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1.) We’re very excited to be speaking today with lead singer Drew d’Lakes of nontraditional pop band extraordinaire d’Lakes; holiday greetings and salutations, Drew! Before we dive into the proverbial Q&A mosh-pit, could you say ‘hi’ and introduce our ever-inquisitive readers to all of the members of d’Lakes?
Hi friends! It’s an honor to be able to talk to chat with amazing readers of Vents, here’s the quick rundown of all of us in d’Lakes: My name is Drew, I do all the writing and singing for the band, we also have Ben on drums, Alma on guitar, Patrick on synths, and Graydon on bass. We decided that all of our last names are d’Lakes, because why not haha.
2.) Major congratulations on the brand-spankin’ new LP release from the d’Lakes, Heaven Is A Silent Disco! Can you talk a little bit about what inspired one of the very best album releases of 2023?
Thank you! This album has a lot of twists and turns on it, but it primarily focuses on me feeling the consequences of an ended relationship morphing into the triumph of a truly outstanding relationship with my, now, fiancé. So much of my writing focuses on the way I interact with other people, because every one of us is complicated and full of depth, which really makes for interesting songwriting opportunities. I wanted to work towards a very happy end point in Heaven Is A Silent Disco, because I was tired of painful endings in the media.
3.) We’re personally wild about the tune Pendulum of Appreciation off of the new Heaven Is A Silent Disco album! What’s the story behind this little ditty of a tune?
Pendulum was super fun to write, it came together in a day and I mostly had an idea of how I wanted it to sound. I was about half a year into being together with my fiancé and I was feeling very fulfilled by that. I remember visiting my grandparents in Florida, and coming up with the chorus on the first day. I sent it to my fiancé and he encouraged me to expand it, so over the next few hours I came up with the remainder of the song. I wanted to reflect on the evils of adulthood and how love can conquer the pains of being forced into a poorly structured world. I really was sick and tired of the “uncherished” days and found that love made me find ways to bring more appreciation into every moment.
4.) Did you do the producing honors on Heaven Is A Silent Disco and – if so – what are the pros to serving as your own producer?
I did! I’ve been recording and producing music since I was in high school and haven’t stopped yet. Although I went to music school, I don’t fully have the vocabulary needed to convey all my ideas and so it’s really nice to be able to sit down, know exactly how I want to make a section sound and just do it. There are some really hyper fixated details in each song and knowing myself, if I was having someone else do it, I probably wouldn’t speak up enough to get all my visions fully realized, so it’s just easier to learn and do it myself. That being said, our drummer Ben came up with all the drum and percussion parts, our synth player Patrick came up with a bunch of the synth parts along with some help from our good friend Avery who was temporarily filling in for Patrick while he was living out of state. Additionally, our bass player Graydon came up with a lot of the parts for Not So So-So Anymore and Stasis on Track.
5.) How is Heaven Is A Silent Disco similar to some of the past music of d’Lakes such as Unforgettable Cheer? How is it different?
Unforgettable Cheer focused solely on the happier parts of a relationship in a very needed way since it was released right as we were emerging from covid lockdown, regardless of the fact that it wasn’t painting the whole picture. In that sense, the vibe of the album hints towards the place Heaven Is A Silent Disco ends at, except with HIASD, there’s a much more earnest and truthful peace that I find myself in as the album wraps up. In terms of production, I definitely still have some fun layered bass parts, we switch back and forth between programmed drums and live drums, every instrument is brought out to the max to make sure it feels highlighted. The one thing I’d say contrasts between the two albums is the production and subject matter feel much more serious on HIASD than on Unforgettable Cheer. Which can be good or bad I guess haha.
6.) In the wake of the release of Heaven Is A Silent Disco, can fans look forward to catching d’Lakes on the touring/performing circuit?
Hopefully! We’d really like to make stops in a bunch of major cities – I’m very wimpy when it comes to cold weather, so maybe we could do a southern tour in the winter and northern tour in the summer, I wouldn’t mind that – for now though, you can absolutely find us in Minnesota!
7.) Who inspires the band musically?
Oh man… so many bands. Most of the band members are actually jazz musicians first and foremost. So to just randomly name names regardless of genre, of Montreal, KNOWER, The Fiery Furnaces, The B-52’s, Architecture in Helsinki, Locate S,1, Albert Ayler, Alice Coltrane, Laura Nyro, Bill Frisell, Max Roach, Stewart Copeland’s Spryo OST, Chairlift, Xenon’s song Hawaiian Dreams, ABBA, I could go on forever haha.
8.) In your humble opinion, what differentiates Heaven Is A Silent Disco from the distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene?
I think the list of artists we listen to and love is a huge one. A lot of the artists we love had the “singularity thing” going on and so it’s really fun to draw inspiration from people who were thinking in an otherworldly way! Another huge one is our positivity. I’m a gay man who’s avoided a lot of gay media, because it seems to always end with tragedy or loss, so I wanted to create queer media that says “hey, you can also fall in love! You can also celebrate it! It’s not easy all the time, but it’s pretty fun to be gay, here’s an outlet for that!” There’s also an element of wanting dramatic love stories for the queer community that end well… I guess my goal is to make gay people happily cry haha.
9.) How did the d’Lakes come together as the tight band which we hear on Heaven Is A Silent Disco? Is there a Vh1-Behind the Music secret origin story you could share with
us?
Haha yes! So Ben and I have been friends forever because we grew up in the same neighborhood and were in our first band together! We got to write 2 albums and play some really awesome shows together! He’s also the one who helps me with all the mixing on the album and records all the drums on his own (recording is something we’ve both loved since we were young, but he got me into it)! Patrick and I met through Ben and instantly clicked over our shared interest of sharing our interests haha, but actually though, we definitely have a brotherly bond (I actually just came back from hanging out with him), Graydon is an incredible fixture in the Minneapolis jazz community and I also met him through Ben. When we were first getting the band together, I showed Ben some of the bass parts I was thinking of and he instantly told me Graydon could do it, and oh my god has he delivered! Also we’re both nuts for Halloween, so it makes our annual Halloween shows super freaky haha. Alma is the newest member of d’Lakes and also plays in the band SPACE with Patrick. Alma inspires me so much, their understanding of music is beyond me, and their encouragement to make it weirder and more fun is exactly what I need to keep me feeling creative. They also make me laugh 100% of the time!
10.) At the end of the day, what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving Heaven Is A Silent Disco many-a-spin on their respective turn-tables?
I would be so thrilled if people finish listening to the new album and instantly think of someone they love. And they reach out to them, and they tell them how important they are in their life, and then they reconnect, and they realize they were meant to be together, and they have a great life together, and they model what a good relationship looks like. Or they just feel motivated to think outside the box and do something wild! Thanks so much for chatting!
