“...I went through a very dark period and dealt with a lot of lies...”
A steady hi-hat beat.
A grooving bass.
Jangly guitars.
Then the vocals kick in — big and dreamy.
We’re talking about “A Year Today,” the latest single from Portland post-punk outfit Shadowhouse. We listen to a lot of gothy tunes when curating our playlists, so trust us when we say that this is one of the most authentic recreations of an 80’s post-punk sound that we’ve heard. Everything that you could want from that era is here. It’s moody. Atmospheric. Romantic and hopeless. “My heart keeps asking me, how can this be so?” croons Shadowhouse frontman Shane, who was kind enough to chat with DarknessCalling.net about his latest work. Read on below.
DARKNESS CALLING: Thanks for chatting with us! Please tell us anything you can about "A Year Today" in terms of its production or inspirations. We were really impressed with the mood you managed to capture in this song, and we really feel it is one of the most authentic encapsulations of that great 80's post-punk sound, without sounding like it belongs to any other band. To capture this sound, do you use any dated instruments/techniques, or is it just how the music comes out?
SHANE: The single was recorded by Mike Lastra of Smegma Studios here in Portland. Since I was a teenager (I'm 39 now), I've always wanted to record there. A lot of my favorite punk records were made there back in the day: great acts like Poison Idea, Greg Sage/The Wipers, and even Kurt Cobain have recorded there. Our drummer Niff at the time was good friends with Mike and actually got him to come out of retirement and record us. It then went to Felix Fung of Little Red Sounds in New Westminster, BC, for mixing. Felix is very much a sixth member of the band. We've been working with him since our “Conformity” single. He put in a lot of hard work with the mixing, and you can hear it.
As for equipment, nothing's too old except our amps, which are 1979 Roland Jazz Chorus 160’s. The best I can answer for the encapsulation of 80's sound is that I went through a very dark period and dealt with a lot of lies, rumors, heartbreak, and manipulative people. The isolation helped me write the music that you hear today.
DARKNESS CALLING: If I understand correctly, this is the first single from your upcoming album Forsaken Forgotten. What can your listeners expect from this album in comparison to your previous efforts?
SHANE: Originally, the single “Conformity” was for the album Forsaken Forgotten, but things got tangled up, members quit, and so we've been working on that second album with fixes and mixes.
As for what to expect? Songs on a more personal level of events over the past couple years. The album will be available through Icy Cold Records out of Paris, France, on CD and LP.
DARKNESS CALLING: You've been in this band for over eight years at this point. Can you tell me more about the challenges you’ve encountered in trying to maintain Shadowhouse as a musical entity?
SHANE: The interpersonal stuff was a big struggle. Two line ups have come and gone. At this point and time, the members actually consist of mostly old friends: Tapani on bass; Tom on drums; Andrea on keys, strings, and backing vocals; and Carl on guitar (who really is my biggest support and co-writes with me).
DARKNESS CALLING: On that note, how has the Coronavirus impacted your ability to practice together, etc.? Did you find it difficult to be creative back in March, or is that what spurred this new batch of songs?
SHANE: We've been able to have a few practices here and there. We're actually going to practice, I believe, next week or after that. We're working on a handful of new songs, and also on some collaborations coming up, as well.
DARKNESS CALLING: A final fun question — are there any surprising favorites on your personal playlists? Artists or bands that no one would expect you to listen to, but you can't resist?
SHANE: I listen to so much stuff and had to ask my girlfriend Noel this question for her opinion. The answer is Queen. I love 80’s Queen, especially the It's A Kinda Magic album. So over the top! Synth-pop-rock perfection!
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