On June 24th the Connecticut-based indie emo outfit PERSPECTIVE, A LOVELY HAND TO HOLD will be dropping their upcoming record, Phantasmagorialand. The quartet is back in action, this time with a concise, easy to digest collection of songs that doesnt stray too far from the path that PALHTH has created over the years. The first single, Still (Everyday) is out now, and to celebrate, we have teamed up with the band to share their top inspirations behind Phantasmagorialand!
“As I feel most artists will say, much of what we choose to listen to doesn’t always make its way into the music we make, but over the course of the near-decade of PALHTH, our tastes have certainly changed.” – comments the band.
In the early stages of PALHTH consisting of Ben, Andrew, Jacob and Matt, the top 5 shaping albums are:
IIOI’s Proper
A stacked hit of the times. An album consistent all the way through from an artist of what (to young beginners) can be perceived as an achievable height, it inspires as not only a lofty but possible goal of songwriting while staying true to the genre.
I Kill Giants’ Self Titled
Local to our area, genre specific, high energy label mates exploring nooks and cranny’s of familiar territory at the same time. We very much looked up to and admired them.
TTNG’s Animals
Maybe a little more geared to our guitar players, but technical music that wasnt devoid of emotion, flashy but controlled, an aspiration of physical skill.
Deathcab’s Narrow Stairs
A contemporary emo record that clearly draws from art rock and beatle-esq pomp, found ways to take old ideas and nostalgia and reshape. Just the record of our time as kids that we all loved. As close as you can get to Radio Success and massive culture influence in the genre. Soundtracked Nostalgia.
Motion City’s Even If It Kills Me
The alternative band of our era, big influence on our drummer Matt, playing hard and technical over pop music. A lyrical and stylistic influence for sure, quirk in pop writing.
“As we changed as a band, got older, explored new territories, what we listened to and absorbed as art drastically changed.” – adds the band.
“Moving forward through Lousy and this new record, we began letting other things shape our ideas such as art and film. A lot of ideas for the new Lp were flushed through film scores, art pieces like The Color Of Pomegranate or The Holy Mountain.”
But to stick with music, the records the band discussed heavily were:
Weezer’s White album
Through Lousy and Phantasmagorialand, we referenced white as a mix and production standpoint. Massive and clean, hard guitars and slammed drums, tight production with wiggle room for slopped stylistic playing.
Spirit Of The Beehive’s Hypnic Jerks
A masterclass in through-composing and moving pieces that segue track to track. Distancing yourself from tried and true form to dip toes in weird uncharted territory. Humor in music.
LCD’s Sound of Silver
Detachment from the overly serious, pulse and tempo decisions, as well as flourished vocal deliveries with looser inhibition.
Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds
Stacking vocal harmonies and arranging rounds and denser arrangements. drawing from older sounds and viewing a collection of songs as an art piece rather than individual components.
Bob Dylan’s Highway 61
This one definitely didnt come through sonically, but inbetween tracking the shells and the finished product, Jacob and I went through a massive dylan kick that definitely shaped our views on performances, altering feels of ideas, and a general attitude towards music. Thinking of music through the lens of a career body of work, and how you develop over time, staying true to old influences while incorprating new.
