Celebrating One Decade Of Last.fm

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As of today, my last.fm account is ten years old. I would never have guessed that an offhand suggestion from one of my high school classmates would shape my musical history so radically.

I’m not one of the people who are obsessed with getting the most plays, but what I am obsessed with is accuracy. This website has been an amazing tool to crystalize my listening habits and musical discoveries. The ability to look back at ten years of my music habits and see exactly what I was listening to on a specific day is still kind of mind-blowing to me.

This account begins with my last year of high school, stretches through college, and now four years of “adult” life. I can look back at this and see distinct phases, moods, and discoveries I’ve made, and as a music nerd, that is absolutely invaluable.

There’s no real point to this post other than to celebrate ten years of being an unabashed music dork. Last.fm has forever changed the way I interact with music, and I love it for that.

On Running Times: The Importance of Album Length

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Perhaps unsurprisingly, one of my favorite parts of meeting new people is learning what kind of music they’re into. Usually, I’ll wait for it to come up in conversation naturally (so as not to overwhelm them with the firehose-like pressure of my own nerdiness), but it’s still something I look forward to whenever I’m getting to know someone. Not only is music one of the few things I feel confident in talking about endlessly, but it’s also a fantastic way to learn about who someone is as a person. Sometimes you meet someone who isn’t “into music,” and it’s fun because you get to slowly immerse them in your favorite records and reveal a part of yourself to them. Sometimes you meet someone for the first time and you both share a love for so many bands that it’s almost eerie. Those latter cases are fun just because you just get to geek out about cringy high school music that was somehow omnipresent enough for both parties to have separate nostalgia for it. 

Those weird cases of shared musical backgrounds are so rewarding because it feels like some cosmic affirmation of my (mostly questionable) high school music choices. I made a friend like this in early 2019 who shared a nearly-identical background with me of pop-punk, hardcore, and emo. We were kind of at different points in that triangle of genres, but he got me deeper into pop-punk, I got him deeper into emo, and it was a rewarding friendship from that perspective. 

At some point after a few weeks of knowing each other, my friend asked me what my favorite album of 2018 was, and I started going on about Fiddlehead’s Springtime and Blind. I talked about the hard-hitting Title Fight-esque delivery, the guilt-ridden emotional lyricism, and the well-placed world-building interludes. I tied a bow on (what I thought was) a compelling argument in favor of the record by emphasizing its running time of just 24 minutes. My friend paused for a second, thought to himself, then replied with “man, you really love talking about album lengths.” I was taken aback. 

Here I thought I’d made a passionate argument for this album that I adored, and my friend just pointed out how often I bring up running times. But then I thought about it, and he was right. I realized over the course of knowing each other for just a few weeks I’d used that as a selling point in favor of an album more than once. More than that, it also shocked me that the length of an album wasn’t something he particularly cared about. 

Earlier this year, I was listening to the new Beach Bunny record and (half) jokingly tweeted that “any LP that's less than 26 minutes is an automatic 9/10 in my mind.” That’s obviously a slight exaggeration, but I do think that shorter albums are generally better and harder to pull off than longer ones. While I realize the running time of a record may seem like an esoteric piece of trivia, I believe it’s actually a vital component of what makes an album good. Sure, I love long-winded double albums, 20-minute songs, and concept albums as much as the next guy, but by and large most of my favorite records, especially recently, are ones that tend to be leaner and more economical with their time. Hell, my favorite album of last year was a 6-track EP, so this post is a long time coming. Truthfully I think shorter records are harder to make and therefore are not the norm. I also think they can be stronger, more creative, and more impactful than a “traditional”-length album for many reasons.

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In my mind, an album’s running time is as essential as it’s tracklist or sequencing. Many artists don’t take those things into consideration, but the ones that do often end up crafting a more compelling piece of art. The new Ratboys album is a perfect example of a masterfully-sequenced record; each side opens with a fast-paced single, side one closes with a banger, and the back half of the album works up to a beautifully meditative title track made all the more poignant by the flow of the songs that come before it. Part of what makes Printer’s Devil great is, yes, the songs themselves, but also how the band decided to order those songs and walk the listener through them. You could take those same 11 tracks, rearrange them, and the album would be flat-out worse. 

When an artist releases an album, generally, it has a point. The musician sets out to capture a feeling, depict a time in their life, or make a statement on something in the world. If you can get your point across in less time, that only makes your message all the more compelling. One of the first times I consciously began to think about album running times was when Japanese Breakfast released Psychompmp back in 2016. Admittedly enamored with the (now) infamous long-form indieheads shitpost about the album, I went into the record with almost-non-existent expectations and came out the other side 25-minutes later blown away. 

Essentially a concept album about her mother’s death, Michelle Zauner set out to capture her grief, experiences, and feelings that surrounded this major event in her life. The album opens poppy enough with the mystifying “In Heaven,” the soaring “Rugged Country,” and the immensely danceable “Everybody Wants to Love You.” Things take a turn halfway through where the titular “Psychopomp” stops the listener in their tracks with a spacy instrumental containing a voicemail of Michelle’s mom. From there, “Jane Cum” bowls the listener over with a wordless explosion of grief, pain, and sharp feelings. Not only is “Jane Cum” one of the most authentic expressions of loss ever captured in music, but it’s made stronger thanks to the songs that surround it. The record is so well-paced, and it’s conscious build-up to that pivotal moment of loss makes the feelings Michelle’s depicting all the more raw and impactful. After that heaviness “Heft,” “Moon on the Bath,” and “Triple 7” act as a sort of post-script to death that sends the listener off on a (slightly) more hopeful note, though not by much. The fact that Michelle was able to fit all of those feelings into an album that’s shorter than most episodes of TV is nothing short of spectacular.

One of the reasons I love music is because it’s the only medium with the ability to make such a compelling depiction in such a short amount of time. TV shows and movies are great, but at best they take 2 hours to create a similar effect. I suppose you could make the argument that shorter-form art house movies broach a similar level of impact, but even then the two mediums don’t exist in the same quantities. There’s a more compelling narrative in the four and a half minutes of “Born to Run” than there was in whatever new teen drama Netflix shat out this weekend. There’s no comparison.

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This feels like a good place to say that I’m not against long albums, one of my favorite records of all time is The Monitor by Titus Andronicus; a 65-minute punk epic that’s loaded with 8-minute songs and capped off by a blistering 14-minute coda. The same thing goes for Sufjan’s Michigan, and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, sure I’m cherry-picking some of the greatest albums of all time, but they’re all examples of artists using their hour-plus running times to craft a compelling story that could not have been told any other way. Those records are still economical in that sense, it’s just that they take a little bit longer to arrive at their final conclusion.

On the opposite end of the cultural spectrum, you have records like Migos’ Culture II, which is admittedly a bloated 24-track 2-hour mess, but it’s a bloated mess I don’t have a problem with because it’s just a glorified playlist that you put on while doing anything else. Drake literally did this when he released More Life, a mixtape that he marketed as a “playlist.” That’s code for “don’t think about this too much and just give me 22 streams.” I’ll admit I like More Life alright, but then you see the same thing happening on Scorpion, which is 90 minutes of some of the blandest, most mind-numbing, lobotomy-inducing hip-hop that I’ve ever heard in one place. That album just feels like Drake gaming the streaming system to get as many plays as possible while offering nothing of artistic substance. 

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Another thing worth bringing up here is the history of the physical album. The fact that records used to be based solely on two 23-minute sides of a vinyl record meant that 40-ish minutes became the default. Then once CDs became prominent enough, their 80-minute capacity meant that hour-length albums could become the norm. Once iTunes, Pandora, and digital music paved the way for streaming services an album could be literally anything. Artists are no longer restricted by the realities of a physical format, and that’s a good thing.

I know there are plenty of people out there who just listen to an album, click the “heart” button on their favorite songs, and then craft their daily music experience around a playlist of those cherry-picked favorites. That’s fine, but I believe that the album format is still a viable medium and an essential piece of the music creation process. I feel that “The Album” is the barometer under which all music should be measured. You can have a couple of great tracks, but if the rest of the songs surrounding it don’t measure up, then you don’t have a great album. That’s part of the problem with albums like Scorpion where you have a few objectively fire songs like “Nonstop” and “Nice For What” surrounded by utter nonsense like “Ratchet Happy Birthday.” Truth be told, I can’t even name any of the other “bad” songs on that album because there’s so much fat that record that it all blurs into one incoherent mess of sleepy pop-rap. It makes me like the entire thing less, and therein lies the problem. 

Meanwhile, take a look a the new Beach Bunny album; a 9 track 25-minute debut that ranges from catchy sing-along love songs, confessional tales of heartbreak, and masterful builds of unrequited love. Truth be told, Honeymoon is not really making any grand artistic statement on love and relationships, but it set out to offer a collection of saccharin poppy love songs, and it did just that. It didn’t need an hour, it didn’t need interludes, it’s just nine tight tracks of well-written indie-pop and that alone elevates it above other albums of its ilk.

The minute an album has worn on long enough for you to check the tracklist to see how much is left, then the artist has failed. Every preceding song may be great, but the longer an album is, the more chances there are for lulls like that. The shorter a record is, the less room there is for error.

I’m not saying artists should limit themselves; musicians should take as much time as they need to craft their work and get their point across, it’s just that the less time they manage to do it in, the more impactful the message feels. Much like you’re probably reading this, 1900 words deep and wondering when it will end. 

The “album” is a fluid concept in 2020, more fluid than it’s ever been in fact. There are artists breaking barriers every day, and album length is only one small piece of that. It just feels notable to me when an artist manages to create something so compelling and get it across in such a short amount of time. After all, if you love it and want more, you can always just start it all over again from the top.

Swim Into The Soup's Ultimate Soup Ranking

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In one month Swim Into The Sound will celebrate its fifth anniversary, and it honestly feels like it’s time for a refresh. Like, sure, music is cool, but I think that staying flexible and true to myself is more important than anything. With that in mind, I’m excited to announce that I’m going to pivot this site to reflect my real passion: soup.

That’s right folks, soup. I love soup. It’s the most versatile food. It comes in so many different flavors and consistencies, there’s honestly something for everyone. As our inaugural piece of soup-related content, I’m proud to present Swim Into The Soup’s Ultimate Soup Ranking: the definitive and inarguable list of the best soups ordered from worst to best. I hope you enjoy this innovative new content and future direction of the site. I appreciate your understanding and continued support.  

5 | Cream of Mushroom Soup

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Look, I don’t really mind the taste of mushroom, but it’s the consistency of the vegetable that I can’t stand. If I’m being objective, I recognize that Cream of Mushroom Soup isn’t the worst, it’s just not for me. 

 

4 | Clam Chowder

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I know what you’re thinking ‘Taylor, chowder isn’t a soup!’ well, that’s where you’re wrong, bucko. Typically I’m not a big fan of seafood, but as someone who grew up close to the coast for their entire childhood, I have a soft spot in my heart for a good, chunky Clam Chowder.

 

3 | Chicken Noodle Soup

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Chicken Noodle Soup is a true OG in the soup game. It’s an undeniable classic and for a good reason. Beloved by children, the elderly, and sick people alike, there’s absolutely no argument you can make against Chicken Noodle Soup without looking like a heartless lunatic. Truly a cornerstone of the Soup World.

 

2 | Chicken Tortilla Soup

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Sometimes you’re looking for a bit more zest, and that’s precisely where Chicken Tortilla Soup comes in. There are few things more satisfying than a piping hot bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup with the perfect balance of beans, meat, and soup topped off with a pinch of shredded cheese and an avocado slice. Chicken Tortilla is admittedly a bit more exotic (and thus may not be for everyone), but at the end of the day, it’s hard to deny.

 

1 | Tomato Soup

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Simple, hearty, tasty, and classic. Tomato Soup is THAT soup. It has range; it can be made perfectly light and soupy or thick as a bisque. It has versatility; you can pair it with a salad, naan, or the classic saltine, the possibilities are literally endless. And don’t even get me started about dipping a slice of grilled cheese in it. That’s what heaven is. When it all comes together, tomato soup is a hearty, humble, and flexible soup that has worked hard to earn its spot as the king of soup.

Quarantine Creative Check #2

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As the coronavirus shows no signs up letting up, we’re back again with another round of creative quarantine check-ins to find out how musicians are holding up and how you can best support them in these uncertain times. 

BREATHERRR

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
So I’ve had to split my isolation. Days off are spent inside, but my day job is at Costco, which is perhaps the most impacted grocery outlet at the moment. So I’ve had a bit of anxiety, but have also been very cautious in my interactions. I’ve also been trying to embrace the forced disconnect, with a lot of horror movies (Thanks SHUDDER!) and production work (as always).

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
At the moment, I am releasing one single a month, leading up to a full album release in the fall for my 3rd full length, FEAR FLORA. So luckily, I have been able to stay consistent with its release as it is all digital at the moment. When it is released in the fall on vinyl, hopefully we will be able to head out on tour. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
Creatively, I feel like we have a great opportunity to be inside and sit with our emotions, as tumultuous as they are right now. I feel like that is key to a lot of great art: uncertainty. So leaning into that I feel can be ultimately cathartic. I’ve definitely got some stuff cooking...

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
I have friends who are full-time musicians, part-time bartenders who have been impacted greatly. So yes, hit up our Bandcamps. Buy songs and merch, it helps more than you’d believe. 

At the end of the day, I’m here to provide a soundtrack for our daily emotions, and hopefully you can find catharsis in what I do. I have 3 new singles up, and a 4TH dropping on April 9. Visit my website, or any streaming platform (Spotify, etc) via Linktree. Also, follow me on Instagram @breatherrr to connect, learn about my new music, and laugh at some foolishness. Stay safe!

 

Joe Billy

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I could be doing a lot worse. I’ve been under some form of isolation since Saturday, while able to go do certain necessary tasks. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
I’ve unfortunately had to cancel many gigs including tour dates, rehearsals, and a birthday show. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
In terms of creativity, I’ve found myself to be able to force myself to do a few projects I’ve been putting off when my excuse was “I don’t have enough time” haha so incidentally I’ve had the opportunity to get my ass in gear for certain things. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
I’m not sure about the state of the post office right now, but everything for my merch and music can be found on my website and the easiest way to buy music would be through Bandcamp. 

 

A Boy Named John

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I’m hanging in there! We’re trying to stay positive during this time. I’m on day 5 of isolation. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
We had a whole rollout plan for our upcoming EP ready to go that was projected to be released in June. However, now we’re reconsidering that date due to the pandemic. On the bright side, we’re going to use this time to dive deeper into creating an exciting release strategy that we think our fans will love. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
We’re an extremely tight-knit band of close friends. Our creativity feeds off of each other’s presence. With social distancing, we’re feeling disconnected from each other and our weekly routines have been thrown off. We were on a roll with our EP release plans and now that everything has come to a halt, it’s going to be hard to pick up where we left off. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Please stream our music, watch our YouTube videos, and buy merch on our website! Also, follow us on our social media. We’re trying to use this time to connect with you! ☺️

 

Chase Your Words

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I’ll be honest, I already suffer from depression and anxiety as it is, and times like these have my anxiety going in all directions. I’m only on day 4 of isolation, but the days feel slow.

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
We don’t have any tour plans yet, but it’s definitely a downer seeing our friends in other touring bands having theirs cancelled or needing to reschedule. Our mental health varies with each of us as individuals. Our group message chat is a little fearful of the pandemic and the symptoms that (could) come about, but we’re all looking out for each other one way or another.

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
As a band we’ve been wanting to start writing the album. We work extremely well when we’re together, but with everyone in isolation/quarantine, we’re feeling strong limitations. Luckily enough we’re all able to write music as individuals with working computers to record our ideas and demos, so it’s safe to say the dropbox account is piling up. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Honestly, we’re doing okay for now since we’re not really touring currently. That being said, we did release an EP late last year called Sayonara which you can stream/buy almost anywhere online. If you want to support us, we also have merch that we heavily discounted.

Please don’t forget to support the artists directly affected by this pandemic by buying their merch, music, and keep a lookout for their rescheduled tour dates if you want to directly support them.

 

Vagabonds

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I think I’m on about 8 days, but it feels like it’s been way longer than that. I just left my house for the first time in days to take a walk for an hour or so. I was getting too buried in projects and to-do lists, so I needed to get out. Now I’m doing all right.

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
To be honest, I feel like I’m not getting as much accomplished as I should be. Maybe I am doing enough, but it’s hard to gauge with the days blurring together. Like many of my peers who choose music as their source of relief and expression, I do have preexisting struggles with anxiety and depression. They’re mostly manageable these days, but the general panic hasn’t been especially to kind to me. It hasn’t spiraled to a terrible degree or anything, but I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t affected me at all. 

I will say the one thing that has been making me feel the best is listening to Earth Crisis, Snapcase, and even some early Cro Mags and writing riffs that rip off those bands. It’s fun to work on something that has no pressure placed on it to succeed. It gets me in the free space again mentally. 

I also am in the midst of self-releasing an album. It’s hard to cut through the noise, even as everyone is glued to a screen. I’m still trying to promote the record, though, because it has a lot of value to me. I think it has an underlying feeling of peace that could provide some sort of escape for listeners. Even though it feels like sending it out into a void sometimes, it’s important to keep sharing. 

I’ve had some really exciting tour dates cancelled too. It’s a bummer, but it’s not the end of the world. There will always be another gig.

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
I think that being too close to a project can stunt creativity. I definitely feel that right now when I try to hash out more Vagabonds songs. I also don’t feel like I have many real parameters at the moment, which sometimes help reel me in creatively. I’m still having a swell enough time writing, though. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Honestly, just listening on streaming services is great. I put out one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written yesterday, and I just want people to hear it. If anyone wants to help support fiscally, I really appreciate that. I have an online store where people can preorder the album that’s being released next month. Bandcamp essentially works as a digital tip jar too. Anything helps. At the end of the day, though, I just want people to let the music I make find a place in their life. That’s the ultimate goal. Letting that goal become a reality is the greatest support.

 

Bloom de Wilde

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?It’s about a week tomorrow. Being an introvert arty farty music nerd it’s not that hard for me, but I have two young children and I imagine they will remember this strange time for the rest of their lives. So we’ve been trying to make it quite fun and magical - playing with complete abandonment, painting our faces, building dens, dressing up and playing lots of music. There are moments that I do find it difficult and I found playing the drums (I’m not a great drummer but it’s just so enjoyable) is very helpful with that! Instant meditation. I’m also trying to finish my new video but realized it’s ok to slow down a bit, take away the pressure, and just be. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
My EP is due for release at the end of April, but lots of gigs were cancelled, and even my EP launch party and a small tour through Holland were called off. So I am thinking about alternatives, doing little online concerts from my sitting room, organizing an online release party, and also working on some ridiculous ideas to make people laugh a little. I quite like the idea of a challenge; restrictions often make for the best creative solutions. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
The paradox here is that in quarantine I have less time alone than usual as the kids are not going to kindergarten right now. So even though this week has been all about playing and enjoying time with them, I do also want to finish that video - it’s really nearly there! And my EP will be coming out very soon, so that’s another little puzzle to ponder about - everything needs to be done a bit differently. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
There’s my stuff on Bandcamp of course, and my EP will come out the end of April, so stay tuned :) it’s a collection of colourful uplifting life-affirming songs channeled straight from the Universe, and all made with love; so extra good for the soul in these challenging times. 

You can watch my videos here

Also, it’s especially important to feel connected these days, so if people leave comments or want to interact, I am very grateful and delighted to receive and respond to your comments and messages 🙈🙏🏾💌🌸☁️✨ You can do that on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, Twitter, or Bandcamp.  Stay well and safe everyone! Xx Bloom

 

MEATBOT

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
Hey, thanks! This is Will, the guitarist/singer. I've been mostly at home since Sunday, although my wife and I run a record and bookstore so I've been doing shipping/delivery for that this week since the physical store is closed.

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
We're still releasing our new CD at the end of this month but no gigs scheduled and clearly won't be for a while.

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
The challenge is being creative when dealing with dark thoughts about how bad this could get.

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
We have put up some pre-orders and CD/t-shirt bundles on our Bandcamp page all the prices are reduced and US shipping is free.

 

Taciturn

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
Natasha - This is day 6. It’s not so bad in the sense that it’s like an extended meditation. There’s a lot of work to do behind-the-scenes that we’re finally being able to hone in on. 

Nyle - I’m about a week and half in and honestly my day to day isn’t much different. Before the quarantine, I mostly went out to run errands or play music.

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
Natasha - There are things that are going to be delayed -- like the recording of our second album, but the creative process hasn’t really stopped. We’re sending each other demos in Google Drive, polishing the ideas we’d been working hard on in the past few months. We’re mulling over the nitty-gritties of an album that we were formerly trying to finish in a very competitive timeline. All of that has come to a halt. Mentally it’s tough. I want nothing more than to play a show right now. But our shows in April are cancelled. But there are positives -- people are online more. We held an awesome online flash sale this week, and donated the money to the Abortion Fund of Arizona.

Nyle - Natasha and I are definitely mentally dependent on playing shows and extrovertly being creative. The quarantine has pumped the brakes hard on that. Luckily, we’ve found a way to continue to creatively collaborate, but I prefer doing things in person.

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
Nyle - Before Natasha was in the band, I’d write Taciturn songs on my own in Logic, which included me meticulously writing all the instrumentals in a computer chair. It felt like engineering or working on a long math problem, which I enjoyed. When I had the luxury of playing together with a live drummer and bassist, the songwriting process became much more orchestral - in the sense that I’d direct changes in each instrument until we created a Taciturn song. When Natasha became our bassist, things evolved even more as she shared the director/conductor role with me. Because of the quarantine, we’ve regressed to me making music on Logic and sharing demos with Natasha. I of course enjoy doing this, but there are some major downsides. I particularly miss the energy of playing together that would inevitably enter the songwriting process. There’s a reason we write songs in the same room and I really can’t wait until we can get back in the studio. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Natasha - Stream us on Bandcamp, Spotify, wherever you listen to music. We’ve also got a bunch of new merch on our Bandcamp that we’d love to send you.

Quarantine Creative Check #1

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Well folks, we’re about a week into a global pandemic and am feeling it. I’ve been living, writing, working, and eating in my 534 sq. ft. studio apartment for five straight days, and I’m beginning to get a little antsy. I’ve got enough food, alcohol, and toilet paper to last at least a month, but that doesn’t make self-isolating any easier. Luckily, I’m fortunate enough to have a job that allows me to work from home, and FaceTime has gone a long way in fulfilling my need for human interaction, but it’s still hard. 

This past week has been nothing but delayed tours, postponed release dates, and canceled shows. While that’s a bummer as a fan, it’s especially disheartening for musicians who rely on tickets, merch, and record sales for their livelihood. 

With that in mind, I asked my twitter followers if anyone wanted to chat. Less of an interview and more of a check-in, I sent the same questions out to a handful of talented musicians who reached out, and they all gave me an update on how they’re doing and what you can do to support them in these crazy times. 

This week we’ve all had to adapt to a new way of living and existing without direct human connection. Similarly, bands have had to adapt to a way of living without their primary source of income, and in some cases, stand to lose hundreds, if not thousands of dollars on scrapped tours. Please check out some of these bands, give them a stream, toss them a share, or check out their merch.

Without further adieu, I’m proud to present the first (and hopefully final) installment of Quarantine Creative Check: dispatches from artists all over the world.

Superdestroyer

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
So far the quarantine has been a bit surreal, which is probably true for a lot of people right now. There's a part of me that's uncomfortable with the uncertainty of things, but obviously protecting people who are vulnerable to the virus is most important so that kinda helps to frame it in a healthy way. I'm in Ohio, and they've moved quick, so it's been almost a week. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
It's been a weird adjustment but I'm sort of introverted so it's probably been a little easier for me than for people that are really social. The biggest challenges have been finding food and important supplies because of the initial panic. I also have really bad asthma so I've been trying not to think about what happens to me if I get sick. I read recently that this could be an on and off thing for up to 2 years so that was....hard to process. On a positive note, I have a lot more time so I'm trying to figure out some things I'd like to do while I'm stuck at home. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
Honestly, I've been able to finish up some stuff for mostly finished songs, but I kinda find myself distracted otherwise. I'm pretty worried about friends, family, and strangers alike who just lost their income. I helped some people get groceries and stuff like that. I think for now the focus is on helping people find some stability. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Honestly, don't donate anything to me, but if you do want to buy merch or something I'll donate the money to someone in need. Otherwise, I'm working on something that will roll out soon to help DIY artists with performance stuff. Please buy artists' music and merch if you can. I run Lonely Ghost Records and most of our artists could really use the help. A lot of their merch is linked to our website or you can just visit their social media pages, bandcamps, etc. If people can, they should definitely take some time to support musicians who live off of their income from touring and music because they've been hit hard. Pretty much anyone who listens to music will have a favorite artist who needs some support right now!

 

SESPOOL

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
This is my second full day of quarantine, but my fourth of more rigid social distancing. I’m doing well. I miss being able to go to the gym and float around freely but I have more time to focus on music and that’s pretty awesome. Living with my girlfriend also really helps, as I haven’t lost all human contact and have someone to drink coffee and clean with haha.

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
I had no plans to tour personally but it’s affected a lot of my friends and canceled/postponed 4 shows I had tickets to. Since I have a day job that pays the bills this sudden stop of work has allowed me more time to focus on the creative process, but it’s been so disorienting and weird for the last five or so days that my creativity has come in spurts. I’ve been working on a new project, the first single dropped last month, and I think this may delay the release of that album a bit. Even though it’s a great time to release streaming content, I have bigger plans for this record and I want it to drop when the timing is right. I have, however, thought about releasing some different types of singles or songs I otherwise wouldn’t release in light of this strange time.

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
It might sound weird but trying to take advantage of all this time and be focused despite having no idea what the future holds. I know we’ll be able to get through this but how long will it take? It’s not a situation we’ve ever encountered before and not being able to book shows or realistically plan for the release of an album is really weird - just have to keep pushing to make the best songs for when the moment arrives.

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Merch is an amazing way to support. I actually just put up a bundle today, and for as long as the post office is shipping I will be going there to ship stuff! My store can be found here.

 

Chanelle Kazadi

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I’m holding up the best I can, it’s going on day 8 of isolation. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
The social distancing has impacted me in ways such as my shows being postponed, they talk about the corona has taken off social media so strongly. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
The challenging part about all this is not truly knowing when it ends and not knowing how much worse could it get but I try to stay positive at the same time. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
I have merch on my website, it would be very appreciated to donate that way and just support my brand.

 

Keep Flying

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
Feeling pretty positive right now. Been getting some yard and housework down now that tour life has been canceled. We looking at day 4 now but have been productive with moving upcoming releases, tour dates, and more to adapt to this new unknown era!

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
The prediction is this is going to last until at least June. We are adjusting our summer plans to fall. Pushing the record release at least a month. But also pushing some things sooner! We may hop back in the studio now that we have time off from the road as well as make some music videos and other content to keep people happy at home. Mentally this is about to be the longest consecutive time I’ve been off the road and not around live music in 14 years. Crazy. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
That’s just it. This is the challenge. We have to stand up to it and just do our best. If we all just do our best we can look back in a year from now and be proud of what we did accomplish. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Yes, the Merch does help. I’ll be able to get my guys some money as most of us also lost our jobs and it’s gonna be tough. The other way would be promoting the band and brand on the internet to friends and the World Wide Web. We really win people over with our live show so now more than ever any help of sharing videos or tunes or content would be incredible!

 

Farseek

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I’m doing well so far. My partner and I have been holed up for about a week now.

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
We were supposed to go on a quick four day run in April but that was canceled because of the outbreak. Once I found out I didn’t have to work, I immediately began recording a bunch of new songs. It’s nice having no pressure or other commitments to hold me back. I think I am going to get kind of stir crazy in another week but I have been trying to not overwork myself.

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
I’ve currently got creativity oozing out of me so I don’t think that this has negatively impacted my creative outlets yet.

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
The best way for folks to support Farseek would be to just tell other people to listen to our music. I’m not dying for money right now and I know other people need it more than I do.

 

New Pollution

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
I just got back from college a couple of days ago, so I have been quarantined in my house for 4 days, but before that it was really crazy at college trying to stay clean. I have been chilling outside my house but the only place I have gone is to a soup kitchen to bring them some items. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
As far as impacting my musical plans, not much has been effected besides sending my new EP to labels. I figure that everyone is stressed about the virus so nobody will have time to care about the EP, which is totally warranted. I have a 5 track EP that I have recorded for a year just sitting around, and it sucks that as soon as I finished it this virus came about! Now it seems like people don’t want to think about music, and there is so much anxiety floating around that nobody wants music. Otherwise, I’m using this time to record more songs and explore a collaboration with somebody I know, which will be very much cross-genre. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
The most challenging part about being creative right now is time. I just got back from college and have many other things to do before I get to make music I like. I think another hard part of being creative is judging one’s own work. I have hundreds of finished demos just sitting on my laptop because I am too afraid to commit to releasing them. So I have been coming up with ideas to change existing ideas instead of constantly increasing that pile of demos. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
First, I think people should support their own needs first in this time and think about music second. However, if you have the time it would be great if you purchased our live record Live!? at Creative Corner, which will definitley knock you out of whatever gloom you may be feeling.

 

Fit The Bill

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
We have been doing pretty good! Besides making a couple of quick trips to the store, and Miles working a little bit, we are on day 3 I think?

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
So we actually had studio time booked for this coming up weekend, but with everything happening those plans have changed a bit. But now we are just going to record everything we planned to record in-house, and send it out to be mixed 🤙🏼

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
Nothing really holding us back from being creative right now honestly. If anything that’s the thing we have been able to put more focus on.

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
We don’t really have any merch up right now and are in the process of getting new music online 😉 But the best way to support us right now is probably to keep track of our antics on social medias. We will be posting more updates on our Instagram story specifically!

 

Halogens

First off, how are you holding up so far? How many days of isolation are you currently on?
George: I’ve been *mostly* isolated since last Thursday because of having to go to work, however, my job just started having me work 100% remotely today so I guess today is day 1 for real. I’m going a little stir crazy for sure. 

I know we’re only a week or so into this, but how has this quarantine/social distancing impacted your plans? (creative process, mental health, tours, album rollouts, etc.)
George: Basically all of our plans from March through May have either been cancelled or rescheduled; we haven’t heard about all of our scheduled shows yet but I’m assuming the same will happen with them. We’re supposed to go into the studio for LP during the first week of June and we’ve been saying for months that we need to stop picking up shows so we can really focus on writing, but we just kept picking up shows anyway so we could try out new songs live and play with bands that we like. So now we’re really being forced to 100% fully commit to strictly focusing on finishing writing our album before we go into the studio in June. Mental health-wise, I’m doing okay but basically anything I previously used for maintaining my sanity like seeing my friends, going to the gym, or hanging at my parent’s house to play with my dog is out the window for the foreseeable future. I live right by the beach so I’ve been taking breaks from being in the house to go for walks on the boardwalk since it’s pretty empty here when during the off-season, which has been definitely been good for giving myself a change of scenery when I start to feel cooped up. 

What’s been the most challenging part of being creative right now?
George: Definitely being able to meet up with the rest of the band in person to hash out new ideas which is usually the major stage of transitioning a song idea into a completed song. We just recorded some new demos a couple of weeks ago so luckily we’ve been focusing on mixing them and editing parts remotely so we can stay productive. We all really wanted to go rent a cabin so we could hunker down and write the rest of the album and we were all really excited to do that since we are getting pretty close to studio time. The cabin thing also has to be put on hold for now because some of my family members and the people I work with are immunocompromised, and I really want to make sure I don’t contribute in any way towards people getting sick. We’re pretty used to operating at a distance because of other obligations so I’m hopeful we’ll be able to continue writing at the pace we were hoping for while we’re separated for now. 

I’ve seen lots of bands putting merch up online, encouraging people to donate, and more, what’s the best way for people to support you?
Kyle / George: We really appreciate the question, but we would prefer to send our support to bands that have had tours cancelled and are feeling the financial effects more than we are. Bands like Top Nachos, Sweet Pill, Save Face, A Will Away, Stillhungry, Shakeout, Niiice, Holy Pinto, Hit Like A Girl, Have A Good Season, 2319, Makeshift, and Nonfiction all invested a lot of money into tours that didn’t even get a chance to start or were cancelled while they were halfway across the country. Even though most of our plans until June have been postponed, we are all still lucky enough to have our jobs and a lot of local artists can’t say the same. Please support them!