40ft to go
Photo Credit 📷 : @grima_boppin
Ah shit, it’s Monday again. We’re trying to brighten up the beginning of your brand new week with some beautiful new music as often as we can and today is no exception.
We’re amped to be debuting the latest single “Co-Op” from the Detroit based screamo band 40ft to go. 2023 saw this band emerge with some great singles, an impressive EP, and (my personal favorite) an amazing split with mis sueños son de tu adiós called “Place Twigs on the Dead”.
With hauntingly beautiful vocals complimented by scratchy screams and video game-esque keyboard leads paired with fuzzy distorted guitars, 40ft to go's high-quality-lo-fi recordings has left a mark on me as one of the most promising new acts in the game. Influenced by the likes of Suis La Lune, Brave Little Abacus, and Newfound Interest in Connecticut, 40ft to go's musical body of work has gotten better with every new track. We were happy to interview them to discuss their new music and what the recording process was like, as well as their writing style, and what's to come in the future.
WHAT WAS YOUR WRITING PROCESS LIKE FOR THIS UPCOMING RELEASE?
“Each of us wrote lyrics and led the writing process for at least a couple songs on the album. The way we do it varies depending on who is leading it and with what. For Co-Op, Dylan wrote the lyrics and outlined each section of the song on guitar in no particular order, and we worked together from there to figure out how to merge these sections together into a story.
When I (Dylan) first started writing this song, I wanted it to come from a happier place than I’m used to. I had a lot on my plate at the time and needed my mind to be on something else. The one person I can always count on to make me smile is Emil. For you it may not be your sibling, but your parents or a friend, or your cat or your partner. Whatever the case, this song is about having someone to count on.”
HOW WAS YOUR RECORDING PROCESS THIS TIME AROUND?
“While writing a song together, if we feel like we’re at a point where we have a cohesive structure for a song, we record a demo for it with our phones and then listen and sit on it for a while. Then we come back more confident and comfortable with the song with new ideas and eventually start by recording drums on an electric kit. We use our laptops as amps to monitor ourselves and record guitar and bass track outlines along with Nadia’s separate drum recording in her dining room. The guitars are later re-recorded and we mostly record the screaming in our cars. Benji recorded her vocals in our room facing a closet with an SM-57.”
“WE ALL JUST ENJOY WRITING MUSIC TOGETHER, AND GETTING TO BE A PART OF THE SCREAMO COMUNITY IS FUFFILLING IN ITSELF. IT’S A REALLY COOL AND SATISFYING THING TO MAKE MUSIC WITH FRIENDS, BECAUSE THE THINGS WE CREAT BECOME TANGIBLE, AUDIBLE EVIDENCE OF OUR FRIENDSHIP.”
- EMS @XX.DEADEMS.XX
“We’ve been spending a lot of time together writing these songs and really just hanging out. The album combines the current state of our minds and beliefs into one project. Thank you all for listening and I hope we can inspire anyone who wants to start making music, thank you Not Just A Phase for being super chill with this review.”
Their new single “Co-Op” was both mixed and mastered by the band themselves in a true DIY fashion. Physicals will be coming out early fall from BSDJ, Honeysuckle, See You Next Summer, and Daydream Records. A bunch of shows are planned after the release as well as a new split in the near future.
