Object X is the dreamy, shoegazy, and ethereal musical project of Nevada-based father-daughter duo Greg and Rachael Fuhs. I was one of a few lucky listeners to get an early peek at their debut album ‘Infinite Nothing’, and the lush, hypnotic, and cinematic record instantly won me over!
Intrigued to learn more about this incredibly talented twosome, I was thrilled when they agreed to an interview! Greg takes us through some of his biggest influences and which song he’d “steal” if he could, while Rachael tells us about what it’s like to work with her dad and just how important music is in her life. So…Without further ado, please give a big welcome to our new friends Greg and Rachael from Object X!
Welcome aboard Greg and Rachael! I can’t wait to introduce you to our ever-growing audience! I believe you’re the first father-daughter musical duo that I’ve come across, and I’m wondering how that dynamic shapes the music you create.
Greg: Thanks for having us! I feel incredibly lucky to be able to create music with not only an amazing vocalist but also my daughter Rachael. Since we’ve always gotten along well and have a fair amount of overlap in our musical preferences, I think we have a natural bond and mutual understanding that works really well in the studio. Generally, I write the music and lyrics and as we get to recording give Rachael some idea of the vocal delivery I’m looking for. She always delivers a top-notch performance, but she’s also an adult with a lot of vocal training and experience, so she’s not afraid to bring her own ideas to the table – and frankly, they are often better than mine!
Rachael: He basically said everything I was going to say! I also feel incredibly lucky to have a musical bond with my dad, and it helps that we have similar tastes in music when working together. I think we both have pretty good ears and are good at communicating feedback with each other as well when making music.
I’ve been fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at your debut full-length album before its official release on Spotify, and it’s a record that has truly stolen my heart! How proud are you of ‘Infinite Nothing’?
Greg: Thanks, I’m glad you like it! Honestly, I feel it is the best work I’ve ever done as a musician and I’ve done a lot that I’m very proud of, including previously releasing two albums plus with my other band Anti-Social Club and contributing to various other bands over the years. But ‘Infinite Nothing’ was the first album I was able to write, record, and produce largely on my own (although with a lot of great input, obviously, from Rachael as well as some other key collaborators), and the starting point was from a place of confidence in my ability to achieve the musical vision I had in mind, along with knowing I had as much time as I needed to get it right. I think the end result speaks for itself.
Rachael: I’m incredibly proud of this album. Dad did most of the work and this album wouldn’t have been possible without him, so he deserves massive credit! I think because our tastes in music align, and the fact that it was just the two of us working on it, the songs are some of my favorite songs he’s ever written. I’ve also seen his skills in music production develop over time and that is reflected in this album. ‘Infinite Nothing’ is definitely my favorite project I’ve gotten to participate in.
I imagine this might be like asking you to pick a favorite child, but which song from the album are you most excited about and why?
Greg: You’re right, it IS like asking to pick a favorite child, haha! I really think that every song is as strong as the next, in different ways. But if I HAD to pick a favorite, I suppose for me it would be ‘Insomnia’. For one, even though that was actually the last song I wrote for ‘Infinite Nothing’, I made it the leadoff track because it very nicely sets the tone and theme for the rest of the album, which is essentially a “dreamgaze” journey through existential despair, wonder, and hope. If you like this song, you’ll definitely like the rest! Secondly, we’ve been promoting it as the de facto “single” from the album and are working on a video to go with it (hopefully out by the time this article posts, or if not, soon after) which has been a fun project in itself. The feedback I’ve been getting from listeners thus far on ‘Insomnia’ has also been very positive, so that’s been really exciting and gratifying as well!
Rachael: It’s hard to pick just one, but if I had to pick it would probably be ‘Out of Place’. I just think the build-up throughout the song is so good and the use of the audio from the Dracula movie was a really cool idea. The guitar and drums are also really well done on this song in my opinion. It’s just such an earworm and I never skip it on my playlist! Honestly, I think our darker songs are some of our best work and this song is an example of that.
Who would you put down as some of your biggest musical influences and who would you ultimately credit for helping shape and mould your overall sound?
Greg: It shifts around a bit but generally I list my biggest influences as bands like The Church, The Cure, Love & Rockets, and Pink Floyd. For Object X specifically, I’d also list more dream pop and shoegaze bands like Slowdive and Beach House. For helping directly shape and mould our sound, I would be remiss to not give significant credit to our post-production and mastering engineer who goes by the name Wave Mechanic. I’m a pretty good songwriter and have become a decent producer, but he has been instrumental in taking my pretty well-crafted recordings and making them shine. As we say in the acknowledgements on the CD, if ‘Infinite Nothing’ sounds good, it’s because of the band; if it sounds great, it’s because of Wave Mechanic.
Rachael: I’ll leave this question for my dad, as he’s the producer of our music. I fully agree with everything he said!
If you each had the chance to claim any song in the world as your own, which one would you choose and why?
Greg: That’s a tough one, and if I thought about it too long I would never be able to give you an answer, so I’ll just go with the first song that popped into mind, which is ‘If Only Tonight We Could Sleep’ by The Cure. I’ve listened to that song probably hundreds of times over the 35-ish years since it was released, and every time I hear it I get completely blissfully lost in its exquisite, gorgeous melodies and instrumentation coupled with Robert Smith’s hauntingly beautiful vocals. I can only dream that I could one day write a song as amazing and timeless as that.
Rachael: I’m also going with the first song that pops into my head since there are hundreds I could choose from. If I had to pick one song it’d probably be ‘Open the Floodgates’ by The Smile, a “spin-off” band of Radiohead. It’s probably one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, and would highly recommend listening to it if you haven’t.
I’m a sucker for having to know the origins of a band’s name. I just can’t help myself! How exactly did Object X come about?
Greg: When Rachael and I started working together on this project, we needed to call it something, and for a while, I was just informally calling it “Project X” as a placeholder. When it came time to pick a real name, I found myself kind of liking the placeholder as a starting point. I especially liked that kind of mysterious/unknown feel it had, which also had a ring of truth since at the time we didn’t really know where we were going with this music. Around the same time, I recalled reading about a strange and massive star in a neighboring galaxy that astronomers call Object X. Although it’s shrouded in dust and barely detectable in visible light it’s apparently the brightest mid-infrared object in that entire galaxy. That concept fascinated me, and I also realized the music we were creating had a bit of a spacey feel to it, and we ourselves were barely detectable but trying to shine brightly, musically speaking. Ultimately the name was cool and not taken and seemed a good fit, so we grabbed it!
What do you love most about being musicians? And on the flip side, what are some of the biggest challenges that you’ve faced so far?
Greg: For me, writing, recording, and releasing music is a creative outlet that I never get tired of (even if I naturally need a little break sometimes), and it brings me great fulfilment and catharsis. I love the process of developing songs and I love when the finished pieces are discovered and appreciated by listeners. The biggest challenge by far is just getting that music out in front of a large and receptive audience. There are so many barriers to being heard – basically, we have a very saturated music marketplace filled with a lot of great artists and a potential audience with very limited time and budget to discover and absorb all that content. It can get very disheartening to put so much into the music and want it to be heard so badly, but to find that even great music has a very slim chance of reaching even a small fraction of the total audience that would enjoy it. Nonetheless, it is worth the effort, and ultimately creating the music is its own reward!
Rachael: I love the creative and emotional outlet that is making music. It’s a form of therapy for me. When it comes to singing, I’ve enjoyed it since I was a kid, and loved participating in choir. Harmonizing with people is just such an enjoyable thing for me. One struggle I’ve had to spend years overcoming is just being more confident in my singing. I used to be incredibly self-conscious about how my voice sounded, but as I’ve grown older and more and more used to singing in front of people, my confidence has grown as well. You can also hear that confidence in the development of my voice now compared to when I first started recording for Anti-Social Club.
Thank you so much for chatting with us you two! It’s been great getting to know you better. What comes next for Object X?
Greg: Thanks for having us, and we appreciate the questions! We worked on this album for over two years and have been so focused on finishing and releasing it that, to be honest, we haven’t thought much beyond that point! I think for the moment we’ll be taking a little break from writing and recording and trying to just get this album in front of as many listeners as we can. That said, I do have some other songs slowly brewing in the back of my mind, and I certainly have the drive to keep creating, so if time and the fates allow – and if Rachael’s up for it – I don’t think you’ve heard the last of us just yet!
