Band Of The Week #181 - GILT
This week’s Band of the Week is Floridian post-hardcore trio GILT - who have just released their new EP ‘In Windows, Through Mirrors’. The EP hits on topics of gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia and mental health in their music, GILT are all about empowering their community. They took a moment to talk to us about how the EP came together.
Hey there GILT - how are you?
We’re doing pretty good! We just played our first show back after two years at the FEST in Gainesville, and the relief we feel playing live music again is surreal. We’re just super excited to be back in that environment.
Your new EP is finally here, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
It’s amazing to showcase all the interpersonal work we’ve put in the last year and a half with the new EP. The band’s entire personality has been reconsidered with the line-up change and we’ve all been constantly listening to music and learning more about production to improve our ability to record our vision not just be a touring band. Being able to finally show something that we all love and poured so much of ourselves into is something we’ve all been waiting on for a long time.
It is called ‘In Windows, Through Mirrors’ - what is the meaning behind that?
The title is a story arc meant to link the three songs into a single idea. The overall concept of the EP is going from seeing problems and feeling estranged (In Windows) to admitting them and bargaining (Long Time Coming) and finally moving not just past but through them, which is how ‘I Didn’t Want You As A Mirror’ got changed. We’re very up front that we’re rehashing previous material but we’re also very proud and confident that the new stance on it brings a lot of different ideas to the table, especially since all three songs have distinct topics of addressing the past.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
The original instruments on ‘In Windows’ and ‘Through Mirrors’ were recorded at Earthsound studio with Lee Dyess and the vocals across all three songs were re recorded with Hansel Romero of nightlife. Lee was our first time in a professional studio, and Hansel was our first time working with a formal producer. Honestly there were nothing but great times in both places. In Valdosta we stayed at Valdosta DIY house and got to play with their kitten Frankie, and in Baltimore we got to hang out with Pinkshift and look at the Turnstile billboard.
Where are the key themes and influences on the EP?
The key themes are acceptance of growth, departure, and also understanding how to grow. GILT has many influences that stem from all three members such as Tyler loves Mewithoutyou & Touché Amoré, I love Deftones & Spiritbox, and Tilley loves Fall of Troy and Pile, and we’ve always been interested in being faithful to post-hardcore but now we’re specifically dialing in ways to reinvent it with a modern production.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
I think a definite favorite is “Let yourself be weak” and it really speaks volumes to the whole EP. This kind of vulnerability is something that’s not easy to admit but when you can face it, it helps to start the road to finding how you can learn from experiences rather than let them completely own you.
Now the EP is out there, what next for you?
We’ve got a lot in store for next year, and some of the plans include going to the UK/EU! We’re currently right back in the studio with Lee Dyess cooking up some more songs, to be released in the near future!
