Slumbers Interviewtion
Slumbers is a dream-pop band originally from the Rochester, NY area. The band is made up of Claire McClusky, Sabrina Nichols, and Emma Willer. They craft super catchy songs about relatable - and sometimes dark - themes. In this interview they talk about writing together despite the long-distance relationship of the band, touring throughout American and Europe in support of their album, and recording their next collection of songs.
Q: You just recently finished up a pretty extensive tour, so what was it like for you to get to play your music for people all over America and other countries as well?
A: It was great to meet new people who like and have been listening to our songs. People were very supportive and it was inspiring, you know. It was nice to see that there are spaces and groups that make fun shows happen pretty much everywhere. Even in tiny towns people would turn out and maybe know one person playing or who put things together, but they are down for anything. It just was nice and kinda surreal to feel so welcomed and appreciated.
Q: What was the most interesting experience you all had while on this recent tour?
A: Probably that someone got our album art tattooed after hearing us play for the first time.
In Toronto we played a really fun show with this awesome band called Quaker Parents. It was in the basement of a big venue, and upstairs one of our favorite bands, Bellows was playing. It was weird and funny because you could hear their show well from the bathroom. Anyways there was this group of kids that came and were very excited to see Boyscott. Then the next day, one of these people messaged us asking if we’d mind if they got a tattoo of our album artwork. They did it and we shared it on our insta if you wanna check it out. So wild and we are very honored.
Q: It’s been over a year since Come Over was released, so what has it been like to hear the reactions people have had to those songs, especially since they’re so personal?
A: We are happy to hear people relate to our songs. Makes us not feel like weirdos and a little less lonely. It is weird to hear reactions from people we know and have known for a while now but we are getting over that. We are lucky that this many people have heard our songs too, it’s crazy that anyone listens to us when there is so so much music in the world, but we are really happy people do.
Q: You’ve mentioned in other interviews that your songs usually start with one of you making a demo then sending it to your bandmates to help flesh it out. Do you find it hard to collaborate with each other when you’re physically separated, or do you like the process of working digitally to lay the groundwork for new songs?
A: Sometimes it is easier to see how a song is forming when we work digitally, it also gives each of us space and time to think about it and learn it a little bit better. However there are times when we are all together practicing and we throw out ideas and they work on the spot too. We like to think we are all very similar, but maybe we have just all known each other for a while. Either way, we can normally trust each other to lay down cool parts for song ideas that come from such personal parts of us. It’s not too hard to collaborate when we are physically separated because we are very open with each other and communicate frequently through messages, demos, video calls, and documents and stuff.
Q: Do you ever write lyrics for songs and then end up backpedaling on them? As in, do you ever write something that might be a little too personal and uncomfortable to share, or do you try to be as honest as possible no matter what?
A: I think we all change lyrics at times, especially since we tend to write very personal things about specific feelings we’re having. Although sometimes we leave those things in because we like to be honest and we have been finding that people really relate to lyrics that are honest and deep. Sometimes we aren’t ready to share that much though.
Q: On first listen, your songs sound like happy pop-rock songs with sweet melodies, as long as you don’t pay attention to the lyrics. There’s a contrast of music that sounds happy-ish and lyrics that deal with some dark themes. Was this an intentional decision or does it just come naturally in the way you all write?
A: I think it sort of comes naturally. We all have gone through some rough patches, being in college can be tough at times and even though our lyrics can be dark, we write happier melodies with them because sadness is only temporary and you need those dark times to enjoy the good ones. Happy melodies definitely help distract you from sad feelings too. A lot of times when we go to play music and write something it is to try to feel better about something we are going through.
Q: What was the process of recording Come Over like?
A: It was very very fun but also stressful. We recorded it in Nashville, where Emma goes to school. Scott Hermo, of the band Boyscott, recorded it all and mixed it all. We recorded in his house (which is actually Emma’s house now, because of a turn in power after a long and tiresome war, a war that tore the community apart, but ultimately was beneficial for the entire state) and did 7 songs over 4 days. The songs were written already and we had been performing them for a while so it was easy for us to get through them, although it was the first time we’d ever recorded so it was definitely a learning experience. It was a hot week in August and we sweat a lot and splashed in rain puddles.
Q: Do you have plans to record some new songs soon? What’s in store for the future of Slumbers?
A: YES! We are planning on releasing a full length album in spring/early summer of 2018. We’ve already recorded 8 songs over this past August but plan to record some more over winter break. We’re recording again with Scott Hermo (very lucky he is helping us). We’re really excited about this album because it features some songs that were written quite a while ago, and some songs that are actually still in the process of being written. We’ve also become more creative in the recording process and it’s been very fun. Since we’re all finishing up college this year it might be tough to play shows until we’re out of school, but once we are, we’re hoping to keep touring and spreading our music.
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