With their new album, Time In Place coming out in just a little less than a month, we decided to have a chat with up-and-coming Kentucky-based group Artifex Pereo about their goals as a band and the challenges that they faced while recording their newest record. You can pick up Time In Place on May 27th via Tooth & Nail Records, and be sure to check out a stream of their song “Hands Of Penance” below!
Hi! This is Jordan from Artifex Pereo. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to answer these questions for ThePreludePress.com.
What really inspires you guys to do what you do? What makes you tick?
We are all pretty driven, in general. I suppose when asked why that is, it’s difficult to attribute certain things to that nature. Obviously, we are driven by the opportunities that have been presented to us. However, even when those weren’t there, we all had personal incentives to create music together. When the six of us gather, we know we are capable of harnessing whatever energy we desire to evoke and make it a cohesive and understandable effort. We have an appreciation for each other and the other human beings in our lives. We are actively seeking happiness and putting ourselves in advantageous positions to experience it. That’s the way it has always been with this group. We try to make that apparent in our music and in our daily interactions with the world.
Where do you draw your songwriting inspiration from? Did you have any major influences while recording Time In Place?
I believe that we have all broadened our range as of late. While some of us have always had an open mind to the unfamiliar, it’s easy to become lazy in your search for new inspiration. Personally, I go through droughts of finding new artists and it shows in my writing. During the development of “Time In Place”, I started to re-understand why having direct influences, paired with 5 quality songwriters, can actually create a unique sound. It’s wild how listening to a new band for a week can dictate the direction of a song.
There are countless influences on the new record, more than can be documented or recollected. I was listening to a lot of The Dear Hunter, letlive., Thrice, Architects, Gary Clark Jr. and Anthony Hamilton during the final stages of writing. I also let film and football influence my mood. This may be evident more than I care to admit.
When you went into the studio to record this album, was there a certain sound or feel that you really wanted to evoke? Did you have any goals set in place that you really wanted to accomplish?
First and foremost, we knew what to expect from our producer, Kris. He knew what we wanted. Knowing that these things were possible before the process started, gave us great vibes and confidence. Not to sound snobby but we always want to make “real” records. That term can be taken in a variety of ways. One could argue that no one in rock music makes “real” records anymore. At any rate, we wanted dynamics. In my opinion, no one captures that like Kris. We are dynamic in our songwriting and it’s important to have it tracked and mixed with that in mind. I sat in the tracking room along with Kris during every drum take. I saw the sweat and the energy put into it. To know that those takes made it into the final mix with all the dynamics that I felt while in the room, is what we wanted to be present on the album. This album wasn’t quantized. To me, this allows a natural groove to be set for each song. Each verse. Each chorus. While vocal melodies and lyrical content are the focus of this record, we all subscribe to this rather “traditional” approach to making records. One day, we will rule hard enough to track live, full band.
Time In Place definitely sounds very different from Ailments & Antidotes. Were there any challenges that you faced as a band while working on this record that you maybe didn’t have with your previous releases?
The most obvious challenge was implementing an Oregonian into our process. He’s just so much cooler than us. Ha!
Almost as soon as Ailments was completed, we had parted ways with the vocalist from that album. We immediately realized that new material was necessary in order to fully involve a new voice. The material that would eventually become suited for Lucas was mostly conjured up while he was still in Portland. Anyone who has attempted to collaborate with another over the span of 2,500 miles knows the complications and the challenges involved. There is a lack of cohesion and sometimes, effort. It wasn’t until he made the courageous move across the country that the album started to take shape. We spent a lot of individual time writing this record as opposed to crowding in a room and jamming. I suppose this would be one of the larger procedural differences from our last record.
Do you have any plans coming up that you can share with us?
This is all very new for us. It finally feels like this is a full time endeavor. These responsibilities are extremely rewarding. We are currently less than a month from the release of Time In Place and we have absolutely no clue how it is going to do. We have faith in the music and we have faith in the crew that has been assembled to help us on our way. By year’s end, we hope to be exhausted from touring, ready to tackle another stretch.
And last but not least, for anyone that might be listening to you for the first time with this release, is there anything you’d want them to know?
I am very excited to see the response from new listeners. Because we are such a small band in relation to the exposure that this new album will hopefully receive, we have a decent pulse on our current listeners. They’ve been vocal about what our music does for them. Good and bad. We will never put out the same record twice. I hope that it is apparent throughout Time In Place and I hope it’s received well. As always, we appreciate any time and effort given to listening to and understanding us.
Be sure to pick up Time In Place when it comes out on May 27th, and check out Artifex Pereo’s song “Hands Of Penance” below!