THE SHRUBS
Q “Let Us In” explores the gap between inner feelings and how society reacts to them. What first inspired you to write about this theme?
The idea originally came from just traveling around the city of Houston, just like in many American cities lately, there is a growing homeless population that is very present and pretty sad. The majority of them are people with mental disabilities and addiction issues, and it’s pretty criminal how little resources we devote to helping them whatsoever, at least in this country.
Q There’s a strong sense of being observed or judged in the song. Was that based on personal experiences or more on what you see around you?
A little of both I would say? I grew up with a parent with mental issues, so it has always been something that is very present in my life, maybe more so than I realized myself!
Q The lyrics balance calm, almost dreamy images with deeper discomfort. How did you approach creating that contrast?
I honestly think that the balance that is present in the track is sort of a reflection of how I was feeling at the time myself when I wrote it! On a more technical note, I have always loved shoegaze since the first time I heard it, the dead end melodic layers, crashing reverb etc. But I always felt like it needed to be hitched to a stronger beat, there was definitely an effort to write something like that with this one..
Q The idea of escape appears in subtle ways throughout the song. What does “escape” mean to you in this context?
I think music itself has always been an escape for me, It was really the catalyst for becoming a musician! I love listening to music and “drifting” into the track mentally, temporarily losing yourself in it…So naturally I wanted to make my own worlds to “escape” into..
Q You present mental instability in a very natural and human way. Was it important for you to avoid dramatizing it?
Well, because of my situation growing up, I can remember seeing other kids’ families and being somewhat amazed at how “normal” their parents seemed to be, almost like a sitcom family or something! Looking back, it wasn’t the ideal situation, but it being all I knew, definitely molded what I considered to be abnormal behavior. The positive side to being raised that way I think is being able to see the “human” underneath the unfortunate situation and have some empathy for them.
Q There’s a feeling of quiet resistance in the lyrics rather than open anger. Why did you choose that tone?
The answer to that is a bit depressing really. Even if I personally did all I could to combat our flawed way of treating really anyone that behaves and acts in the societal minority, it would be like trying to empty a lake with a paper cup. Any sort of meaningful change is really even beyond anything political or legislative, it would have to involve tens of millions thinking differently than maybe they were taught to do … .assigning value to a person based on material accomplishments etc. In that context, you can’t help but have a bit of a quiet, sullen resistance to our shared situation. Anger simply isn’t too useful in this case.
Q The song hints at exclusion and separation. How do you see society treating people who feel different or struggle mentally?
I think they treat them in a few different ways. Not everyone is totally indifferent of course, there are lots of volunteers across the world who sacrifice their own goals and dreams to care for people in those situations. And there are lots of growing resources for people with “functional” mental disabilities. Overall though, at best it’s ignored, at worst it’s actively persecuted. I do find it fascinating at just how many people must have not had to go through and resolve any form of deep emotional trauma or mental instability, because when you do, you generally emerge from the darkness with a wee bit more empathy for other people who are struggling.
Q Some lines suggest a loss of control, almost like being carried by outside forces. How did you develop that idea?
That’s an interesting one. As both our main writer and producer, it isn’t an exaggeration to say that I have a fair, or unfair haha, amount of control over our direction and sound. I really wanted to track to feel “unstable,” but not in an overt way. I originally started my artistic life as a visual artist, and when you’re painting, you learn all the different ways you can create various emotional responses, at least ideally anyway. You can vary your palette, lighting and composition for obvious tonal shifts, but the subtle variances are must more interesting, like subject positioning, brush stokes, surrealistic motifs….In the case of “Let Us In,” I chose to record lots of it on some elderly tape machines and recycled 40-50 year old tape. In the audio world, I personally find the best type of instability to be very subtle and organic. Just like in painting, you COULD use crazy time signatures, pitch shifts and dissonance for overt, wholesale instability, or at least unpredictability, but I personally like the subtle wow and flutter that my old tape machines impart sonically. And by using them, I myself had to experience a little “loss of control,” since at this point they kinda have a mind of their own. The idea to create a song with that level of intention really was developed by reading about and watching Kubrick films, he went really deep into every aspect of what he was creating, from the writing process to every different lens type that was used on every shot, which usually the cinematographer would take care of, it is pretty evident that he had a “master plan” so to speak.
Q Do you see the song more as a personal statement or something meant to speak for a wider group of people?
It is definitely personal. I actually find it really hard to write for others, I would be a terrible commercial artist! I’m not sure if it was meant to be any sort of profound statement either though, it doesn’t offer any solutions. I think I have to write about something that I actually either care about or am fascinated with at the moment, otherwise with how long it usually takes me to put the songs together, I’d lose interest along the way and ultimately move on to another song that’s more interesting.
Q The imagery in the song feels nostalgic but also slightly unreal. How did you build that sense of “a memory that never happened”?
That is always a bit harder to answer. I think it’s a combination of my own personal tastes in production and writing, and my preference for “atmosphere” over clarity. Since the majority of our tracks are designed for escapism above all else, I think they naturally have a dreamlike quality, which is generally a bit surrealistic and “unreal.” That is usually one of the goals anyway, I just think that we did a really good job with “Let Us In” in conveying that!
Q The theme of identity appears through a refusal to change for others. How important is that idea in your work?
I think it is very important. There are so many areas in life that you have to compromise yourself for someone else in, that I think it can ultimately force you into being someone that you actually aren’t, and you don’t even realize it! Lot’s of us aren’t “comfortable in our own skin,” and as a concept that is pretty normalized unfortunately, but that’s pretty wild right? Society has warped us to the point that you essentially don’t even like yourself, because of them! Of course they have shelves of colorful mood stabilizers and anti-anxiety medicines to help you adjust yourself to them lol.
Q What kind of emotional reaction do you hope people have when they hear this song?
Well, hopefully they like it as much as we do. I think the goal would be for someone to hear it, and they are able to tell that there is a bit more happening under the surface than what is typical for music at the moment, and they re-listen and start mentally dissecting it to see what is going on…..I say that because that is what I do when I hear a track I really like, I listen to it over and over again and start to study it, find out what makes it tick lol.
Q Do you think music can help change how society views mental instability?
Maybe on a case by case basis, but the track record isn’t too encouraging. Live Aid and Farm Aid, We are the World…..I think this has been tried before, for different causes obviously, without too many measureable, legitimate positive results. The sentiment looks nice, and the raison d’etre may have been genuine empathy, but I’m not sure if it can produce sustainable results.
Q How does “Let Us In” represent where you are as artists compared to your previous work?
I think it is a definite sign that we are moving in the right direction, the reception has been very positive to say the least! I think it is more dimensional than our previous work as a whole. I’m not sure if that adjective makes sense for audio lol, but this one has multiple layers happening on multiple levels, like Kubrick!! Hahaha. It was always something to shoot for, and it fortunately all came together on this one.
Q Looking ahead, do you see yourselves continuing to explore similar themes, or moving in a different direction?
It is difficult to say with any certainty really. I always have a few different ideas I’m tinkering with, but it seems like something always steps in, and supersedes a lot of what I had planned and off we go in that direction!
