Discover the artistic journey behind Aptøsrs' debut album 'Elders' in this exclusive interview, exploring inspirations, collaborations, and the unique blend of genres that define their captivating sound.
1. Congratulations on the release of your debut album "Elders." Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the album and the meaning behind its title?
This new Aptøsrs project is all about embracing being an instrumental artist with eclectic influences. I don't like specifically revealing the meaning behind an album or song title, just because I'm far more interested in about hearing what other people think they mean. Some music critics have told me they think 'Elders' refers to the distant past, kind of represented by the apatosaurus dinosaur, or the timeless influence of orchestral music. Friends have said they think 'Elders' refers to ghosts, or ancestors, or, essentially, ideas themselves. I love hearing all of these different interpretations. It's what making art is all about. It's very gratifying.
2. "Elders" is described as a blend of synthwave with cinematic orchestrations, lead bass guitar, piano, and glitchy drums. How did you come up with this unique fusion of genres, and what challenges did you face in bringing it to life?
Although it's fun to imagine fusing those things together, making it work means listening to your gut. Because, essentially, there's an infinite combination of sounds that could work for a song. I tend to be more of a “feel” composer/songwriter. If combining or contrasting tones gives me a feeling of excitement, I tend to double-down on that idea and let it lead the way.
3. Your album was mixed by Adam Noble, known for his work with bands like Biffy Clyro and Nothing But Thieves. How did the collaboration with Adam Noble come about, and what impact did his expertise have on the final sound of "Elders"?
I'm forever indebted to Adam Noble for coming on board and wanting to mix this album. For any brand new music project or band, for that debut record, it's all about establishing a sound. When I was thinking about “who would be the perfect person to mix this album” I immediately thought of Adam. I am a huge, lifelong Biffy Clyro fan, and the albums Adam mixed are my favorite sounding Biffy records. They sound huge and full of attack while also feeling, when they need to, incredibly raw, intimate, and delicate. When we chatted about the Aptøsrs album, and its eclectic range of influences, Adam just “got” it. But the most important thing to me was that Adam have creative freedom. I was excited about the ideas he'd come up. And I could not be more grateful for what he brought to this record. There is no “Aptøsrs sound” without Adam Noble's work.
4. As a composer, songwriter, and producer, you have an impressive background in creating soundtracks for various projects. How does the creative process differ when working on instrumental music for Aptøsrs compared to scoring for films or documentaries?
The similarity is that I always approach a scoring/soundtrack gig with no preconceived notion as to what the music is going to be. The difference is that I really try and tap into the emotionality of what I'm seeing on the screen. That is always my guiding light. I believe that film music should be felt much more than be heard. It should never stamp all over what the actors or the cinematography is doing. Film music, when it's doing its job correctly, should heighten the emotion of what is happening. Which is often like a secret the audience is being let in on: music can amplify what a character is silently processing in their mind.
Another good rule of scoring is that silence is your friend. Composers should also fight for when they think there should be no music.
For Aptøsrs songs, I'm kind of scoring imagery and a story playing out in my head. But, more often than not, improvising completely changes the direction of where I thought the song was going. So it's a dance. A constant push and pull. A shared chaos.
5. The tracklist for "Elders" includes intriguing titles like "Rust Mountain" and "Narcolepticon." Can you share some insights into the thematic elements or stories behind these individual tracks?
Oftentimes my brain hears or comes up with a made-up word. “Narcolepticon” was one of those moments, and it conjured up images of, of course, a narcoleptic, but also technology. The “-icon” at the end of the word felt like a nod to something like the world of Transformers. That combination was a great starting place to write that song and made it travel to a lot of different places. It's pretty common for me to come up with a song name first, and then write the song afterwards.
6. Your experience as a singer-songwriter includes collaborations with artists like Anneke van Giersbergen and Love Amongst Ruin. How have these diverse collaborations influenced your approach to creating instrumental music for Aptøsrs?
I learn a lot from any collaboration I've done. Anneke is a dear friend, and her ability to infuse the right kind of storytelling in her vocal performances always blows me away. Back when we did our duet, “The Same Place” (for my 2014 Cellarscape album The Act of Letting Go), it was a really creative time. Because we'd also just finished collaborating on making Anneke's first book, The Road to Drive, which I designed and edited. It chronicled all the music projects she was making, and touring, up to and including the recording of her Drive album. I really admire Anneke's ability to jump around different genres.
For the Love Amongst Ruin song “Detonation Days”, my contribution was this spoken word, almost performance-poetry vocal part, which is something I have never done before. It was a collaboration with the producer/mixer of the song, Nadeem Daya, and was a ton of fun to do.
7. "Aptøsrs" is pronounced like the dinosaur, "Apatosaurus." What led to the choice of this name, and does it hold any significance in relation to the music or themes explored in the album?
I loved this concept of not just a dinosaur, but specifically a baby apatosaurus being the logo for Aptøsrs. Because of the contradictions. This is an ancient, prehistoric creature. But it's also a newborn. It's young. When it grows up, it will be this gigantic, intimidating beast. But, despite its size, it's not a hunter. It's a vegetarian! All of that was going on in my head. Which, in turn, informed embracing musical “opposites” with the songswriting.
8. The Bandcamp Edition of "Elders" comes with an exclusive digital booklet. Can you elaborate on the content of this booklet and how it enhances the listener's experience of the album?
It's really just about me honoring the halcyon days of liner notes. I still pore over the production notes of every album I buy. It enhances my understanding of how the record was made. I love that Bandcamp encourages artists to offer digital booklets to their audience. The Elders one has artwork, photography, full production info, and biographies of everyone involved with the making of the album.
9. The press release mentions that Aptøsrs' sound seamlessly navigates between downtempo, breakbeat, and rock. How do you maintain this versatility while ensuring a cohesive and engaging listening experience for the audience?
That's a really hard question to answer! But I think it helps that I prefer to track/record and arrange while having monitor headphones on. That put me right inside the vibes and tones and attacks being created. You can hear all the tiny details and artefacts. Oftentimes they trigger a feeling that redirects the song into a completely different direction.
10. Your collaborations extend to working with Kenyan vocalist Silas Miami, South African artist Lana Crowster, and British cellist Tom Wraith. How do cultural influences and diverse musical backgrounds contribute to the sonic landscape of Aptøsrs?
It's all influential. Absolutely. I learnt so much from each of those collaborations. One thing that they all shared is that all of those artists create and perform with a strong focus on figuring out the right emotionality behind their performance. When that happens, it always elevates the song to an entirely new place. For me, doing the Aptøsrs project is all about being open to any creative influence. Because you never know how it's going to impact the writing of a song until you try it.
11. Can you share any memorable or challenging moments during the production of "Elders"? Were there any unexpected turns in the creative process that shaped the final outcome of the album?
I like being creative under pressure. And so I gave myself approximately two months to write and record the album. I did a bunch of tidying up and detailed rearranging after that period of time, but it was great to give myself a firm deadline.
I really got into the concept of figuring out how certain instruments would come and go as the album progressed. So I made a kind of “track map.” That created a varied selection of instruments that I wanted to, for all intents and purposes, be my “lead vocalists” for certain hooks and melodies.
12. The album cover for "Elders" is visually striking. Can you provide insights into the artistic choices made for the cover and how it reflects the essence of the music within?
Placing a prehistoric animal from the distant past in the context of neon, synthwave-esque, technology-forward graphics was yet another contradiction I fell in love with immediately. The cover art came together very quickly.
13. With Aptøsrs, you've ventured into the instrumental realm. How do you envision the audience connecting with your music without the presence of lyrical narratives, and what emotions or messages do you aim to convey through your instrumental compositions?
It's always a complete unknown, with regards to how or if the audience will connect to any song or album. But I feel confident that, despite not having lyrics, there is an engaging, and ever-shifting series of different emotional states that the album traverses. If listeners connect with this album on an emotional level, then I've done my job. What the songs ultimately mean to them, is wonderfully unknowable.
14. "Encore, Vredefort" is the final track on the album. Is there a specific reason for its placement, and does it hold any particular significance in concluding the musical journey of "Elders"?
If you look up the location and significance of Vredefort, you'll definitely get some clues about the themes I wanted this song-story to have. It was always going to be the conclusion of Elders. If “Rust Mountain” is the overture, welcoming you into the world of the album, “Encore, Vredefort” is the grand finale. If I've done my job right, listeners will feel like both songs have a relationship to one another. And, in that respect, after travelling through all 8 tracks, there should be a sense that this last song is exactly how this album should conclude. The song is, in more ways that one, about “endings.”
15. Now that "Elders" is out on all worldwide music platforms, what's next for Aptøsrs? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or performances that fans can look forward to?
I'm already working on ideas for the second Aptøsrs album, which I'm really excited about. Beyond that, later this year, I'm composing the score for a horror-thriller called Kilter. When I'm not writing music, I write books. I've got two titles coming out for Abrams Books: The X-Files: The Official Archives Volume II – Extraterrestrial Activity and the Syndicate, and Marvel Studios: The Art of Ryan Meinerding. So it's a creatively eclectic and busy year. And that's exactly how I like it.
Paul Terry Projects / SkyBabyRecords | Aptøsrs | X-Files Author
Elders | Aptøsrs (bandcamp.com)
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