Recently I was able to catch up with the alternative rock/emo band, Short Fictions, shortly after they released their great new album called Every Moment of Every Day, their third LP to date. In this interview, I asked the band about what the album title means to them, the lessons they’ve learned by playing in this genre of music over the years, the band’s key musical influences, as well as a fun question on their “dream billing” to tour the world with. Every Moment of Every Day is available for purchase here.
Thank you for your time today! Tell me about your new record, Every Moment of Every Day. Where did the album title come from, and why did you feel it was the most appropriate title for these songs?
Sam Treber: Sometimes I get little words and phrases in my head and if it has a nice enough ring to it I might write it down and have it become a lyric or song title. At the time Every Moment of Every Day was kind of my “stock answer” for how often I have feelings of doom or despair (haha). I used to think about the end of the world a lot. It’s been a few years since I started composing all these songs and I’m happy to say that that anxiety doesn’t plague me nearly as badly as it used to, but I digress. I just thought it was very comprehensive sounding, and then I re-used that line in the song “Don’t Start a Band” to highlight anxieties I feel about being a musician. See, you can kinda plug it in different places and have it mean different things. I hope other people can get their own meaning out of it too. Maybe even a positive one! (haha).
Chloe, I understand you’ve played in several emo bands over the years. What have you specifically learned about this genre and what keeps you motivated in contributing back to the scene?
Chloe: Inclusivity, easily. And it didn’t take years to learn that. Like, I put out a few records and played a bunch of shows before I came out, and then after I came out, I didn’t get called my dead name once at any show. Not once in five years. I’m not sure I can say that about any other aspect of my life. That alone is enough.
What are some of this band’s core musical influences?
Sam: Brave Little Abacus is my favorite band, I try to emulate them a lot (haha). You can also hear emo bands like Two Knights, and Snowing in our music. I would say our pop shift is Origami Angel inspired. I also like to throw in a lot of non-traditional instruments in the mix like glockenspiel, and of course trombone. That definitely comes from my love for the Beach Boy, Bruce Springsteen, and maybe even Neutral Milk Hotel to an extent.
How would you describe your live performances? What songs on Every Moment of Every Day do you think the live audience will really connect with?
Chloe: I feel like I can answer this pretty well, because I’m actually the most recent member to join—the first show I played was the Audiotree session—but Sam and I go way back, so I’ve actually seen more Short Fictions shows than I’ve played. To me Short Fictions shows were always super fun, high energy, and easy to stay engaged with. Hopefully I’m able to add to that, or at the very least, not detract from that! (haha). But we all know who the real star of the Short Fictions show is: Sam’s legendary guitar strap height! And as far as songs people will connect with, I feel like the top answers have to be “Great Unwashed” and “Heather.”
What was the writing and recording process like for these sessions that would become this record?
Sam: I write the basis for all the songs and then they grow organically as we play them together. This wasn’t the plan going into it, per se, but I first recorded a full demo of the album to show to everybody, then we re-recorded the album in a more polished way at home. Then we ended up re-re-recording the album in a studio, shout out Mt. Moon in Highland Park New Jersey!(haha). They say third time’s the charm but even now there’s a few things I might add if I could. Sometimes our songs never stop growing, which is cool.
If you were to choose the perfect touring billing for your band with 2-3 other bands, who would they be and why would you select them for your audience to experience live?
Sam: Probably like, Justin Bieber, Pantera (holograms), and Wu-Tang Clan. I just think that’d be crazy lit.