Q&A with Talking Violet
Dream Pop/Shoegaze group, Talking Violet from Windsor, Ontario, is ready to push musical boundaries with their raw energy and plans for new music and live shows this year. Talking Violet started as a duo and bloomed into a full-fledged quartet in 2017, consisting of Jill Goyeau, Jay Turnbull, Nate Blackton, and Jeremie Brousseau. Together they produce "the feeling of dreams", which is an experience caused by the band's signature blend of sound and emotion. Easy to see now why they call themselves "The loudest sleepy band you've ever heard."
The band's latest single, "Superego", is an excellent example of their ability to narrate a story through songwriting. At the same time, their lush shoegaze, almost emo-punk sound, delivers the punch of emotion needed for their magical blend of music. So who else to continue fueling our want for more dream pop and emo tracks than Talking Violet! The band curated a Spotify playlist exclusively for IndieWavves named Loud & Sleepy. They took the time to chat with us about what inspired their newest track, their dynamic as a band, and more below.
IndieWavves: Hi guys, how are you all doing?! How does it feel to have "Superego" out in the world?
Talking Violet: Hey! Doing well over here! It feels great to have Superego out. It's a song that we had been playing live for a couple of years now, so it's really cool to have its final recorded evolution out and to be able to share it.
IW: "Superego" was written a few years ago about ending a friendship and coming to terms with it. Are many of your songs written from personal experiences?
TV: For sure! Virtually all of our music, up to this point, has been written from personal experiences, usually from the perspective of whoever is singing the lyrics themselves.
(continued)
IW: What is your dynamic like as a band when it comes to writing songs? (who contributes to what?)
TV: Some of our songs we wrote the skeletons for individually and brought them to be built upon by the rest of us- example: "Indigo". Other times, collectively, we start with a smaller idea and piece it together in the studio, which we really enjoy. A lot of our writing is influenced by the recording process itself.
IW: Can you talk about the playlist you made for us and give a short description or phrase? (feel free to name it!)
TV: The playlist covers a lot of ground, but its overall theme is dream pop and grunge. "Loud & Sleepy" seems to fit the vibe!
IW: Within the playlist, we have songs by you guys, Samia, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Pixies, to name a few. How are you guys inspired by the songs and artists you chose for the playlist?
TV: Lyrically, I think artists like Samia and Julien Baker inspire us because storytelling in the Emo and Indie genres has always resonated with us. Sonically, however, we get a lot of inspiration from grungier bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies, and Nothing.
IW: If you could pick one artist to collaborate with from the playlist, who would it be and why?
TV: Probably Angels and Airwaves. We are all major fans of Tom Delonge; he is just an unreal songwriter. Anything we could learn from him would be major for us.
IW: Can you guys share a funny or embarrassing story from a tour or a recording session?
TV: We used two vehicles to get to the studio to record our most recent songs, and during the duration of the time we were there, both broke down at separate times, leaving us in the middle of nowhere for a sec. Rock n' Roll!
IW: What can we expect from you guys in 2021 or next year?
TV: More music (a lot!), and hopefully more touring when that's safe!
Written by Piera Lolandes
Photos by Stay Open