Canadian
Space/Stoner Rockers – BIBLICAL – have just released their
brilliant new album – The City That Always Sleeps – to massive acclaim
recently. The album has a different sound to their 2014 debut album –
Monsoon Season.
BIBLICAL
seem to have stripped back their sound and injected a heavier space
rock/sludge rock sound. The album is heavy from the start with loud
violent space rock passages holding everything together.
It's
been a while since I've interviewed the band. Around 3 years or so.
So I thought it was a good time to catch up with the band to discuss
the new album and future touring plans, which you can read below.
Hi
guys. How are things with you today. Long time no speak.
Thanks
for having us.
Congrats
on your excellent new album – The City That Always Sleeps. Such a
great record. What is the album about and what can people expect from
the album.
More
than anything, our aim was to try to craft a ‘complete listen’.
You hear all the time about the death of the album and the primacy of
the individual song, but we really wanted to make something with a
longer arc. It’s a tall order to have people listen to a whole
record, let alone in one sitting, but we hope that we made something
that might entice the listener to do so.
Even
when the record was nearly complete, I wasn’t exactly sure what it
was about, as a whole. All the songs were working together as a
whole, but the overarching theme revealed itself.
Truthfully,
I’m almost never clear about what the theme of a record is while in
the thick of making it. It usually takes working on the sleeve art
for the grand theme to present itself. And that was definitely the
case with The City That Always Sleeps. We had that title kicking
around for a while and as we started mapping out how the record would
flow, we were more and more convinced that that title had the right
vibe. Lyrically, the album is about lost and buried things - buried
pasts, buried feelings, buried people. The City That Always Sleeps is
all those things we carry with us, silent but present, whether we
know it or not.
Was
this an easy or hard album to write and record for against your
previous album.
I
think overall, it was an easier record to write and record. But
that’s not because it was less work — this record took many more
hours to complete. But we have a much better sense of who we are as a
band now and what we do well. When I think back to Monsoon Season, we
weren’t as certain about who we were as a band. Going into The
City, those questions had mostly been answered. Before Monsoon, we
just didn’t have the touring and performance experience that we
have now.
Did
you do anything differently recording this album. As the album has a
different tone compared to your last album.
Interestingly,
our workflow was largely the same. We spend a few days getting the
drums and bass at a studio and then record all the guitars ourselves
at our practise space. This time we tracked the beds at a fantastic
new studio here in Toronto called Union Sound Company. It’s got a
nice big live room and a lovely old Neve console that gave us a great
drum sound. To be honest, once you have good drums, you’re pretty
much set. We then took those tracks and recorded all the guitars
using a 4 channel setup, consisting of 3 mics and a DI. One thing we
did differently this time we used small vintage amps, pretty much
exclusively. Small guitar amps are great because you can dime them
and really saturate the tubes.
Biblical’s
sound has moved from your last album with the band adapting a more
Spaced Out/Psych Rock sound. Though with moments of heavy sludge
rock. Is that a fair assumption to make.
For
sure. Again, I think that evolution is a product of playing live. One
of the biggest lessons we learned as a band is how to use dynamics.
It’s one thing to just blast away at full volume for your whole
set, but giving the audience moments of calm or intimacy during a
show really sets up for that knockout punch when you want to get loud
again. So we naturally wanted to bring that into the recording
process. But part of it also that we’ve always been a ‘rock’
band. People call us doom or stoner, but we’re really just a rock
band. We like to dip our toes into different vibes and different
moods and those other labels are just too limiting.
Was
that the plan to record something differently.
I
don’t think so, per se. More like, this is what the band sounds
like now, let’s record the band.
Why
did you call the album – The City That Always Sleeps.
We
first stumbled on that title while driving back from a show in New
York. As you know, NYC is called The City That Never Sleeps, but
while driving home, Matt said something like ‘back to the city that
always sleeps.’ I thought it was a cool sounding title and filed it
away. Given the themes the record, it just felt right. But there’s
also a little social commentary there too. Toronto as a city has had
somewhat of a meteoric rise in the last 10 or 15 years. It’s
topping out livability lists around the world and between the film
festival and artists like Drake, Toronto seems to be in the
spotlight. Toronto also has an obsession with being considered a
‘world city’. So the name of the record is also a push back
against all of that, a little reminder that we might be getting a
little too big for our britches.
This
album has been a long time coming. I first heard a copy that Nick
kindly provided me with earlier this year. Why the long delay with
the album release.
We
started tracking the record in Summer 2015 and it was completed by
Summer 2016. Then we had to figure out how to release etc. It took
some time to connect with the Tee Pee people and figure stuff out
with our Canadian label New Damage, so we were already looking at
spring 2017. But my wife are I had a baby due in March 2017, so we
made the decision to move everything back.
Did
you guys fear that the album would never be released or if your
fanbase had moved on. Also you guys have been very quiet recently
since the release of your last album.
Monsoon
came out in 2014 and we spent about a year or so touring off and on.
Unfortunately, it takes us a while to make records, between writing
and recording. To be honest, we don’t spend too much time worrying
about people moving on, it’s out of our control. Besides, a fine
wine takes time.
The
album has received a ton of great reviews recently. Has that
surprised you at how well the album has been received.
We’ve
been overjoyed that people are responding to the record. We feel
like we occupy a weird little corner of the scene. We’re a heavy
band, but we’re not metal and that turns some people off.
Obviously, you have to believe in what you’re doing but seeing that
people get what we were trying to do is a great feeling.
Tee
Pee Records are releasing the new album. How did you hook up with
them and did you have any other offers to release the album.
We
talked to a few labels about doing this record, but Tee Pee was at
the top of the list. Our drummer Jay plays in a band called Comet
Control, who are also on Tee Pee, so it was a natural fit. Kenny, the
owner of Tee Pee was an early supporter of the band. We had talked
previously about doing something when we were starting out, but we
never got it figured out until now. As we said - a fine wine takes
time. We were stoked to work with Tee Pee because we knew that just
being on the label would open us up to a whole bunch of listeners who
didn’t know us.
Will
you be touring and promoting the album. Will you be touring Canada
only or even venture into the USA for future gigs.
We
are definitely touring the record. We’re starting with a bunch of
shows close to home, including release parties in Toronto, Montreal
and NYC. We’re hoping to get over to the UK and Europe in the new
year. We’ve got a few irons in the fire, so stay tuned on that
front.
Before
you go, do you have any words of wisdom you like to pass down to your
fans.
I
don’t know about wisdom, but we’re very appreciative for all the
support. When you’re in a band and make records, your only hope is
that people listen. When people not only listen, but respond, it’s
an amazing privilege.
Thanks
for doing the interview. Best of luck with the new album.
Thanks!
Words
by Steve Howe and BIBLICAL
Thanks to BIBLICAL for
doing this interview. The City That Always Sleeps is now available to buy
now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Tee Pee Records.
Links
