feel much more fulfilled when I have a specific subject to write about, but I never start with a set plan. I'll begin with a single line that comes to mind and then chase down what I think that line is about. Musically, it's whatever moves me in the moment—a good riff or a certain drum beat. Normally, I start very simple and expand on that. I do everything on my computer and flesh it out as much as possible on the demo.

Andrew: For me, at least with this most recent album, it was refreshing to have Jake, Jules, and Joey send me songs that were almost finished except for the drum parts. It's always about fitting the song; I never want to play just to show off a certain rudiment. When I hear a track, I think about how to create a drum part that feels comfortable, sturdy, and good without being overly flashy.

Joey: For the bassline, there's usually something to start with already. To tweak it, I'll try out different ideas through trial and error to see what sticks. I just go with the flow and use whatever comes out naturally that sounds good.

Jake: I went through a long period where I didn't write much. "Red Fish" was the last track I did for a while; I wanted it to sound a specific way. Similar to Jules' process, I started with the guitar part and built it up from there, usually targeting a specific vibe or feeling.

Your new album, Real Life, comes out in October. What can we expect from this record that sets it apart from your previous releases?

Andrew: Behind the scenes, it was really cool to collaborate with different artists, both for the music and the visual artwork. We built a vision that felt true to us and flexed different creative muscles through the artwork and music videos. We're actually screening the 1979 movie Real Life, which I love. The fact that the album and the movie share a name was a coincidence, but we decided to screen it at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge, which is a great independent theater. Things happening around us naturally influence our work like that.

So it wasn't directly inspired by the movie, but it's connected in a way?

Andrew: Yeah. To be honest, I think I was the only one who had seen the movie before we named the album. We weren't actively thinking about it while recording, but it's a funny, dark film. I wouldn't call it a direct inspiration, but there's a connection there.

Jules: It's probably our most versatile album yet; it's pretty eclectic in its sounds. Listeners shouldn't expect a project where every song sounds similar. We have our core sound, but there's a country-influenced track, some hard rockers, and more electronic elements. It has a bit of everything.

Jake: This is the first record where Jules and I split writing duties down the middle. I do think it sounds like a new direction for us, and we've found something unique to our style. The album isn't about just one thing—it's hard to pinpoint. It's like asking what a tattoo means when sometimes it just represents a specific moment in your life. I view this album as a snapshot or a timestamp of where we are.

Joey: Listening to it recently, I noticed how every song comes from a different place. The first couple of tracks almost sound like they were made by a different band. Some songs came from Jules' back catalog, and one came from a friend outside the band. They are all distinct, but each one could be someone's favorite.

Is there a song on this new record that holds special meaning for you, whether because of its inspiration or the work put into it?

Jules: Jake and I worked on "Heart of Ice" in my basement. I was trying to write it without a solid plan. The track actually opens with my brother and his friends laughing in the room while we were recording. That one is really special to me.

Jake: For me, it's "Jack Knife." It was the second song we wrote for the album. When I was younger, I always wanted to write a song like that with a cool riff. Once I wrote the bridge, everything clicked into a great structure.

Andrew: There's a track called "Giant." The guys probably know what I'm going to say because we've talked about this before, but when I first heard the demo, I thought, "I don't really know about this one..." But once we tracked it in the studio, it became my favorite song to listen to. It's funny because I was a hater at first, but I completely switched my mind.

Jules: The title track, "Real Life," is the most sentimental for me. We recorded it on Easter Sunday, and Joey’s mom came to the studio to play violin on it. There’s also a group vocal at the end buried beneath a cacophony of piano and guitar. I originally wrote it as a four- or five-part harmony, but we ended up getting literally everyone in the room to sing on it—I'm on lead, Jake takes the high note, Joey is on it, our engineer Rowan sang, and Allie from Paper Lady joined in too. It was a really sweet experience.

Which song are you most excited to play live for audiences?

Jules: My favorite to play live is probably "Terminator." It just bangs. It features a lot of open chords that are fun to play, and it reaches a cathartic, emotional peak on stage.

Jake: I love "Terminator" too because it's packed with harmonies. I also really like playing "Bronco." Since we've been playing it the longest, we've mastered it performance-wise. Plus, I get to step on the distortion pedal and go crazy. I love a good distortion buzz.

Joey: I'd say "Terminator" as well. We usually play it last, and it brings this great energy—it feels like you're in a lull, and then we instantly snap into gear on the very first note.

Andrew: I enjoy playing "Giant" the most, which is a big reason why the song grew on me so much. I love the drum part I came up with; it shifts midway through into a completely different feel. "Terminator" is a close second, though.

What is your favorite thing about the Boston underground music scene?

Jules: After we played at The Tourist Trap with Paper Lady and Main Era, we hung out outside the venue for an hour, freestyle rapping and talking. It was just a great time. The people are what I like most—you can grab a beer with them, share a cigarette, and just chat.

Andrew: The community is incredibly supportive. Everyone goes to each other’s shows even when they aren't on the bill. Even people who don’t know you personally are genuinely welcoming.

What are some bands you’ve enjoyed sharing the stage with?

Jake: We played with Victoryland last month, and they're one of the craziest live bands I’ve ever seen. We also played a festival in January with Momma, and they were incredible.

Joey: Drook was fantastic, and Jar Lucas is awesome.

Jake: Victoryland, Drook, Momma... Paper Lady are also super fun to hang out with. And our boys in Dino Gala, repping Boston.

What are your favorite releases or music discoveries of 2026?

Jules: Shout out to L Tank. He put out an album called Amadeus. It's hard to tell if he's being serious or not, but the beats are so addictive and the project is really cohesive. He raps with an off-beat flow and off-kilter lyrics, but the energy he projects on every song is amazing. I think there’s more depth there than people might realize.

Jake: There’s a new band called Billboard Style that shares a member with Victoryland, featuring the main songwriter from Forth Wanderers. They play this awesome, fried pop-rock. I also love Dari Bay—they released a great record this year called Surprise Wish, and I loved their previous album, Longest Day of the Year, too.

Andrew: The album I've absolutely rinsed this year is U by Underscores. It's almost annoying because I always want to find new music, but I end up looping the same record over and over. I also discovered a Canadian indie rock band called Kiwi Jr. this year. They have a cool Pavement-esque sound and write great tunes. It reminds me of something my dad would like—and I like my dad, so that's a plus.

Joey: I was driving home after a recording session with Andrew one night, and he randomly connected to my Spotify Session and started queuing songs. "Robber Robber" kept coming on, and I got completely hooked. They released a new album that is exceptionally good. We saw them live, and it was easily one of the coolest shows I’ve ever been to. Shout out to Andrew for that discovery.

Finally, what is your favorite record of all time?

Jules: I’d have to list about ten albums, and then I’d need to offer a disclaimer for every single one!

Jake: Mine is probably Slanted & Enchanted by Pavement. I picked up an original vinyl pressing this year while working at a record store, which I was super hyped about.

Andrew: The record I fell in love with as a teenager—and still go back to as the absolute greatest—is The Lonesome Crowded West by Modest Mouse. It’s brilliant. It's a long album, which usually isn't my thing, but every single track hits. As I get older, I find a new favorite song every time I listen to it.

Joey: I could list a hundred favorite albums, but the first one that comes to mind is All Things Must Pass by George Harrison. I always find myself returning to that record.