Working from home for the past decade, I’m no stranger to isolation. While it could be a problem at times for me, the grander idea of it all served as major inspiration for Rainbrother and their upcoming release, Island. Out March 29th, Island takes listeners further into the minds of the men who brought you Tales From the Drought in the past. We talked about what to expect from this isolated island, tacos, art, and so much more.
Kendra: When it was time to sit down and work on your new record, did you want to do anything different than what you guys did on Tales From the Drought?
Rainbrother: Yes, it was a different process because we’d toured together and had a good understanding of each other. We kinda knew what we wanted.
Kendra: One major difference was locale. You recorded in the attic of an old barn. Did being off the grid in a way help with the creative process this time around?
Rainbrother: Yeah since we recorded there we didn’t get distracted that much. Only from the animals, which was a good thing. So we recorded the whole album live. And besides it being a more fun process we also think you can hear that liveliness on the record.
Kendra: Island deals with a lot of themes. One being voluntary isolation. Did you approach that from a physical perspective or also touch on the idea of social media creating an isolated society?
Rainbrother: Well, life is full of voluntary isolation, you’re just not conscious about it all. So we thought it was good to make a decision – drive all the gear out of the city and chill. It’s all about making those decisions yourself instead of just following everyone else. And yes, a song like “Commuter” is also about the social media, about just having chats and ideas passing by constantly. It puts you on your own little island too, but a rather confusing and stressful one.
Kendra: When “The Master” was penned, who was on your guys mind?
Rainbrother: We were 5 men in a room feeling it.
Kendra: Lyrically you guys master painting vivid pictures, especially with lines like “I’m a taco you can eat” in “Black Chemicals.” If you could have one artist actually paint alongside your music, who would you pick and why?
Rainbrother: Leonardo da Vinci. And we would like him to do a giant wall-size painting that we can put up behind us when we play live.
Kendra: You’ve got a few shows coming up in the coming months. Are you gearing up for a late spring or summer tour?
Rainbrother: We’re not sure yet how long it’s going to be but we’re really looking forward to playing those new songs live.
Kendra: Other than possible touring, what’s on deck for you guys in the next few months?
Rainbrother: We want to help spread the awareness of what’s going on in the Amazon rain forest these days where wildlife and indigenous tribes like the Huni Kuin are threatened by the politics of new president in Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro. When a new president’s elected it might be too late so we encourage everyone to support. Here’s one way to do it at our Facebook.
