In Conversation With #181 - Modern Moxie
Modern Moxie bring us another doze of lo-fi fuzzy surf rock with their latest EP ‘Gutter Honey’ - they took a moment to talk to us about how it came together.
Hey Modern Moxie - how are you? So your new EP is out now, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
I am well! The feeling is hard to describe, we really put everything we had into this one. It honestly feels surreal. There were so many reschedules with studio time and various obstacles, it felt like we would never finish during the process. I sort of accepted it being in progress forever and now that we're done I'm not quite sure what to do with myself. Time to write, the cycle begins again!
It is called ‘Gutter Honey’ - what is the meaning behind that?
We've been describing it as filtering through life's sludge to find beautiful things. Life has been on expert level lately and fighting the urge to fall into the depths of it all is a struggle. Writing and working on music is all we know how to do so this EP is really a snapshot of that moment in time. We worked very hard to make these songs as beautiful as possible even though they're sourced from some pretty intense, dark emotions.
Where was the EP recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process?
We recorded at Sioux SIoux Studio in Charlotte, NC. Jason Scavone produced the whole album and we loved working with him. We recorded a couple of songs at a time in shorter sessions due to all of our schedules being insane. Also, during a pandemic, logistics were rough to say the least. We had a blast though, I wish I could move in there. My favorite part was definitely working on vocal harmonies with Charlie and Phil on the title track. We had a real Beach Boys moment and they all fell together perfectly. I love singing with three voices. We made all of those up on the spot and it was a very happy moment. My husband/Harry playing the vibraphone randomly on "Weeping Willow" was another highlight. We just had fun with this one and tried not to get too in our heads.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
Introspection for sure. A lot of self examination was going on during the writing process. The pandemic sent me into a bit of a spiritual spiral, so there's some buddhism and meditation thrown in there. "Hopelessly Alive", for example, was written while I was trying to learn how to meditate. Still trying to learn! Endless process. Aging, loss of childhood, there's a lot going on within these six tracks haha. Big Wave is pure channeled anger in the U.S. I would say the whole album is the process of accepting all the emotions associated with the ongoing pandemic and the impending doom of life. We also wanted to sprinkle some joy in there.
If the EP could be a soundtrack to any film, which one and why?
A new Twin Peaks movie lol. Harry and I were deep into the whole series while writing these songs so they will forever be interconnected in my mind.
Now the EP is out there, what next for you?
We're hoping to tour! All we want to do is play shows and we're working on making that happen as much as possible.
