Infra Violet are a new Synth-pop/Electronic duo based in the UK. A collaboration between producer Toby Campen & guitarist singer-songwriter Bethany Munroe they were formed in early 2020. The duo's debut release 'Polaroid' with b-side 'Naïve' was released in the summer and followed by the single ‘Water’ on 27th November 2020. We had a chat with the band between the two releases.
Kati: Great! We are really excited about the release of our new LP "You Want it Real." Britt: Busy! We are all working on multiple projects, booking tours, putting out albums and writing. On top of lié, Ash has Minimal Violence, Kati has Dust Blaster, as well as SBDC, and I have SIGSALY.
With new album ''Smoke and Mirrors' due for a September release and tour dates on the horizon, we caught up with lead singer Jess Clemmons;
New album 'Smoke & Mirrors’ done and dusted, how was the recording process different this time around?
We actually did quite a bit in London this time as opposed to before but the process in Nashville was about the same. Record all of the instrumentation in about 4 days and then spend another 3 days on vocals.
It was a really great tour of the UK this February - 6 blinding concerts in Middlesbrough, Birmingham, London, Newcastle, Glasgow & Hebden Bridge. The audiences at each gig seemed to really love it & we had a blast too! That's what it's all about...
Formed just last year, how did the band come together?
The band was formed, conceptually at least, around 6 months before the full line up started rehearsing. The idea was to form a band with a strict set of parameters ie. one single guitar and bass sound, minimal equipment etc, perhaps as a rejection of the trend for overcompensation with effects and electronics in current music, but also as a statement of quality over quantity. We try to project tasteful minimalism and high intensity, not to be confused with brash simplicity. Songs were written, rehearsal were undertaken and everything from then on has fallen into place almost effortlessly. The highest demand on us as musicians is probably physically, it's very physical music to perform.
Paul Goodwin grew up in London and moved to Cambridge when he started University. He remains there today making websites and music.
His 2009 album, Scars, was followed up by a mini album, Trinkets and Offcuts, in 2011. A 5-track EP, Live in the Reception Classroom of Bourn Church of England Primary School, came out in 2012.
Now with a two year old son, Paul has returned to the recording studio for The Northern Lights In The Neon Tube. We had a chat prior to the release of the album.
You have a massive tour underway; do you enjoy life on the road or the recording studio more?
Yes it's the biggest tour yet and I love being on the road as were entertaining the masses and hopefully more converts to KHB. I don't think I can compare being on the road to the studio as they are different experiences, studio is a painstaking process, far more intense than performing live plus I'm not a fan of the vocal booth, I'm a born performer, I lose myself in the moment, everything is more strategic I think when recording.
It’s been 4 years since your debut album, and finally Palomino lands. Where have you been ?!
Its been annoying and we shouldn’t have spent so much time away, but a lot of it was out of our hands. Finance was an issue, we lost our management, the label weren’t committing, and we wanted to experiment with stuff so we took longer.
You have your own studio ?
Yeah, Sam owns part of one, so we get cheap rates !
How long did the whole process of writing and recording Palomino take ?
Maybe 2 years in total. We started writing then loads of stuff happened, so we went a bit off piste. I think Palomino has more twists and turns than the debut album. We experimented in new sounds and weird interludes, and having longer away benefited us in being able to do that.
So Jonathan Wilson produced the album..
Actually, he mixed the album after we asked him. He only took 2 weeks and mixed from live. Basically he takes 2 versions of each song, then old school mixes live. We weren’t actually present for the mixing process - that costs more money, so we just sent him the tapes.
Were you looking for the same mood from the first album ?
We wanted to expand and get deeper - we’re genuinely fun people but its sometimes easier to write intense deep songs. There was no plan, but we wanted to experiment and go more into space.
You are signed up to Loose. Was this a conscious decision ?
They took a punt with us on the first album, and it went really well, then they heard the stuff we were putting dow for Palomino and decided they wanted to get involved again. Its always an album by album basis. It’s good for both sides really, but Loose are really supportive of us.
What do you particularly want out of this business ?
For me it changes regularly. When I first saw Father John Misty, I thought I want to be like him. If we can get paid enough to not work, that would be great, but traveling the world with your best mates is pretty cool.. We travel the world doing music, and making music and thats a legacy someone can’t take away.
What’s next for Treetop Flyers ?
We want to record a lot sooner this time, and try and record in a different way. You have the ability to record yourself and at home, outside of the studio environment, and this is a quicker process. We may try and mix it up and evolve the sound again for the next album.
I thought Treetop Flyers were a folk-rock band until I heard Palomino.
That’s what we were aiming for. There’s a lot more to us than that. It’s louder, more groovy, soulful even. We may go even more off piste for the next record.
What’s your view on touring ? Love it or hate it ?
Generally like it. It can be stressful and long but if you have a really good gig that energy sails through for the next couple of days. Its always different and you learn from it. By the end of the tour you are that tight, you don’t want to stop. I suppose that’s why we do it.
Congratulations on the wonderful Palomino. Please tell me its not going to be 4 years until the next album ?
Definitely not, its too long. It’s all about momentum, and we want to keep it going.
New EP ‘I welcome the Flood’, where did the title come from?
I actually had the title before I had the song or the EP. Even before I started playing solo. It's been hanging around in my phone notes since 2014. It's got a Biblical kind of feel to it. It's about wanting everything around you to be washed away.
Many of the lyrics seem to relate to dark stories. is that the case or just our interpretation?
Dark is an interesting adjective to apply. I think I agree that a lot of it comes across as dark but I'm not sure it was my intention in anything other than the title track. I tried to make them pretty to listen to initially. I think some of it's kind of funny. Possibly not 'ha ha' funny.
What was different about the new EP compared to your solo EP debut?
I tried to strip it back a little. I tried to use a bigger uh... pallette. So there's a little more percussion and odd sounds. I also tried to record everything analogue. There was some MIDI stuff on the first EP. Also, on the first EP I wrote the songs just using strummed chords and the vocals, and then I picked them apart and built up the song. With this one I built the music first and applied the words later. So I had a bunch of instrumentals that kind of worked on their own and then tried to come up with the vocals. So the melodies are a little more interesting I think. I was paying more attention to them.
How is the music scene in Brighton these days, still buzzing?
It's pretty healthy, yeah. I've only been here about six months, not too long, but there's always loads of stuff to see at any one moment. Usually some of it is really alternative and interesting, which is nice.
Is your working life that of a full-time musician or do you have other work to keep the wolves from the door?
I have a full time job and any time I'm not at work I'm doing music stuff. Although the music stuff is becoming slightly less time consuming as more people take notice of what I'm doing.
What was your favourite album of 2015 and why?
To Pimp A Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar. I've always liked artists who are brave and uncompromising. Kendrick's last record was critically acclaimed, but still fairly niche. So he was poised to have a huge mainstream breakout record. The fact that he had that, and that it was this weird, free jazz, cultural thesis thing was pretty brave and uncompromising. His lyrics are great too. There's great vision in that album.
What is your method of songwriting, real life moments, being in a particular space or mood. What is the spark that starts you writing lyrics?
A little of all the above. If a nice line hits me I'll write it into my phone. Then when I'm writing I'll draw the ones that fit together onto one bit of paper and then improvise around them. I'm not sure what the song is gonna be about until I'm singing it a lot of the time, so the space and the mood I'm in has a lot of influence on that. I'll draw on real life stuff sometimes, but largely I don't appear in the songs.
Hopes and plans for your music career in 2016?
Play everywhere all of the time. Possibly release some more music. See where it all takes me.
Ryan Adams covered Taylor’s Swift’s 1989 ... What album would you like to cover?
I have actually been thinking about this a lot lately, because I'm considering undertaking a similar project. I'd like to do something the complete opposite of what it is that I do. I'm leaning towards Sound of Silver by LCD Soundsystem.
Which Star Wars character are you most like ?
Kylo Ren. I'm whiney and I dissapoint people one audience at a time.
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'I Welcome the Flood‟ will be released on 15th February 2016 on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, and "basically anywhere else you can think of". The CD release will be available exclusively through Adam's BandCamp page.
Live Dates:
Feb. 13th - Junkyard Dogs, Brighton (EP Launch Party) Feb. 15th - Sound, Liverpool Feb. 16th - Mr. Lynch, Newcastle Feb. 18th - The Village, London Feb.19th - The Chequers, London Feb. 20th - The Art House, Southampton Feb. 21st - Como Lounge, Oxford
