Cardiff-based post-rockers Aaronson have produced, undoubtedly, one of my favourite albums of the year. Fully instrumental and deeply immersive, it’s a sonic marvel of epic proportions. I just had to know more about the brains behind the band, and was delighted when they agreed to be interviewed by us.
Chatting about what it’s taken to get them where they are, how they take an idea and turn it into a song, and what ties the band together other than music, please give a big welcome to our new friends Aaronson!
Hey guys, it’s awesome to have you here! I just have to say…Your brand new album has absolutely floored me! It’s genius! With 2020’s ‘You Are Not a Stranger Here’ being your introduction as a band, what has led you to where you are today?
It’s an absolute pleasure – thank you so much for the feedback! People really seem to be enjoying ‘The Great Swells That Carry Us Will Pull Us Under’, we’ve had some wonderful comments. The band has existed in various forms since about 2016 but it wasn’t really until Morgan (drums/piano) joined at the end of 2019 that it really started to feel like the band we wanted it to be. Almost like everything up to that point was a necessary part of the evolution. We had some really positive feedback from ‘You Are Not a Stranger Here’, and having it available to stream I think gave us a platform to push on in terms of the shows we were playing, which in turn then informed how we wanted to sound and write.
Getting around to the new album…It’s 43 minutes and 26 seconds of pure sonic bliss – I simply cannot get enough! I’ve also always been intrigued by instrumental music. How was that bold choice made?
Again, wow, thank you for the kind words. We always knew we were going to be an instrumental act, none of us has any interest (or the ability for that matter!) in being a vocalist or making traditional pop songs so I guess the music we write has never been written with vocals in mind. We try to write to our strengths showcasing dynamic composition and melodic structure using guitars and keyboard instruments where necessary.
Is there an underlying message to ‘The Great Swells That Carry Us Will Pull Us Under’ or is that left completely up to the listener’s interpretation?
There’s a vague narrative there, but I like to think we’ve provided a framework of scenarios using the music and the titles onto which the listener can project their own experiences and interpretations. That’s why we love instrumental music – you aren’t thematically contained by the limitations of lyrics and for me personally that makes it more emotive and powerful.
Your sound will likely appeal to fans of acts like Explosions in the Sky, Mogwai, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and Mono. Have those bands been inspirational for you? Who are you influenced by?
Short answer, yes. I (Tom) heard ‘Come on Die Young’ by Mogwai when I was in high school and it was unlike anything I’d ever heard. We’ve all got pretty wide-ranging influences though which feed into our writing. Alternative rock, progressive rock, shoegaze, indie, ambient, emo, metal – I don’t think we should start listing artists cos we’d be here a while!
We’re always intrigued by the different approaches that bands and artists turn to in their creative process or processes. Can you tell our readers a bit about yours? How do you take an idea and turn it into a complete song?
We started using Ableton Live as a tool quite early on, the way you can trigger clips and manipulate ideas on the fly became quite central to the songwriting approach and gives you this really engaging way of arranging ideas. One of us will have an idea or a few ideas, and we’ll get it into Ableton on the grid and just start messing with it. We use loopers live as a result of this, it gives us way more scope as a three-piece to fill out a song.
Besides music, what other interests tie you all together? Walk us through a non-music day in the life of Aaronson and its members.
I would say there are two major factors – nature and the outdoors, the world around us, and our day-to-day lives, work and family. We’re pretty busy with the latter, so when we do get the chance to write and rehearse things can come together quite quickly!
If you were allowed to collaborate with one musician or band, who would you choose?
You are never going to get a consensus from us on this! As I say I do feel we cover a lot of ground between the three of us… It could also change from week to week. I would say generally, having the validation from one of our key influences would be incredible, pick anyone from the list above and if you told us that “so-and-so from x legendary post-rock band wants to remix your song” I think we’d all be biting hands off to make it happen.
Thanks so much for chatting with us guys! Before we let you go, what comes next for the project?
We’ve started writing for the next release but it’s too early to say what form that will take at this stage. We’re playing a few shows in the North of England with our mates in the incredible False Hope for the Savage in a few weeks, then trying to book more shows for the Autumn/Winter as ‘The Great Swells That Carry Us Will Pull Us Under’ vinyl should be with us by then.
I expect our label Dirty Carrot Records will want us to shift some of those! Thank you for having us, and thanks for listening.
