Between the intangible and the everyday.
The American musician talks about the sound construction of his most recent album, the emotional nature of his music and the strange place it occupies in the current indie conversation.
At a time when discourses around music constantly seek to define, classify and explain, Alex G It seems to move in the opposite direction. With Headlightshis tenth album, the Philadelphia musician reaffirms a way of creating that is based on intuition, trial and error, and a deeply personal relationship with sound. A few days after his return to Mexico to appear at the BB Auditoriumwe talked with him about processes, perceptions and everything that cannot always be put into words.
Indie Rocks!: I have many things I want to talk to you about. You released an album a few months ago before this interview and now you have an important date in Mexico. I'd like to start by talking about this latest album, your tenth album, right? Can you tell me a little about the production of Headlights?
Alex G: Yes. Most of the recording was done in Philadelphia, which is where I live. A lot of it was in a study called Spice Housesomething in MilkBoy Studiosand I also recorded at my home and at a studio in upstate New York called The Clubhouse. I played all the instruments except in the song “Logan Hotel” and in those that have ropes. I made the mixture together with Jacob Portrait and the mastering was from Heba Kadry. I'm trying to think if there's anything more specific… but hey, if you have any more specific questions about production.
GO!: For me it's very interesting because, listening to your music and this album in particular, I feel like you have a very specific sound. It's like lo-fi but at the same time with very big guitars. How did you arrive at that sound and how has it evolved over these 10 albums?
AG: Yes, I think I understand what you are saying. That lo-fi sound, like more DIYprobably comes—at least on this album—from playing the instruments myself. I'm not an expert in either, so that gives it a more homemade feel. And I think I'm comfortable with that because I spent many years recording myself, at first it was out of necessity. So it's been a very natural progression. I never made a big jump from recording at home to doing it in the studio. It also has to do with the fact that I continue to produce a lot on my own: I take the stems and I continue experimenting logicalas he did before in Garage Band. It's the same trial and error process, and that probably gives it that lo-fi feel.
GO!: It's interesting because there are even people who see your music as something very relevant within a new way of making rock or folk, more homely, more intimate. Do you perceive that? How do you live this whole narrative that you are “the next thing” in music?
AG: It's funny because I don't see myself like that. It's not false modesty, I just don't feel it that way. I think a lot of publications tend to talk about artists as if they were “the next thing,” comparing them to figures like Bob Dylan either Neil Young. But I don't know… I just try to make music that connects with people. And I don't necessarily feel like I've achieved that on a large scale.
I mean, of course I'm successful in the sense that I do what I want to do, but I don't feel like I'm doing anything extraordinary. I'm still living in Philadelphia, doing my thing. So that “next thing” thing I feel like they say to everyone nowadays.
GO!: But you're also touring all over the world: the United States, Australia, Japan, Mexico… isn't that already connecting with a lot of people?
AG: Yes of course. You shouldn't take it for granted. But I guess it's a very human thing: you always want more than you have.
GO!: And what are your goals or inspirations as an artist?
AG: I don't have a very specific answer. I don't think so much about material goals. I recently heard Art Angels of Grimes and the production blew my mind. I'm interested in exploring something like that, making music that is just as enveloping. But beyond that, I just want to be able to continue making music and sustain myself from this for many years.
GO!: Beyond music, what interests you? What does Alex G consume out of this world?
AG: It's hard to say now because I'm so busy. But I like to read. and there is a podcast which I like a lot, it's called otherworld. It's about people who have had paranormal experiences.
GO!: I don't know him, tell me a little.
AG: He host interviews people who have experienced things like seeing ghosts, near-death experiences or even encounters with aliens. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, the interesting thing is to hear how they tell it, the honesty with which they do it. I'm interested in that, what is outside our perception.
GO!: It's interesting because that also connects with music, right? It is something intangible.
AG: Completely. Someone just sent me something funny: one of my songs on Spotify followed by a description made by AI explaining what it is about. And I thought: that's exactly the opposite of what I'm trying to do.
Music is not a specific story, it is something more diffuse, emotional. And the AI comes to say “this means this and this”, and it's like… it ruins the experience. It's not about that.
GO!: I would love to continue talking about AI, but to close: you will be playing soon in Mexico, what can we expect from the show?
AG: We do a main set of about an hour and then a encore about 30 minutes. He set main focuses on Headlightswith some other songs, and in the encore we play older stuff or what people ask for.
IR!: And finally, if you had to describe yourself in three words…
AG: I don't know… (laughs) I'm speechless. Could be “speechless Alex G”.
