Kelsey Simpkins
After a year and a half of recording, Minneapolis quartet The Awful Truth has reemerged in the depths of winter with an album of hazy summer tunes to temper the coldest of nights. Out on Jan. 6 on The Homestead Records (We Are The Willows), Glisten invites light and focus on being present, unconditional love, and navigating one’s subconscious desires.
On their second full length, The Awful Truth’s Brent Colbert takes their work together since 2014 to a new plane, settling into a sense of genuine familiarity that makes peace with the unknown within the creative process. Lead single “Blissed Out” features Portland’s Emsé Patterson, who released We Were Wild in 2016 to high attention. “Do Right” rambles along with shiny interludes and Colbert’s low-key vocals linking everything together. They took “Know You By Name” out to the plains of Utah, Colbert reuniting his present with his past between bodies of water and bison. And it culminates with the title track, “Glisten,” a chill and melancholy tune reminiscent of Fleet Foxes in its wispy tone and wavering timbre.
Colbert elaborated on a few elements of their latest release, which you can hear live this weekend in Duluth and Minneapolis.
Where did the composition of these songs fit in with the recording process?
In November 2015 we made seven demos of songs from “Glisten.” “Tap Tap” and “Know You By Name” were actually written by the time we put out our last EP, Lakewater. Some of these songs came along more naturally than others. “Do Right” was the one that kept taking different shapes as we rehearsed, and took a while. I think I was really trying to get into a new texture with that song and succeeded as we made the arrangement together.
The last song written on the record was the title track “Glisten” [and] was finished in the studio. The recording sessions were before and after we went on tour in August so the first cut had no lyrics. It happened very organically as we would spend a few days recording then have long gaps of time between when we were able to go again.
Have you been playing these songs live yet?
We’ve played most of them live. I always want to be playing new songs at shows to keep it interesting. Honestly, playing shows keeps me writing songs because I always want to build a set that I find interesting or carries some meaning that feels relevant to my current experience. These songs have certainly evolved along the way. They reshape a bit as we work out the arrangement and we get a feel for what works or doesn’t work from the live shows.
Were there any songs that surprised you or came about unexpectedly as you were making them, in terms of either lyrics, tone or composition?
“Do Right” was a surprise, the texture with synth and different style of guitar was a really fun way to make that song stand out. It kept changing it and I had a hard time placing lyrics but we kept coming back to it in rehearsals. Also that song is structurally weird, like a verse bridge and a chorus and then it’s over. I love it.
Also the song “One Time” was a challenging one, my original idea with this one really reshaped as we played through it. I originally heard this melody to be really slow and minimal. I can still hear it that way in my head as I write this and I like it, but I think that I like how the ‘ahh’ built in this song came about through hearing it slow, as well as the harmonies. At some point we played it faster and really made it feel like a jam with a fun bridge, but I think it developed the details I love through the process of shaping it and working it out through a lot of rehearsals with Stephen, Laurie and Chris.
Can you tell me more about the tune “Tap Tap”?
It’s a special one for me. “Tap Tap” is about being present and allowing yourself to ‘welcome the moment’ [and] this was definitely a mantra I kept coming back to around the time I wrote it specifically. So “Let the light in slowly, it goes tap tap” is just a reminder that the light is maybe already tapping on your window or door if you are able to let it in – not that it’s always as simple as that.
Where was the video for “Know You By Name” shot? And what was the inspiration behind this piece directed by Everett Thomas Fitch?
That video was filmed in Antelope Island State Park just north of Salt Lake City, Utah. I moved to the Twin Cities from Salt Lake City over three years ago. Antelope Island is an island in the Great Salt Lake that has become a bison and antelope sanctuary. It’s really hard to explain how vast and beautiful it is, as well as how ancient it feels. I was back in Utah visiting this fall and I connected with Everett about a video. It was a really exciting project because he’s extremely good at capturing landscape in videos, so it was a perfect combination. Since this video only features myself in it I wanted to do it with the bison featured in it. I have always looked at bison as a patronus or something of that nature, a spiritual beast. The video feels symbolic to me and is a place I have a special connection with.
Who did you record this album with?
Neil at Blue Bell Knoll Studio (formerly Old Blackberry Way). Working with Neil was a treat – he has a great studio setup and great taste. I have liked a lot of records he has had a hand in. I also really like his band Pony Trash. These are definitely the most hi-fi songs we have recorded, and everything sounds so clear in the recording, but in a way that holds a quality that feels fresh and new for us.
Glisten release shows:
Friday, Jan. 6 in Duluth at Red Herring Lounge
Saturday, Jan. 7 in Minneapolis at 7th Street Entry
http://first-avenue.com/event/2017/01/theawfultruth
http://www.thehomesteadrecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheAwfulTruthMusic/
https://theawfultruth.bandcamp.com/
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