Now After Nothing "Fixation Fantasy" Interview
Darkwave duo Now After Nothing just released their single titled “Fixation Fantasy”, a trance-like soundscape with rock elements inspired by The Cure, Sonic Youth, and Nine Inch Nails. We got to speak with Matt Spatial, vocalist of Now After Nothing about how the duo came to be, their influences, and their upcoming EP.
- Can you start by telling us who is behind Now After Nothing?
The core of Now After Nothing is myself on vocals, guitars / bass guitars and synths, and Michael Allen on drums. Michael and I recorded all of these first singles as a duo but I am currently in the process of solidifying the live lineup.
- When did you start making music together?
Michael and I played together in a previous band for a bit. He joined at the tail-end of that project but his playing style and his easy-going attitude really kept that band together longer than it would have lasted otherwise. When I started writing the songs that would become Now After Nothing, it was a no-brainer to get him involved as I knew he was someone who really understood where I was coming from as a songwriter. I had everything demo’d up and he was able to breathe some extra life into them with live drum parts.
- Your sound is really unique with various influences from acts like The Cure, Sonic Youth or Nine Inch Nails, so how would you personally describe your music?
I try not to describe the sound in words because I have yet to come up with the perfect description – ha!
Generally speaking though, I tend to just say “darkwave.” It’s a broad enough term that I think captures both the darker/goth-y aspects of our sound as well as the more electronic, noisier aspects.
- What’s the story behind your new track “Fixation Fantasy”?
Sonically speaking (which is where I always start when writing a song) the song is just a constant flow of intense noise teetering between controlled and un-controlled at different parts of the songs. This was the perfect sonic foundation for the intense lyrics and the dissonant, trippy harmony lead vocal part – it all came together pretty naturally despite it being such an unnatural-sounding song. Lyrically, the song takes on the voice of the different ‘characters’ in this story of a relationship gone from bad to worse. It made sense, at least to me, to lyrically jump around the different perspectives just adding to the chaos.
- What is the message you want listeners to take from your music?
I wouldn’t say there’s any particular message really that I’m trying to get across. Not that there aren’t messages there to be heard or feelings conveyed, but rather I would just encourage listeners to latch on to whatever it is that resonates with them.
- If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Good question! If you were to ask me this same question every week you would likely get a different answer each time, but currently, I would have to say Placebo’s “Ask For Answers” from the Without You I’m Nothing album. It’s such a beautifully emotional song in every way. The music by itself is just sad and soothing all at once with the soft droning guitars, the slow snare march, and the melodic bass lines.
Brian Molko’s vocal performance is just beyond amazing and so heartfelt. It’s a song that I wish I had written!
- You have an EP coming, can you tell us more about it?
As of now, the plan is for the EP to come out in late Spring/early Summer and it will include the first two singles, “Sick Fix” and “Fixation Fantasy”, as well as another three or four songs that are still being recorded. Having thus far only released singles, I think it will be a good chance for people to hear more of what the band is about and some of the diversity in my songwriting. Because the idea of doing a packaged EP feels a little off given how listeners consume music these days, I’m brainstorming ideas for how I can make the EP’s release something a little different. Maybe the download price will be to ‘donate to a charity’ or it will be a limited edition, handmade snail mail mix tape… who knows just yet!?
