Tiny Eyes’ self-titled EP is his first major solo outing and it’s a resoundingly consistent and accomplished effort. Fitting nicely into the space that Tobias Jesso Jr re-opened for candid retro piano pop, Tiny Eyes is a heavy-lidded reverie through the mind of its maker. Heartfelt melodies entwine languorously with artful rhymes and psychedelic production to make a dream tapestry that’s on the one hand maximal and immersive, and on the other considered and spacious. Fuelled by a literary eye for juxtaposition and imagism, the stories on this EP move through tales of the morning after the night before (‘Fifteen Feet Of Snow’) to creativity itself (‘Golden Thread) via meditations on love and selfhood (‘Falling’ and ‘Tiny Eyes’). For a first effort Tiny Eyes is the sound of an artist already arriving fully-formed and with a clear and unified vision of the creative road ahead.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Tiny Eyes about influences, the digital world of music, the newest project and more.
Full Q&A along with links and the video for Falling below.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
Who knows how I ended up here. I’ve played music ever since I was old enough to steal my dad’s guitar. Been trying to write songs for almost as long. Then more recently somebody gave me an old piano, and I started writing songs on that instead.
I don’t really need any motivation… making music for me is a compulsion, not a choice. It’s a habit I couldn’t kick even if I wanted to! ! But if I needed a reason, I get it every time I turn on the radio and another string of brain-dead WYSIWYG pop songs starts drilling into my skull. The world needs more poetry, more beauty, more deep thought – less sugar spikes and electro-shock stimulation. So I suppose I’m trying to redress that balance in some tiny way, to make something a little bit more thought-provoking and elusive.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
This is my first release, and I wanted to make a record that was genuinely home-made. There are lots of bedroom producers out there making records – that’s nothing new – but it’s easy to rely on computer-generated sounds. I wanted to go even more DIY in my approach, so I was banging furniture, doors, old tambourines… whatever I could find lying around. Every sound on the record, from piano to stylophone to kick drums, began its life inside my house!
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
This record leans pretty heavily on the laptop, even if it doesn’t always sound like that. I don’t think it would have been possible to make it any other way. I certainly couldn’t have afforded to record everything in a professional studio!
But the dark side of digital? I guess the one complaint I have with music in the digital domain is that it’s very easy-come, easy-go. If everything’s available all of the time, there’s a temptation to use and discard it freely. I have fond memories of the days when you’d buy maybe one or two new albums a month, listen to them on repeat, and really get to know the music.
Let’s not get too rose-tinted about the past, though – I also remember times I spent two weeks’ pocket money on a CD, only to get home and find out it was really bad! There are many advantages to the new way – and since digital is not going away, it’s up to us to find a way around the downsides.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
I avoid Facebook, but you can find me on Twitter @tinyeyesmusic, Soundcloud /tinyeyesmusic, YouTube /tinyeyesmusic and Spotify. The single Falling is out now, and the rest of the EP will land on Spotify, iTunes etc on Friday 19th May. There’s a video for the single on YouTube too, which I made at home with an iPhone and some rave glasses.
Anything else before we sign off?
Nope. That’s it. Go and enjoy yourselves, have a listen to my single, and spread the word! x
