Alternative rockers Desert Clouds return with another slice of pure artistic expression in the form of Under Tons, out now via Jiffybag Records.
Under Tons was written in the perspective of people walking throughout their life towards a destination that, from afar, appears to be going nowhere. The band expand “its a nonsense journey unless you realise where you are really heading to”. As the single builds from a psychedelic blues/folk feel into a full-frontal classic rock anthem, lead singer David Land’s distinct Bowie-esque vocal builds alongside it to create something truly forward thinking. As the grunge-tinged guitars reach full throttle, so do the pulsating drum beats to create a sound akin to that of Queens of the Stone Age or Alice In Chains.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Desert Clouds about the latest project, motivations, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into you, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
We strongly believe that any form of art is a spontaneous expression of a state of mind and spirit. Desert Clouds is a sort of shelter where every member can feel free to smash or caress his own emotions on an instrument and merge them with his band mates’ ones. As a band we embrace several genres – from folk ballads to distorted grunge guitar riffs passing through blues and psychedelic arrangements. Well, people can call it Psychedelic Stoner/Rock but it won’t be enough I guess. What brought us to these genres? The simple fact of feeling out of place, like being a bunch of weirdos, frustrated by the misconception that art is a sort of entertainment or a grotesque showing off rather than being an attempt to share emotions, feelings and ideals with whoever is in front of you.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Music, or any other form of art, is just a vehicle through which a person can give himself to everyone and everything and it is the same element that can feed that person. We jumped on this only because we could not do otherwise. We simply creating art together as a need and we just need to share it with more and more people. We don’t really want to push it out to the public, we want to drag people in it. We like to see the relation with the public, especially during our live shows, like a moment where no one is a passive receiver, both on stage and among the crowd.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
I wouldn’t say that our tastes have changed over time, I think they have been enriched by knowing more and more artists every day. Art is something that can dig so deep into a man that can leave a trace that goes beyond his age or his experiences. It’s up to that man to keep that feeling and remember where he stored it or under which carpet he hid it. It’s like still feeling that punch in your stomach when you listen to Nirvana, and in the same time be able to feel that grief behind any of Chopin’s Nocturnes and realising that there are no differences between those songs. Usually inspiration should come from your life, from what surrounds you… But I believe that a creation is not something that belongs to the artist but it’s more like the result of something the artist is able to feel and reproduce through his skills.
So, I wait. I keep myself alive and wait until that the inspiration comes. I do observe what is around and inside me, I do get influenced by other musicians but when I write a song it’s because the song comes to me while I was waiting for it. And I’m not trying to be cool by saying that.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
Keep all the band members satisfied with what we are doing.
What was the last song you listened to?
Dirty Three – Hope
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
No doubt: Vinyl!
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
You know what? I prefer music stores. I know that all these platforms can give visibility, accessibility and it’s an easier way to spread your music out and to discover some new bands… But, call me retro, I still have that sensation that an album, for example, has a story in it and that story can be told by simply holding it in your hands rather than on a playlist. When you blow that dust away from it, put it in place ready to go, sit before playing it and light something up. Well and when the dirty silent sound before the first song starts you melt in yourself.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
Don’t know if you noticed it but during the last decades music fans are disappearing. During the last century being commercial meant people like Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Kurt Cobain etc who have actually reached the popularity trying to spread something out and kept doing it using that same popularity… Today, to be commercial, popular and accepted you must appear meaningless… And as flat as possible. But this is the mainstream, and it’s something that does not belong to our band’s environment. We will keep looking for new fans. We are trying to reach out!
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
On Bandcamp/desertclouds you can find all our discography and on YouTube we often post some of our live shows. As I said, I suggest to buy a physical copy of an album if you really want o enjoy it and support the band. But if you want to do even better, the best way to enjoy music is to come to live shows.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
If you guys liked our words you may like our music too, we’ll be playing at the Camden Rocks Festival on 2nd of June!! Check that out on our website and come along! It has been great fun answering all your questions, thanks!
