Quicksand – Das Interview zu „Distant Populations“
Quicksand aus den USA haben im August ihr neues Album „Distant Populations“ digital veröffentlicht und werden am Freitag, den 24. September 2021 dies in analoger Form nachholen. Passend dazu, habe wir ein nettes Gespräch zur neuen Scheibe geführt. Viel Spaß damit!
Auf ein Wort mit Walter
Congrats guys! You are back with a new record after four long years. Why did you decide to release a new record during covid time?
Thank you! We started the record before covid so there was no plan at all. We finished the tracking for the record a few days before lockdown in New York so we worked on the artwork and mixes during covid, this was a nice project and we took our time with it. We’ve been waiting to release in the hopes that we could tour, still hoping that comes true.
When you released „Interiors“ in 2017 after such a long period of silence – Did you already feel that Quicksand will be releasing more records in the future?
After the positive reception and tours for Interiors we were all in agreement that we wanted to make more music. It was a long road to return and we’re all very grateful to be making new music together again, I’m excited to see where we can take it next.
A lot of people were extremely excited when they got the news about a new Quicksand album and playing shows, also here in Germany. Did you expect that feedback would be so overwhelming again?
I was very happy with the reception we received. It’s an amazing gift that our records still resonate with people that may not have been born when they came out, to have such a warm reception is a huge gift and we’re definitely enjoying that. Our early tours in Germany were very formative for us as a band and so we’re particularly excited about there reception there, can’t wait to return to play live.
The members of Quicksand are still playing shows in other bands like Gorilla Biscuits or Deftones. So I guess it is hard to find enough time for writing new tracks. Did you use the spare time that was „forced“ upon you because of the pandemic, i.e. was the new record written during the last 2 years or did you start collecting ideas earlier?
Many of the ideas for this record formed in soundchecks and during rehearsals for tour, we eventually introduced individual ideas but the basic form is our spontaneous jams. We assembled recordings of the jams we were most excited about and used that as a starting point. We set the time to focus on these songs and were very diligent, rehearsing 5 days a week, often starting at 9am. We had a lot of fun but also we take it serious and didnt stop until we were all satisfied with the result.
I really like the Artwork of „Distant Populations“. Who did that and can you dive a little into it?
Thank you. The artist is Tetsunori Tawayara and he’s brilliant. We spent a lot of time discussing the artwork with Tetsunori, what each charater meant, we had an entire story planned out for the artwork. It’s meant to be an epic story to give the songs a deeper meaning and feeling. Tetsunori created the artwork through lyrics I gave him, it was a very interesting process that we all enjoyed and we’re thrilled with the result.
I especially love the songs „Phase 90“ and „the Philosopher“. What was your intention/concept or theme when it came to elaborating the lyrics?
Phase 90 relates to the idea of identity, we’re all evolving throughout life, some stories are left behind, like an unfinished book. I likened this idea to a Phase 90 pedal, a true piece of electronic magic, it shifts the signal of the guitar in beautiful ways, evolves the sound. The Philosopher is the theme song to the charater on the cover, the one holding the staff and facing against the circular monster. A philosopher questions the world, often things we take for granted , and creates new concepts for understanding them for that time in history. Ultimately as time moves on, new questions arise and new concepts are created by new philosphers. We liked this as an idea for our protagonist, a philosopher hero.
I think I was reading that you criticize that you are watching each other on social media what the band members are doing and on the same time when you are in the studio – like everybody tends to stare on his smartphone. Do you have any kind of rules like: No smartphones during recoding sessions or something like that?
I am critical of how social media divides us as it claims to bring us closer at the same time. Perhaps we’re all too close in a superficial way. That said, I’m on social media like most everyone else so I’m not making rules for anyone, I just try to be aware of how this form of communication can be manipulative and bad for the health of the world. As we become more individuated through our smartphones, we also become more alone.
Technology brings always something good and something bad. Are there some pros and cons coming to your mind immediately when it comes to your band and new/mordern technology?
I guess I’ve kind of said what I don’t like but on the otherside I think Sat Nav is great, takes some of the fun out of finding places but all in all it’s pretty awesome.
The last question is a regular we’re doing and about your first / your last or a „crazy“ mosh pit experience. Do you have any kind of story connected to the pit you want share?
My first mosh experiences were amazing, was exciting to be in the middle of all these flying fists and kicking legs and come out alive. The communal spirit was tribal and holds deep appeal on a primal level. My last mosh experience was revealing, I went to see the Soul Brains (renamed Bad Brains) in the early 2000s. I was so excited to see them after so many years that I jumped into the circle pit, by the time I had made one circle around I’d already been punched in the head, that was the end of it for me. I had reached a point in my life where I no longer equated getting punched as something I wanted to do for fun anymore. That said, I’m grateful for all the mosh pits I was a part of, it helped shape the persom I am today.
Cover & Tracklist
Inversion
Lightning Field
Colossus
Brushed
Katakana
Missile Command
Phase 90
The Philosopher
Compacted Reality
EMDR
Rodan
Bildnachweis: Epitaph Records.