Based in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Bruner is a singer/songwriter and guitarist whose recent debut album blew me away! Titled ‘My Descent Into Madness’ it features ten eclectic and genre-blending tunes that I refuse to try and place in some sort of “genre-box”. They need to be heard to be fully appreciated and understood.
Desperate to find out more about the artist behind the music, I was overjoyed when Bruner agreed to an interview! Chatting with us about the days of banging on pots and pans, what he loves about being a musician, and which of his lyrics he’d like to see printed on a T-shirt, please give a big welcome to our new friend Bruner!
Welcome aboard Bruner! I’m so excited to introduce you to our audience! I love discovering artists still in their infancy musically! When did your love affair with music begin?
I’ve loved music since an extremely young age. As a young kid, I was always exposed to many different sounds. My dad showed me a ton of different music throughout my childhood, ranging all the way from The Flaming Lips to Future Islands to Fetty Wap. I was always listening to something new and was always extremely excited by the different tracks I was introduced to. This led me to–literally–banging on pots and pans with my school friends, trying to make any and all kinds of sounds; I felt like I was always making some kind of music.
At the young age of eight, I would sit in my closet and play melodies on my recorder and toy guitar. With a pen and paper, I wrote down pretty much brainless lyrics. I actually started to produce my “songs” on the family iPad’s GarageBand and slowly started to impress my family and friends with what I was doing. Eventually, I got my first computer. From there, it got pretty serious and I started making real arrangements that sounded, well, listenable. The rest is history I guess.
I must admit…I’ve fallen rather hard for your debut full-length album ‘My Descent Into Madness’. From ‘Granola’ to ‘Won’t Last’ and everything in between, it’s easily been one of my favourite discoveries of the year! How proud are you of the record?
I would have to say, I’m extremely proud of this record. I definitely want to say a huge thanks to Fritz Rango and Whippet for helping me put this together. I think part of the reason we were so successful was because of our ability to get together with ideas in mind and just work. Work days in the “Whippet basement” were extremely productive and they really paid off. The support we’ve been getting so far has been incredible so, I’m super happy with how it turned out and I’m glad you all are enjoying it.
It was only eight months ago that you released ‘Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy’, your debut EP. The tunes off of it have more of an alternative country vibe when compared to ‘My Descent Into Madness’. What brought about the change in sound?
Several factors established this change in sound. I would say the main reason would be the increased presence that Whippet has on this record, which contributed a lot to the louder and noisier aspects of the sound. I really kinda knew from the start that the sound could come from controlling some of the elements Whippet does in their own stuff with a slight shift in mood. Also, a big portion of the drastic change in vibe comes from the theme being drastically different from before. This album pulled directly from my own dark experiences and focused on a more alt-punk vibe rather than a more alt-country thing. As soon as I released ‘Everybody Wants to Be a Cowboy,’ I began working on this piece and I think that over the course of the eight months, I was able to tell the exact story I hoped I could.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Throughout life, it’s changed a lot. I grew up with Bon Iver, Sufjan, Iron & Wine, Death Cab for Cutie, and those kinds of guys. M. Ward was another big one. I remember listening to ‘Transistor Radio’ as a little kid and thinking, man I wish I could play like that. I’m not there yet, but hopefully someday. Currently, like every other indie rock artist in the world, I have been listening to a lot of post-punk. Geese, black midi, and Shame have been in rotation a lot recently.
I really look up to the intricacies and writing of all the creations of these new bands. I hope maybe someday I’m able to put together a record with some of my friends that can accomplish the same kind of thing. I would also have to say that the production of King Krule and Jean Dawson have both been huge inspirations for me as of late. Hearing each of their most recent 2023 releases (‘Space Heavy’ and ‘NO SZNS’) was elemental in the creation of ‘My Descent Into Madness’; each of those artists continues to blow me away. I would also have to say that the abstract stuff of Fritz and Whippet continues to inspire me every time we work together. Sometimes it’s so extreme that it shocks me and becomes almost unlistenable, but man is it exciting. I gotta say, it’s all really a melting pot of the various musical–and non-musical–pieces of art that I consume daily.
What aspects of being a musician do you cherish most? And on the flip side of that, what would you say have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve encountered?
I love the ability to witness and experience an idea from the abstract being developed and translated into an idea that is executed and existent in the real world. This comes on small scales and in grand displays; whether it be for an album or a quick improv line in a jam sesh. I’ve gotten pretty good at interpreting and expanding on the ideas in my head and it really excites me when it can turn into something so powerful–like this project. I think one of the biggest challenges can be collaboration, mainly with disagreements on what fits and what doesn’t. The guys in Whippet sometimes come up with these absurd and unimaginable melody lines when we’re recording and it often is just not something my listeners–or myself, for that matter–are ready for yet. Ultimately, however, I think all of the challenges I encounter as an artist are usually pretty easy to resolve, and the errors that sometimes occur often create something even better than expected in the first place.
Which of your lyrics would you like to see printed on a T-shirt?
Even though they sound a little awkward and silly, I’d either want to print “How come I never got to post you on my Instagram more than once?” (‘How Come?’) or “Spending all my time waiting on a text from you” (‘Another Slow Song’) simply because of how important they are to the focus of the album as a whole. Both of these lyrics I see as representative of this dystopian “post-lockdown”, social media state for dating. We have become so dependent on our phones to communicate with loved ones that I feel we often get so detached from reality and unaware of what’s truly important. That’s sorta what I was trying to get at through those lines. I guess I’ve also always thought it would be funny to add the simple line, “talk to her,” on an article of clothing or something along those lines. I just love listening back to the project and hearing the number of times I use it. I thought it turned out to be a neat motif.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said, “Without music, life would be a mistake.” What would your life look like without music in it and what fills your days when you’re not busy creating?
Without music, I probably wouldn’t be doing much. I guess I would’ve ended up a better visual artist and most likely would have taken that whole route all together. I think, just because of the way I am, I really need some way of expressing my creativity. On top of that, listening to music is equally as important to me. When I am working on anything that is not already music, I have headphones on playing some kind of music. When I walk the dog, when I cook, when I go to sleep, I’m always listening to music. And the only time that I’m not creating or listening, I’m probably just spending time chilling with friends. But–the thing is–these are the same dudes I’m making music with. We all look for the same things in life, which mostly end up revolving around music and other things pertaining to sound and art. The simple answer to this question is that I can’t say I really know what I would be doing; life probably would be a mistake. So, I guess I would have to say that I totally agree with Nietzsche.
Thanks for chatting with us Bruner, it’s been great getting to know you a little better! What comes next for you musically?
Thanks for having me guys! I will say there is a lot planned for the future. I can’t speak on it too much right now, but I do hope that I continue to expand on my collaboration with Whippet and Fritz Rango, which seems like it is currently in the works. I have also spoken to many new artists after the release of ‘My Descent Into Madness’ and it sounds like I should be getting to work with some other amazing talents in the near future.
Other than collaboration, which is certainly at the core of what I am doing currently, I hope to get some more live shows going. After doing a short set at Whippet’s “Whippet Live,” I realized how fun and different performing live is. I hope to, at least by next summer, get some more spots at different shows and potentially even perform at a real venue. For now, I’m just gonna have to keep creating. Although I don’t exactly know where all of this is going to take me, I’m having a ton of fun and I don’t plan on stopping any time soon.
