Every inch the epitome of the modern DIY indie band, Springfield’s Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin self-recorded two excellent albums to announce themselves as one of the very best power-pop bands to emerge from the US in the last five years. With new album “Let it Sway” the fab foursome decided to hand over production duties to Death Cab For Cutie’s Chris Walla, a liberating experience that has resulted in another album of effervescent melodies and indie-pop classics. Lazy Brighton caught up with the confirmed Nirvana lovers to chew the fat ahead of their new album release.
You’re a band who have always stayed close to your roots, previously recording in Springfield. Was it liberating to record somewhere else and with an external producer?
Yeah, it was really liberating. We love the process of self-recording at home, but we got burned out. It was nice to let someone else worry about the production so we could just focus on writing songs that don’t suck.
How did the involvement of Chris Walla influence the band’s sound on the new album? Did he influence the way you recorded/arranged your songs?
Yeah, but he wasn’t like Phil Spector or anything. He never pointed a gun at our heads. But he did make us sound like a classic rock band. I remember Chris saying he wanted to make each song have a personality and a thing of its own, rather than just do the same thing to all of them. He wanted to take each one as far as we could in whatever direction they needed to go.
“Pershing” is one of our absolute favourite summer albums of all time but it was a tough recording process for you. Would you ever consider self-producing again in the future?
Thanks! It could definitely happen again. Jonathan, our bassist and drummer, just opened his own studio in Springfield with some other local musicians. I’m sure we’ll record some songs with him in the future. Plus, we always do our demos at home. We’ve been talking to our label about releasing a demos and B-sides record sometime next year.
Is it ever possible for you to enjoy the writing and recording process or is there a lot of pressure to come up with the goods and make deadlines?
I enjoy the process when I’m productive and not struggling to write a song. My first goal is always to impress my best friend, Grace. If she likes the song then it’s a great feeling and I know other people will like it, too. Our record label is great about giving us plenty of time.
How would you describe the sound of “Let it Sway” compared with “Pershing” or “Broom”?
I think it’s our first album that you can play for anyone. Also, I think the vocals are a lot louder on “Let It Sway”. My parents always complained that they couldn’t hear the vocals on “Pershing” and “Broom”.
Can we expect you to tour the UK when the new album comes out? We saw you at End of the Road a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it.
Yeah, we have a few UK shows scheduled in October. End of the Road is my favorite music festival. I loved walking around with the peacocks after our set.
In your early days/previous bands you guys enjoyed trying to sound a bit like Nirvana. What kind of music do you like listening to these days when you get the chance?
I’m obsessed with my sister’s band New Monsters Collective. Everything about their music is perfect. They remind me of this ’90s Seattle band called the Fastbacks. But they also have a few classical songs that sound like Debussy. And they have a new album coming out really soon. Here is their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/newmonstercollective.
You’ve been with Polyvinyl Records for three albums now. Would you ever be comfortable being on a major label or do you feel that as a band you get more support and more understanding from an independent?
I can’t imagine being on a big label. I’ve heard too many horror stories and I’ve watched That Thing You Do too many times. Polyvinyl is really supportive and they never pressure us to do things their way.
There’s a song on the new album called “Stuart Gets Lost Dans Le Metro”. Who is he and have you found him yet?
Stuart was a little disco ball that belonged to Will (guitarist) when he was a teenager. It had a little motor so it could spin in circles when Will was playing music. Will went to Paris on a school trip and he imagined losing Stuart on the train. He came up with the song name 10 years ago.
We read that Phil spent nine months writing when he found out that Chris was going to produce the new album. And ended up with one song. Is it safe to say that you’re not the most prolific songwriters? Or are you just perfectionists?
I think we all have hundreds of song ideas that never get developed into full songs. We would be really prolific if we could just finish them. Someday I’d like to make a 30 minute record with 30 different song ideas. But the Residents and Minutemen already did that, I’m pretty sure.
You recorded at Butch Vig’s studio for the new album and rode bikes into work every day while Chris camped in a tent in the garden. Are camping and bike-riding the new sex and drugs of the rock’n'roll experience?
I’d hate to disappoint Kurt Cobain’s ghost, but we really like boy scout activities. Also, I think the internet is way bigger than sex and drugs. It’s hard to update your band’s MySpace page when you’re high.
“Let it Sway” is released on 16 August and the band plays a series of gigs in the UK in October.
