After a decade, Seven Lions finally releases his debut album, ‘Beyond The Veil’ [Interview]

Since Seven Lions first launched his Polarize EP on Viper Recordings in 2012, followers knew there was one thing particular concerning the Santa Barbara-born melodic dubstep producer. Of course, on the time, melodic dubstep wasn’t even a factor, coming to mild throughout the heyday of brostep and the murmurings of entice within the US.

By the time he launched Worlds Apart in 2014, nevertheless, Seven Lions had amassed a loyal following and ‘melodic dubstep’ was up and operating, because of others like Illenium, MitiS, Skrux, Rameses B, Dabin, and others.

Now, a decade after his first main EP, melodic dubstep has almost run its course, and Seven Lions is in some settlement, however extra on that later. After 8-9 sturdy years, it wouldn’t be stunning for a style as thematically limiting as melodic dubstep to achieve some degree of saturation, the identical as brostep or future bass. Though entice, spawned across the similar time, appears to be having a resurgence this 12 months.

Still, Beyond The Veil, the debut album from Seven Lions, out in the present day, doesn’t play on outdated tropes, nor does it attempt to reinvent the wheel. It’s simply Seven Lions, as he’s at all times been. Only three out of the twelve songs on the album have been launched as singles, leaving a lot for followers and listeners to find. And with collaborations that includes Vancouver Sleep Clinic, So Below, Eli Teplin, GG Magree, JT Roach, Dia Frampton, Mija, and Lights, there’s a lot to get pleasure from.

I believe essentially the most primary query I can ask is why now, after just about a full decade because the inception of your mission. What about this 12 months or this era in your life made you go, “Okay. It’s time for an album.”

I believe the pandemic type of allowed it simply because that was the primary time I had nearly two years off from touring, So it simply type of made sense to, um, I don’t know. I imply, I simply had quite a lot of music on the time, however then I type of realized simply what the state of melodic music and quite a lot of dubstep that I felt like I wanted to place out a press release. Kind of in a approach that was, you recognize, no collaborations with different producers and artists. I used to be fortunate to have the time and it additionally simply actually felt like the proper time.

Okay, so even when you may have you recognize, as an example, GG Magree or Mija. They’re simply doing vocals for the tracks and never doing any manufacturing?

Yeah, they’re simply locals.

Interesting. Okay, That’s actually that’s actually attention-grabbing.

One of the tracks on the album is “Beyond The Veil,” which shares the title of the album. What precisely is the veil to you? What is past it?

I imply, that’s a giant query. I really feel like that’s type of the core thriller of the entire thing, proper? I imply, past the veil is one thing unknowable and uncrossable. And I believe that’s a few of the romantic beliefs behind the message. Those are like past the veil and when the veil could be crossed, and loving any person that you would be able to’t be with and that it’s a complete – I imply the idea is definitely, it was made to be a thriller, a bit ambiguous.

It would imply various things to totally different individuals. But inside the context of the Seven Lions mythos, it does type of have a extra significant, particular context. It’s like, actually choose up on that and resolve what it means to them, I’d say.

Did you make a few of these tracks with a vocalist in thoughts, or have been any of them vocalist demos that have been dropped at you first? When did you start to think about perhaps which vocalist would go together with which tune?

There’s some that went each methods. The majority of them have been demos that I began after which went for particular vocalists. But there have been just a few that got here in that have been like this vocal is superb. And it suits with the album and that is like one thing that I’m gonna take and construct the tune round, however most of them began from simply instrumentals. Sometimes I might simply be listening to quite a lot of totally different artists on Spotify and be like, “Oh, wow, this person is amazing.”

With So Below, I simply type of randomly bumped into her on Spotify and was like, “Wow, She’s got an amazing voice, and this would be perfect for her. Some of them went like that. Some of them that were already up and coming I knew, like Vancouver Sleep Clinic I was already familiar with for a while. So when I started the song, I wasn’t immediately like, “Oh, this is perfect for Vancouver Sleep Clinic.” But then after I received decently far in I noticed that might be a great one to ship over and we did, and he was into it. With JT Roach, I despatched him a demo, and he wrote to it, and his voice was implausible. He’s an ideal author and has an ideal voice. But it simply wasn’t proper for that tune in the important thing that it was in, so you recognize, we went and truly attempt to discover quite a lot of totally different singers to sing that specific tune. It was truly the final one which received completed on the album as a result of we had such a tough time discovering somebody.

Were there any songs specifically that have been created out of any particular occasion or feeling the place you thought, you recognize, “I need to make this song for this reason”?

The complete album actually [laughs]. You type of really feel like that in a approach as I used to be saying, simply so far as an artist. Making music proper now and the present state of issues I’ve felt like I actually wished to indicate who I’m. And what I sound like, you recognize, like what my music means to me. I’d say the inspiration for a few of the songs got here by me simply strolling round. During the pandemic I used to be spending quite a lot of time alone, like a ton of time alone.

Yeah, I’ll say the album, there’s loads much less of the bombastic components that you simply might need had prior to now, and quite a lot of the tracks are extra somber and nearly melancholic.

Yeah, I’d say so for certain. It positively comes from a spot of solitude.

Was there any a part of the album course of specifically that you simply actually loved? Maybe it was you recognize the place you the place you recorded it or who with or perhaps it was one thing that simply occurred throughout the course of, like only a enjoyable studio session or one thing.

I’ve at all times been extra all for being within the studio and anyplace else. As an digital music producer in 2022, there’s like a lot touring, and there’s a lot being away from house and, like, simply the flexibility to remain at house and roll off the bed every single day and work on the identical mission was superb. I really feel like I actually received to discover totally different sounds and various things that I’ve been all for.

Doing quite a lot of vinyl re-sampling was actually enjoyable. I might go to the document retailer and flip via information and attempt to discover cool indie stuff, older stuff that I’d pull little samples out of, and I went to the thrift retailer and acquired some outdated shitty audio system and lower them up and get quite a lot of revamping stuff simply to get a cool natural texture out of a few of the issues that I don’t actually really feel like I might have been capable of do.

That method is extra like engaged on an EP as a result of I’m making songs that individuals wish to hear. Like I’m gonna make a banger, and I do get pleasure from doing that as nicely. But it is a rather more private and experimental type of vibe I’d say.

Are there any examples of the vinyl thrifting that we might hear and acknowledge within the album, or is it so chopped up and type of melded into just like the core of the piece that we wouldn’t actually be capable to choose it out?

I do know it’s throughout. “Call On Me,” for certain. I’d say that one has it all over the place. “Between” has it loads. Then additionally “Never Learn” there’s a ton of it. The revamping you positively hear in “Beyond The Veil.” In the very starting, it offers it this bizarre distortion that you simply simply couldn’t get from a plug in the place you hear the thrill and it’s an attention-grabbing type of sound for certain.

So as I discussed, it’s been just about a full decade because the inception of your Seven Lions mission. What are a few of the classes you’ve realized alongside the way in which and something you may wish to point out to new producers, new recording artists who’re both simply beginning out or wish to advance their means as producers?

There’s so many issues to say. I might say, clearly, the very first thing is do it since you find it irresistible. You know, it’s a protracted street and I really feel just like the reward on the finish of the day is definitely making the music. If you are taking your time in how a lot you benefit from the course of versus what you’re searching for the end result to be, then I believe you’re in a great place. I’d additionally say being very conscious of what you let into your thoughts relating to social media and what you’re as a result of it’s very easy to get misplaced, evaluating your self to different individuals and get down and get knocked off your path. How you examine your self to different individuals is essential.

Photo by way of Dawndra Budd