Straight Jacket Feeling - Sound In The Signals Interview
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| Andrew Thomas |
I recently had the opportunity to interview Straight Jacket Feeling. We discussed the recording process for new EP ‘Someone Save Me’, musical influences, collaborating with Takedown Records, the importance of having physical releases, planning their EP release show, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Thanks for having us again!
Your new EP ‘Someone Save Me’ is out on July 21st. Can you tell me about writing and recording it?
We began writing the EP in late Spring/early summer 2022. In August 2022, we decided to return to Matt Lagatutta, who recorded our first EP to record two new songs we had written. As we were going through the mixing process we ended up writing more songs and one that came out of it, we knew had to make the EP. We returned to the studio in February to track the third song and did so with our new Bass player Kyle in the studio with us for the first time.
Did you try anything new when writing this EP that was different from your previous EP?
I wouldn't say we tried anything different as far as experimenting goes, but we definitely leaned into our heavier influences for this EP more than our first release which was a fun experience and allowed us to keep our sound fresh.
The first song you released from the EP was “Belmar Bridge”. At what point in the writing process did you write that one and why did you choose it as the first single?
We wrote Belmar pretty early in the writing process; around June 2022. We knew early on that the song was special, but we didn't make the actual decision to make it the first single until about a month before the release. The song embodies not only personal meaning for us lyrically, but it’s also a great blueprint of who we are as a band and thought people would love it as much as we do to kick off our next era.
I really like the production on the song. I think it sounds great. What did you want to achieve sonically with this EP?
Sonically, we were going after a heavier sound while keeping the same choruses we love to write. We used Story of The Year as a reference for a lot of what we did on this release.
You signed with Takedown Records for the EP. They’ve had a great year so far. I especially like the High Reach demo. How did it work out for you to sign with them?
Dylan and I (Kevin) used to play in Shackled together back in the day and he was very into this batch of songs and wanted to put them out on Takedown.
They’re releasing a limited cassette for the EP. How excited are you about that and how important is having physical media like cassettes and vinyl to you?
We're super excited about having a physical release. We sold out of the pre-order for the cassettes in a week so we're very grateful to have people as excited as we are for it. The four of us grew up going to the store and buying our music so to see physical mediums of music coming back into popularity is super cool in the age of streaming everything instantly.
The EP release show has a really great line-up. How did it come together and did you personally pick the artists?
Private Mind and High Reach being Takedown bands as well as friends of ours was a no brainer. Ultra Lite’s record that just came out is unbelievable and we asked Dylan to reach out to them specifically. Touched by Fire are friends of ours from many years past that are getting on their feet too. Sophie is a big supporter of us, always coming around and supporting the scene. It felt right to have her on as well.
What do you have coming up for the remainder of the year?
After the EP drops and the release show we’re just going to keep playing out as much as possible. We have a couple things lined up with some friends that aren’t announced just yet, so keep your eyes peeled for a few announcements in the next few months.
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
We just want to say thanks to anybody who has listened, came to a gig, or passed along our music to a friend. All that goes such a long way and it’s always appreciated. Also have to thank everyone who has had a part in this release; Dylan and Takedown Records, Matt Lagattuta at Flying Carpet Studio, Adam Cichocki at Timber Studios, and MJ Hernandez (@_InMyEyes) who took the photo for the EP cover. It’s been really cool to have friends from all over the country get their hands on the EP. Hope everyone enjoys the tunes!
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