Beside Myself has been a long time in the making, but it is well worth the wait. For Basement, the creative process behind their new album, out October 12th, meant taking their time to create something they were truly proud of – something vulnerable, honest and fearless. It meant coming to terms with their musical limits, but not letting that define them, and the product promises to be the band’s most cohesive and relatable record to date.
With the release of Beside Myself quickly approaching, Basement are about to embark on a headlining string of tour dates in the U.S., kicking off on October 6th in Lawrence, Kansas before heading west and ending in Portland, Oregon on October 18th. The band will make their stop at The Moon Room in Denver on Sunday, October 7th and with the show coming up, we caught up with Basement to talk about the album, tour dates and more. Read the full interview below and grab tickets to an upcoming show HERE.
Interview by Dom Vigil
The Prelude Press: First and foremost, you guys are getting ready to release your new album, Beside Myself on October 12th! What are you most excited for fans to hear on the album?
Andrew Fisher [vocals]: We’re just really excited to get these songs out because we’ve been working on them for a long time. It’s gonna be fun when we get to play them live.
Did you have any major goals in mind when you first started working on Beside Myself?
The only real goal was the make a record we were truly proud of – outside of that there was definitely a focus on it clearly being a guitar based record because that’s what we are as a band. I feel we achieved both those things which makes me happy.
Beside Myself isn’t necessarily a concept album, but the majority of the album does follow a theme of not feeling comfortable in your own skin. Was there anything in particular you wanted to touch on with these songs?
Sometimes I had a focus or an idea and I’d start writing, other times I’d start writing and an idea would come, but the fact that there is a loose theme throughout is just a byproduct of my overall mood during the creative process. It was unintentional but I’m glad it turned out how it did.
Because of these themes, Beside Myself is a pretty vulnerable release. Is it cathartic in a sense to work on these songs and play them live?
Incredibly so; it’s the best part of being in a band. I love creating and being very open with myself when I write and the fact you get to express those feelings live is amazing. Sometimes it hits too hard and is hard to express properly, but the fact I get to do it regularly is something I cherish.
What was the most challenging or most rewarding aspect of working on the album?
Coming to terms with my vocal abilities and not putting too much pressure on myself. I sometimes struggle with confidence problems and feel like my vocal performance is going to let down the album as a whole – but Colin the producer was open to hearing me talk about that and was really supportive with helping nurture the best possible performances from me. For that I will forever be grateful.
What would you like fans to take away from Beside Myself, especially those who the themes of the album might resonate with?
I want people to take away whatever feels right. I have no addenda with regards to connection or help – in that way Basement is quite selfish. I know that music is an incredible source of strength to many people, myself included, but I would be lying if I said I was trying to achieve that. That is just a genuine and wonderful thing that comes from being outside of the creation process, having an intimate and personal experience with whatever art you are interacting with. I don’t want tamper with that. Whatever happens, happens.
You’re also getting ready to hit the road stateside in support of the album! What are you looking forward to on this upcoming tour?
The weather – I live in stinky swampy Virginia and I can’t wait to experience cool clean air. Oh wait, shows too. Of course I’m looking forward to playing all the cool cities on this run – I’m excited to play new songs and explore places.
The second stop of your tour is in Denver at The Moon Room – is there anything you’re excited to do or see when you’re in town?
I love Denver, this time it won’t be snowing so that’s cool. I’m just gonna walk around, check out some shops and coffee and find good food.
Do you have any other big plans for the rest of 2018?
Some more touring and spending my first Halloween in several years at HOME. My street in Richmond does this thing where everyone decorates their front garden and several blocks are all shut down and everyone just walks around in costume. I can’t bloody wait.
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PURCHASE TICKETS TO BASEMENT’S UPCOMING SHOW AT THE MOON ROOM HERE.
PRE-ORDER AND PRE-SAVE BESIDE MYSELF HERE.
Upcoming tour dates:
October
6th – Lawrence, KS – Bottleneck
7th – Denver, CO – Moon Room
8th – Salt Lake City, UT – Kilby Court
10th – San Diego, CA – Che Café – SOLD OUT
11th – Los Angeles, CA – Hi Hat – SOLD OUT
13th – Fresno, CA – Strummer’s
14th – Santa Barbara – Velvet Jones
15th – San Francisco, CA – Rickshaw Stop
17th – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s
18th – Portland, OR – Paris Theater
November
16th – Manchester, UK – Club Academy – SOLD OUT
17th – Leeds, UK – Stylus
18th – Glasgow, UK – Garage
20th – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
21st – Southampton, UK – 1865
22nd – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
23rd – Bristol, UK – WX