Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the latest single from Psychic Graveyard called “Bellow’s Funeral Home.” When speaking on the new track, band member Nathan Joyner says, “The idea for ‘Bellow’s Funeral Home’ came to fruition in the early morning hours as the pot smoke dissipated from the room. It was one of those times when we followed the music instead of trying to manufacture an expected bombastic sound. We ventured into the world of our favorite German musical heroes, a territory we admired from afar but had never entered. Though it was a frightening exploration, it felt familiar because we enjoyed stepping out of our comfort zones. The finished product is a new place that strangely feels like home. We love it here.” If you’re ready to discover your next favorite band, Psychic Graveyard are here for you. The single is taken from their forthcoming LP, Wilting, and pre-orders are on-going here. I was also able to catch up with the band for a brief interview below.
Nathan mentioned exploring the territory of your favorite German musical heroes in “Bellow’s Funeral Home.” Can you elaborate on these influences and how they shaped the track?
Neu!, Cluster, Faust, Harmonia, Kraftwerk, Can, and maybe even a little Brainticket helped shape “Bellow’s Funeral Home.” In Psychic Graveyard’s world, we start composing and arranging tracks from a fundamental perspective. The layers and textures usually begin with a natural sound. As we progress, sounds gradually take on a new life. We start distorting and morphing each sound to achieve the feeling we’re after. We noticed that we often chase an over-the-top bombastic sound. With “Bellow’s Funeral Home,” we embraced the melodic, calming, and repetitive nature that naturally surfaced during the track’s inception. We enjoyed the feeling of songs by the bands we mentioned earlier and found that “Bellow’s Funeral Home” evoked a similar sensation. We decided to see it through to the end. We are excited about the result.
Did you incorporate any new experimental elements or techniques into this album that differentiate it from your previous work? How does the collaboration process work given the geographic dispersion of the band?
We used many of the same techniques that we have grown to love. However, this album had more of a “Bass Guitar” element. We started to miss the sound of a nasty fuzzed-out bass. After touring with METZ and OSees, we craved that sound, especially since both bands have an insane bass guitar presence. Collaboration is rather difficult for us because of the geographical locations of each band member. We’ve developed a solid process to make it work and maintain momentum in the writing process. We make demos of ideas and send them to each other via email. We pick out the elements we like from each idea and build from there. It can take us months or days; some tracks come together quickly, while others push back a little. Over the years, we’ve learned to understand our unique process. It works for us, and like all things, we are constantly trying to refine it.