‘Under Way’ by Lore City | Interview | EP Premiere
Exclusive EP premiere of ‘Under Way’ by Lore City, out October 6th via Lore City Music.
‘Under Way’ is the new 7-inch EP from Lore City, releasing October 6, 2022. The EP follows full-length albums ‘Participation Mystique’ and ‘Alchemical Task’ as the third release from the Lore City Music imprint. The band’s sound is, “a combination of dark-wave, mystical rock, and dream-pop; where ceremonial rhythms, epic and nostalgic converge”, writes Loop. Lore City is a duo formed in 2011 and currently based in Portland, Oregon. Band members include married couple Laura Mariposa Williams (vocals, keyboard, guitar) and Eric Angelo Bessel (percussion, keyboard, guitar), who met as peers at Syracuse University.
Are you excited about the latest Lore City 7″ EP? Can you reveal some background on how you worked on it?
Laura Mariposa Williams: Yes, the ‘Under Way’ EP is a bit of a token; something to fill the space until our next full length album. With this release, we’ve grown more comfortable with being our own production team. These songs also shine a light on Eric’s sound engineering capabilities. Overall, he takes the lead on sourcing gear, recording, and creating intricate beats and drones. I take the lead on lyrics, songwriting, and melodic instrumentation. We also used some new gear, including a Mellotron M4000D Mini and a Handsome Audio Zulu.
Is it consisting mostly of new material or did you revisit any old tracks that haven’t been released?
Laura: These are new songs.
Can you share some further words on the recording and production process for it?
Eric Angelo Bessel: We wrote and recorded everything in our studio, then worked with an audio engineer to finalize the songs. The ‘Under Way’ EP gave us the opportunity to return to in-person mixing, which we really missed when we worked on ‘Participation Mystique’. Jason Powers did both the mixing and the mastering, which saved us crucial time. It’s also how we managed to get the record pressed and released in 2022. Thanks to Precision Record Pressing for making the physical release possible.
Would you like to talk about your latest album, ‘Participation Mystique’?
Eric: ‘Participation Mystique’ was recorded throughout 2020, which kept us focused during a very challenging time. It was a continuation of ‘Alchemical Task’; we never stopped writing and recording after that album was finished. The two of them feel closely related, and we chose to reflect that in the development of the archway imagery on both album covers.
Looking back, how would you compare it to ‘Alchemical Task’?
Laura: Prior to ‘Alchemical Task’, we’d been on a meandering, musical hiatus for many years, so the album was a return to form for us. We were finding our way back through the songwriting. ‘Alchemical Task’ was like moving through a dense mist, where everything ordinary became a spectral encounter in the haziness. Looking back, I can see that now we have a firmer foothold on our direction as a band; we’ve established our new sound in a definitive way.
How did you originally start the project, tell us about your story meeting and getting married and how that transcribes in artists’ output?
Laura: Eric and I originally met as peers at Syracuse University, where we were visual art students with musical tendencies. Years later we reconnected after crossing paths in Chicago and naturally started to write songs together. We got married right after recording our first album. At the time, we’d only been a band for about eight months. Lore City is our way of doing something meaningful with our time together.
What do you recall from ‘Absence & Time’ and ‘Kill Your Dreams’?
Laura: That would’ve been 2012-2014, which conjures up memories of incessant practicing and late nights hauling our gear around town. It was a very different era for Lore City; we were focused on our guitars, establishing ourselves as a rock band, and trying to play every show that we possibly could. Now, we mostly stick to our keyboards, project more of a hermetic spiritualism, and prefer our worldly presence to be the emissary vinyl we ship out.
“We’re already working on the next full-length album”
What are some future plans for you now?
Laura: We’re already working on the next full-length album, and Eric is putting together his first solo record too. Both are being recorded and mixed in bits and pieces at the same time.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favorite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Laura: Lately, I can’t get enough of Zakè. His music is so peaceful and emotive. And as always, I’m crazy about whatever Thom Yorke is doing – right now, it’s The Smile.
Eric: My shortlist is: Saba Alizadeh’s ‘Scattered Memories’, Pencey Sloe’s ‘Neglect’, and Shida Shahabi’s ‘Shifts’.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Laura: Thank you for having us! Take care out there, everybody.
Klemen Breznikar
Lore City Official Website / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
