Ula Ruth‘s new EP, Fever marks a new beginnings of sorts for the band. With the goals to expand on their sound and create something vastly different from their old material, “Strung Out,” the first single released from Fever is just that. The song, recorded in a haunted Victorian-style studio, is stunningly beautiful, but also has a somber, longing quality about it, making it impossible not to fall in love with.
Keep an eye out for more news about Fever, out early this year, and listen to “Strung Out” below!
Interview by Shannon Shumaker
You guys ended 2015 with the release of your new single, “Strung Out.” Can you tell us a little bit about the song?
I witnessed a lot of people close to me struggle with many forms of addiction, and I think overall it’s from those personal accounts where I found the inspiration for the song. The song isn’t necessarily about love, but being a victim of true addiction and how it can make one worship false idols. In the song’s most basic form, it’s really supposed to make the listener feel as if they’re having a trip of sorts.
“Strung Out” comes from your upcoming EP, Fever. Did you have any major goals in mind for this release?
With this release we wanted to put forth a track that was a stark contrast to what we had previously released on Restless Nights. This departure in sound made it an obvious choice to us for it to be the first track released off the EP. We wanted to introduce our new sound while teasing at some of the musical and lyrical themes that listeners will hear on the rest of Fever.
How do you feel you’ve grown with the creation of Fever?
With Fever we began rehearsing for the sessions with the mindset that this EP has to sound like what Ula Ruth would make 3 years from now. We opened rehearsals up for ourselves to explore any ideas each of us might have individually had, whether it be dramatic changes to a song’s form, a way of playing our respective instruments, or some kind of crazy sound/texture we’d get from manipulating our equipment. We now have a greater sense of trust in each other, that what we can each bring to the table has the capability to surprise us all and bring our music to a new place. We’re fortunate in that in terms of each member’s contribution to the music, the whole is more than the sum of its parts.
What are you most excited for listeners to hear on the EP?
We’re most excited for listeners to hear the growth we’ve shown on this EP. We put a lot of work into this one, along with our Producer Chris and Engineer Greg. We stepped extremely far out of our comfort zones on this EP and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.
All of our favorite records have many different musical and lyrical layers to them that unfold to the listener overtime. We wanted to make sure we did the same thing on this EP. We want listeners to be surprised that every time they listen they hear something they may have missed before.
How was working with Chris Ruggiero and Greg Giorgio for this release? How do you feel they helped shape or influence the EP?
It was amazing working with Chris and Greg. They both bring something completely unique to the table every time; we couldn’t have made any of this possible without them. We’ve been working with Chris from the beginning days of this band and his influence as a producer and a friend has become irreplaceable. He is always one to push us into unchartered waters and we are better song writers and musicians because of it. Greg mixed the last EP and we were thrilled to work with him again. His skill and creativity as a mixing and audio engineer is outstanding and we couldn’t imagine a better fit for our band. Working with Chris and Greg was half the fun of making this EP and we can’t wait to work with them again.
I read that Fever was recorded in a haunted Victorian studio. What was that like? Do you think that it affected the sound or mood of the EP at all?
It certainty gave off a vibe that is present on the EP. There was a spiritual presence in the studio that acted as a helping hand during the recording process.
What would you like listeners to be able to take away from Fever?
One song can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people. It’s hard to say if everyone will take away the same things that we have from these songs. However, if we’ve done our job right, listeners will hear the emotion and hard work that went into every single track on this EP.
With the EP dropping soon, can fans expect to catch you out on the road or see any new music videos? What do you have planned for 2016?
We’ve released one music video so far for the song “Strung Out,” directed by our close friend Alex Pines, and have at least two more to come. In support of the EP release this winter, we’ll be playing a number of shows in the NYC area. After that, we’re off to SXSW in March.
Catch us at The Mercury Lounge Thursday 1/14 in NYC!
Do you have any big goals for this year?
We’ll continue to release new tracks and visuals from the new EP, and begin to tour in support of the new record in early 2016. As of now we’re just super focused on rolling out this new musical direction and re-introducing ourselves to the world.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Make sure to check out “preservationsound” on Instagram, it’s our producer Chris. For fans of everything audio…and the 1980s.
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