Motion Sick - Sound In The Signals Interview
 |
| 📸Dani B. |
I recently had the opportunity to interview Motion Sick. We discussed their new album ‘What It Feels Like To Be Alive’, cassette releases, artwork, playing live, and more. Check it out below.
First, thanks for the interview.
No problem! Thank you for being willing to chat with us!
You released your album ‘What It Feels Like To Be Alive’ in July. Have you been happy with the response it’s received so far? How does it feel to have it out?
We've been very happy with the response so far! In all honesty, it felt for a while like the album was never going to come out. I'm glad our fans seem to enjoy it, especially since it's leaning more toward the pop-punk side of our sound.
What was the recording process and experience like for the album?
We recorded the album with Furniture City Soundworks. Two of the main guys behind that studio, Ben Schenkel and Michael Moore, actually joined Motion Sick in the middle of the recording/mixing/mastering process of the album. We initially spent 3 days straight with them recording the album in December of 2023, but we had to re-record a few things throughout the first few months of this year. Also, shout out our bassist Sam Hogan, as I really felt like their work shined through on this album.
I really like “George Busch Light”. Can you tell me about writing that song specifically?
At the time of writing that song, we were listening to a lot of No Pressure's self-titled LP and Waterpark's album Double Dare. We wanted to capture the uplifting, pop-style vibe of that Waterparks record but also the drive of the relatively more aggressive music by No Pressure. On the lyrical side of things, I tried to take more light-hearted jabs at past relationship failures. The song is not attempting to sulk in defeat though, and we have a ton of fun playing that one live!
You worked with We’re Trying on a cassette release for your previous EP and this time Reply Guy Records is releasing cassettes for the album. How did you end up working with them for the release?
We are good friends with Kim from Reply Guy Records. Actually, she was one of the first supporters of Motion Sick outside of our initial friends and family. It was awesome to work with Reply Guy, and everyone at the label has been nothing but kind to us!
What does the flower symbolize on the album artwork and why did you choose it?
When coming up with album art for this release, we admittedly struggled a lot. We tried a lot of different artists, a lot of different designs, and a lot of different styles. Ben and I ended up landing on the symbolism of the lotus flower, which represents rebirth and overcoming adversity. With a lot of the personal struggles we went through during the creation of this album, it just felt right. We came out of our struggles with what felt like a whole new musical identity and attitude. Ben's friend Gabe Millenbach (@millenbank.ink) took our idea and came up with the artistic style for the cover, and we are extremely happy with how it came out!
You played Excellency Music Fest this year. What was it like playing that fest?
Excellency Fest was amazing! The scariest part of the whole thing had to be the potential of playing in front of people like Cory from Free Throw (which did happen!), but the nerves settled a little bit once we started playing. We ended up opening stage 3 and about 100 people watched our set. Afterwards, we got to see a bunch of our friends' sets, discover some new bands, and of course watch Free Throw and Prince Daddy & The Hyena. The day was honestly so much fun and we are hoping to come back next year!
You’re going on tour in September. What can fans expect from the live show and set list?
The setlist is still being finalized, but we are going to be playing as much of the album as we can. We will still be playing "4 Steps Back, 2 Steps Forward", but fans can also expect to hear about 6-7 songs from the new album (and hopefully a new secret cover we've been working on)!
Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else that you would like to add?
Come see us on tour starting September 6th! We are hitting a bunch of spots near the East Coast and in the Midwest! To stay up to date on upcoming shows, follow us on Instagram/Twitter at @motionsickmi. While this is our last big tour of the year, we have a handful of shows left to announce and we are planning to hit the ground running early in 2025! And especially stay tuned in to our social media pages, because we have a special announcement coming up before we leave for tour!
Follow Motion Sick:
No comments: