Cinema Stare - Sound In The Signals Interview
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| 📸 Logan Grosclaude |
I recently had the opportunity to interview Quinn of Cinema Stare. We discussed their new EP, their writing and recording process, artwork, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
Yo! Thank you!
You recently released the ‘Stink EP’. Have you been pleased with the response so far? How does it feel to be out now?
It has been awesome to see how people have connected with the songs since the release, but even before we put out any singles we were playing these songs live. I think what really struck us was watching fans who would sing the words to songs that weren't even out yet. That was absolutely wild! I'm really happy the EP is out. It's so difficult to sit on any unreleased music knowing it's probably the best thing you've created. There's some excitement to that which quickly gets overshadowed once you demo something new to obsess over. We are already on to the next thing, so crazy enough, this EP feels old to me now!
The title ‘Stink EP’ is an eye-catching title. What’s the story behind it and why did you choose that as the title for the EP?
The title was a stupid joke we had as a band because we have toured across the US shouting on stages that we are the stinkiest band in the world and never shower. So when Stink EP was brought up, not only did it make sense for that era, but when said fast, it also sounds like you're saying "Stinky Pee". It's literally so dumb and I love that about it. I think it's a strong dichotomy that translates to the songs as well. In general, everything does stink, but we can find humor and hope in it all as well.
Did you try anything new with your writing process for the EP? How does it usually work for you?
The songwriting process felt a bit disjointed at times. I think it was a really difficult time for the band and we all were creating at different speeds. Nothing really wrong with that, but I think it was a great stepping stone that led to us having a better flow nowadays. A lot of it was writing directly into the DAW, playing around with sounds, chopping and shifting parts as we felt needed. Usually our initial ideas would stem from voice memos! There was one practice where our bassist started playing the verse riff to "James Pack" at a practice and I couldn't help but sing to it. We dropped everything and recorded that little idea so that next week we could throw the song into Logic and really develop it. I think that was maybe the last song we finished on the EP and it kind of came out of nowhere for us!
I really like the closing song “Scissors”. Can you tell me about writing that song specifically?
"Scissors" is a really good song that we wrote with ex-member, Jason Moriarty. Before they had left the band, I finished the lyrics to the song and it was a really raw gaze into an eating disorder that I still struggle with to this day. When they left, I had asked them for permission to still use the song because I felt such an attachment to it and they also thought it was an impactful message so they agreed.
What’s one of your favorite moments from when you were recording the EP?
Probably getting to hang out and lock in at Silver Bullet Studios with Chris Teti. I always feel like I leave the studio a more well rounded musician. It really tests your endurance and challenges you with such a tight timeframe. The studio is also full of DVDs and I would watch one every night when I slept over and then take walks in the mornings. That's my kind of vacation! Even though we're working very hard, it's such a positive time to connect with your bandmates and celebrate songs you've been sweating over for months.
The EP artwork is really neat and there are a lot of little images within it. What’s some of the meaning behind the images?
The EP artwork is by Ashton Doukas! When I approached them about designing the cover, I sent a picture of an abandoned factory building in Springfield, MA off the highway. It felt like it encapsulated a lot of the emotion behind the EP - being this abandoned husk covered in graffiti and moss. Some of the neat items we included were superhero posters for "Plus Ultra!", a bong for "FML", and a shirt that says "Diva" which is how I would describe all of our fans!
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you want to add?
Thank you for interviewing us! I'd say to everyone to keep your head up, find your community, read books, and never forget to punch fascists straight in their motherf*cking mouth.
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