We just experienced your latest album that goes by the same title as your band, “Petty Human Emotions”…and it’s like a novel but made sonically…let’s get into it…
- What was the moment when the idea behind the album was born?
I’m not sure I can pinpoint a specific moment when I knew what the album would be. I’ve always liked the idea that an album creates one full experience from start to finish rather than feeling like a collection of random songs, so that birthed the central concept of having each song connect and the album as a whole loop back into itself.
Petty Human Emotions (Self-titled album review)
- How long did this album take you from start to finish?
As far as writing goes, it was a lot less of a straightforward process then I’ve ever had writing an album in the past. For example, the main progression in “All That I Can Be” is one of the first guitar parts I can remember writing when I was in my younger teenage years, and there’s a demo I have for it from back in the early 2010s. Most of everything else was written from 2019 onward, with a good chunk coming together in the early days of the 2020 quarantine. Recording the album took about 4 months of going to the studio for a handful of hours at a time whenever I could scrap together some cash.
- Any funny stories that happened during the recording/mixing/mastering of the album?
A couple things come to mind for this. When Max and I were tracking the vocals for the latter half of “I’m Still Here” we were messing around and doing some voices and impressions – one of them made it into the final song. There’s a quck break for a few seconds that divide the clean and distorted parts of the song, and if you listen really closely when the instruments cut out you can hear me saying “What in the hell?” in my best Hank Hill voice! It’s low in the mix for obvious reasons and kind of shrouded in reverb, but it’s there!
Another thing is in one of our singles, “Sorry” there’s a line in the second verse where I say “…but I didn’t understand” and I was dead set on somehow using Elliott Smith’s voice as a harmony on mine for that line since he has a song where he sings the same lyrics. His song is in a totally different key and rhythm so it really wasn’t coming together whatsoever. We ended up lining it up as best we could, pitch shifting it into key and then again, lowering it in the mix after shrouding it in reverb.
- When you start working on a new song…where do you start? What’s your workflow?
I know it’s a cliche answer, but honestly there is no clear answer to this one for me. I have written entire songs in one sitting with just an acoustic guitar, or writing down all the lyrics and then fitting them on top of some chords, or even by recording a progression on a DAW and then coming up with lyrics/melodies afterwards. Sometimes it helps to pick up an instrument I usually wouldn’t use like a keyboard. Lately a part of a song will come to me and then I’ll record it to my phone and then it’ll just sit there for months unused and I’ll open it back up when I’m ready to write more.
- The age old dilemma…do you guys use digital or analog gear?
As far as recording, it’s all in Pro tools. Instrumentally there was an attempt to go as analog as possible on this one. We used a real theremin, accordion, cello, violin, xylophone etc. – most of what you hear is Max or I playing an instrument we barely know how to use. In “Something New” there’s even a trumpet, and that was just me blowing nonsense into the mouthpiece as loud as I could and then using melodyne to get the parts in key. We also used a mellotron and some keyboard sounds, so I think it ended up being a fair mix of both.
- Any recent gigs you did recently that got traction?
We’ve been lucky enough to play a few shows where 50 people or so came out to see us! I don’t know if that constitutes gaining any “traction” but we’re just happy to play to whoever will listen!
- So what’s your plan for the next couple of years…more gigs? More releases?
Definitely gigs! As many as we can get booked! We’re hoping to get out and play on a regular basis and tour out of state when the time comes, fingers crossed. We also will be releasing some more music very soon, and I know the band is excited to get into the studio for our first collaborative full-length – hopefully sooner rather than later.
- In one sentence…tell the audience why they should listen to your latest album “Petty Human Emotions”?
You should listen to us now so you can brag to your friends about being an early listener of the next cool Indie band! Totally kidding.
…such an emotional journey that you guys took us on with your album…and with this interview too..we wish you all the best in life…looking forward to what you guys come up with next.
Cheers!