After spending the last year unveiling a warm and enticing array of lo-fi offerings, emerging artist Soapbox Sound has now returned to deliver his next impressive single 'Hooked On You'.
Lifted from his forthcoming new album 'Homestead', which is set to be released soon, 'Hooked On You' sees him return in stellar form. Filled with a sweet and sweeping texture, soaring tones, and his wistful vocals layered throughout, he is definitely one to keep an eye on for the future.
So with the new single out now, we sat down with him to find out more about his background and influences over the last few years.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I taught myself guitar at the end of high school, but before perfecting it I quickly just moved into writing songs and practiced that more than anything so my progress took longer than I would have hoped. Now I have fallen in love with classical music over the last few years and wish I had learned piano at a younger age as well.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Growing up my grandmother introduced me to the oldies, so in 8th grade I was the only kid I knew heavily listening to music from the 50’s and 60’s. Naturally, I progressed into being a complete Beatles fanatic and haven’t strayed too far from that style of music since. Even the contemporary music I listen to harkens back to the framework they laid out. Bob Dylan too, can’t forget to mention him. He came a little later for me but undoubtedly had a massive influence on my writing and performing.
What was the first album you remember owning?
I don’t remember the first CD I ever had, perhaps it was The Beatles “1” album given to me by a friend. However, the first vinyl record I bought with my own money was definitely “Meet the Beatles”. Dr. Dog’s album Easy Beat came shortly after that.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Tough, tough question. I Want You (She’s So Heavy). The simplicity yet effectiveness of the lyrics and music is astounding. There’s only 14 different words in the whole thing - and I’m a big lyrics guy - but they’re the only words you need. It tells you all you need to know, along with being passionately delivered by John Lennon’s vocals and backed by the most perfect guitar music that continues to build up into a hypnotic wall of sound and penetrates your soul. It’s one of the greatest songs ever recorded and only The Beatles could have pulled off the simple/effectiveness ratio as they always managed to do. At least I think so.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I almost always write the lyrics first. The words have to check out, make sense, be somewhat interesting, and get across what I’m trying to say before getting into the music. By which point, the music has an easier time fitting around the words and the melody has a foundation to build off of.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I discovered Dr. Dog around 2011, they’ve since been my favorite contemporary band and have seen them perform dozens of times. Dawes, The Front Bottoms, Pinegrove and The Districts have also been big with me since Soapbox Sound formed. Most recently I discovered ELO and couldn’t believe I was so late to the party but better late than never!
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Dr. Dog is going on their last tour in a month but that would be a dream. I’ve seen them perform over fifty times and dreamt about being up there to open every time!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
I’ve heard from a few people that some of my songs have touched them deeply during a time when they needed it. That always has meant the world because I know what it’s like to be on the other end of that. The fact that anyone - nevermind multiple people - have felt a connection to some of my songs is the most incredible thing to me and is one of the biggest reasons I started writing music in the first place.
And what is the most frustrating part?
A lot of times things feel a little helpless and like you’re singing into an empty void with no way of really knowing if anything is even going to pan out or come to fruition. That’s very frustrating - the not knowing. But in those moments I just have to remind myself it’s not always about the destination but rather the journey. It’s cliche and doesn’t always help but it’s in fact true, as nothing at all is promised to us and we just have to make do with what we have in the moment and hope that effort and energy pays off one day.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
The best advice I’ve learned as a musician wasn’t about music itself but about the business of being an independent artist. There’s so much that goes into the promotional aspect of being a self-sustaining artist that I didn’t fully appreciate or take part in until very recently. If I had listened and taken that advice more seriously when it was first given to me, I would be more experienced with that stuff at this point than I currently am.
-
Soapbox Sound's new single 'Hooked On You' is available to stream now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.