9+1 Q&A with THUMPER

What inspired you to first start making music? And how did you come to be in your current incarnation? Or if you prefer, a brief bio about you.

I loved the Beatles and Neil Young, and whatever else my parents were playing as a kid. It wasn’t until I discovered Nirvana, and later became really into lo-fi artists like Daniel Johnston or The Moldy Peaches, that I considered becoming a songwriter or performing live an attainable goal. The genius of those acts wasn’t rooted in some super human technique or prodigal musicianship, it was the songs that were king – and it felt like a club I could be part of. While everyone in THUMPER comes from different musical backgrounds and interests, the one thing we all have in common is a reverence for songwriting, over everything else.

Provide us with some info about your latest release…

We recently released (You’re Bringing Me) Down, which is the second single from our upcoming EP Out of Body Auto-Message. It’s a warped 7 minute psych-fest with an equally queasy music video, directed by Joshua DeLanoit. The EP was produced by Dan Fox (of Girl Band) and is our first foray into studio recording, after 3 super lo-fi EPs. Dan was instrumental in translating the scuzz and gnarl of those early records into a more widescreen effort.

Which ones would you consider your main influences both music-wise & non-music-wise?

We’re based in Dublin and the music scene here is a constant source of inspiration. There are a million bands, each pushing the envelope harder than the last; Just Mustard, Joey Gavin, Myles Manley, Meltrybrains? to mention just a few. Outside of music, there are a lot contemporary Irish writers and comedians who’s influence bleeds into our process for sure; Stephen James Smith, Blindboy Boatclub, Dylan Moran – these people write with towering humility and inventiveness in equal measures, usually with hilarious or heartbreaking results.

In what way does your sound differ from the rest genre-related artists/bands and why should we listen to your music? In other words, how would you describe your sound?

If you like your pop music loud and blown out, or your noise-jams sickly and sweet then you might like what we’re about. Think Sonic Youth vs ABBA, and you’re on the right track.

Please name your 3 desert islands albums, movies & books…

Sonic Youth – Daydream Nation
Elliott Smith – Figure 8
Parquet Courts – Sunbathing Animal

Jurassic Park 2, Matrix Reloaded, 2010 A Space Odyssey

A Visit From The Goon Squad – Jennifer Egan
Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
Naked Lunch – Burroughs

Do you prefer studio or performing live and why?

Both are spent trying to bottle something elusive or ambiguous, and often the finish line is a constantly shifting goal post. But if you do manage to bottle the lighting, there’s no feeling like it. Asking us to choose one or the other is like trying to pick a favorite child!

Is there any funny-unique story you would like to share with us, always in relation to your music ‘career’?

We played a festival in Ireland during the summer, and our show got shut down by health and safety for breaking the sound limit. We were playing inside a castle, and the windows were shaking and shit was falling off the ceiling. A bunch of high-vis lump men stormed the place and made us stop playing. It was the first time a show had been shut down by the volume police in the 10+ years the festival had been running. Kind of proud of that one.

Which track of your own would you point out as the most unique and why?

We try to imbue each track with it’s own identity, but I suppose our current single (You’re Bringing Me) Down is unique in that it was our first foray into writing long form, droney songs, that didn’t rely too heavily on traditional pop structures – verse,chorus,verse,bridge,chorus, chorus – etc. Strangely enough, it’s also our first single that’s gained decent traction on radio and Spotify. Go figure.

Would you like to share with our readers your future plans?

We’ve been touring and writing like crazy this year, but we’ve still got a few exciting shows up our sleeve. We can’t announce some of them yet, but we recently did a homecoming show in the Workmans Club, Dublin on Nov 30th.

Free question!!! (Ask yourself a question) you wish to answer and haven’t been given the opportunity…

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Curated by: Christos Doukakis

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