The Sometimes Island – Acapulco

By starrymag | October 18, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

A) We are a tropical indie pop band – it’s synth-forward beach music.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

A) Two answers. For my production style, I love EDM – that’s where all the best synth stuff is happening, even though a lot of that is software synths. Most of the specifically synth-focused music, with analog gear and all that – gets bogged down in hipsterdom. For songwriting – I’m a big Harry Nilsson fan. I love how his songs are almost like children’s songs and speak to this universal appreciation for harmony that it seems like we’re born with. I love the vocal layers you hear in classic bands like The Beatles and The Beach Boys. I like Post Malone a lot. He’s a new classic.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Acapulco.”

A) “Acapulco” is the story of uprooting my life and trying something new. I moved to Albuquerque from Los Angeles in the middle of the pandemic for essentially no reason.

 

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

A) I don’t want to toot my own horn too much but it’s a bop. I write catchy songs and unabashedly try to get them stuck in people’s heads. That riff at the beginning – we kind of knew right away this was a good one. The lyrics revolve around longing and the chords are kind of like a circle that never resolves, so it matches up. It’s about the journey, not the destination, you know?

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

A) I was hesitant to do a narrative music video – one that tells a story with a beginning, end and beats in the middle – rather than something more art-house like a visualizer. It brings the lyrics to life. The lyrics tell a story, and the music video does a fantastic job of telling that story exactly as the lyrics tell it.

 

Q) What is your songwriting process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

A) I have an idea and it’s a melody, beat and harmony that I hear in my head. It starts as a nonsensical voice note on my phone. It’s hard to describe because there is no cut-and-dry process. Imagine being hungry and having a fridge full of every ingredient known to humankind and it’s time to cook dinner. That’s what songwriting is. You narrow it down because that is way too overwhelming. You might be hungry for tacos, so you use taco ingredients – whatever that means to you – and put your own twist on them. Super-authentic Mexican tacos? Vegan Thai tacos? I communicate through tacos.

 

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

A) I do it all! Production is very much a part of the songwriting process for me. It’s how I bring the unique sound to a particular song. It grew out of necessity. When I was a kid in bands, the other members could never get what I heard in my head to happen in real life. Over time, I’ve been getting closer and closer to communicating a complete vision from idea to reality and producing the music is a huge part of that.

 

Q) Beverly and Barbara was such a success! Will there be a full album or a new EP coming soon?

A) I love this. Thank you. I take it as a compliment, like when you finish a season of a TV show and you’re immediately searching “WHEN DOES THE NEXT SEASON COME OUT?!” I’m always writing and producing new music. Beverly and Barbara is still a baby. We’ll release some singles next year. I’m going to wait a beat until everyone’s hungry again before we drop an entire new batch of tacos on the world.

 

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

A) The Troubadour in LA is special. You can feel the history in the floor of the stage. So much famous sweat has soaked into there and it’s a palpable energy. I particularly like playing in Oregon. Going on tour there, surrounded by these towering, misty forests just makes me feel really small, and in awe of the natural beauty. It really makes touring feel like an adventure and not a job. I love my job.

 

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

A) It would be cool to do a song with Channel Tres. I love what he’s doing; it feels and sounds new, which is rare. He’s different enough from the music I’m writing and similar enough that it would work. I’d like to collaborate with someone that isn’t doing exactly what we are.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

A) I’ve been digging into the past lately, and I’ve been putting Simian Mobile Disco’s Attack Decay Sustain Release on heavy rotation. The synth sounds that they are getting are just mind-blowing. It’s such an inspiration. I’m listening to it in master quality, and it also blows my mind how dumbed down our ears have gotten listening to mp3s. You would think technology would make music sound higher quality over time, not worse. That album is so crisp.

 

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

A) Aren’t we all? It’s a way to create a personal connection with a large audience. Everybody wants to have “their” band, and a window into our lives is so important. It’s a way to announce stuff and keep people updated on news surrounding the band, but when it’s at its best it’s like, us screwing around and what we’re up to as people.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

A) I’d like to say thank you. I’m so full of gratitude to be connected to you and for you to be listening to us. I’d also like to say that we’re here and you can just reach out and say hi and we’ll be real people and talk to you. That’s my favorite part of all of this, is connecting to people. That’s what it’s all about. Let us know where to come next on tour and we’ll be there.

 

 

 

All Questions Answered By Frontman Matt Blankenship Jr