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Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?
Hi! Thanks! We’ve been holding it together. While some days feel pretty monotonous and repetitive, there has been some good in the past while. Time to invest into some relationships a bit more and of course, work on creative projects, both of which have sustained our sanity.
Can you talk to us more about your latest single “Guilty Pleasure”?
For sure.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song?
Often that’s how it goes, but for this track, we really let the vibe of the music set the direction, and searched for an idea that suited it. We pull inspiration from our lives often, in little ways. The sentiment of it definitely can apply to me. For example, the metaphorical headache in verse one, is a real thing for me, and Alanna (our keyboardist) is definitely the person who helps me pull through those. There also comes the time when we look at the other and say “we should treat ourselves”. That could mean ordering in food, going on a trip, or a walk with coffee in hand.
Any plans to release any sort of video for the track?
Yes! We are soon going to announce our combined performance and lyric video. It was a lot of fun to film. Kept it simple on a green screen, showcasing some “guilty pleasures” and just having fun. Most of all we hope people can vibe with it.
The single comes off your new album Relationship Status– what’s the story behind the title?
All of the tracks on the album talk about a different stage in a significant, romantic relationship. A lot of it is quite personal to me, but a couple of them are pulled from elsewhere and decorated with elements of my own relationship with Alanna. It’s about the evolution of a relationship.
How was the recording and writing process?
Guilty Pleasure was started with Collins’ suggestion (our bassist) to write a track on a simple two chord progression while at a writing getaway weekend we booked at a chalet north of Montreal, January 2020. Collin is also part of Flara K, the featured artist, which is fronted by the amazingly talented Sam Martel, who also joined us for the writing weekend. We mainly put down some ideas then, and came back to it a month or two later at their apartment. It wasn’t actually until July of 2020 that we finished writing the track, joined by our friend Maya Malkin, who is an incredible artist in her own right! Recording was almost entirely done remotely, except for a socially distanced vocal session. We all have recording setups, so we just sent files and recording sessions back and forth until all the pieces came together.
What role does Montreal play in your music?
We all met here in Montreal – Justin and Joey in college, Alanna and Joey at the Upstairs Jazz Bar, and Collin through organizing shows for our own separate project. People just want to make good meaningful art here, so that nourishes a lot of creativity. We love this city so much.
What aspect of relationships did you get to explore on this record?
I’ll list it off: 1. Going through financial struggles, and the accompanying stress 2. Keeping that giddy feeling alive after a long run 3. Struggling to commit to the relationship when it gets into long term territory 4. Waiting to see if the other person is going to commit 5. Miscommunicating about your values and priorities, and trying to work through it 6. Going through depression, and having support from your partner 7. Looking forward with optimism after realizing all that you’ve been through.
Where else did you find the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?
Often, it comes from the other co-writers on the song. If it comes from your own lives, there’s going to be truth that resonates in it.
What else is happening next in What If Elephants’ world?
We are working really hard on the next releases, all the visuals, videos, and trying to get ready for live performances. We hope to tour in the next year or so, obviously depending on how things go with all the Covid stuff. However we can, we just want to create things that connect with people and bring people together, whether it’s live, recorded, online, or in person.
Listen to “Guilty Pleasure” here: https://soundcloud.com/whatifelephants/guilty-pleasure-ft-flara-k
