Debemur Morti Productions Artist - LATITUDES Interview is up
Questions answered by: Jon Lyon – bass/lyrics
Hey Clint - thanks so much for your interest in our band! We really do appreciate it.
1. Part Island is an epic undertaking of Prog Doom and Avant Metal and Post Rock sounds. What is it you want your listeners to take from this album?
We know how much music’s out there and how difficult it is to be heard if like us, you haven’t been a touring band for a good few years.
We just hope that those who do manage to hear the record recognise the depth of feeling we’ve invested in this thing, whether it appeals aesthetically or not. I’d love listeners to be able to wallow in their sadness a little bit, reflect on the modern malaise, take solace in a shared disaffection, know someone empathises…or just escape into the atmospheric storytelling elements of songs like ‘Dovestone’ or the title track.
Forging any sort of positive emotional connection - musical, lyrical, visual, whatever - will make us extremely happy.
2. I hear very Theatrical and Cinematic elements in your music reminds me of bands like Anathema, Opeth, In the Woods, Katatonia, Antimatter and Paradise Lost. What bands inspired you?
‘Part Island’ is inspired by melancholy songwriters (Nick Cave, Nick Drake, Gravenhurst), black metal and adjacent bands (Fluisteraars, Ash Borer, Oranssi Pazuzu), doomy modern bands (YOB, Pallbearer), classic UK prog rock, kosmische synth, post-hardcore, dark indie rock, left-field 80s pop and pretty much everything in between.
The bands you mention in the question were formative favourites of my youth and early adulthood - Peaceville records meant the world to me as a teenager! I’d pick out ‘The Silent Enigma’, ‘Still Life’, ‘Omnio’, ‘Discouraged Ones’ and ‘Gothic’ as some of my all-time top records. I’m sure that lyrically these bands are an unconscious influence after listening to their music for so many years, and elements of some of them have definitely crept into our sound. Both of our guitar players are also fans of Opeth/Katatonia etc from way back.
Our vocalist Adam has never though been a huge fan of the more ‘gothic’ forms of metal, whether black or doom related. His vocals are wholly inspired by non-metal genres including classic and modern folk music, Americana, indie, shoegaze, experimental and avant-pop music.
3. You have been working with Debemur Morti for several albums. What is the bond between label and artist that works?
Phil (label owner) has been nothing but enthusiastic about our music since we first sent it over to him in 2015, having been fans of the label for years. DMP did such a great job on the last album (‘Old Sunlight’, 2016) both in the finished physical product and in the album promotion cycle. We are proud to be on an ultra-dedicated label that is not afraid to diversify and will happily release music by excellent cross-genre bands like Blut aus Nord, Year of no Light, Terra Tenebrosa, Archgoat and Manes. And there are some amazing new signings on the horizon too…
4. The UK has a long history of Avant and Prog Metal bands. If you had 5 words to explain the band’s sound what would you use?
A hard one! Maybe ‘Powerfully emotive songs of regret’.
5. Love the artwork of Part Island how does the art play into theme of album?
Thanks very much man! The cover art and album design is by Dehn Sora whose visual work with band-favourites such as Blut aus Nord, Amenra, Deathspell Omega and Ulver has stood out to us over the years. He took the lyrics and conceptual ideas and ran with them – he is a deep thinker, a major talent and an absolute pleasure to work with.
Lyrically and in terms of the album title, ‘Part Island’ refers to:
• being raised on an island and holding some of that isolationist mentality with you;
• departing said island, i.e. death or just ‘leaving’;
• the collapse of a personal island, i.e. the dissolution of a family unit created in opposition to, and as escape from, the world;
• the current political situation in the UK, 'Brexit ' and leaving the EU (how our island has been ideologically ‘parted’ by the referendum vote and decision);
• the phrase coined by 17th-century English metaphysical poet John Donne “no man is an island” – i.e. humans do badly when isolated from others and need to be part of a community to thrive. The album title is a comment that every man is ‘part island’, part solitary, part inaccessible, part remote
6. If you could tour with any band who would it be and why?
There are hundreds of options of course…I’d like to think we’d go down pretty well with YOB as our music comes from a similar place where fragility and vulnerability combine with weighty metallic riffs and rhythms.
7. What was the process of studio recording to make such a massive sounding record? Were the Vocals and story written 1st or did the music drive direction?
For the most part these songs were built upwards from late night bedroom sessions based around acoustic guitar and vocals, where melodies and chord progressions were solidified and lyrics written and adapted. These structures were then taken to the rehearsal room where the band made them sound ‘Latitudes’. On a couple of the heavier tracks we worked as we generally did on earlier records, arranging and adapting riffs brought in by our guitarist Adam Crowley as a band and then writing vocals and synth over these parts. Using both approaches helped make the record more dynamic.
For the recording we chose to work again with producer and friend Chris Fielding (CONAN) at Skyhammer Studio, the guy never fails to make things sound huge. There were more layers of guitars this time as Adam S contributed additional guitar - including acoustic guitar - for the first time on one of our records. Chris blended tones and mixed parts with great attention to detail and his amazing ears for backing vocals, harmonies and musical adaptations to enhance songs also helped to create an overall sound we’re very proud of for the budget.
8. How Does Image and Visuals play into the overall Bands vision?
With regard to record packaging, the art and design has always gone hand in hand with the titles, lyrics, themes and conceptuals for each album. This is vitally important, as it is for most bands.
In terms of our own image as a group of people…it’s not a big concern at all. Although most closely aligned with the metal scene, we all listen to and obsess over so many other musical genres and our appearance has always reflected this. Today as I type this I am wearing a Blackest Ever Black records t-shirt, tomorrow it may well be Autechre or Uskumgallu or Judas Priest.
9. Do the members of Latitudes have other projects or is Latitudes the main musical focus?
No time man! Latitudes is the be all and end all of our musical endeavours for now. It’s nice to channel all our energy into one thing, it has helped make the record what it is - all our additional influences have been thrown into the mix where they could instead have found outlet in a ‘side-project’, it’s helped stop our sound from stagnating.
10. In 2019 how do you get a band like Latitudes known to the world? Do things like Bandcamp, Youtube and Internet zine do it or does the live show mean so much more?
We haven’t played live for a couple of years now due to various issues across our personal lives, not least aging and the responsibility that brings! We’re back in the rehearsal room now and plan to take the album live later this year, as soon as we can do it justice. We know playing live is still key to growing a band, it’s very difficult to rely on the record alone.
DMP will produce great physical copies and get the album out there across all possible digital platforms to get it in peoples ears but there is only so much they can do in this crazily crowded marketplace without us touring – dedicated people like yourself are absolutely vital too though!
11. What current bands or albums are impressing the band members in 2019?
I’ll just look back through some of the various music-sharing WhatsApp groups I have with band-members and others: Sinmara, Traveller, Eli Keszler, Nusquama, Kaleikr, Dead to a Dying World, Idle Hands, Kokoroko, Inter Arma, Ossia, Sharon Van Etten, Abul Mogard, Ossuarium, Vatican Shadow, Devil Master, Violet Cold, Vimur, Mats Eilertsen, Gardsghastr, Vanum, The Cinematic Orchestra, Malist, Windswept etc etc.
12. If you could collab with any artist who would it be and why?
Probably Nils Frahm – we’re all big fans, just the thought of it put a smile on my face ha ha. The guy is a genius of melody, rhythm and tone.
13. How does older releases compare with Part Island?
We’d been writing riff-based and 75% instrumental music for a number of years and didn’t want to get stale. We pared things down, we kept timings straight, we edited out any extraneous riffs, we incorporated some extra non-metal influences and focused our main attention on vocals and songwriting.
The dissonant black metal and verging on death metal influences we incorporated into our previous couple of records were dialled back this time in favour of the song. There are a lot less riffs for sure, but we really enjoyed trying something different this time and hopefully people will appreciate that!
14. Thanks for the time any closing thoughts here
Thanks again for the questions Clint!
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