THE FRIGHTS

FOLK FOR THE FUTURE

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND GUITARIST MIKEY CARNEVALE BY J. POET

Nhe Frights never intended to be bums. The band moved over to Epthey came pretty seamlessly. I didn’t everything else. The production Richa full-time touring band. The itaph Records for their third album, expect anyone would ever hear them, ard contributed is very insane, almost trio - guitarist and songwriter Hypochondriac. That record saw so they became a bit more personal.” an instrument in itself. It’s full of tiny, Mikey Carnevale, bassist Richa shift in their style, moving away weird sounds.” ard Dotson, and drummer Mark from the surf/punk sound, towards The album, out now on Epitaph, was Finn - knew each other from groups a more contemplative approach. recorded in a cabin in Idyllwild, Everything Seems Like Yesterday they played in during high school in California. Because of scheduling sounds like a classic folk album, San Diego. “I was in a folk punk band in high conflicts, the other band members with acoustic guitar, harmonica, school,” Carnevale says. “I started couldn’t participate, so Carnevale mixed down bass, and subtle per“I was a drummer in a band when I writing more personal songs. The and Dotson recorded the album as cussion touches. There are waltzes, was 14,” Carnevale says. “I got the songs on Hypochondriac came out a duo. ballads, swing, and a rich blend of fire in me and wanted to be up so well, I thought about making a backing harmonies. front, so I started playing guitar folky solo album.” “We used Richard’s laptop, a bunch and writing songs. I put together a of speakers, some mics we bor“When we played it for Mark, I band that wasn’t that great, but we “I started writing the songs on Everyrowed from a studio in L.A., all my thought he hated it, but he said this played gigs with the bands Richard thing Seems Like Yesterday without acoustic guitars, one bass, an elecshould be our new direction, so we and Mark were in. We had a super any expectations for how they were tric guitar, a couple of amps and decided to release it as a Frights friendly rivalry going, and got togoing to sound,” he continues. “I some random percussion stuff,” album,” says Carnevale. “I know gether after we were all in college didn’t see them as Frights songs, Carnevale says. people are gonna freak out about for a one-off gig.” but they ended up going that way. it, but they always do, so who cares? When Richard and I got together “This is the first time that I wrote all the We’ve never played these songs After playing that gig, the security to record them, we were so happy parts of the arrangements,” he contogether, so we have no fucking guard who was standing outside with the way it turned out, we detinues. “Before this, I’d bring songs to idea about what’s going to hapoffered them a deal with his indie cided to make it a Frights album. I the band, and we’d all work them out pen. We’ll just do whatever we want, label. They signed up, put out a focused a lot more on lyrics, and it together. This time, Richard played and see who sticks around and who couple of EPs and began making altook a lot out of me emotionally, but electric guitar and bass, and I played doesn’t.” �� �� ��

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER / BASSIST JARED BRIDGEMAN BY ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER arth Rot have been holding it down warmth and depth to analog synths that steadily in the realms of death and makes them distort nicely, and so they black metal in Australia, realms that made their way low into the mix of some of many may not even know exist. Their new record, Black Tides of Obscurity, out March 6, 2020, via Season of Mist, dredges the deepest wells of grime with an eye on quality.

“In short, this album is Earth Rot as we’ve always heard ourselves—the new release has taken it to the next level in terms of production filthiness,” says vocalist and bassist Jared Bridgeman. “This band’s sound requires a degree of finesse when it comes to production. We’re obviously going for the nastiest production we can get, whilst also trying to maintain enough clarity for the musical ideas we’re trying to put across.”

In addition to valuing filth in production, the band aren’t afraid to look outside of the familiar or the expected when it comes to their influences, sourcing from both electronic music and literature.

“I’ve found a lot of inspiration lately in the textures of synthwave and drum ’n’ bass,” Bridgeman says. “There’s a certain the tracks. I was searching for something that would sound ‘heavy’ without being a distorted guitar. I ended up using one of the stock Cubase synths with a multi-band distortion on it that had just the right level of gnarl for my tastes. It sounded heavy, but it was complementary to distorted guitars instead of fighting with them.”

Lyrically speaking, the record takes its cues from themes of cosmic, Lovecraftian horror, and the human fascination with these ideas.

“Cosmic, existentialist horror is a relatively modern phenomenon within the traditions of literary horror, and it’s barely a stretch to use it as an allegory for the similarly modern awareness of mental health,” Bridgeman says of the band’s epic themes. “At the core, it’s an album about human frailty and insignificance, and the naivety of trying to create [a] theistic framework for a reality that is ultimately a solipsistic fantasy.” ��

PHOTO BY EMANUEL RUDNICKI

INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST, SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND PRODUCER TOMMIE ERIKSSON BY ADDISON HERRON-WHEELER lack metal is a sacred thing, an energy, “The more mass something has, the more and when it’s infused with dark magic, gravity, and if it goes to an extreme, we spirituality, and bluesy, heavy riffs, have a black hole, which is a hole in the it has infinite power. Saturnalia Temple web of the universe, and a gate to Uniknow how to harness and shift that power verse B opens,” Eriksson says. “We are the into something new, different, and fresh. black hole, spiritually and musically.” Their latest record, Gravity, out now via Listenable Records, captures the sound “All our songs and lyrics ever have been and tone they’ve been striving for, even if based on my 25-plus years of dark, spiritual not every twist and turn was planned. initiation and magical work,” he continues. “The material the band releases are digested “All our albums have taken a decisive results, experiences, and concepts from this step in a new and unexpected direction,” Great Work. So, it is not just emotions, but guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Tommie otherworldly experiences and states of mind Eriksson says. “To the Other had the blues/ beyond the mundane. So, if one is spiritually black metal of the title track, which was open, to come into the vibration of this band another step into the unknown. What is to begin a process of individuation.” is most important to me is that I feel I managed to surpass this with the new title Look out for Saturnalia Temple touring track, ‘Gravity.’ Here, we are using tones Europe this February supported by Dread and notes that we never heard before, Sovereign and Wolvennest as well as a U.S. and it felt like really taking a step into tour coming soon, specifics to be announced. uncharted territory.” “We will keep hypnotizing ourselves with The record explores themes of esoteric, our music, and make sure to record it in magical, and scientific components our own fashion,” Eriksson adds. “We will working together beyond space and time. never stop finding new sounds and vibraEnough gravity leads to a black hole, the tions. We have staked out an interesting sonic equivalent of Saturnalia Temple. direction and will keep to it.” �� �� ��