25 July 2019 - 0 Comments

Phobos - (panic/fear)

Deimos - (terror/dread) 

Is Dylan Storey’s new 5 track EP Phobos and Deimos designed to create a feeling of terror and panic in the listener? Not at all - perhaps a mild feeling of unease at best if you’re lucky.

It is the name of the 2 moons of Mars though. Appropriate for a piece of work that has absolutely nothing to do with astronomy either.

It is a collection of 5 songs that could loosely be defined as laid back progressive rock with a dreamy psychedelic mood and an introspective leaning. Recorded in New Zealand and mixed in Texas by McKenzie Smith of Midlake at Midlake’s studio, the songs focus on rich sonic textures and forward-facing retro moods. Lyrics are a mixture of personal sentiment and general nerdery, while the music features elements of guitar rock with strong tinge of yacht rock.

Here’s a little Q and A to sum up the situation:

Q: This is a really nice little collection of songs. Tell me; what are the lyrics about?

A: Well songwriting art is quite an ambiguous medium with lyrics being more a collection of moods and subtle references to the life experience, the human condition and the tenuous nature of interpersonal relationships…..

Q: Yes, but what are they ABOUT?  

A: Martian satellites….

Q: Right…. Well, moving on. Where/how were they recorded? 

A: I recorded the drums and bass last October with Tom Broome at his studio in Whenuapai. Tom played drums and Chris Marshall played bass, so basically the Miltones rhythm section. It was a spontaneous opportunity which I grabbed and has worked out really well.

Q: Wow, it worked out really well, the rhythms are tight. What about the rest?  

A: I did guitars, vocals and other stuff at my own studio. I was mainly working away on it by myself but I had a few guests; mainly Reb Fountain singing her part in the song we co-wrote, Dave Khan playing some keys and directing some guitar parts, Andy Gibson did a backing vocal and Brendon Morrow played piano.

Q: And where did it get mixed and mastered?

A: It was mastered up the road at Kog Studios. It was mixed in Denton Texas by McKenzie Smith of Midlake.

Q: Did you say MIDLAKE? WTF!? How did that come about?  

A: Well I’d approached a few people here about mixing it and everyone was busy. So I had a think about what my favourite music was and who produced it. Midlake have been a huge influence on me, you could call it an obsession in fact. An old friend and I used to listen to The Trials of Van Occupanther over and over and we’d drop lyrical quotes from in randomly into conversations, it became like a game. We both just wanted to be/sound/look like Midlake.

So I decided to have a look around and I found that they own a studio now. So I thought there’s no harm in messaging them. I sent a link to my premixes and immediately got a very enthusiastic reply from McKenzie Smith.

Q: Wow. And how was the process working with someone in Texas? 

A: I think we had a few communication difficulties at the start, with a few misunderstandings but we were on the same page stylistically so we got there in the end. We kind of bonded and I’d say became friends by the end. It’s quite weird working with one of your musical heroes, we’d be chatting away and I would suddenly stop and remember - this is the guy that created that album that was a gigantic influence/inspiration for me!

*Another noteworthy album is The Queen of Denmark by John Grant, which they played on. He’s also played with St Vincent, Regina Spektor, Nelly Furtado and many more.

Q: cough name dropper cough 

A: *pulls out trumpet and give it a parp

Q: So when/how are you releasing it

A: August 15th. I’m doing a show with band at the Wine Cellar with support from Dianne Swann (solo project) and Tibor. It will be available through all the usual digital media.

Q: And physical copies 

A: Not sure yet.

Q: Very good.

Dylan Storey (solo) 5 song EP released August 15th 2019. Celebrated with a show at the Wine Cellar.

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