With their new EP, Flight Test, having just hit the streets, we thought it cogent to touch base with the hard-charging three-piece to talk about their recording process. Singer and guitarist, Mitch McDonald, took our questions.
What led to the decision to record the Flight Test EP yourselves?
I guess it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do or at least try once. The whole recording side of things is something that I think we’ve all been interested in learning and it was just lucky that a friend of ours – Rosco Stewart – loaned us a bunch of high end equipment to wrap our heads around. It’s also nice to have total control over the tones and mixes instead having to bounce ideas back and forth to someone else trying to understand your vision.
What are the advantages of going it alone when recording?
I guess not feeling the pressures of “studio time.” Because you’re laying down tracks with no outside influence, which generally costs money, it means you can relax a little and work on getting the perfect tone and the best take. I think it also makes you work harder in that sense and leaves room for everybody to have more input.
What was your financial investment in the project? Did you feel there was more or less risk in going it alone?
Far less risk. It was nothing to hire the equipment so even if the project turned out to be a failure it wouldn’t have been that bad. I personally think that it’s the best we’ve ever sounded and it cost us next to nothing compared to everything else we’ve ever recorded.
How long did the project take from inception to release?
About five months, I think – which is pretty quick considering everything else we’ve ever done has taken way longer, mostly due to financial reasons.
Is your studio rig different from your live rig and, if so, how?
I used the same rig but I guess I tweaked different tones for different sections. That’s the fun of recording: you get to have fun manipulating the tones for each section to give each part more character.
What are your marketing and distribution plans for EP?
Well, I guess our publicist is hard at work letting everyone know about it and MGM are distributing it again, which is awesome. We have a really solid team behind us at the moment, which is exciting. Everybody who pre-ordered the record got a Polaroid and a personal little letter from each of us, which was fun.
What’s up next?
We’re heading in a week to wrap up the Calling All Cars tour and then we’re on the road again in June for an EP tour. We’re also playing with The Meat Puppets at the Astor which is gonna be boss.
