Connecticut-based, alternative quartet Litvar (formed of frontman Rex Thurstan, drummer Joe Lemieux, guitarist Violet Falkowski and bassist John Blues McCarthy) have spent the past few years building up a fantastic reputation for emotionally raw and intensely dynamic indie rock. The band have finally returned with their third full-length album, Being Here – find out more about the record and Litvar below!

By Jane Howkins

It’s been a while since we covered your music (we featured the song You Should Find A New Boyfriend in our Pride review). How have things been over the last couple of years?

Rex: Things have been good! We’ve been fortunate to have travelled a lot as a band. Joe and I have been consistent with writing together, and we’re happy to say we’re most proud of this current release, Being Here. But we’re already getting started on the next project.

Joe: We’ve especially been staying busy in the studio, building up what we think is definitely the best music we’ve ever made. I’ve spent a lot of time working on these new songs with Rex over at his place the past couple years.

You have a new album out titled Being Here. What can you tell us about the record, and how has the reception been so far?

Rex: It’s an album that focuses on telling the truth the whole time. Even songs like Stay The Same, which is largely a story, have pieces of real-life experiences in them. Every song is something I had to say and express in a song, because if I hadn’t, I’d have gone crazy. It feels surreal to have it out, and I’m really happy that it’s connecting with people. I’m glad to have let go of caring too much about that sort of thing, but it still matters so much to me that this record connects with people, because I love when music does that for me.

Joe: Being Here is nowhere near as upbeat as our other releases, but it’s the restraint that we had on this record that I think makes it so good. The combination of these more stripped-back instrumentals plus Rex’s best lyricism to date is what I think has been getting us good feedback on the album.

What was the writing and recording process like for you this time around?

Rex: Joe and I used to write straight out of Logic Pro, just layer by layer. This made sense for making layered indie rock with lots of electronic influences. However, Being Here was written exclusively on an acoustic guitar. The bulk of the album came to me in 2025, but some of it was written in 2024. After Stay The Same was written on Joe’s couch at 4 AM, the rest of the album surfaced very quickly.

Joe: Recording was a change of pace for sure; instead of a studio, I tracked all the drums on my dad’s kit in my parents’ basement and brought the stems over to Rex’s house. Over there, we fleshed out the songs and got the final mixes together. It was a lot more laid back than the process for our other albums, yet we ended up getting so much done.

Your last album release was 2023’s Eloquently Aimless. Has your songwriting changed much since then? What can you tell our readers about that album?

Rex: I think we really love Eloquently Aimless now, because it really shows the spirit we had on tour. Our songwriting in general at the time was full of spirit, angst and excitement. I think it doesn’t surprise me that after the life walls we all hit, this slower, more intimate sound has emerged from us. That being said, we’ll play songs from Eloquently Aimless and our first record, The Greatest Move of All Time, forever. No matter how much we change, at one point that was who we were.

Joe: Recording and touring EA was a wild experience: we spent so much time travelling the country in a van that it all turned into one big awesome blur. While making Eloquently Aimless, we were really inspired to make songs we thought our fans would like, while this time around we made the music just for us.

You’re from Connecticut. What is the local music scene like in your area?

Rex: There are some incredible artists in Connecticut, like Similar Kind and The Problem with Kids Today, to name a few. We have a lot of amazing people who keep the scene alive and support artists, and it’s really beautiful.

Joe: The DIY scene in CT is awesome – there’s a real sense of community that we’re lucky to be a part of.

Who are your main influences as a band? What have you been listening to recently?

Rex: It changes every day, and the odd thing is books are more likely to influence my songwriting these days. The tone and language of The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb played a role in influencing the lyricism on Being Here. Specifically, because the book navigates grief, it made finding the right words a little easier. It is very difficult to put the feeling of loss into words, because for a while it feels like they don’t exist.

Joe: Wilco, Pinegrove and The Band are huge influences of mine. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Breachway, MJ Lenderman and Hovvdy.

What can people expect from a Litvar gig if they haven’t seen you perform live yet?

Rex: Some songs sound almost identical to their studio recordings, especially Being Here. However, we’ve reimagined our older material to match our sound now. Songs like Alone Not Lonely have a new spin to them.

Joe: I think fans of Being Here are really going to like what they see in our live show. We have been playing these songs for a while now, but they still feel fresh to us, which is awesome.

Do you have any tour dates lined up in the UK this year?

Rex: Unfortunately not, but stay tuned for next year.

Any last words for the fans?

Rex: I really appreciate all the support. I think part of me was scared this record would come off as just a big downer, and I’m really glad it has not. If you connect with this record, let me know. It means a lot.

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