Shoegaze trio CITRUS CLOUDS have taken a more psych-pop approach with their new album “Collider”, a solid offering for fans of the ethereal genre that stands as confidently and beautifully composed as its inspirational predecessors. We have teamed up with the band to give us some more background on their work and take us through the new record track by track.
“For our new album Collider, we made a conscious effort to change the way we approached everything.” – comments the band.
“We took our time and worked together as a band to flesh out all of the songs. Someof the songs started off being named after a specific color and as we worked on them they found their name. Some of the most challenging songs on Collider are the shortest. It can be hard to keep a song concise and still have it be a fully formed idea. Overall we’re very happy with how it all ended up sounding.”
CITRUS CLOUDS are: Stacie Huttleston- Vocals, Bass, Angelica Pedrego- Drums, Erick Pineda- Vocals, Guitar. Collider was recorded by Jalipaz at Audioconfusion in Mesa, Arizona. Collider was released by Lolipop Records.
1- Honey
Honey’s working title was “Pink” and it’s a song that we all wrote collaboratively, including the lyrics. We’re huge Pixies fans, so we built the song around a Kim Deal-esque bassline. Took a lot of editing to get it under 3 minutes.
2- A Pastel Sky
A Pastel Sky’s working title was “Purple.” After our ep “Ultra Sound,” we wanted to evolve our sound and get louder. We ended up getting a ratt and a big muff after touring with Death Valley Rally and picking their brains. We wanted Pastel to be very dreamy and have the chorus be really big. Lyrically it’s a surrealist dream of floating through an Arizona sunset.
3- Whoa
We ended up playing with the Stargazer Lilies here in Phoenix and seeing what their guitarist John was doing was mind blowing. It sounded like a jet was inside of the club, crazy loud and really psychedelic. Whoa was the first song written for Collider and the guitar part was inspired by that night. Lyrically it’s about those parties that just keep going and going.
4- In A Daydream
In A Daydream’s working title was “Blue” and it was the 2nd song written for Collider. We had just completed a tour with Mute Swan and began writing songs as soon as it concluded. Seeing them play every night was great and it inspired this song sonically. The lyrics were written while waiting for a ride that never came after work. Your phone is dead, you’re killing time in an empty parking lot and you have nothing to do but daydream.
5- Let Love FInd You
Let love find you is a song about not losing hope, even in complete darkness. There is always light to comfort you. The first time we heard the song playback over the monitors in the studio, it was instant goosebumps. Our producer Jalipaz turned to us and very seriously asked, “What made you guys record an album like this?”
6- Collider
Collider was a fun one to write, a bit heavier than what we were used to writing. We were listening to Trompe Le Monde (Pixies) a ton during the writing of this album and that inspired how loud the song became. Lyrically it’s about the large hadron collider.
7- Summer Everywhere
This was the last song to make it onto Collider. We had worked on it a year prior and it kind of never fit anything we were doing at the time. With some of the songs being heavier on the record, it felt like a good fit. Lyrically it’s about being miserable in Phoenix in the summer with no AC. The summers here are violent.
8- Feel the Spirit
Feel the spirit was another song that we worked hard at to keep under 2 and a half minutes. Took some work to be able to keep it concise and have it be dynamic. Lyrically it’s about realizing that you’re more than just a human body. You are consciousness and infinite.
9- Whenever That Might Be
The working title for Whenever That Might Be was “Yellow.” It started off on the acoustic guitar then kept developing. Lyrically it’s about a relationship falling apart and realizing that.
10- Motion Blur
Motion Blur was inspired by the tour with Mute Swan. Being hungover, staring out of the window of a van for hours does things to you. You begin to contemplate life and how short it really is.
