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La Bouquet, composed of Bryan Sammis and Drew Bruchs from LA, write “emotional songs you can dance to.” With a distinctive, cinematic sound that blends bedroom pop, ’80s new wave and a hint of the emo genre, LB is easily one of my go-to bands to listen to while pretending I’m the main character in a coming-of-age film. 😉

After 5 incredible years, Bryan and Drew have decided to close this chapter of their lives and retire La Bouquet. But Bryan and Drew are far from disappearing from the music world. The guys will continue performing together as 1990nowhere and Bryan will resume his solo project, Olivver The Kid.

In this exclusive, short (but sweet) interview with Bryan Sammis, I chatted with him about his musical influences, additional projects, and what he hopes La Bouquet will be remembered for as a band.

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A Perfect Playlist: Tell me a little bit about your musical journey from the start – what was the transition like from your previous projects to La Bouquet with your friend, Jake Lopez?

Bryan Sammis of La Bouquet: I’ve been playing music from a young age. I stated playing drums when I was 9 and I played in my fair share of bands throughout the years. I played in The NBHD from like 21/22-23/24 years old in addition to working on my solo project. I have always been infatuated with being in a band so I made La Bouquet in 2016 after seeing The Cure at The Hollywood Bowl. Jake eventually left and my friend Drew Bruchs came on for EP2 & LP2 and we recently decided to call it quits after a great 5 year run. 🙂 I am now doing Olivver the Kid & 1990nowhere.

APP: Wow, what a journey. So how did the name “La Bouquet” come about? Romance language seems to play a part in your songwriting. (There is a French monologue in the beginning of your song “Pure Heartbreak”)

B: Honestly, it should technically be Le Bouquet. But La Bouquet googled better for us, LOL – and we are based in LA.

APP: That makes sense, haha. I guess it would probably autocorrect if you spelled it the other way. You were previously the drummer for The Neighborhood. How was being in that band different from La Bouquet? Was it difficult not singing vocals in The Neighborhood?

B: I sang background vocals & harmonies and stuff. It wasn’t hard…but playing drums isn’t my passion.

APP: You have a very cinematic sound – songs like “1990” and “Heavenly” could easily be part of a movie soundtrack. Have any particular movie soundtracks influenced your sound?

B: I really like the soundtrack to Edward Scissorhands. Danny Elfman is a genius.

Just leave me alone forever, now. Die right in my bed. A cigarette by my side, still drunk on wine and 45s. And I’m pushing up daisies. And fortunately, when I’m done you’ll have a garden to call your own…A bouquet from me as I watch you leave. – “Loveless” by La Bouquet

APP: Great answer – what a soundtrack that is. There’s a few common themes throughout most of your songs – sadness, heartbreak and loss. Is it therapeutic to write these types of songs? Which was the most difficult one to put into words?

B: It’s like taking an emotion that’s weighing on you and putting it somewhere else. Afterwards, you feel lighter.

APP: I can imagine. I read in an article that you “save your sadness for your music.” When you are in that headspace, what is the first thing you do to form the basis of a song?

B: It completely depends. Sometimes its the guitar, sometimes its the lyrics, sometimes the melody & sometimes its just trying to bottle an emotion.

APP: Your latest record, The Big Happy, is listed as a collab with Olivver the Kid, which is your other musical project. What was the reason behind combining your two projects there?

B: We recorded LP2 during the pandemic and it was mostly written remotely. We knew it would be the end of the band, and wanted it to have as big of a reach as it could, since we are so proud of it!

APP: It’s a great record. Switching gears to your 2019 album, Sad People Dancing, my absolute favorite song is “Loveless.” It paints such a vivid, beautiful picture in my mind. I always imagine a haunted-looking mansion with a rose garden in the front, and inside are the lovers who are going their separate ways. Tell me about the story behind that song. 

B: I wrote all the lyrics to that song while laying on a roof in Connecticut drinking wine and smoking cigarettes. I came back from that trip and wanted to add two more songs to our finished record at the time. Those two songs ended up being “Loveless” and “Pure Heartbreak.”

APP: You recently announced that the band is coming to an end as a group. As you reflect on your time together, what were some of your favorite memories?

B: Our shows !!!!!! We are very baller live. Shoutout to Joe on the Sax.

APP: In your song “1990,” you write: “Maybe I don’t need to the whole world to remember me. I just want to know I live forever in your memory.” Fans like me definitely will remember you. What do you hope La Bouquet will be remembered for?

B: Never compromising artistically. In a world full of pandering and consumerism where art is just “content,” we wanted to strive to make something timeless. Rose. Lightning. Forever.