Eichlers - Sound In The Signals Interview
I recently had the opportunity to interview Eichlers. We discussed inspiration behind the upcoming EP, the recording process, plans for a physical release, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
yee my pleasure! u know i love talking 2 u :)
Your new EP ‘Songs Offline’ features stripped down versions of some of your songs. Stylistically they sound a bit more pop/punk and emo. What made you decide to create this release and these versions of your songs?
I played an acoustic show at Silver Sprocket in SF back in Dec ‘22 and debuted these versions of the songs and it went super well! Didn’t play one upstroke or say one “pick it up” haha. Ilan from INDICA IN DECAY & Josh from SAD SNACK came up to me after the set and urged me to record the songs, Ilan was the one who said it’d be funny to call the record SONGS OFFLINE lol. A few weeks later Sam from MOM JEANS. told me that they were planning to do an acoustic record & he thought it’d be cool if I did too. With that, my mind was made up & I decided to put the plan into action!
EICHLERS started as an acoustic emo project, so that sound has always been in the DNA of every song I’ve written, whether it comes out sonically. There’s a lot of cool stuff going on in the greater emo / pop punk scene lately, which really inspired me to draw on that part of songwriting. I’m leaning a lot more into emo + pop punk with this new era, so this is just the beginning & you’ll be hearing a LOT more of that going forward hehe.
How did you choose which songs you wanted to rework?
I picked some fan favorites, a couple that I feel haven’t gotten the love the deserve, and even a version of an unreleased song! I also put a couple interpolations in there for the real heads. If yr reading this, lmk if u can name the interpolated songs ;)
What was the recording process like for it?
It took a while tbh. I did everything at home (Topo Town Studios). It’s been a LONG time since I’ve recorded any kind of acoustic instrument, so I was nervous that I wouldn’t be able to get a good sound with my usual EICHLERS set up.
I started in Feb ’23, tracked all the guitars on a Friday afternoon, came down with COVID the next day, and entered a pretty extended period of depression & general apathy after that. It was rough dude, I had to work really hard to find motivation to finish the record. Luckily once I got rolling with the vocals in summer ’23, I kept rolling and wrapped the project soon thereafter.
I’m really happy with how the record came out :) shoutout to Reade Wolcott for sharing her vocal chain tips with me so I could get my voice to sound good!!
It’s interesting that when you make a project like this it can sometimes change the feeling of the song. Some of these almost sound like brand new songs. What’s been your favorite part about reimagining these songs?
I’m a huge fan of hearing alternate versions of my favorite artist’s songs, so I thought it’d be fun to give my faves the ’coustie treatment. Plus it’s cool to give my IKEBEASTS a chance to hear the songs without all the bells + whistles I’m known for: the autotune, bass drops, wacky tempos. I was also able to reconnect with my songwriter roots in a way that felt joyous and pure; playing my guitar and expressing myself. I hope it shows that the songs can stand on their own as *good songs* aside from the aesthetic hooks I throw into my production.
You worked with Bad Time Records for your previous album. Will you be working with them for this EP? If not, do you have plans for something else?
Nope, I’m doing this one by myself! BTR doesn’t do traditional label deals with their artists. We came together to work on MCF and I’ve been independent ever since! I’m super fortunate to have been able to work with Mike and I’m looking forward to being able to call all the shots for this new era.
Do you have any plans for a physical release such as CDs, cassettes, or vinyl for this EP?
I love CDs so I’ll be doing a limited run of CDs for SONGS OFFLINE. I designed everything myself for the first time (‘cept for the cover photo by Wayne Lawton of course). It’s gonna be cool & I’m expecting them to go fast, so don’t sleep!!
You will be featured in the upcoming documentary ‘This Is New Tone’. What was it like being part of that?
I wasn’t asked to be a part of the tour or the interviews, so my involvement was only thru my set at the SXSW showcase & BTR 5yr show. That BTR anniversary show was hella fun, getting to play with so many of the NEW TONE scene all on one bill. It was awe inspiring to see 924 Gilman (my fave venue) packed with people dancing and singing my songs back at me.
What are your thoughts on the current SKA scene as we start 2024?
It’s great to see so many people excited about making SKA in 2024, but it feels a little less energetic than it did from 2020-2022. I want to see more artists innovating and pushing the genre, but I guess I wanna see that in every music scene, not just SKA haha. Ska Punk International has been killin’ it though and that new Eevie Echoes record is one of their best releases to date!
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for having me! I wanna shout out Oldphone, Cheem, Blind Equation, Nightlife, Ben Quad, DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ, Pleasant Thoughts, DEATHTRIPPA, Mikie Mayo, 454, Bejalvin, and Just Friends for being my favorite artists rn & inspiring me to keep making music!!!
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