Forming in Louisville, Kentucky in 2006, Murals launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to raise $2,200 to record and release their debut 8-song EP On A Passing Cloud in 2012. Their songs are full of bright reverb guitar, echo-filled vocals, fluttery strings, sound effects, and thick, elastic bass lines. The ephemeral qualities of each song bring to mind the psychedelia and folk sounds of the 60s. Whereas their first release On a Passing Cloud brought to mind a sunny summer day, their new full-length Violet City Lantern is more akin to a cool summer night. Short instrumental interludes are strewn throughout the album, giving a sense of an excursion as you listen. Having signed to Fire Talk Records, Murals recently took the time to talk about their influences, the recording process, and the “journey across a strange land” that is their debut LP Violet City Lantern.
What is the music scene like in Louisville and where does Murals fit into that scene?
The punk/metal, hard boys have probably been the most consistent over the years but there are all sorts of projects popping up constantly. Our friends have started a few projects we really like (Family Dog, Sketching, Ted Tyro) but there’s a lot to explore. It’s a good town for music.
It’s been a few years since you released your first album. Was it a deliberate decision to take that amount of time to put this new album together?
Not at all. Circumstances and wild imaginations mostly.
What would you say are the main musical influences for the band?
We all grew up singing in choirs. Sacred music has been a good influence. Any good pop music that pops out. I think my first favorite song was “Turn, Turn, Turn” by the Byrds. Anything good has been good to us. Hard to say, new influences everyday…
Which artists or albums where you listening to while writing the songs on Violet City Lantern?
Love’s “Forever Changes” was a big one at the time. The tone and scale to which those songs were recorded felt very close to the heart. I remember listening to the record Public Strain by Women quite a lot when writing a few songs. The songs are different from the original demos so that Women might be hard to hear, but they were certainly a big revelation to us. Besides that, The Velvet Underground, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, Ariel Pink, R. Stevie Moore and so much more…
The songs on On A Passing Cloud are mostly under three minutes and have the feel of a sunny day. With Violet City Lantern the songs are frequently longer and carry a bit more melancholy. How did the songwriting process differ for these two albums?
I think it was just a natural progression, trying to do a little more with what we had been discovering in rehearsals. Our approach then was to fiddle around as a four piece until it all came together or someone latched on to a particular riff, bassline, or drum pattern. It’s hard to explain really, just open ears and imagination. I think we had a better grasp on what we wanted to do with Violet City Lantern and were tighter as a band. We’ve gotten more intentional with each record. As far as it being melancholy, well, it’s hard to say, sometimes things just come out that way. Sometimes you’re happy, sometimes you cry, but the world goes ’round.
There seems to be a lot of complex, far out sounds on this album. What kind of process did you have putting everything together in the studio?
The basic tracking of drums, bass and guitars was done on tape. We did nearly all of the overdubs on a computer and that allowed us – for better or worse – to work without limitations. There are certainly positive sides to working like that, you can let your imagination work without restriction, but at the same time it increases the scope of what you’re trying to do. We experimented a lot, with a lot of different instruments. There’s always been an interest in blending tones really closely to create rich, complex sounds and arrangements, so that’s what we did.
One of the aspects that especially stands out about the album is how you included a few shorter instrumental tracks that seem to almost function like brief interludes. Can you talk about where this idea came from, and do these tracks serve a sort of thematic purpose when looking at the album as a whole?
The album is a journey across a strange land. Through warm country magic, take a left at shimmering pond to the paradise of birds. There beyond the forest fires we find crystal creek, and, as we speak, beneath our feet, lay a cavern of purply diamonds. From a white-hot beach a long bridge passes over a sea of black ink, and on a clear summer day, there comes cats and dog rain…amen. These are just some of the sights and sounds. Better watch out for those snakes though…
What has been the greatest or most interesting moment for the band to date?
We got to sleep and play in a studio in Chicago where “Down With the Sickness” was recorded. That was something. I got to bang on a piano with R. Stevie Moore once and that was pretty unexpected and fun. We feel pretty lucky to have even gotten out of my mother’s basement with this so every opportunity is pretty great.
How has the audience reception been at your live shows?
It’s ranged from enthusiastic to disturbed depending on the year. We played a show once where we broke open a lot of glow sticks and splashed glowjuice all over a white sheet we were playing behind. I guess it got on the floor and maybe that was toxic and maybe took the varnish off, so that owner was pretty pissed off.
What band/artist would you most like to tour with?
We’ve played a few shows with Idiot Glee throughout the years and are going to tour with them in March. That’s been something we’ve been talking about doing for a well so we’re pretty pumped to spend two weeks with those guys.
What’s next for Murals?
Hopefully some bliss and a new record.
Murals release Violet City Lantern this Friday, February 19 on Fire Talk Records. For more info and music check out their Facebook page.
