INTERVIEWS
Nation of Language on Finding Their Momentum Over the Pandemic: “It Feels Like Winning the Lottery”
Several years ago, Ian Devaney found his NYC musical project at a standstill. “At one point, it was like half the band suddenly and separately moved to Los Angeles,” he says. “I was like, ‘Oh, I guess this has run its course, because everyone’s gone.’” Luckily, Devaney found, well, a way forward (pun intended). In addition to his longtime collaborator and bassist Michael Sue-Poi, Devaney’s wife Aiden Noell joined the band on synths, and Nation of Language was born. It was not without hardship — after releasing their debut album Introduction, Presence in early 2020, the pandemic set in and left the band without any shows to play: “We always felt like the live show was the thing that would really kind of capture people’s attention and imagination… how would anyone ever find this r...
Of Monsters and Men Reflect on the “Beautiful, Dark Forest” of My Head Is an Animal at 10
It’s been a decade since Of Monsters and Men released their debut album My Head Is an Animal in their home country of Iceland in September 2011. The success of the LP and its rollicking lead single “Little Talks” led to a deal with Republic Records, over a million records sold, a permanent spot on the festival circuit both in Europe and Stateside, and an enduring, fervent fanbase. “It’s a super special album,” Ragnar (“Raggi”) Þórhallsson, the group’s co-lead vocalist/guitarist, tells Consequence over Zoom. “I’ve always cared for it — the simplicity of it is that it’s hard to create something simple and beautiful, and I think that album is that.” Released internationally in April 2012, My Head Is an Animal grabbed listeners not just for its catchy melodies, but for the group’s sense of adv...
How Glass Animals’ Most Vulnerable Album Went Viral
It’s October 2015 and around 1:30 in the afternoon at the Austin City Limits Festival. An early day set at an event like this usually requires strength to mobilize. But my friends and I are standing in the pit, excited to see one of the ACL’s best rising new bands on the bill: British indie-rockers, Glass Animals. Their breakout single, “Gooey,” was riding high on the tropical-pop wave that year. With their multi-instrumentalist lead singer, Dave Bayley, the band had drawn comparisons to everyone from Ed Sheeran to the Police. They were playing over a hundred shows a year to sold-out crowds and debuting on all the late-night programs across Europe, the U.S., and the UK. Everything was happening for them. Until tragedy struck. On July 2, 2018, their 30-year-old drummer, Joe Seaw...
MORTEN on the Impact of Future Rave Music, Friendship With David Guetta, and Triumphant Return of ADE
Danish superstar MORTEN has had a special year in dance music. Touring all over the world, he was on a mission to proliferate his patented “future rave” sound, a genre he conceptualized with partner-in-crime David Guetta. The two released a slew of remarkable songs as the popularity of future rave music skyrocketed, such as a fan-favorite remix of the generational dance anthem “Titanium.” Following a triumphant outing at the momentous return of ADE Festival, EDM.com sat down with MORTEN to chat about the impact of future rave music and his plans in 2022. Jarett Lopez Recommended Articles EDM.com: How are you feeling after last night’s event? MORTEN: I just woke up and I feel great. I’m very happy. EDM.com: Let’s chat future rave. Where did it c...
MORTEN on the Impact of Future Rave Music, Friendship With David Guetta, and Triumphant Return of ADE
Danish superstar MORTEN has had a special year in dance music. Touring all over the world, he was on a mission to proliferate his patented “future rave” sound, a genre he conceptualized with partner-in-crime David Guetta. The two released a slew of remarkable songs as the popularity of future rave music skyrocketed, such as a fan-favorite remix of the generational dance anthem “Titanium.” Following a triumphant outing at the momentous return of ADE Festival, EDM.com sat down with MORTEN to chat about the impact of future rave music and his plans in 2022. Jarett Lopez Recommended Articles EDM.com: How are you feeling after last night’s event? MORTEN: I just woke up and I feel great. I’m very happy. EDM.com: Let’s chat future rave. Where did it c...
Nicky Romero on Historic Protocol Recordings ADE Party, Monocule Alias and More
Label parties are an integral part of the Amsterdam Dance Event, offering imprints a coveted chance to showcase their artists. But despite its huge significance in the local Dutch music community, Nicky Romero‘s Protocol Recordings had yet to host their own label party at ADE. EDM.com sat down with Romero and Protocol’s A&R Director, Jorik Van de Pol, to chat about the milestone for the record label and learn more about the DJ’s various other ventures. EDM.com: Nicky, how are you feeling tonight? Nicky Romero: I’m feeling good. I’m a little—I don’t want to say nervous—but excited in a way. All of my friends and family are here. Literally, all my close friends and the people that mean a lot to me are here and normally when you play a show, it’s quite professional, but ...
Nicky Romero on Historic Protocol Recordings ADE Party, Monocule Alias and More
Label parties are an integral part of the Amsterdam Dance Event, offering imprints a coveted chance to showcase their artists. But despite its huge significance in the local Dutch music community, Nicky Romero‘s Protocol Recordings had yet to host their own label party at ADE. EDM.com sat down with Romero and Protocol’s A&R Director, Jorik Van de Pol, to chat about the milestone for the record label and learn more about the DJ’s various other ventures. EDM.com: Nicky, how are you feeling tonight? Nicky Romero: I’m feeling good. I’m a little—I don’t want to say nervous—but excited in a way. All of my friends and family are here. Literally, all my close friends and the people that mean a lot to me are here and normally when you play a show, it’s quite professional, but ...
Foals Return with “Wake Me Up” and Tease New Album: “It’s Back to a Sweaty, Late-Night Dance Floor”
One of Britain’s best rock exports are back: today (November 4th), Foals have released their new single, “Wake Me Up.” It’s their first release since the second part of their ambitious 2019 double album Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Part 2, and also their first since the departure of Edwin Congreave, the band’s longtime keyboardist. “Wake Me Up,” is a fitting title, however, since it was written in a cold, bleak, lockdown winter in the UK. “We wanted to create a contrast between the outside world and the music that we’re writing inside this small room,” says frontman and guitarist Yannis Philippakis about their writing process. “We couldn’t help but reimagine ourselves on stage and how euphoric it will be once it returns.” Advertisement Indeed, it’s the band’s energetic and cathartic l...
Dinner With Dogleg: An Evening With Everyone’s Favorite New Post-Hardcore Band
About two hours after finishing their set at the Constellation Room in Santa Ana, California, the night before vocalist/guitarist Alex Stoitsiadis’s 24th birthday, the four members of Dogleg (and their trusty photographer/singular crew member, Erika) sit around a corner booth at a Southern California diner. The Saturday night show where they blasted through a half-hour set of their punk/emo/post-hardcore blend wasn’t their first in the area, but it was the only one since they stormed on to many people’s radar with their first full-length album, last year’s Melee. The Michigan quartet — Stoitsiadis, bassist/vocalist Chase Macinski, guitarist Parker Grissom, and drummer Jacob Hanlon — recorded Melee in Stoitsiadis’s house back in the summer of 2019, but they spent the rest of the year p...
Trevor Daniel On TikTok Fame, Evolution of His Sound, and EDM Influences
From his humble beginnings in Houston, Trevor Daniel’s career has been quite the rollercoaster—and a thrilling one at that. The meteoric rise of his TikTok-topping single “Falling,” the cancellation of a national tour, and performing at Chicago’s iconic Lollapalooza festival are just a few of the adventures Daniel has experienced over the last few years. And now that he’s back on tour, EDM.com caught up with him on his first trip to Canada, where he performed at Vancouver’s FVDED In The Park Festival. Trevor Daniel. Jarett Lopez EDM.com: How does it feel to be in Vancouver? Recommended Articles Trevor Daniel: I’ve never been here before, never been to Canada actually. Last year was COVID, and before that I was supposed to do this tour but my passpor...
Death Cab for Cutie Detail ‘Powerful’ File-Swap Sessions That Kick-Started Next LP
Early in the pandemic, Death Cab for Cutie‘s Ben Gibbard seemed to be ahead of the curve. In March, he launched a solo performance stream, Live From Home, helping blueprint a detour for musicians swept off the road. But with the camera switched off, he was just as confused as anyone else — and it took him a while to find his artistic footing. “The first couple months, especially when I was doing the livestreams — well, we all were there. There was this feeling of, ‘This is gonna last a month, and then we’ll get back to real life,’” Gibbard tells SPIN. “Then there was the panic of every day: ‘You can’t touch this; don’t do that; you’ll die if you do that.’ With the amount of anxiety, and also the thought that this would be a short-term thing, I did hardly any writing.” There were a lo...
RÜFÜS DU SOL on New Album Surrender and the Magic of Recording in the Desert: “It Gave Us This Sense of Place and Self”
There are few electronic acts with as much momentum as RÜFÜS DU SOL. Fresh off the release of their fourth studio album Surrender, the Australian trio have reached a massive turning point in their career. They’re selling out stadiums, winning over new fans, and ascending to the very top lines of music festivals all over the globe. Though it’s undoubtedly an exciting time for the group, they’re doing all they can to make sure they stay grounded. “We didn’t really have any sense of self-care,” says James Hunt about beginning the process of making a new record. “We got to reconnect and figure out a new way of writing music with some routine.” Hunt and fellow synth-scientist Jon George name morning meditations, workouts, and trips to the sauna as major aspects in creating a sustainable an...
