Photo: Press
Real Estate are easily one of the best guitar bands around. If they made these records in the 60s they'd still be listened to today.
Their sound owes a lot to The Byrds and The Beatles but they aren't restrained by their influences and push melodies into directions that their feelings and insticts drive them. There's something wholly sincere in what they do, there's a beautiful fragility in the melodies, and they've a delicate touch in the instrumentation that puts their stuff up there with the best psychedelic pop ever made. New album In Mind is no different.
To our delight, we took the opportunity to talk to new guitarist Julian Lynch whilst he was over in SXSW enjoying some superfood salad at Juiceland to see get a little deeper and get under the skin of this record. Lynch was incredibly insightful and opened up about what he did technically, how the studio sessions went for their most dynamic and varied work to date. Check it out below.
I wouldn’t have guessed you there's a new guitarist. You fit in seamlessly yet also brings in subtle differences that work well. Were you surprised at how easy the crossover was?
I’m clearly biased in answering this question, but I have to say I’m somewhat surprised! I was trying to be cautious while writing and recording guitar parts for the record not to introduce too much stylistic change, as I didn’t want my entrance into the group to be jarring for long-time fans of the band. But I was also pretty aware of how the songs themselves were already a significant break with the band’s established style, and so a lot of times my priority was making a contribution to the song itself and not to an impression of the band’s past style. Not to mention that I play guitar really differently than my predecessor. I feel like the guitar leads in older Real Estate material are a lot more pentatonic, while on the new record the lead parts a lot of times add some more dissonant colors while the progressions resolve. Also I was trying to play around a bit more with tone, introducing some timbres that might not be heard in the earlier Real Estate records and messing around with some different pedals that I like.
What was the creative process like for this record? Was it written on acoustic or at the piano then fleshed out in the studio or was it more complicated than that?
Martin (and in the case of “Diamond Eyes,” Bleeker) wrote the words and chords for the songs (I think on an acoustic guitar, but maybe at a piano). Then we worked out our individual parts and arrangements as a group last spring in Beacon, NY.
That would explain why 'Diamond Eyes; sound and stands out from the rest of the album with the slide guitar evoking an aspect of country music.
I can't speak for him but I think Bleeker's been a fan of country for a long time.
You seem quite relaxed all the time sonically, is life pretty easy going in Real Estate?
No. I don’t think there’s necessarily a relationship between this perceived “relaxed sound” and our lives as human beings. Our individual lives are complicated like anyone else's, and filled with pretty typical things like anxiety, sadness, boredom, tragedy, and loss. We feel anger at the horrors of this current presidential administration. We feel fear for ourselves and our loved ones in a time when a Republican Congress wants to see us lose our health coverage.
Perhaps the blissed out nature of your sound has something to do with the escape it offers from the pressure of modern life? After all it’s not natural to work the hours a lot of people do.
I agree that the greater social, political, and economic situations we find ourselves in are unnatural and unjust. I’m sure my fellow band members would agree that we do not endorse escapism, or using art or media to forget about injustice and that we don’t believe that enjoyment of music precludes a person from engaging in active forms of resistance.
What’s your relationship like with your producer Cole M.G.N? How far back do you go?
Cole is really nice and really talented! I had a lot of fun working with him. I personally met him in passing quite a few years ago during a trip to LA, and I was surprised that he actually remembered me when I met him again last summer! I hope to see him (or even work with him!) again soon.
What production moments are you most proud of? Who came up with them and how did it change the song? I’m asking this because I see some more adventurous use of the studio than ever.
I agree that there’s a lot more of an adventurous approach to using the studio here. I think everyone involved brought really interesting ideas to the table. For example, if I recall correctly, Jackson had the idea to mess around with some weird delay on my guitar (maybe one of those Count to Five pedals or something) while I played the outro part of “Two Arrows.” He also added a lot to the tracks by layering some carefully-effected drum machine parts. Kallman brought some really bold and interesting new synth sounds to the table on this record that I think are delight and a total departure from past Real Estate material. Cole was full of amazing ideas as a producer, and I still feel inspired by watching him work. And don’t forget Martin and Bleeker, who, from the beginning, were really challenging themselves and innovating with their songs on this record.
It shows, great work. Thanks for your time.
