An Interview With Aleutians
A brand new single from Aleutians delivers a warm and welcoming indie pop and rock tonality with guitars that float around in the song's ether giving everything a lush pop atmosphere.
"Only This Time" is a track that certainly comes from someplace real as the lyrics are honest and the delivery vocally is subtle and soft with an amazing balance to the dynamic of the music behind it.
One of the biggest drivers of this track is the drumming as it feeds the song's energy to a certain point and everything about this track has this beautiful texture to it that lets you just get washed away with the soundscape.
There's this youthful emotional feel behind the track as well that you are able to quickly connect with and it's something that for me, brought on a little bit of nostalgia in a weird way.
The way the song is portrayed gives you a lot of character to hold on to and this is something that I find very unique because when it's over you feel like you sat down with a friend and now you know more about them than you did before.
There's also this particular energy to the track that feels like it was recorded live on the floor because it's almost like the players are feeding off of each other's energies the entire time and this gives the song the feeling of being alive and breathing.
This is completely beautiful and everything was done with this graceful tonality and approach that has a way of not only grabbing your attention but letting you just get engulfed in it.
And it feels great to do exactly that.
This has a certain level of escapism to it which I love because you're able to step out of your reality and into a different one for a little bit and I think that's something I've missed in music for quite some time.
There's nothing like a song that is personal and delivers a great persona and honesty so when you get one it's very refreshing.
The element of pop is super evident here but I think what really makes the song so lovable and addicting is that heart that is impacted into every note played and performed.
A lot about the song is quite radio friendly and it's obviously created by a person or people that have a real love for their craft and are able to wear their heart on their sleeve and deliver something that is memorable.
There's a wonderfully cinematic undertone to the entire thing and I found myself feeling completely calm and comfortable listening to this track and even having memories of my own pop into my head at random and it's been a long time since a song made that happen.
With the release of such a wonderfully woven single, we wanted to have a sit down with Aleutians to find out where this track actually came from and what might be coming up next for the project.
Here's what happened.
TSWS: Okay, let's start with "Only This Time"! This track had a cinematic feel to it and was colorful, lush, and danceable! How did this release come about?
Thank you! I’d pretty much decided not to bother with releasing anything this year, it’s been a while since the last release and I’m still learning in terms of production and stuff so I was going to put it off again, and get some more learning done. I started layering and structuring and piecing things together and thought, you know what this is actually alright, fuck it let’s put it out there and see what happens.
I actually sent it off to a mix engineer who was great and sent us back a really pro mix but by that point I’d done a few rewrites and it just wasn’t quite the same song anymore so started again and did it all myself, it’s a bit more rough and ready, but the bits are all there.
TSWS: How did this all start for you as a band?
I was in bands years ago and we had some great times, making friends, supporting bands we loved, releasing songs, doing tours etc. After a while real life interferes, jobs, family, so this really came about as a creative outlet now that I have a little more free time. I just wanted to make music again and if anyone listens to it or likes it that’s a nice extra.
TSWS: What kind of things really inspire songs for you?
Well the general themes are always a bit sad to be honest haha. Missed chances, lost loves, places and people you miss, mistakes and regrets. Not all of it is genuine experience it’s exaggerated or extrapolated. I always find a lot of the stuff revolves around the theme of home, which I’ve always thought of as the most evocative word in the English language. It triggers something in everyone whether that’s happy, sad or somewhere in the middle. For me it’s good memories, good times, old friends, perfect moments you can’t preserve except in memory, paraphrasing Leonard Nimoy a bit there.
I mean there’s also a song about worrying about hair loss so maybe it’s not black and white.
TSWS: This release has some great approaches to it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Thanks! I think the ones that are pretty blatant and obvious are Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service, melodically and in terms of arrangements I take a lot from the whole Transatlanticism/Plans/Give Up triumvirate, Ben was really cooking there. I also love the The Secret Stars, raw and simple, often just an acoustic guitar and vocals but the melodies are so pretty, it’s fantastic. The Weakerthans, Alvvays, The Cure, The Boo Radleys, American Football, Turnover, Foxing. I don’t think a lot of that always comes through necessarily but it’s all there simmering away. Some songs I was listening to when making this one are on a playlist on our Spotify if anyone was mildly intrigued.
TSWS: What are you guys doing when you're NOT working on music?
Jobs, ferrying the kids around to various clubs and friend’s houses, food shopping, you know, it’s a rich tapestry. I’m working on finishing Red Dead Redemption 2 for the 5th or 6th time at the moment. Keep meaning to do a low honour play through but I can’t do that to Arthur. He’s a good guy through and through.
But yeah, mainly being a dad, my kids are funny and smart and I couldn’t be prouder of them, thanks to them for putting up with all my questionable playlists in the car.
TSWS: Who's in all your headphones right now?
No Joy by Spanish Love Songs is on heavy rotation at the moment, also Trudy and the Romance, Alex G, Slaughter Beach Dog and New Preoccupations by Caracara which came out last year I think, I can’t get enough of that album.
20 years since Give Up released as well so of course the Postal Service…I’m going through an on/off Joy Division phase when I’m commuting too. Yeah…a lot! I’m lucky I have a job that allows for plenty of music in the background while I work haha.
TSWS: Are you all doing any live performances right now?
I had a really bad few years from about 2018 which massively hit my confidence. Anxiety issues, depression etc etc. Still struggling a bit with that and the semi-anonymity of this project helps, even though it holds things back slightly. I would love to do some shows at some point. That connection and live performance was always the main thing I enjoyed in previous bands so hopefully when I’m feeling 100% we can start looking at it, but at the moment it is hugely intimidating.
TSWS: Do you record these at a big studio or do you have a home studio set-up?
It’s all home recorded on a phone or an iPad, and I think you can tell, but the rougher edges just make it more charming right? Haha
TSWS: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
Indecision, anxiety and classic Simpsons quotes? But also some more songs in the next few months, I’m over worrying about them currently so once that’s passed I’ll start the process. They’re pretty much finished.
TSWS: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
This is really all just an outlet for me with zero expectations, so for anyone to have listened to or enjoyed it at all is a really big bonus and it is massively appreciated. Thank you so much.