2016 has been off to a roaring start with great music coming in from all directions.
2016 has been off to a roaring start with great music coming in from all directions. There have been heavyweight releases like David Bowie’s Blackstar and seminal debuts like MMOTHS’ Luneworks, but one of the more interesting directions great music has come out of in 2016 so far has to be the solitary room where Manhattan’s Porches crafter their new record.
Pool, out now on Domino Records, has quickly become one of the more celebrated records of the year thus far thanks in large part to its inviting synth environment and introspective motifs. It’s a huge success for Porches especially as they abandon their unassuming indie rock past, yet with that success inevitably comes the need for clarification and deconstruction of the music. Unfortunately, if you’re looking to Porches to give you the Rosetta stone to their music, you’re only setting yourself up for a huge disappointment.
“What I feel comfortable putting out into the world emotionally is what is out there in my songs.” That’s Porches mastermind Aaron Maine explaining his hesitation and doubt over talking about his music. Though the band is still nascent in its popularity, Maine clarified that this isn’t the case of “getting used” to interviews and questions. Instead, he expounded on the idea that the best answers he could possibly give would always be found in his music. “A lot of the time, I don’t know what I was thinking when I was writing the songs so it’s hard to give an answer when I’m pressed further about this song or that lyric. I think Joanna Newsom said, ‘If I could tell you what this song was about, then I wouldn’t have written the song’ or something amazing like that.”
If you’re looking to find out the backstory on each song, Porches may not be the band for you, but Maine’s reluctance to elaborate on his songs doesn’t mean he’s unwilling to speak on the album’s genesis and process. Pool was record entirely by Maine in his newly-leased Manhattan apartment where he fully immersed himself in the process of making music, even if he was unaware when an album would come. “I feel like I never really set out with a goal to make an album,” Maine pondered. “I’ve just been constantly making music and when there seems to be a reoccurring theme, that sort of lets me know it’s time to start compiling a record.”
This process helped Maine from becoming “crazy overwhelmed” as he put it and also allowed him to better experiment with a sound that was almost a complete 180 from his previous work. “I remember spending a lot of time learning how to get your guitar to sound like a number one billboard hit,” Maine recalled. He ended up utilizing the music software Logic Pro X to help him further push his sound in a new direction, even if he wasn’t quite sure what he was doing most of the time. “I mean, I had record music before but not like this,” Maine reasoned. “Logic’s pretty user friendly though. I took it as far as I could and then when I hit a roadblock, I would just go down the YouTube tutorial spiral. Luckily, I also had a handful of friends who were recording producers and engineers so I would have them come over to give me some tips too.”
As he became more adept at utilizing Logic and the new sound gear he purchased, Pool began to take shape, not only from the need to branch out musically, but also from his new surroundings. “[Pool] naturally reflects the sort of transitional period I was in,” he detailed. “Settling into a new place, trying new things, feeling like I’m growing. I’m usually pretty guttural so of course it’s directly related to my surroundings at that time. I wasn’t struggling though. More just finding my way and music has always been my way of getting through that.”
Even if Maine won’t elaborate on the song’s meanings and background, it’s easy to infer this feeling of cautious discovery throughout the record. The lush synth instrumentation provides a welcoming atmosphere on Pools, but there’s also a very tangible feeling of discontent that almost pushes against it as it attempts to resolve itself. One could also speculate that many of the album’s more solitary moments might be reflected by the distance felt between Maine and his girlfriend Greta Kline (better known by the stage name Frankie Cosmos). The momentum continues to grow for each artist, pulling them in almost different directions with tour and festival obligations which ultimately means less and less time spent with each other. “It’s difficult,” Maine bluntly stated, “if only because I wish it didn’t have to be that way, but really, it’s fine. She’s doing great and I feel like I’m doing as well. Going out on the road helps because in a way, it’s healthy to focus on our projects. Getting behind it and believing it – that takes a lot of mental real estate so there’s no real room for mixing of relationships. It’s militant almost, but of course, there’s still always a part of you that misses that connection.”
Regardless of where the songs come from, Pool remains an astonishing work that served as a huge surprise for anyone who’s followed Maine’s career. That change isn’t even complete as Maine detailed and it’s something he’s eager to keep attacking. “I always want to keep growing and continue to get better at my craft,” he stated. “There’s endless room for improvement and I will always find that really exciting. I feel like I honed in on a particular vision for this record and I definitely want to do that again. Take what I worked with, use it again, and try to create something that feels even newer and fresher next time around. I’m not even close, but I’m just excited to keep trying to get there.”
Porches play Strange Matter tonight along with Alex G and Your Friend for an early show with doors at 7 PM. Tickets are $14 and for more information on the show, click here.
