Slow Pilot is a forward-thinking band known for their innovative sound and deeply emotional lyrics. With a unique blend of electronic and acoustic elements, they create music that resonates with listeners, exploring themes of vulnerability, hope, and the human experience.
We sat down with this talented band to learn more about what makes them tick, their approaches to the creative process and much more in this exclusive interview with TAGG!
Falling off the Earth, is described as a deeply emotional experience. What inspired the themes and direction of this album, and how did the title come about?
The album was written during an emotionally charged time with Covid and the lack of concerts, and then suddenly the moment when it was over and we seemed to have our freedom back. ‘Falling Off The Earth’ is an album of extremes: a mixture of uplifting grooves and melancholic darkness. I like the duality of that phrase, both positive and negative: During covid, I had a feeling of not belonging anywhere anymore, our hopes and dreams were put on hold, and I had to find myself again. Like I fell off the earth.
But there is also a song on the album called ‘Falling off the earth’ about the overwhelming feeling of love, where two people are so connected to each other that only in a brief moment, in a split-second they feel like levitating, floating, falling off the earth.
So, some songs are rather dark: about anger and frustration I felt then, about loss and depression. And about love, because love is the antidote! It’s what will save us time and time again.
How did working with producer Luuk Cox influence the album? What unique elements did he bring to the process, and how did he help shape your sound?
The first album ‘Gentle Intruder’ came out 6 years ago, and was more of an honest reflection of how the band sounded live at the time. For the new album and with Luuk Cox (who worked together with artists like Stromae), we worked totally different and much more layered. I spend months in his studio doing overdubs and adding extra soundscapes, guitars and arrangements. This album has more little secrets for the listener who really takes the time to slowly discover and appreciate the album. I believe the new album is more of a journey. We put more time in giving room to the vocals, finding a particular sound that we can call ours. We added more muffled electronics, analogue synthesizers to give it an old French movie vibe here and there.
Much of the album was written during the pandemic, a period filled with solitude and uncertainty. How did this unusual backdrop impact your songwriting and creative process?
It was impossible not to write with covid on my mind. I remember how I had a whole month of international touring planned with the band Hooverphonic (where I sing and play guitars) in April 2020, and somewhere in March 2020, over a period of a week, we saw all of that collapse and we were locked inside for an indefinite period. The first day of this lockdown, I picked up my guitar and very quickly I wrote ‘Get Used To This’, the last song on the album, and probably the darkest song I have éver written. I had an urge to write that song, I almost never write so fast. So I felt like I had to get it out of my system.
Pieter, you spent nights volunteering at a local hospital during the pandemic. How did that experience affect your perspective on life, and did it inspire specific tracks on the album?
Yes, I couldn’t play music live, so I was asked by a friend to help in a local hospital. I have no medical background but I became a nightwatchman for 4 months. I had to roam the hallways to check if everything was alright, if the lights were out and stuff like that. But I was allowed to bring my guitar during these lonely nights. The alienating silence of the night and the feeling of being alone in the world, I’m really glad I could experience that. I spent hours contemplating, thinking about the world and about myself. Now, I wish I could say how that time taught me to put things into perspective, how it made me more serene. But I was full of ‘sturm und drang’, ready to run when they released me, and to enjoy life to the fullest. Some songs I’ve written during my time their, are ‘Parasites’ (about how I felt as a silenced musician during that period), and ‘Fences’ (about how these times did weird things with people’s minds). And then, in the absence of urgency, procrastination reared its ugly head, and that’s what the song ‘Lost’ is about.
This album dives into themes of vulnerability and hope. How did you approach exploring these emotions in your lyrics and arrangements?
As a songwriter, I feel an obligation to my own vulnerability. I can’t pretend to know everything, I want to be honest about every feeling I sing about. I notice how that resonates with the listener. Never be arrogant, especially as a writer. I guess there is a different philosophy in hip hop. The song “Darkest Of Days” is maybe a good example of how the emotions behind the lyrics are reflected in the music. The song portrays a path from isolation and despair (“I was a king in the darkest of days, with no one around here to put me in place”) towards hope and renewal (“And there you arrive and I stand amazed, a glint in the darkest, the darkest of days”), ultimately embracing transformation and newfound optimism. The optimism is reflected in the song’s uplifting, danceable groove and upbeat chorus.
Falling off the Earth, showcases a unique mix of attenuated electronica, tape-recorded guitars, and monumental harmonies. How did you arrive at this sound, and what challenges did you face in refining it?
I used to be a big fan of Fleet Foxes and learned a lot about harmonising from listening to their records. Scottish singer-songwriter C Duncan is also a genius when it comes to harmonies. I was incredibly lucky to be able to do a feature with him on this record (‘No Man Is An Island’) and when he sent me his recordings and vocals, I was driving under the Sicilian sun. That whole scene, and then his beautiful voice on my song made me so emotional I had to stop the car. It was so beautiful! With Robin Pecknold (singer of Fleet Foxes) I did some online writing sessions for this album and 2 songs from those sessions ‘Molecules’ and the title track ‘Falling Off The Earth’ ended up on the record. So 2 of my musical heroes have had a big influence on this record.
Pieter, your voice has been described as hauntingly beautiful. How do you approach conveying such profound emotion through your vocals, and did this album challenge you in new ways?
I consider myself more of a singer than a guitarist, even though I have been playing guitar since I was 8. I feel like I have a good command of my own voice. I know what I have to do to get a certain feeling across, how to put the right emotions into a certain note. When I sing about the loss of my friends’ daughter, I crawl into that painful feeling. It’s the only way. But I had a great teacher in Jeff Buckley: nobody could convey emotion the way he did when he sang. I devoured his music and listened to him for hours. But still, when you realize that the record button is pressed, that it’s for real, you start to doubt yourself and be aware of every possible quiver or sound that comes out of your throat. And that doesn’t help. So, singing in a recording studio is always challenging.
How does the songwriting process work within the band? Was there a particular song that challenged or surprised you during the creation of this album?
I’ve always been the songwriter in this band. So all the songs started from a demo I made at home. The lyrics often come later, I sing a melody in an unspecified language to which I then have to add the right words. Sometimes it takes years to finish a song. I can write a really cool verse, but I can’t find a chorus to go with it. And then 3 years later I write a chorus that I can stick to that first idea. But sometimes I write a whole song in one go. That’s how the opening track ‘Giants’ came about. It was one of those rare moments for a singer-songwriter when a song seemed to write itself, creating an instant sense of familiarity. Those are the best moments!
“Parasites” speaks to the vulnerability of the cultural industry. How did you channel your own experiences and frustrations into this song?
‘Parasites’ was written during the pandemic and revealed the rapid marginalisation of people like us in the cultural industry. It was the first time I was confronted with the fragility of the life I had taken for granted. It felt unfair how in other industries meetings could be organized with lots of people or flying on a crowded plane was allowed, while we couldn’t perform in a well-controlled environment. My life was put on hold. The song begins almost coolly, with muted electronics and cold acoustic guitars, but takes a turn and escalates into a mixture of anger and exuberance, echoing the emotions we were experiencing at the time.
Slowly drown,
We’re stuck in time
And when all is lost
It’s us against the world
Did creating, Falling off the Earth, feel cathartic? How did the process of making this album help you cope with the challenges and emotions of the past few years?
In a way, it helped me to escape the daily worries. I could always escape into my world of creation. Knowing that what we were making was something special, while other people went on with their lives. It was an incredible gift to be able to lose myself in it at such a difficult time.
The album features an array of soundscapes and techniques, like tape-recorded guitars. Can you share some of the production choices that went into crafting the album’s immersive sound?
Before the whole process of recording and producing started, I went to Luuk Cox (the producer) with a collection of maybe 25 songs. All demos that I had done myself in my limited home studio. Songs that covered almost the whole spectrum of music. Some songs were unfinished or had a bad sounding drum machine in them. So the first thing was to make decisions: which songs belong together, how can we tell a story in 10 or 11 songs. Then we started making new pre-production demos for three songs. We started by recording some cool arpeggiator synth sounds that we used in these three totally different songs, but the fact that we did it in 3 songs already created a similar feeling. Another example of a funny thing we did was this: I went to Istanbul to play a concert and I filmed a ‘muezzin’. That’s someone who calls to prayer next to a mosque. It sounded amazing and I thought: I have to do something with this. So we isolated the music from my little video, reversed it to make it even more otherworldly, put some vocal effects on it and added it to the song ‘Get Used To This’. If you listen closely, you can hear it about 50 seconds into the song.
You spent over two years working closely with Luuk Cox. What did you learn during this time, both about your music and yourselves as artists?
After laying down all the tracks in the studio with the whole band, it was mainly Luuk and I who worked on it for about two years. We worked a lot on every possible detail, making sure that the lyrics, sounds, hooks, arrangements and so on, were exactly as we wanted them to be. I learned about his way of producing, about state-of-the-art plug-ins, about how to pack a song with instruments and sounds without overdoing it. And how to leave enough space for the vocals. But we started every day discussing the current political climate, food, art or sports, which was always an interesting and inspiring moment as well.
As live performances return, how do you hope, Falling off the Earth, will resonate with your audience? Are there specific emotions or messages you hope listeners take away?
We’ve already played a few shows with the new album and it’s such an emotional experience. It’s a joy to play the album and see how these songs affect a live audience, even if people don’t immediately understand all the lyrics, extra layers and so on. I think the music speaks for itself and really hits home. And you can make the best album in the world: there’s nothing like a live experience in a small but packed venue, with a band that’s eager to play! Attending a Slow Pilot concert is a must.
With the release of, Falling off the Earth, what’s next for Slow Pilot? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or live shows on the horizon?
We already played a few shows with the new album, and it’s such an emotional experience. It’s a joy to play the album, and see how these songs have an impact, even if people don’t immediately understand all the lyrics, extra layers, and so on. I think the music speaks for itself and really hits hard. I played a few months ago in London, in Islington Academy, and the audience was fully engaged. Now we definitely need to organize some more shows in the UK.
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