There’s a lot to be said about an album which feels real. Maybe that’s a ridiculous statement – other than what The Avalanches have been trying to hint at for the past 16 years, surely all records are real? But Twin Peaks‘ latest ‘Down In Heaven’ is different, rooted in something almost tangible upon listening, just one spin through ‘Butterfly’ (embedded below – Ed) should do the job. When the band explain ideas of “back porches” and listening as “the sun’s coming up and down”, it’s virtually impossible not to conjure those images up in the mind’s eye. And they fit perfectly. Like all the best records, it can transport you somewhere else so perfectly realised it’s as if you were there.
To get a bit deeper into what’s going on, we had a quick chat with the band to find out more.
Your new album ‘Down In Heaven’ is out now-ish, when did you start working on it?
We started recording last June. We’re very very excited for it to come out and to be touring in support of it. Also psyched to make the next one already.
Did you have a clear idea of what you wanted it to be when you began?
We had some phrases we were throwing around like “back porch” and “home grown”, but it kind of grew into something as we started recording it and then we chased that down.
What did you find most challenging during the creation process?
Narrowing down songs, we just had a lot of ideas but didn’t want to do another long long record, we wanted to keep it closer to ten songs. We still ended up with 13.
Are there any songs on the release that stand out as meaning a lot to you, lyrically or thematically?
I’m proud of the whole record, but I think ‘Stain’ is a track with lyrics that sum up a lot of our relationship to our band and touring and songwriting.
What has been your biggest achievement with this release?
I don’t know. But this is the first record that we’ve been able to fully realise and spend as much time as we needed to finish it, and that feels really satisfying.
What do you think the best environment for listening to ‘Down In Heaven’ is? What do you hope fans will take away from the record?
Really we make records for people to digest however they think is the best, so I’m hesitant to answer that question. But bringing it back home to where we crafted it, I think it’s a great record to sit on the porch and listen to as the sun’s coming up or going down, cup of coffee or a beer, relaxing and soaking it up. I hope it provides any sort of enjoyment for fans, emotionally poignant or simply great melodies to have linger in your head and cheer you up.
Finally, is there anything else we should know?
Fuck Robots. We are the future.
Twin Peaks’ new album ‘Down In Heaven’ is out now. [sc name=”stopper” ]