Interview: Gouge Away

Photo by Ali Beaudette

We’re thrilled to present to you the interview with Christina, Tyler, and Mick of Gouge Away! The band is making waves in the punk and hardcore scene with a recently released full-length album, “Deep Sage.” Today, we dive deep into their creative process, discussing the inspiration behind the album and singles like “Dallas,” “Idealized,” and “Stuck In A Dream.” From their songwriting methods to the recording studio experiences, we explore every facet of their musical journey. Enjoy!

Can you share more about the journey of creating “Deep Sage” and how the sound evolved during the recording process?

Tyler: Overall, it took about four years to make this record. From writing while on tour nonstop in 2019, to demoing in our old practice space, putting the band on hold for a couple years, and then finally recording in March 2023, these songs have been through a lot. In the studio, this record evolved even further as we added piano, percussion, tried different vocal ideas, and had friends come in last minute to do guest vocals. 

“Dallas” seems to have a personal and introspective theme. Can you delve deeper into the inspiration behind the lyrics and how the song came together?

Christina: The guys started writing the music while we were waiting for soundcheck to start in Dallas, TX. The riffs & structure took a lot of twists & turns over the years. But I wrote the lyrics about a moment in time when I was confessing how bad my depression was to Tommy in our old studio apartment bathroom in Orlando, FL. The conversation led me to want to get better for him, because I wasn’t ready to get better for myself yet. For a long time, the vocal melodies were the only thing that was working for the song. It was rewritten a handful of times, and we thought it wasn’t going to make it onto the record, until the very last practice before recording when we figured it out. 

The hiatus in 2020 had a significant impact on Gouge Away. How did that time apart influence the creative process when you reconnected to finish writing “Deep Sage”?

Tyler: The time apart helped our creative process more than we could have imagined. The first time we got back into a room together, the songs came together and flowed so well. The excitement of it all, writing together after three years of waiting, definitely played a big part in molding this new material.

Christina: We all accepted that this record was not supposed to ever get finished, so when we got together again it was a surprise to us, and a secret we kept from everyone. It took a lot of the pressure off to write completely under the radar.

The decision to record “Deep Sage” completely analog and almost entirely live is unique. What motivated this choice, and how do you feel it affected the overall sound of the album?

Tyler: We tried our hand at recording live to tape, completely analog, when we went in to track Burnt Sugar. We quickly fell in love with the process and how natural it all felt. No take is actually perfect, but we want our records to sound human just like our live set does. We knew we wanted to track Deep Sage the same way to capture how we’ve grown both apart and finally together again. Just the five of us playing together, raw and honest.

Christina: The guys all recorded Burnt Sugar live but I added the vocals last by myself. I intended on recording a few songs live with them for Deep Sage. I wanted to see if I could, and I thought it would help me save time at the end for all the other songs I had to do by myself, but it was so much fun that I recorded almost everything live with them. It’s a different feeling when we all get to bounce off each other’s energy. 

“Idealized” and “Stuck in a Dream” were surprise singles that hinted at the direction of the album. Can you talk about the decision-making process behind releasing these singles and their significance to the overall narrative of “Deep Sage”?

Christina: “Idealized” was just a song that we were sitting on for so long, we were excited to finally get it out there. It’s been my favorite song for years. 

Tyler: It’s probably not what most people who are familiar with us would have expected as our first single in three years. It’s definitely a bit of an outlier on the record and we’re so happy with how it came out. “Stuck in a Dream” is a look into the more aggressive, up tempo tracks that we still love to write. I believe it’s one of the first songs we finished for the new album and we’ve been so excited to play it live.

Moving to different parts of the country during the hiatus must have brought about changes. How did the geographic separation impact the band’s dynamics and individual influences that contributed to the final version of the album?

Tyler: Amongst all the moving, we all ended up joining other bands or starting new ones. I think playing music with people we admire is probably a permanent part of us, no matter what it looks like or at what capacity. I think that time spent playing with other people has taught us all a lot. Our other projects sound nothing like Gouge Away, so we’ve all had new experiences playing other types of music and figuring out dynamics within a band. If anything, revisiting these songs felt more like home, very much with their own identity that was exciting to get back to.

The recording process at Atomic Garden East with Jack Shirley sounds like a unique experience. How did the live recording setup contribute to capturing the essence of Gouge Away’s sound?

Tyler: It was important for us to play the songs together live while recording. We tried our hardest to capture the feeling of playing in a room at the same time where we could play off each other, drag certain parts, or nail the song in one take. This time around, Christina tracked vocals with us live too. She was in an isolated room with a window so that she could see the rest of us in the live room where we had a vocal monitor to be able to hear her. I can’t think of a more accurate way to capture our sound. 

“Dallas” went through various changes but retained the nostalgic title. Can you share some of the challenges faced in refining the song and what ultimately led to the decision to keep the title unchanged?

Tyler: We tried so many different approaches for “Dallas”. Different tempos, more picked out guitar parts, but nothing felt right until we prioritized the vocals. We all loved Christina’s vocal melodies and the song didn’t come together until we realized we had to simplify our parts to let the vocals shine. Our motto for this song became KISS (keep it simple stupid). 

Christina: Since they started writing the song at that soundcheck in Dallas, TX in 2019, every time we named a phone recording or new demo of it, we called it “Dallas”. Keeping that name is part of honoring the story of this record. Every time I hear the title of this song I can picture that exact day. 

The New Year’s Eve show in 2022 marked the band’s return after three years. How did the energy and reaction from that performance influence the subsequent writing and recording sessions for the album?

Tyler: Playing live for the first time since 2019 was truly surreal. I remember all of us being so nervous and excited beforehand. The whole experience was so validating and it felt like friends and strangers alike were welcoming us back with open arms. It was like a final push to head into the studio to make this record. 

The release date is set for March 15, 2024. What are your expectations and hopes for the reception of “Deep Sage” from your audience and the music community?

Tyler: Expectations are hard, especially after being away so long and not knowing how we fit into the current landscape. So much has changed in our community these last few years. Hopefully long time listeners can appreciate that we grow both as musicians and as people. And changes in our lives are reflected in these songs. I also hope that people who are just now discovering our band can find something to connect with. If someone hears this new record and feels motivated to show it to a friend or come to a show, that’s all we can hope for. 

Gouge Away has been known for its urgent and abrasive qualities. How did you balance maintaining those elements while also expanding into more melodic traits on this album?

Christina: We wrote a ton of songs. Like so many songs. We had a really good process where we would check in with our big list of song ideas, and go through one at a time and decide which ones we loved, which could use some work, and which we weren’t feeling. Miraculously, we agreed on everything pretty well. We went into the studio and recorded 17 songs. We intended on picking 10 but ended up keeping 11 of them. There was a huge range of sounds to choose from, but ultimately we picked what the five of us loved the most. The work really paid off because I love every song on this record. As far as expanding on both of the abrasive & melodic qualities, we all like a lot of different music when you put as all together. We respect & trust where each of us is coming from with a new idea. And as far as writing vocal parts goes, I made the choice to do what I felt was right for each song, instead of keeping myself limited to what would have fit on a past record. 

With the extensive material you had, how did you decide on the final tracklist for “Deep Sage,” and were there any difficult choices in omitting certain songs?

Mick: We wrote all the titles onto pieces of paper with their track length and laid them out on a table. We moved them around like puzzle pieces to visualize the tracklist as an A and B side of an LP. Then we’d put them into a media player and listen to the different orders. We’d hear how certain songs would come out of each other and feel in the context of the runtime. We did omit a song that we all liked but it just didn’t fit right no matter how we structured it. 

Source: thoughtswordsaction.com