Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, The So So Glos have just released their third LP ‘Kamikaze‘.
Recorded by John Reis (Drive Like Jehu, Hot Snakes) and mixed by Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley, Cursive), ‘Kamikaze‘ features the singles ‘Missionary‘, ‘A.D.D. Life‘ and ‘Dancing Industry‘ and is out locally through Ten To Two Records (Seth Sentry, Xavier Rudd, Graphic Characters).
On ‘Kamikaze‘, The So So Glos explore rifts in society caused through heartbreak, hurricanes, feminism, climate change and nervous breakdowns. From hard-hitting punk anthem ‘Missionary‘, about sticking to your guns, offering a fierce reminder that nothing and no one can hold you back, to ‘Inpatient‘, the glimpse into one band member’s stay at an inpatient mental rehabilitation centre, ‘Kamikaze‘ is 12 tracks of uncompromising, honest punk rock – kicking harder and faster than their previous releases.
Formed in 2007, the band is no stranger to the spotlight, having toured with the likes of Say Anything and The Front Bottoms, they’ve graced the stage at Lollapalooza, had their track ‘Black and Blue‘ feature on HBO’s Girls, as well as acclaimed performances with US talk show royalty Last Call with Carson Daly and Late Show with David Letterman.
To find out a little more about the album, the band answered our On The Record questions this week. Take a read and listen below.
‘Kamikaze’ is a party drink or a society on a self-destructing path.
Tell us about the artwork.
Naomi Butterfield drew the art by hand using ink. Laure Adamo and myself did the layout. The front cover is a drawing of a selfie that I took in the mirror of an outdoor shower. There was a ray of light that shined through a crack in the doorway onto my face.
What format/s will it be released on and how will it be packaged?
Vinyl / CD / Digital.
Who will it be released through, and when?
Macro/ Votiv / Ten To Two Records, and it is available now.
Tell us about the studio and why you chose to record there?
We did half in San Diego’s Big Fish under the guidance of John Reis. It’s his “go to” studio in the area to get big fat room sounds. The studio is equipped with a tape machine, which we utilized to track live. We did the vocals between John’s home studio and Adam Reich’s studio in Sunset Park.
Tell us about the producer / engineer and why you chose to record with them?
John Reis was a pleasure to work with. We have a deep admiration and respect for a many number of his projects. He approaches the process of making a record in a masterful way. All along, he was guiding us and helping us to make the record we envisioned without stepping on toes. He’s very very talented and a spiritual guru.
Did you go into the writing process with a clear direction in mind?
Yes. We had a darker more contrasted vision from the get go. The heaviness and softness were turned up. I wanted to make a record of extremes. Extreme anger and melancholy. screaming and whispering, laughing and crying.
Were you listening to anything in particular during the writing / recording process that influenced the songs at all?
Not sure really. I think I had a good deal of Fiona Apple, Tupac and The Specials playing during that time…
Were there any albums you were referencing in the studio to aim for a certain type of sound production wise?
We weren’t referencing other records as much as trying to make the record sound as massive as possible. There was a heightened awareness of what that takes. We talked a lot about preserving the space within the recordings and songs.
How long did you spend in the studio recording?
Not too long. 7 days total I believe. We spent way longer writing…
Tell us a little about the recording process the band used?
5 of us tracked the record live in a room to tape. Then we put vocals and minimal percussion. We kept it sparse and raw.
Was this any different to previous processes you have used?
Yup. We’ve never tracked and entire record live. It was a freeing and mind blowing process.
Any guests involved? if so, who.. and what did they do?
John Reis does some back up vocals on “Missionary” and the great Danny Miller plays cello on “Going out Swinging” and “Sunny Side”.
When it comes do naming the tracks, is there any particular approach or process to it all?
I try to listen to the songs and let them name themselves.
Any particular equipment outside your usual live gear used in the process?
Not really on this one. We put a vibraslap on everyone of our records.
Any memorable studio moments?
The whole process was good, bad and funny.
Any additional tracks recorded that didn’t make the cut but may see the light of day sometime?
Yes. Two tracks got bumped. One of them is in instrumental form and the other is a song about being frustrated within a two party system called “Can’t Stand the Party”
What track/s are you most looking forward to playing live?
Sunny Side. When we tour with an orchestra.
How would you compare the final product to previous releases?
It’s hard to compare your babies. You just need to keep having new ones. Pro create! Pro Create! Pro Create!!
Anything else you want to say or about the release?
We dropped it; you need to pick it up.
1. Dancing Industry
2. A.D.D Life
3. Going Out Swingin’
4. Devils Doing Handstands
5. Magazine
6. Sunny Side
7. Kings Country || Ballad Of A So So Glo
8. Fool On The Street
9. Cadaver
10. Inpatient
11. Down The Tubes
12. Missionary
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