Yes, you read that right, and yes, we’re as surprised as you are – against all odds, we had the chance to do a little question and answer with none other than SIERRA VEINS. Trust us, we know what you’re thinking: “what the hell are they even doing anymore over at Fecking Bahamas, what happened to math rock?”
But the thing is, we often listen to math rock the way we read books. We love it, but it’s almost an act of study, and when you write about it as much as we do, you have to tune in to other things to avoid complete burnout. That’s actually how this QNA came about in the first place: We took a week off recently, and when we came back to kick things off we helped premier a Swing Kids song to promote the upcoming Cult and Culture compilation. The promotion emails for that were handled by Justin Pearson, who you may be surprised to learn sends stuff to Fecking Bahamas all the time, and it’s been a huge honor for us having him help us hone in on hardcore and weirdo space rock the last couple of years.
So when he randomly dropped an email asking if we knew about darkwave staple SIERRA VEINS, something unexpected in our brain cried out. The name seemed so familiar. Didn’t we know it somehow? Wait… no, there was no way.
We had to check our… Scheduled Activities playlist to be sure, but there it was – it turned out we had been listening to SIERRA VEINS for a long time, we just didn’t know about the recent name change. Regardless, the production on all of her records always stood out as coldly emotive, and often felt informed by feelings far more complex than what you’d expect from your average club banger. So when JP tossed the idea of asking a few questions about gear, production, and creating the sound of her new album our way, we couldn’t resist. We never imagined we’d be talking to her, but it sure is an honor, and for those of you not afraid to get down here and there, we hope you enjoy.
FB: Since Strange Valley it seems like you’ve always pushed for something more when it comes to making dance music – always pulsing but rarely linear, and often driven by emotions darker or more challenging than what you’d hear in the average club. Did you have any specific ambitions for Sierra Veins when you first started making music? If so, have they changed over time?
SV: When I started SIERRA VEINS, I knew I wanted to create a dark electronic project with a cinematic atmosphere. I also liked the idea of having tracks that all sound quite different from each other. Most of my songs wouldn’t really fit in a club because they’re not necessarily made for dancing, and that was a conscious choice at the beginning. Now, with my live experience, I realize I really enjoy having a few danceable tracks. They’re the ones I love performing the most on stage.
FB: Can you tell us a little bit about how you get into production and how you honed
your particular style?
SV: It happened step by step. I made music as a child, but I don’t really have good memories of it. I truly started learning music for pleasure and on my own around the age of fourteen, by playing guitar. When I was in high school, I discovered electronic music through Justice, and it was a real shock. The only problem was that I still didn’t know how to actually make electronic music, so I put it aside for a long time while continuing other acoustic projects. In my early twenties, I worked in audiovisual production, where I met a film music composer who showed me how to get started. A few years later, I took classes to improve my skills.
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FB: How does a song for Sierra Veins typically begin?
SV: It depends. For some tracks, I start by working on a simple loop with kick, snare, and bass, and I try to find something that really hits. For others, I focus more on harmonic ideas, or sometimes I begin with lyrics that come to my mind. I don’t have any specific rules. The only thing I need is to be in a quiet space and to have enough time to create.
FB: Do you have any strong opinions about writing / producing from a DAW as opposed
to analog or hardware?
SV: I don’t have a strong opinion about it. What really matters is feeling comfortable when creating. I work almost exclusively with digital plugins. I’ve always used one or two hardware synths on my EPs or albums to bring a bit of analog texture, but it’s usually something I add later in post-production rather than during the initial composition process. I genuinely enjoy composing directly on the computer. However, on my album In The Name Of Blood, I brought in a lot of textures and effects through acoustic instruments. I recorded guitars, violins, and even percussion.
FB: Has it ever been a struggle to balance the original idea for a song with the results of
experimenting with synths, plug-ins, effects, etc?
SV: Yes, it happens to me very often. That’s why when I compose, I always export WAV files and save different session versions at every new stage of production, so I can go back if needed. It’s pretty common for me to make around ten versions of a track and then realize that the first one was actually the most interesting because I had lost the original spark.
FB: If you’re ever stuck trying to move an idea to the next stage, what are some of your
favorite tools or techniques to experiment or expand parts?
SV: The best tool is to stop and not listen to the track for a while. When you’re too deep into the composition, it’s impossible to have any perspective on what you’re doing. When I’m in that kind of phase, I also let people around me listen to the tracks to get their honest feedback. It helps me a lot.
FB: Do you have a favorite piece of gear or equipment in general? Are there any new
tricks you were excited to implement on the new album?
SV: Discovering new music production plugins is something I’m really passionate about. I did a lot of research and tried many things I didn’t know before while working on the album. It was really fun to experiment with new techniques. I also really enjoyed working with acoustic instruments, as I mentioned earlier. Manipulating audio files to turn them into sound design elements was something truly exciting.
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FB: The new album almost seems more hyped up – all of the singles thus far seem to have more complex drums and percussion parts in the background, an element long revered in your music. When you started writing In the Name of Blood, did you feel the songs would be more energetic?
SV: Yes, it was definitely something I wanted, even if not all the tracks on the album are like that. There are three songs that are slower and more introspective. As I mentioned earlier, I’ve realized that I enjoy performing more when the BPM goes up a little. So I wanted to experiment in that direction, even if it still feels more natural for me to compose songs below 110 BPM.
FB: Some of your most successful output are collaborations, which is almost a contrast to how personal a lot of your music is. How do you balance your vision with the vision of your collaborators? Does it start as a mutual effort? What have you taken from the collabs you’ve been a part of so far?
SV: I like collaborating with people who understand my emotional universe. I find it inspiring to see how someone else can bring a new dimension to a sound that often starts from something very personal. It usually pushes me out of my comfort zone, but it’s always rewarding. Every collaboration has taught me a new way to approach production.
FB: Okay, last question (and thank you so much for letting us ask them!) Some of your songs are particularly cinematic, with really strong themes whether it’s through lyrics or production. Have you ever thought about doing music for things like film, television, or video games?
SV: It’s my dream. I started SIERRA VEINS with a deep desire to one day compose music for film or video games. Unfortunately, the opportunity hasn’t come up yet, but I truly hope it will happen someday.
(Thanks for reading! If you’re looking for more music, check out our Bandcamp compilations here. If you like us, or possibly even love us, donations are always appreciated at the Buy Me A Coffee page here, but if you’re in a generous mood you can also donate to folks like Doctors Without Borders, the PCRF, Charity Water, Kindness Ranch, One Tail at A Time, Canopy Cat Rescue, or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that could probably use it more – click on their names above to check ‘em out if you’re so inclined. Thanks again!)