Indoor Voices

Exposure is our scrapbook of our favourite new bands. Today's exposure features Toronto-based shoegazers Indoor Voices.

Name: Indoor Voices
Location: Toronto, Canada
Genre: Post-Rock, Shoegaze
For Fans of: Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Polica
Website: Bandcamp
Indoor Voices stay true to their name, whispering in your ear their hushed ethereal vocals to a metronome beat that make you feel like you're eavesdropping on a party of ghosts. Maybe ghost-party could be a new genre for music such as this, simultaneously strangely upbeat yet effete to the point of dissipation. The music carries itself on its own burdened back that struggles to make it out of your speakers, limping over the finish line into your awaiting ears that will gladly envelope it. - The 405

Exposure is our scrapbook of our favourite new bands. Today's exposure features Toronto-based shoegazers Indoor Voices.

Name: Indoor Voices
Location: Toronto, Canada
Genre: Post-Rock, Shoegaze
For Fans of: Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Polica
Website: Bandcamp
Indoor Voices stay true to their name, whispering in your ear their hushed ethereal vocals to a metronome beat that make you feel like you're eavesdropping on a party of ghosts. Maybe ghost-party could be a new genre for music such as this, simultaneously strangely upbeat yet effete to the point of dissipation. The music carries itself on its own burdened back that struggles to make it out of your speakers, limping over the finish line into your awaiting ears that will gladly envelope it. - The 405

Often times I’ll listen to an album or song and one thought that comes to mind is “why didn’t I hear this sooner?”. I’ve always said two of the best things about music is how diverse it can be and how much of it there is but with that being said it usually takes a certain something for a band’s sound to really hit me. Despite not being sure what that “certain something” is exactly, I do know that Toronto five piece Indoor Voices seem to have this mysterious vibe surrounding them and it definitely works . The band released their Nevers LP last year and without a doubt they’ve crafted a work of beauty and wonder. Indoor Voices combine an atmospheric shoegaze style with post rock rhythms that make the listener feel as if they’re floating through space. Each track on Nevers has it’s own distinct feel and they all flow together amazingly. You can grab the LP by naming your own price on bandcamp or by paying $11.99 to have your own psychical copy shipped to you. Also, don’t forget to check them out on soundcloud as well. - Cassette Rewind

Often times I’ll listen to an album or song and one thought that comes to mind is “why didn’t I hear this sooner?”. I’ve always said two of the best things about music is how diverse it can be and how much of it there is but with that being said it usually takes a certain something for a band’s sound to really hit me. Despite not being sure what that “certain something” is exactly, I do know that Toronto five piece Indoor Voices seem to have this mysterious vibe surrounding them and it definitely works . The band released their Nevers LP last year and without a doubt they’ve crafted a work of beauty and wonder. Indoor Voices combine an atmospheric shoegaze style with post rock rhythms that make the listener feel as if they’re floating through space. Each track on Nevers has it’s own distinct feel and they all flow together amazingly. You can grab the LP by naming your own price on bandcamp or by paying $11.99 to have your own psychical copy shipped to you. Also, don’t forget to check them out on soundcloud as well. - Cassette Rewind

Remembering the undeserved stick that Slowdive took from the British press when it turned against shoe gaze, it's amazing how many current bands rekindle their timeless greatness. Indoor Voices began as a bedroom pop project for Toronto's Jonathan Relph before budding into this dreamy quintet, assembling the kind of textural, shimmery, danceable, effects-box stuff that still makes us swoon 22 years on. With bedazzling Neil Halstead/Rachel Goswell male/(guest) female harmonies (which Slowdive softened from My Bloody Valentine), Indoor Voices are advanced talents themselves, as opposed to the palest of palaeontologists. Following up 2011's Nevers, these four songs also come off like that Chapterhouse classic Goswell (similarly) guested on, "Pearl" -- especially "So smart" and "After." Lastly, great guitar sheets are emphasized in tasty wasy throughout, and the cover art is beautiful. A sleeper EP! (bleedinggoldrecords.com) - The Big Takeover Magazine

Remembering the undeserved stick that Slowdive took from the British press when it turned against shoe gaze, it's amazing how many current bands rekindle their timeless greatness. Indoor Voices began as a bedroom pop project for Toronto's Jonathan Relph before budding into this dreamy quintet, assembling the kind of textural, shimmery, danceable, effects-box stuff that still makes us swoon 22 years on. With bedazzling Neil Halstead/Rachel Goswell male/(guest) female harmonies (which Slowdive softened from My Bloody Valentine), Indoor Voices are advanced talents themselves, as opposed to the palest of palaeontologists. Following up 2011's Nevers, these four songs also come off like that Chapterhouse classic Goswell (similarly) guested on, "Pearl" -- especially "So smart" and "After." Lastly, great guitar sheets are emphasized in tasty wasy throughout, and the cover art is beautiful. A sleeper EP! (bleedinggoldrecords.com) - The Big Takeover Magazine

While we’re on the atmospheric music trend, let’s introduce you to Indoor Voices which is the name behind Torontonian Johnathan Relph. He released his first album Nevers back last September with the help of some talented musician friends. Have a listen to If I Die a track that has some rather captivating ambient background that I can’t stop putting it on repeat. - Ride the Tempo

While we’re on the atmospheric music trend, let’s introduce you to Indoor Voices which is the name behind Torontonian Johnathan Relph. He released his first album Nevers back last September with the help of some talented musician friends. Have a listen to If I Die a track that has some rather captivating ambient background that I can’t stop putting it on repeat. - Ride the Tempo

Pre-orders are up for Indoor Voices new EP ‘S/T‘, shipping November 5 via Bleeding Gold Records. ‘So Smart‘ impressed us a few weeks back but there’s more ear candy to be had! Blending twee pop, shoegaze and electronica, Indoor Voices is an eclectic listen. The Toronto five piece (led by founder Jonathan Relph) have collaborated with a handful of guest vocalists for the album. Catherine Debard of Sally Paradise lends her vocals to ‘Still’. ‘S/T’ also features appearances from Casey Mecija, Sandra Vu and Parisian Anne Boutonnat. - Sounds Better with Reverb

Excerpt

TOP 10 SINGLES/EPS of 2012
1 Veronica Falls, “My Heart Beats” 7” (Slumberland)
2 Whipping Boy, “No One Takes Prisoners Anymore” (Rocket Girl U.K.)
3 Maxïmo Park , “The National Health” (2/Coop U.K.)
4 The Chambermaids,“Whirlpool” digital single (Guilt Ridden Pop)
5 Haroula Rose, So Easy EP (Haroula Rose)
6 Lightships, Fear And Doubt 10” (Domino)
7 Dum Dum Girls, End of Daze EP (Sub Pop!)
8 Indoor Voices So Smart 12” EP (Bleeding Gold)
9 Nushu Joystick EP (Nushu)
10 The Ultra Violet, Wednesday EP (Eskimo) - The Big Takeover Magazine

Excerpt

TOP 10 SINGLES/EPS of 2012
1 Veronica Falls, “My Heart Beats” 7” (Slumberland)
2 Whipping Boy, “No One Takes Prisoners Anymore” (Rocket Girl U.K.)
3 Maxïmo Park , “The National Health” (2/Coop U.K.)
4 The Chambermaids,“Whirlpool” digital single (Guilt Ridden Pop)
5 Haroula Rose, So Easy EP (Haroula Rose)
6 Lightships, Fear And Doubt 10” (Domino)
7 Dum Dum Girls, End of Daze EP (Sub Pop!)
8 Indoor Voices So Smart 12” EP (Bleeding Gold)
9 Nushu Joystick EP (Nushu)
10 The Ultra Violet, Wednesday EP (Eskimo) - The Big Takeover Magazine

If you’re not from around Western New York, it might come as a surprise that here in Rochester, we’re closer to Toronto than we are New York City. In terms of driving, it’s quickest to go down through Pennsylvania and cut across New Jersey in order to get to NYC – a total of six hours or so, depending on the severity of traffic. Toronto, on the other hand, takes about half that time, depending on how the border crossing goes.

So, while Brooklyn is an obvious hotbed of great music, our neighbors to the north in Toronto have their fair share of excellent music as well. The latest I’ve found is Indoor Voices. It’s the work of one Jonathan Relph, and recorded over the span of two years from 2009-2011, with the resulting album, Nevers, being released last fall. It’s a fantastic post-rock, shoegaze album, comprised of nine songs, none of which miss the mark. It’d be easy to pick any song from the album and have it be representative of what you’re going to get, which made it difficult for me to narrow my choice down to just one song. (And why I settled on the title track.) That said, Nevers is available for free in its entirety through Indoor Voices’ Bandcamp page, so if you like what you hear, you don’t have to make a choice. Get the whole thing.

The album is available physically as well, in a lasercut CD form which is limited to 50 copies. - Tympanogram

If you’re not from around Western New York, it might come as a surprise that here in Rochester, we’re closer to Toronto than we are New York City. In terms of driving, it’s quickest to go down through Pennsylvania and cut across New Jersey in order to get to NYC – a total of six hours or so, depending on the severity of traffic. Toronto, on the other hand, takes about half that time, depending on how the border crossing goes.

So, while Brooklyn is an obvious hotbed of great music, our neighbors to the north in Toronto have their fair share of excellent music as well. The latest I’ve found is Indoor Voices. It’s the work of one Jonathan Relph, and recorded over the span of two years from 2009-2011, with the resulting album, Nevers, being released last fall. It’s a fantastic post-rock, shoegaze album, comprised of nine songs, none of which miss the mark. It’d be easy to pick any song from the album and have it be representative of what you’re going to get, which made it difficult for me to narrow my choice down to just one song. (And why I settled on the title track.) That said, Nevers is available for free in its entirety through Indoor Voices’ Bandcamp page, so if you like what you hear, you don’t have to make a choice. Get the whole thing.

The album is available physically as well, in a lasercut CD form which is limited to 50 copies. - Tympanogram

Persistence: it’s the sound my cat makes when he’ll settle for nothing less than 30 minutes of ear scratching and belly rubs while parked between me and the computer keyboard as I try to work on a blog post; it’s the nagging feeling that there’s an artist out there that I haven’t yet heard that’s going to blow me away; it’s the chutzpah that makes the musician hit ‘send’ on yet another email to another blogger who may or may not listen to the record’s been toiled over in bedrooms and basements for the past couple years.
In one form or another persistence has led me to Indoor Voices, and in turn I lead you to them. Jonathan Relph has been writing songs himself in one of the above-mentioned bedrooms, eventually putting music out into the universe in the form of Nevers (from 2011). He and Indoor Voices (bassist Owen Davies, drummer Ryan Gassi, keyboardist Craig Hopgood, and vocalist Kate Rogers) are back with a new self-titled EP, featuring the guest voices of a number of friends, including Ohbijou’s Casey Mecija. There is so much right with these four songs that it breaks my heart to think I might have otherwise lost out on the experience because an army of DJs and producers think I’ll really dig their Carley Rae Jepson/Crystal Castles mash-up or their Foster The People remix (for the record: I will not). “Hung Out”, the EP’s closing track, is so beautiful and affecting it hurts, while the My Bloody Valentine-inspired opener “Still” will serenade and hypnotize you with it swirling shoegazy drone.
This is the what I long to hear, what I hope to find whenever I open an email or dip my toes in Lake Bandcamp. You’ll do no wrong listening to these Indoor Voices in your head this weekend, or the next, or the one after that, or the one after that, which is when they’ll be appearing with our friends Bronx Cheerleader at St. Catharines’ Merchant Ale House (Sunday, November 25, to be exact–details here). - Quick Before it Melts

Persistence: it’s the sound my cat makes when he’ll settle for nothing less than 30 minutes of ear scratching and belly rubs while parked between me and the computer keyboard as I try to work on a blog post; it’s the nagging feeling that there’s an artist out there that I haven’t yet heard that’s going to blow me away; it’s the chutzpah that makes the musician hit ‘send’ on yet another email to another blogger who may or may not listen to the record’s been toiled over in bedrooms and basements for the past couple years.
In one form or another persistence has led me to Indoor Voices, and in turn I lead you to them. Jonathan Relph has been writing songs himself in one of the above-mentioned bedrooms, eventually putting music out into the universe in the form of Nevers (from 2011). He and Indoor Voices (bassist Owen Davies, drummer Ryan Gassi, keyboardist Craig Hopgood, and vocalist Kate Rogers) are back with a new self-titled EP, featuring the guest voices of a number of friends, including Ohbijou’s Casey Mecija. There is so much right with these four songs that it breaks my heart to think I might have otherwise lost out on the experience because an army of DJs and producers think I’ll really dig their Carley Rae Jepson/Crystal Castles mash-up or their Foster The People remix (for the record: I will not). “Hung Out”, the EP’s closing track, is so beautiful and affecting it hurts, while the My Bloody Valentine-inspired opener “Still” will serenade and hypnotize you with it swirling shoegazy drone.
This is the what I long to hear, what I hope to find whenever I open an email or dip my toes in Lake Bandcamp. You’ll do no wrong listening to these Indoor Voices in your head this weekend, or the next, or the one after that, or the one after that, which is when they’ll be appearing with our friends Bronx Cheerleader at St. Catharines’ Merchant Ale House (Sunday, November 25, to be exact–details here). - Quick Before it Melts

Indoor Voices is the latest venture of Toronto musician Jonathan Relph, whose name some of you might remember from the band Junetile, way-back-when. Over the past couple of years, Relph has bided his time by writing songs and subsequently storing them away, keeping them close to his chest until recently. The newly-minted Nevers documents Relph’s work from 2009 through 2011, detailing a period of deeply personal reflection and realization that deals in acquired guilt and the importance of meaningful relationships which resonate once we’re gone.

That being said, Nevers is hardly something to be considered bleak or obtuse. Rather, it builds in a way that speaks to the eventual understanding or acceptance of these tropes. Take the record’s centrepiece “If I Die,” which, despite the grim title, is a propulsive number, building itself in layers until it’s sky-high, standing far above the troubles of which it speaks. - Soft Signal

Indoor Voices is the latest venture of Toronto musician Jonathan Relph, whose name some of you might remember from the band Junetile, way-back-when. Over the past couple of years, Relph has bided his time by writing songs and subsequently storing them away, keeping them close to his chest until recently. The newly-minted Nevers documents Relph’s work from 2009 through 2011, detailing a period of deeply personal reflection and realization that deals in acquired guilt and the importance of meaningful relationships which resonate once we’re gone.

That being said, Nevers is hardly something to be considered bleak or obtuse. Rather, it builds in a way that speaks to the eventual understanding or acceptance of these tropes. Take the record’s centrepiece “If I Die,” which, despite the grim title, is a propulsive number, building itself in layers until it’s sky-high, standing far above the troubles of which it speaks. - Soft Signal

1.) “S/T” by Indoor Voices - I was a big fan of Indoor Voices’s full length, “Nevers”, but I was completely unprepared for how stunning I found the follow up EP. From the opening strum of “Still” to the closing hum of “Hung Out”, there is not a weak note to be found. The absolutely jaw dropping, “So Smart” is one of the best songs of the year, hands down, and the other three tracks that are found on the self titled EP aren’t far behind. It’s a flawless release and one that deserves be heard by anyone who who enjoys dream pop - or fuck, anyone who just enjoys good music. You will not be disappointed. - Perfect Midnight World

1.) “S/T” by Indoor Voices - I was a big fan of Indoor Voices’s full length, “Nevers”, but I was completely unprepared for how stunning I found the follow up EP. From the opening strum of “Still” to the closing hum of “Hung Out”, there is not a weak note to be found. The absolutely jaw dropping, “So Smart” is one of the best songs of the year, hands down, and the other three tracks that are found on the self titled EP aren’t far behind. It’s a flawless release and one that deserves be heard by anyone who who enjoys dream pop - or fuck, anyone who just enjoys good music. You will not be disappointed. - Perfect Midnight World

3.) “So Smart” by Indoor Voices - Could just as easily be my number one. Pure, blissful dream pop. The kind of infectious beauty that rarely comes along. A perfect song from a stunning EP. I’ve been saying it for months - buy this EP! - Perfect Midnight World

3.) “So Smart” by Indoor Voices - Could just as easily be my number one. Pure, blissful dream pop. The kind of infectious beauty that rarely comes along. A perfect song from a stunning EP. I’ve been saying it for months - buy this EP! - Perfect Midnight World

Indoor Voices - After (feat. Sandra Vu of SISU)

Some time ago, Toronto shoegazer Jonathan Relph ”asked Sandra to play drums on a song (‘If I Die’). It never happened, so I was able to use that as leverage to guilt her into singing on this song.” Here’s the product of that relationship - a song that I’ve been sitting on, regretfully, far too long. Ethereal, spaced-out swirls of hypnotic vocals layered on a dream-pop melody.

Get the Nevers LP now from his Bndcmp. - yvynyl

Indoor Voices - After (feat. Sandra Vu of SISU)

Some time ago, Toronto shoegazer Jonathan Relph ”asked Sandra to play drums on a song (‘If I Die’). It never happened, so I was able to use that as leverage to guilt her into singing on this song.” Here’s the product of that relationship - a song that I’ve been sitting on, regretfully, far too long. Ethereal, spaced-out swirls of hypnotic vocals layered on a dream-pop melody.

Get the Nevers LP now from his Bndcmp. - yvynyl

Indoor Voices - So smart

Judging by how much I’ve been posting them lately, my inbox has been flooded over with excellent music videos. Here is the latest from Toronto artist Jonathan Relph in a collaboration with director Scott Kaija and feating the dead-eyed gaze of Irene Cortes that I’m thrilled to premiere for y’all. Heady, beautiful stuff.

Get this self-titled EP on ltd. wax from Bleeding Gold Records. - yvynyl

Indoor Voices - So smart

Judging by how much I’ve been posting them lately, my inbox has been flooded over with excellent music videos. Here is the latest from Toronto artist Jonathan Relph in a collaboration with director Scott Kaija and feating the dead-eyed gaze of Irene Cortes that I’m thrilled to premiere for y’all. Heady, beautiful stuff.

Get this self-titled EP on ltd. wax from Bleeding Gold Records. - yvynyl

Throughout the many ventures of Jonathan Relph, Indoor Voices is his latest indie rock project. The band hails from Toronto and is composed of five members. Relph being the core of Indoor Voices, released a nine track album entitled Nevers on September 1,2011. This record was missed by many but that can be justified because music never expires. Indoor Voices uses beautiful layering ethics and melancholic washes of shoegaze to produce an ambient leverage.This grip, especially in Nevers, is notably intimate. We have an exclusive interview with Jonathan Relph below, where he goes in depth to explain the creative process of his music. Feel free to dive right into his world.

EARMILK: Can you describe your physical environment right now? What's happening around you?

Jonathan Relph: I'm below ground level, it's dry and cool and I'm surrounded by the general disarray of musical gear, instruments and my computer.

EM: You are THE man behind Indoor Voices. Tell us about how this musical movement began?

JR: In the 80s I was a paperboy. I used to hum songs, my own random creations, to myself along my route. I'd imagine I was a funny sight. As an artist, I'm compelled to create, but I don't think that I'm satisfied for it to be a hobby, or never see the light of day. Giving something that you create a name and putting it out there is a way of solidifying your commitment to it. Everything we create is a progression from the work preceding it. Indoor Voices is my progression from what came before it.

EM: What was the experience of creating Nevers like? Take us to through the writing, recording and producing process please.

JR: There is a consistency in the songs that I write in that they all contain, or in some stage of the recording process contained, a form of textural backdrop. These starting points are often little bits that I would come up with on a loop pedal. Sometimes creating them, leaving the pedal on, and then coming back to it weeks later. Adding vocal scratch tracks, singing the first things that come into my head, these often make it into the final product, as there's usually an intangible urgency in those first takes. When I over think words or delivery of those words, I usually homogenize the end result. I realize that a lot of songwriters make it a goal to tell a story, and in a way my songs are like choose your own adventures. A loose narrative will almost always exist in words, but it's more fragmented snippets which might hint at a larger picture.

I have a phobia of people hearing me while I work and the bulk of the recording took place in my apartment, I had to work in layers to build the volume of the song. I think there is an apparent quietness in the recording as a result. I generally like to build layers in such a way that each individual layer may not work on its own, but as a part of the greater whole is integral. This combined with a lot of happy accidents…

When I was in high school, our grade 12 art class was lucky enough to have the late David Bierk come in and teach us how to paint with oil paints -- monochromatic (B&W) self-portraits, no less. Oil is a tricky medium, and when working it on the canvass you have to know when to stop, otherwise it all becomes grey. Music is much like oil paint in this regard. If you add too many layers, you end up with a bloated mess of indefinable greys. No contrast. Once it gets to that point you need to let it dry so that you can go over it or rework it. A few of the songs on Nevers needed to be stripped back to their base layers, before they were built back to completion.

The final mix of the record was done by a friend, ex-bandmate, current bandmate in IV, and brilliant producer Chris Stringer, who I've known for almost as long as I've been alive. Over the years, that we've known one another he's worked on some pretty amazing records for some great bands in Toronto. (Timber Timbre, Ohbijou, The D'Urbervilles.)

The mastering was done by Jeff "Fedge" Elliott, who I've also known for over 10 years now and has an extensive experience in the field.

Having Nevers be my own thing gave me the freedom to call the shots throughout its process, though I did share the songs with many people through their various stages of completion and I paid attention to feedback along the way.

EM: Which is your favourite song from the album?

JR: My personal favourite on the record is “They Said.” I like how the song starts off bare bones, and is saturated by the end. I also love the bass line that my friend, and sometimes collaborator, Clay Jones wrote. In the second chorus, the outside notes take the song to a completely different place than I had ever intended it to go. The first time I heard it I found it unsettling, and wasn't planning on using it. However, upon further listens, I found that my brain would add those notes in even when it was muted. The tension in those notes eventually became my favourite part of the song.

Play The - Earmilk

Throughout the many ventures of Jonathan Relph, Indoor Voices is his latest indie rock project. The band hails from Toronto and is composed of five members. Relph being the core of Indoor Voices, released a nine track album entitled Nevers on September 1,2011. This record was missed by many but that can be justified because music never expires. Indoor Voices uses beautiful layering ethics and melancholic washes of shoegaze to produce an ambient leverage.This grip, especially in Nevers, is notably intimate. We have an exclusive interview with Jonathan Relph below, where he goes in depth to explain the creative process of his music. Feel free to dive right into his world.

EARMILK: Can you describe your physical environment right now? What's happening around you?

Jonathan Relph: I'm below ground level, it's dry and cool and I'm surrounded by the general disarray of musical gear, instruments and my computer.

EM: You are THE man behind Indoor Voices. Tell us about how this musical movement began?

JR: In the 80s I was a paperboy. I used to hum songs, my own random creations, to myself along my route. I'd imagine I was a funny sight. As an artist, I'm compelled to create, but I don't think that I'm satisfied for it to be a hobby, or never see the light of day. Giving something that you create a name and putting it out there is a way of solidifying your commitment to it. Everything we create is a progression from the work preceding it. Indoor Voices is my progression from what came before it.

EM: What was the experience of creating Nevers like? Take us to through the writing, recording and producing process please.

JR: There is a consistency in the songs that I write in that they all contain, or in some stage of the recording process contained, a form of textural backdrop. These starting points are often little bits that I would come up with on a loop pedal. Sometimes creating them, leaving the pedal on, and then coming back to it weeks later. Adding vocal scratch tracks, singing the first things that come into my head, these often make it into the final product, as there's usually an intangible urgency in those first takes. When I over think words or delivery of those words, I usually homogenize the end result. I realize that a lot of songwriters make it a goal to tell a story, and in a way my songs are like choose your own adventures. A loose narrative will almost always exist in words, but it's more fragmented snippets which might hint at a larger picture.

I have a phobia of people hearing me while I work and the bulk of the recording took place in my apartment, I had to work in layers to build the volume of the song. I think there is an apparent quietness in the recording as a result. I generally like to build layers in such a way that each individual layer may not work on its own, but as a part of the greater whole is integral. This combined with a lot of happy accidents…

When I was in high school, our grade 12 art class was lucky enough to have the late David Bierk come in and teach us how to paint with oil paints -- monochromatic (B&W) self-portraits, no less. Oil is a tricky medium, and when working it on the canvass you have to know when to stop, otherwise it all becomes grey. Music is much like oil paint in this regard. If you add too many layers, you end up with a bloated mess of indefinable greys. No contrast. Once it gets to that point you need to let it dry so that you can go over it or rework it. A few of the songs on Nevers needed to be stripped back to their base layers, before they were built back to completion.

The final mix of the record was done by a friend, ex-bandmate, current bandmate in IV, and brilliant producer Chris Stringer, who I've known for almost as long as I've been alive. Over the years, that we've known one another he's worked on some pretty amazing records for some great bands in Toronto. (Timber Timbre, Ohbijou, The D'Urbervilles.)

The mastering was done by Jeff "Fedge" Elliott, who I've also known for over 10 years now and has an extensive experience in the field.

Having Nevers be my own thing gave me the freedom to call the shots throughout its process, though I did share the songs with many people through their various stages of completion and I paid attention to feedback along the way.

EM: Which is your favourite song from the album?

JR: My personal favourite on the record is “They Said.” I like how the song starts off bare bones, and is saturated by the end. I also love the bass line that my friend, and sometimes collaborator, Clay Jones wrote. In the second chorus, the outside notes take the song to a completely different place than I had ever intended it to go. The first time I heard it I found it unsettling, and wasn't planning on using it. However, upon further listens, I found that my brain would add those notes in even when it was muted. The tension in those notes eventually became my favourite part of the song.

Play The - Earmilk