Black Market Karma – The Sour Truth

By starrymag | October 11, 2023

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) I call it the Technicolor liquid audio machine

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) The Velvet Underground, Dylan, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Lilys, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Harmonia, Boards Of Canada, My Bloody Valentine…the list goes on and on. I’m always being inspired by other music

Q) Tell us the story behind your new single “The Sour Truth.”

A) It’s about the pain of cognitive dissonance and the curtain of illusion coming up abruptly.

Q) How did you come to connect with Sonic Boom to collaborate on and produce this song?

A) He saw a live version of me performing the song on social media and reached out about it. He was very kind and really digging it. I asked him if he wanted to record it together and he said yes and that was that.

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

A) I think we’ve all fallen for an illusion at some point in our lives. Whether it’s one shown to us by an outside force, one we’ve created for ourselves or a mixture of both.

Q) Tell us about the video for this song.

A) I thought it would be interesting to try and convey some of our spirit through our tools, work and belongings but without Pete and I really being too visible in the video. I have a bunch of Pete’s records, so I put those in there. I also have the same model of Vox Starstream guitar he used in Spacemen 3 and Spectrum so that’s in a bunch of shots, along with the Acid Fuzz Sonic Boom pedal that was originally designed for him. Everything else you see is all of my stuff. Instruments, clothes, etc. A VHS tape I used to watch as a kid is also hidden in there. The rest of the footage is from the area I live in, Dover.

I’m always interested in minimal ingredients for maximum effect. I think that’s pretty evident in this video too.

Q) “The Sour Truth” is also released on 10′ Vinyl. Why is that important for you to share with your fans?

A) I think there’s something special about the tangibility of a physical record, even if just on the basis of having the artwork presented in a large format and in your hands. I always aim to have our Vinyl releases feel almost like vintage candy or something. Like you could take a bite out of it and taste the colors.

Q) How does your songwriting process work? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) I usually write lyrics after I have the music. I like to fit the phrasing of the words to the melody. When it’s the other way around you can sometimes find yourself trying to cram sentences where they don’t really fit, although I have written lyrics first in the past. Sometimes I also find myself singing new words to someone else’s melody that’s stuck in my head and then after I have to apply them to my own tune. That can be quite rewarding and a different way of going about it.

Q) How much of a hand do you usually have in the production of your music?

A) I write, record and produce everything.

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

A) This is just a special one-off thing. I recorded the B-side “Wisdom Shifter” specially for this release. It’s supposed to act as a counter to the subject matter of the A-side.

I do; however, have four new records that are ready to go, I’m just in the process of figuring out the right homes for them. One of them is the next step after our last album Aped Flair & Ideas and furthers that sound. One is composed of 11 songs taken from hundreds of recordings I did between 2016 and 2017. And the last two are like a meeting point between our more guitar based sound and the sound of our 2021 instrumental album The Technicolour Liquid Audio Machine.

The first of them being slightly harder and colourful feeling and the other having more trip hop, acid folk and spacey elements.

I also have an album or two in my head that I’m really amped about and need to get those recorded.

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

A) Paris and Lille are always a screaming good time. We often played for the promoter Bains De Minuit in Lille and every show was a real pleasure over the years. Two of those gigs were filmed in full, including a new upcoming concert film that was captured there in 2022.

I also have fond memories of playing in Lisbon at Psychfest 2015 and then again with The Black Angels earlier this year. But I don’t know – it’s hard to single anywhere out. We’ve had special times all over.

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with in the future?

A) I currently have a song in the works with Alex Maas from The Black Angels. Excited to see how that turns out. He performed it with us in Copenhagen recently and that was a sweet moment. Would be cool to do more with Sonic Boom. I’d love to do something with Anton Newcombe, Kurt Heasly from Lilys. Tom Fec from Black Moth Super Rainbow / Tobacco would be mega. I wanna do something with my friends in the band Levelor. I’m just listing off people whose music I really dig here. [laughs]

Q) What artists/musicians are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?

A) My friends who I just mentioned have a wicked band called Levelor. They do that dirt pop shoegaze kinda thing, but they nail it. Every song is good. It’s not as dreamy as some of that stuff, too.It’s got a punch to it. A lot of people go for that sound but make the mistake of having long, washy reverb tails on the guitars. These guys keep it dryer, it’s thick but it doesn’t leak into itself. They’ve got the grit AND the melody.

I also recently did a playlist for Studio Sparks who’ve worked on music videos for Sonic Boom and Animal Collective among others. It features a bunch of tunes including a lot of my friends who make great stuff. It’s on our Spotify page if you want to go give it a spin. There’s also another playlist called “Tunes that flipped my wig” on our profile, too. It’s a collection of music that directly influenced my own work. I think listening to those will do justice to the sound that me explaining it here just can’t.

Q) You engage with social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

A) I used to be pretty lax with it, but around 2020 I was climbing the walls and decided to give Instagram a bit of my time. I figured I’d just do the most honest thing I could with it and perform and share songs. I started making clips to go alongside both new music I was working on and songs from our back catalogue. After a while the live performances using my loop pedal became the main focus, people seemed to be identifying with them the most and it’s stayed that way since. It’s how Sonic Boom found me. It’s also how The Black Angels found me. Both Alex and Christian came across my videos, and they invited us on tour with them around Europe earlier this year. It’s showed me the potential power of social media if you use it the right way instead of posting your arse and your breakfast on it.

Q) What would you like to say to folks who are fans and supporters of you and your work?

A) Cheers for yours ears. I’ve got a shedload of new music in the wings so it’s gonna be a bountiful time for anyone who digs what we do. You’re appreciated more than you know and may you all be lucky.

 

 

All Questions Answered By Stanley Belton 

 

Watch The Video For “The Sour Truth”

 

 

Watch the Video For “Wonky“

 

Watch The Video For “Aping Flair”