‘Propagation’ is the second single from Lower Dens‘ album Nootropics which which came out this week. We were privileged enough to get some time with singer Jana Hunter who lives in Baltimore and used to work in Pizza Hut, I don’t know why we’re telling you this…
US: How would you describe your sound and influences?
JANA: We play spacious, textured music that is influenced by experimental and psychedelic varieties of rock, pop, post-punk, and early electronic music made by bands like Kraftwerk, Neu!, Joy Division, and others from that era. Our first record was primarily guitar-based, whereas the newer one involves quite a lot of synthesized sounds. Several of us played classical music growing up, and most of us listened to at least some indie rock during its heyday, so those things are tangentially influential, although perhaps not noticeably so.
US: How did you get into music and whats the first music you remember?
JANA: My introduction to music as a child was via my parents, who listened to Abba, Neil Diamond, Crystal Gayle and Kenny Rogers, and my older siblings, who listened to REM, U2, Prince, Joy Division, the Smiths, 10,000 Maniacs and They Might Be Giants. A short time later I took up the violin, and I remember being particularly enchanted with Vivaldi and Bach. Others in the band had parents whose musical tastes veered towards the more obscure, less top-40 radio, and I know that some of them from a very early age were listening to garage rock, the Velvet Underground, old r&b and soul, and a lot of other things that I didn’t know much about until I was a teenager or even older.
US: Whats coming up for you for the rest of 2012?
JANA: Besides a rather heavy touring schedule, a couple of the guys are getting married, Geoff is moving to Germany for about a year, and we’re toying with the idea of recording a more ambient, experimental record if we can work it into the schedule.
US: Are there any bands around right now that get you excited?
JANA: I really like Food Pyramid, an instrumental synth band from Minneapolis, Carter has been playing Egyptrix a lot, Will is a big fan of Balaclavas from Houston, Geoff has had Shostakovich on heavy rotation in the van, and I only know that whatever Nate’s been excited about usually gets played on headphones and involves late-night post-show beers and a lot of air-drumming. Others: Cex, Deep Time, Deep Earth, Rose Croix, Ben Aqua, Ami Dang, Cabaal, Roland Sebastian Faber, Laurel Halo, and Wume.
US: What do you think makes a good pop song?
JANA: My favourite pop songs accomplish two things: they stick with you, and they express some deeply-held desire. A good pop song is from the heart of desire.