London's emergent duo LuxJury announces their debut album, Giving Up, set for release on March 27th via Bella Union. Led by singer and guitarist Nicole “Lux” Fermie, joined by drummer Howey Gill and sometimes bassist Nathan Ridley, LuxJury's debut is a captivating, emotion-filled indie rock record that traces Nicole’s experiences since her former band’s dissolution and her coming out as a queer woman.
“Never give up on your dreams” is the biggest cliché there is. It’s the advice every talk show guest gives to young people watching at home; it’s the quote you find in a yearbook from a student who couldn’t think of anything else to put under their photo. What happens when your dream doesn’t live up to your expectations? When you aimed for the stars and found yourself in the gutter? Do you continue to pursue something that’s hurting you, or do you take your lumps and find a new dream that will carry you through your life?
These were the questions weighing on Nicole Fermie’s mind when she hit ‘send’ on a very important email in 2022, addressed to Simon Raymonde, the head of Bella Union Records. After experiencing some success as the frontwoman of an indie band in the 2010s, she had stepped away from the industry for 10 years after a period of incessant burnout. She had slowly returned to songwriting, and her new band, LuxJury, which she had just formed with drummer Howey Gill and bassist Nathan Ridley, had just recorded their first EP. Nicole felt that sending this EP to the label was a last-ditch effort in her musical career, a final message in a bottle cast out to sea. If it didn’t pan out, she would give it all up.
“I didn't send the EP to any other record label other than Bella Union,” Nicole explains. “It was more a question of ‘If this works, then maybe we have something. And if it doesn't, then maybe I'll move on, give up, and stop making music, this eternal financial drain in my life, this mistress who gives me nothing back.’ That's how LuxJury was born, as I was on the verge of reconnecting with music, but ready to give it up at the same time.”
Spoiler alert: Thanks to that EP, LuxJury signed a contract. “It was really incredible,” Nicole rejoices. “Signing that contract gave shape to something that had always been completely nebulous. I hadn't really thought beyond sending the email, and rediscovering that excitement was amazing. Plus, it gave us the momentum to finish the album.” The album’s name? Giving Up.
Once you know the context, it’s not surprising that Nicole has seri
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