{"id":273,"date":"2018-02-07T13:00:11","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/interview-hardly-art-a-conversation-with-closer\/"},"modified":"2018-03-21T22:15:49","modified_gmt":"2018-03-21T22:15:49","slug":"interview-hardly-art-a-conversation-with-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/interview-hardly-art-a-conversation-with-closer\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview: Hardly Art? A conversation with Closer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\u201cWith this band, there\u2019s three of us in the room who genuinely want the songs to be the best they can be.\u201d<\/h1>\n

Some bands epitomise the commodification of music, offering a soulless, easily digestible package that exists in a cultural vacuum. Others offer little artistry beyond writing and playing, representing the ever-increasing commercialisation of styles or genres.<\/p>\n

Pennsylvanian trio Closer<\/b> aren\u2019t just \u2018some band\u2019 though, and in a 45-minute chat with the group \u2013 a conversation that touches on the idea of digital-analogue degradation, the Spanish surrealist poet group Generation of \u201827, and the theory of automatic writing \u2013 it\u2019s easy to see why.<\/p>\n

If all this sounds intimidating, it shouldn\u2019t. Instead, these influences mark out the creative process and beliefs behind one of screamo\u2019s most exciting new bands, adding context to their stellar \u2018All This Will Be\u2019<\/i> debut full-length. For a genre that has changed little in 30 years, it makes for some devilishly creative embellishments of style and texture.<\/p>\n

To understand Closer<\/b>, you must first dive back into the history of the group Real Life Buildings<\/a>. A world away from the throat-shredding emotional turmoil of Closer<\/b>, all three members are in some way involved in the indie-rock project. Founded by Matthew Van Asselt \u2013 who finds himself on guitar in Closer<\/b> – it\u2019s a collective that pulls on friends and acquaintances to fill in when needed. One such friend is bassist Griffin Irvine. The two met at school and have played together since they were twelve. Another is Ryann Slauson, a friend of Matt\u2019s from college and a former roommate of Griffin\u2019s. Ryann is also a touring member of Real Life Buildings.<\/p>\n

With some downtime \u2013 and a desire to do something new \u2013 Van Asselt approached Ryann with the idea of starting a screamo band.<\/p>\n

\u201cScreamo is a sort of specific genre that hasn\u2019t evolved much over the years,\u201d<\/i> considers Van Asselt. \u201cYou can just say, \u2018let\u2019s start a screamo band,\u2019 and start a band that is definitely a screamo band.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cBut I do think we managed to start a band that doesn\u2019t sound exactly like all screamo bands. It\u2019s got our own voice in there too.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n