INTERVIEWS PRINT

Interview: Tearjerker discuss their new EP ‘Hiding’ & DIY aesthetic

Jon Berrien
Latest posts by Jon Berrien (see all)

Toronto based three-piece Tearjerker have been on the grind.  The trio recently signed with SQE Music and released the indie pop four-track EP Hiding. Each featured song is unique, yet the final product comes together, creating a surging  cohesive sound.

GroundSounds recently caught up with the guys for an exclusive interview, check it out below and get to know Tearjerker.

 

For those just discovering Tearjerker, how did you guys form the band and start making music?

Micah: Trevor and I had been making music since high school, and when we met Taylor we started Tearjerker. Basically from the first time the three of us jammed, we worked really well together. We all felt like we brought something unique individually, and had similar sensibilities, and that together we could make interesting music.    

Can you tell us about bringing your latest EP Hiding to fruition?

Hiding is an extension of what we had been doing on our previous full-length albums. The songs on the record came out of the writing of those albums, and we just felt they were strong enough and deserving of their own release.

What inspired the EP title Hiding?

Hiding just felt right as a title. First, it was the original song title for the song called Hand. Also, as we started using it as a working title for the EP, it fit well, because often times, when you’re recording music at home, you’re hiding away from everyone trying to get it finished. So it worked well on a few levels. 

Can you tell us about the creative and writing process for the track “You Can?”

Taylor had a really cool demo lying around, and we sampled it on a Boss Dr. Sample 202 and screwed with it a bit. Then Taylor took it away and reworked the sampled version. It all pretty much came together nicely after that.

What do you guys enjoy most about Toronto?

Toronto has so many cool neighbourhoods with interesting people and diverse cultures. Also, really great food and lots of places to see great live music. It’s a fantastic city in the summer. The winter can be really long here, so people get the most out of the nicer weather that they can. 

What was the inspiration for “Another Moon?” 

Micah: I wrote this for my lovely wife. It’s about finding someone you love, and not being worried about material possessions.

What are you guys currently listening to?

Micah: Lucki Eck$; King Krule; Why?; Run the Jewels; Little Kid  

Trevor: Real Estate; Ab-Soul; James Blake; Snow What; Jeremiah Jae

Taylor: Mac Demarco; Hayden; Beck; Stephen Malkmus

What is it about shoegazy indie rock that attracts you guys to this sound?

We don’t think it’s so much shoegaze or any other genre that we’re attracted to specifically. We just set out to make good music, and stuff that we enjoy.

We read that Tearjerker has a DIY aesthetic and that you guys often record separately, can you tell us about how you guys typically collaborate on songs? 

We really value the DIY aspect of making music. We like putting a personal touch on everything that we do. We like the handmade feel of physical copies of our music, so whenever we release something new, we always try to ensure that it doesn’t feel like it was made in a factory.

And yes indeed. We often record our parts at home and bring them together to make a song. Most of the time, we jam stuff out at a rehearsal space first, and then go our separate ways to sharpen the various parts of each song.  Being able to record at home allows us to be creative and really comfortable recording, as opposed to being under the time and cost pressures of a studio.

http://www.tearjerkerband.com