Singled Out: Russian Baths' Pool House

03-12-2018
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Brooklyn-based noise-rockers Russian Baths recently released their debut EP "Penance" and to celebrate we asked Jess Rees and Luke Koz to tell us about the song "Poolhouse". Here is the story:

JR: Luke thought this song was about accidentally dropping someone off the back of a boat and returning to a pool house in a panic. Why there is a pool house at a lake house, I don't know.

I don't like lyrics to be too clear. I don't think I'm a very gifted storyteller, so I'd prefer to let people make up their own ideas--like Luke did. It was written after a friend's tumultuous breakup. It's about an existential crisis, a moment you wake up and say, "what am I doing here? Why would I keep doing this?"

LK: When Jess brought this in, I instantly liked it. It reminded me of the Swirlies smashed up against The xx. I liked how elegant the middle section was. However, when first playing it, I overcomplicated the introduction, because I was convinced it didn't work tonally. This was stupid of me. Eventually, I pulled back and did exactly what Jess did on the demo. Instead of focusing on the notes, I focused on the whammy bar and the timbre. During the recording process, Jess overdubbed keyboards that play against her lead guitar melody. It feels very finished to me. James (Frazee) added some touches at the ends of select measures that are subtle but helped immensely. Other than the very beginning, this song is structurally almost a palindrome.

JR: After we recorded the song, I felt the introduction was a little thin, so I went into my basement with my guitar and amp, recorded a layer of feedback that I'm sure my neighbors were happy to hear and mixed it into a whisper.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen for yourself and learn more about the EP right here!

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