A couple of weeks ago, I was able to schedule a Zoom call with all four members of indie pop band, Snarls, to discuss their vibrant new EP called In Heaven There’s Rainbows. In this interview, I asked the band about where the title of the EP came from, which songs came easiest during the writing process to get to the finish line, and how they’re crafting the setlist for their co-headlining tour with Future Teens. One of my favorite quotes from this conversation was lead vocalist/guitarist Chlo White’s comment regarding how the band decides if a song will be included in a set: “The last couple years, when we’re deciding what goes on a setlist, it’s like, ‘Do you feel hot and sexy playing this?’ And if the answer is no, we’re scrapping it!” In Heaven There’s Rainbows releases this Friday, and pre-order options are available here.
Thank you all for your time this evening, and it’s great to see each of you again. Your new EP is called In Heaven There’s Rainbows. Can you talk, tell me more about where this title came from, and how you think it fits in with the EP’s sound overall?
Chlo: I’ll start us off. I forget where I saw the phrase, I wish I could remember it…Just, it came to me more than anything, but I know what it means to me. It means just working really hard for something. Like, you’re not going to get handed things, you’re not going to get to heaven by just expecting it to happen. You have to work really hard for it, and without going into too much detail, I think that’s absolutely what we’re trying to do, and work toward, with this new record. We just sort of wanted to get our bearings and really decide what it is that we wanted to do, and we really wanted to work hard at it and just do it, and so I found the title of the EP to kind of just sum up the motivation, our newfound motivation that we have as a band.
Yeah, and I think that’s also a lyric in one of the songs on the EP, for “One Wish”, right?
Chlo: Yep! The title came before, or no, it was maybe the meaning that I liked and then we put it in a line, and then we were like, that’d be a good title. I think it’s hot. I was just sitting here thinking about this. This full line is actually not in the song anymore, but originally I think, had written “You Want It All Well, in Heaven There’s Rainbows”.
Mick: And in that context, it really resonated with me too, in a little bit of a different way. But, it’s just like the real “chase your dreams” type of type of vibe and all of this, and especially in the song “One Wish” that now has the line “In heaven, there’s rainbows”…We just shortened it to that and put it in the chorus of that song. I still really think back on that original usage of it, and I love that.
And what about the album artwork? Most of the time you have kind of like cheery type of stuff, like in the background, like you see over here on my shoulder two of your guys’ albums, but this one has a bit of a darker vibe to it. Did you guys make a conscious effort to kind of do that in the aesthetic for the vinyl and stuff like that?
Chlo: We just want to be a little heavier, I think. Which I think we definitely are. People can say what they want. I think we definitely wanted to go ahead in that direction, for sure.
Mick: Yeah, and we did that cover shoot with a friend of ours, Sumner Howells, and we took so many different photos for it…just ideas for artwork or whatever, but I think someone had thrown out like, “oh, we should do an overexposed look. Kind of like an angelic type of vibe, in reference to like the EP title, and that theme just really kind of stuck, and we were obsessed with all of those high exposure, blown out photos from the shoot. Yeah, and we went like a little edgier, but then it’s also, it’s still just dainty enough with the cursive stitched text, that it’s still got that Snarls flare!
Absolutely! And I think you have three vinyl variants, there’s a picture disc, there’s an Urban Outfitters one that I ordered that has your guys’ signatures on it when that comes out, and also I think a Galaxy one. So, did you guys get any input to Joe Urban about what you guys were looking for?
Mick: Yeah, we have all the freedom when it comes to that stuff. Joe is always great with that, and he knows we do all of our own art in house. Sumner took that photo for us, but then we do all of our own things like package design and everything.
Chlo: Mick is being very humble…
Mick: But not without all the amazing creative input from the rest of the band!
Very diplomatic answer there, Mick. <Laughter>
Mick: <Laughter> But no, he literally was just like we’re gonna get it pressed at this company, and here’s all the options…go crazy, and let me know. We’ll do this many <units>. We will try to fix some stuff that was like the theme with the rest of the visuals.
That’s cool. “No Lock, No Prayer” is a great introduction to the darker-tinged era of Snarls. At what point during the writing process of the new record did this song get completed?
Chlo: This was the first one we wrote!
Wow, it’s impressive!
Chlo: I’m trying to think of all the songs…
Mike: When you asked me, they had originally asked me if I wanted to, before I was in the band, write with them and just kind of see where it went, and they had expressed that they wanted to get a little heavier, because I come from a little bit of a heavier music background. And I’m like 99% sure that was the first thing that we had written. I think it just started with, honestly, I think it just started with that intro, and then we just like built it from there. It wasn’t like a chorus melody, it was like from just that, just playing some “punk rocky”, floor time shit. So I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how it went because it was very quick.
Mick: Yeah, that one tied together pretty quickly.
Chlo: I was gonna say “No Lock, No Prayer,” and “Eternal Flame” were the breezes in this writing process. We’re not going to mention the other three songs, that was a bit of a wrestling match…“One Wish” was a completely different song at the start. It might be fun to release the files eventually…
Yeah, maybe for the 10 year anniversary of the EP! Especially in the age of all the deluxe editions that come out.
Mick: Yeah, and voice memos…
<Laughter> Voice memos, nice. So the music video for that single looks like it was a lot of fun to create. It looks like you did some of it with a green screen, from what I understand, from the Instagram post that you did. How’d you come up with a finalized concept for the video itself?
Mick: We did do some fun stuff on green screen that Mike edited, but we did a separate music video for a full music video for the song with a friend of ours, Alex, from Cleveland. But yeah, we’ve been making a ton of visual content for it on our own outside of the actual music video that we did too. Yeah, it’s been super fun. You wanna talk about that anymore, Mike?
Mike: Yeah, I mean, I guess the concept for the amazing video we did with Alex kind of came from our vision of just kind of like getting gritty and you know taking a lot of inspiration from 90s rock shoegaze alternative. So it was very kind of just like in your face, we wanted super high contrast. So something that just visually stuck out and grabbed you from the minute it started, and I think Alex did a really good job of capturing that with all of his quick cuts. None of what we did in that one was green screen, which was awesome. All that stuff was just light, and a bunch of just wizards behind the scene. They had a real, real good crew. But yeah, it was a good time.
Isn’t there a part where you’re like crawling out of sheets and stuff like that too, Chlo? How did that work out?
Chlo: That was such a funny rig…<Laughter> I’m not gonna lie, they had this…I don’t even know how they made it. It was like two wooden pallets, or maybe like one palette. Like folding tables, and then I just had to get in it, and I’d take my leather boots off. And if you wear leather boots with socks, it’s not really the best…that’s not ideal to take off your leather boots. I was so mad, but it was really fun. It was fun to crawl around in bed. Yeah, I did ask to look at myself on the monitor several times, because I either look really sexy or I look really stupid. I’m glad it was the former…<Laughter> I was just having fun!
It came together really well as a finished project, and that’s all that matters, right? You don’t have to worry about all the old weird outtakes and all the weird facial expressions and stuff like that, too.
Chlo: Yeah, and working with Alex was wonderful. After the first few shots, I was like, “okay, we could just trust this dude and his mind. We’ll have a new music video coming your way soon, Adam. We just did a second video with Alex for “One Wish”.
That’s a good choice for a second single! So, In Heaven, There’s Rainbows opens with a gorgeous, almost acapella kind of harmony on “Chemical Controls (Spill Your Blood)”. The last time we chatted in person, Chlo, you mentioned you wanted to “do more things vocally with your approach to songwriting” on the next record. Is this song a good example of what you’re kind of looking for in that type of creative freedom?
Chlo: For sure, yes. I think really it just comes down to sort of learning, just learning that part of songwriting, where to find space for those vocals, and I think that’s something we’re getting better at. This is still the “diet version”. I still want to go absolutely crazy on the next next record and just pile them on, but I do love the work that we did for In Heaven, There’s Rainbows, I think the vocals did come out very nicely, and there’s still that Snarls grit to it, where there’s still some space sonically, and the lyric in the vocals, the background vocals really pick up where they need to.
And did you also make Riley or Mike contribute any gang vocals or stuff like that through the harmonies and stuff like that? Can you walk me through that process?
Riley: I don’t know, harmonies are just like my second nature. I just went to it, but we wanted to do a couple like gang vocal type of things, especially in “One Wish” like the callback in the forest, you know? Wanted to make that sound a bit bigger, a bit fun, and take up the space in your head, I guess, when you listen to it,
Mick: Yeah, Riley and I lay down quite a bit of vocals on this EP, which is super fun for me, selfishly, to get to sing a bit more, and also scream on one song. Super fun to report a screaming bit for the first time ever in the studio. I was so nervous! One line, I was like shitting myself in front of people. Mike hasn’t put any fucking vocals on our songs, and quite honestly, I’m pissed at him for that. <Laughter>
Chlo: We’re gonna corner him. We’re gonna force him. This is just an audio interview, but just for people’s knowledge, he is hiding in the corner of the Zoom right now. He’s trying to stay hidden…so count your days! <Laughter>
<Laughter> So you’re going to be heading out on tour soon with Future Teens. How do you plan to approach the setlist for these shows? I know you’ve got tons of material now, so how are you going to balance it all?
Chlo: That’s such a great question. With the cool ones!
There you go!
Mick: Yeah, exactly. We just want to rock out. We’ve been saying that so much about our live set. We really want to elevate it. We really just want to bring ourselves to the next level in our live shows, and part of that for us is just rocking out.
Chlo: Yeah, we’re definitely on the same page. We’re gonna play the whole new EP, which I’m stoked about. Yeah, and then for sure all the rocking ones. The last couple years, it’s been like when we’re writing a song or deciding what goes on a setlist, it’s like, “Do you feel hot and sexy playing this?” And if the answer is no, we’re scrapping it! <Laughter>
Good call! And what about the closer from With Love, “Lovers of Valdorado”?
Chlo: I feel like it’ll probably get replaced. We haven’t talked about it as a band yet, but I feel like historically our set list closers have kind of changed with whatever release we’re working off of.
Yeah, that makes sense.
Chlo: We do have a history of doing just a pretty epic closer on a lot of our releases. So it always just makes sense for that song to be last on the set or something. At least, a lot of the time it works out that way, so I don’t know. I feel like that “Lovers…” is probably going to get replaced with “What’s Inside Of Me.”
And have you guys tinkered at all like a band practice and stuff like that with potentially blending certain songs together over time?
Chlo: We’re definitely working on some live show transitions, I don’t want to speak too much on that at the moment…I’m personally interested in just buttoning things up a little bit, so to answer your question, yes! More to come there.
And what about a cover song, if you guys went for that…what would you think would be the perfect cover song to mesh into this new EP?
Chlo: Snarls can do this. We never do covers, officially. I just, my voice really fits Boa, so I probably do “Duvet.”
Mick: That’s so hard to answer. I feel like there’s so many popping into my head. I don’t know, we get, we get compared to The Cranberries and stuff all the time. I would really love to do one of their songs one day, or maybe some Breeders shit.
Yeah, that’d be cool.
Chlo: I would easily cover “Bros” by Wolf Alice too. That’s probably the easiest one for me.
Mick: We talked about covering “Your Love’s Horror” by Wolf Alice for like, ages. That’s one that we just really love singing together. We have a long history with that song, for sure. Literally, just the other day, I said we would smash a cover of “All The Things She Said” by TaTu.
Yeah, I could see that, too!
Chlo: And Riley…as if we don’t get enough allegations as a fan of Wolf Alice…
And Chlo, before you jumped on the Zoom we were starting to talk about Wolf Alice’s new record. What are your thoughts on it?
Chlo: I know it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. I am unfortunately a very delusional Wolf Alice fan, and I believe that Ellie can do no wrong, so I just really, really love the record. And I love the artistic turn, and I love the more theatric take on Ellie’s vocals. I think she’s showcasing a different part of her vocals, and they definitely have shined on other records, but I think on this one, she’s just really flexing.
It’s almost like an “artist’s record” kind of thing. Like, this is what we are right now. We can do other things, we can kind of embrace the full Wolf Alice kind of thing…But, yeah, I dig it. It’s really growing on me.
Chlo: Even if they stayed like this forever, I’ll still have 2016 Wolf Alice in my heart forever.
And that’s the beauty of music – it’s all always there, forever. What is the lyrical inspiration behind the EP closer of “What’s Inside Of Me?”
Chlo: Yeah, that’s definitely more of an introspective, sad one, for sure. But I definitely know this came up when I.. I’ve just been doing a lot of journaling and healing, but I don’t know, I just.. it really came down to my communication at the end of it. My communication just sucked, and staying in things for too long that I shouldn’t have, and just feeling was really misunderstood. And that was the fault of both parties, but then when you just finally find someone that you really want to be understood by, but being understood is extremely scary for you. That is where the lyrics of that song came to life. I just kind of wanted to write about the desire to be known, but just being very deeply afraid of it, because it is a scary thing, but it’s also very beautiful if you just shut up and get over yourself and do it.
And that’s good advice to go by, too.
Chlo: Yeah, absolutely.
Also, what lessons did you guys learn from Chris Walla on the previous records that you applied to this new EP? I know you worked with a different producer on this record…
Mick: That’s a great question. I think generally Chris just like really working with him makes me think outside of the box so much more than I would have before, with just like not only arrangement, but just like different textures. I think that’s where Chris really, really shines as a producer, just like different textural elements that he introduces, and just kind of funky recording techniques that you might not necessarily think of. Like, let’s just throw this shitty mic at this weird instrument and see what happens. And then, Joe Camera Lango, who we just did this EP with, is like that times 100. So, it was so much fun to like already be in that head space from Chris. And then Joe just totally took it and ran with it. I mean, he had me holding a little janky microphone up like a baby toy and turning it around and capturing the sound that it makes, and yeah, all kinds of funky textures in there. There is a joke in there…
Chlo: I have a very cute short Chris story. I think my biggest personal takeaway from recording with him was there was one moment where I was just having trouble getting this one part, I just…I was so in my head, I was crying. It was just one of those weird days, we had been at it for, I think, three weeks straight at that point, so “homegirl was tired” and missed her bed, I think. Anyway, I’m having trouble. He doesn’t say a word to me, he just leaves the room and he comes back with this Polaroid of Riley, and he doesn’t say anything, and he just tapes it to my microphone and just has me look at it, and then I just nailed the next take. He just has this really strange way of, and I say that nicely, I’m not saying that in a bad way. He just goes about things in his own way, and it just has really made me appreciate just having an open mind and an open heart when you’re recording. Because I feel like sometimes I go in there and I’m just trying to get the part done and I’m just going about it from a very businesslike approach, almost, but then he reminds you what it’s really about. And I’ve carried that with me, especially with recording with Joe, who’s also a friend, so having my friends and my love more in the forefront of my mind was definitely my biggest takeaway.
Mick: I totally agree with that, Chlo. The recording studio can be so stressful at times, especially when you’re just on a time crunch across the world. Both times that we recorded with Chris, we were on a very specific schedule, and we had to get shit done in a certain amount of time, and I don’t know…he just has such like even when he is stressed, he is still like just a fairly calm presence, and that to close point like that just really showed me a lot, like this guy who’s been through everything that you could be through as a musician. He’s just chilling. I’m like, okay, cool, I’m gonna make it.
And hopefully you still have that Polaroid somewhere, Chlo, of Riley, to help you remind yourself another day maybe…
Chlo: Yeah, it’s somewhere in my photo box. Riley and I moved, so finding that will not be easy right now.
So, the last question I have for you is are there any causes or anything else you want to share about either the upcoming tour, tour dates, or for people to look forward to for the rest of the year?
Chlo: Keep streaming Snarls is really what I want to say. We’re trying to do this shit! And it’s hard right now. Listen to bands, and if you spot an AI artist, report that shit! That’s what I gotta say.
Mick: And support art, because it really needs it right now.
Absolutely.
Chlo: Yeah, go to the show for your openers. I get it. If you get out of work late, that’s fine, but if you’re just showing up for the main act…not just for our sake…there’s so many bands that I’ve discovered by being early to a show. Your main act was a small act once, too.
That’s great advice to follow! Also, it’s great seeing you guys again, and hopefully you’ll come through DC again, if not this tour, hopefully the next one. I’ll be there supporting you guys, for sure.
Chlo: Always a pleasure talking to you, Adam!
Take care, and have a good night.
Snarls: Thanks, Adam!
