Russell RockwellThe velvety sound of Midnight Larks’ new self-titled album may comes as a shock for anyone who got to know the band at one of their raucous live shows. The jagged edges of the trio have been smoothed over as the group explore the darker side of rock and roll over a dozen rippling tracks. If this sounds like Midnight Larks have lost their bite, don’t be fooled. This record still rocks—it just takes a minute for the slow-burning riffs to dig their way into your soul.
The band is a collaboration between vocalist and bassist Nikki Speake (Shantih Shantih), vocalist and guitarist Sasha Vallely (Sash the Bash), and drummer Pietro DiGennaro (Bad Spell). Considering the extensive musical history of each member, it’s no surprise they can flip the switch from driving surf to a smoky ballad with ease, and they show off this range on nearly every track. From beginning to end, the trio seamlessly channel the psychedelic tendencies of the Animals and the sizzling riffs of the Kinks without sacrificing the overall spooky haze of the record. There’s no shortage of ideas from Midnight Larks and dang if they don’t all work so much better that they should. From the haunting organ outro on “Sometimes,” to the relaxed swing of “Shameless Child,” this is an album for the rock and roll connoisseur with an ear for the adventurous.
In an effort to better understand what makes the group’s sound so contagious, we asked the dueling vocalists a few questions about horror movies, the inspiration behind the band, and what it’s like to be an inner goth.
Do you have a favorite horror movie?
Nikki Speake: This is hard, because I grew up gorging on horror movies as a kid. I still love Evil Dead, because it was the first zombie movie I ever saw when I was 5. I was scared to death! I didn’t understand the campy aspect at all at the time. I also love Suspiria and Rosemary’s Baby, anything about witches, and [I] love the fashion and cinematography of the time. I could watch them over and over.
Sasha Vallely: There’s a few I love but I’m super into the visual imagery of Suspiria and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, so they are probably my favorite right now. I get scared by horror movies super easily, though. I recently watched a new horror a friend of mine Rich Ragsdale made called Ghost House and it scared the bejesus out of me lol. Check it out, it’s really good!
Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty?
NS: While I do love Tom Petty, I’d have to say Bruce Springsteen. I used to cover “Nebraska” in my early 20s, which is such a brutal, but beautiful song. That whole album is one of my favorites. I’ve always enjoyed his style of storytelling songwriting.
SV: I love Tom (R.I.P). I actually only really started listening to Tom and Bruce fairly recently. Although they are known across the pond they are definitely more of an American staple. I’m discovering songs from both of them that I’ve never heard of before that I think are really great.
Tacos or Burritos?
NS: Why can’t we have both?!
SV: I love both but I think I prefer tacos!
Credit: Kellyn Willey
What drives you to create music?
NS: Sanity! It’s possibly the most accepted way of expressing your innermost thoughts and vulnerability.
SV: With every cell of my being, I live and breathe music. Have done so all my life. I can’t see myself ever doing anything else.
How did you settle on a sound for the band?
NS: I’m not sure we settled on it, as much as it became the perfect amalgamation of our songwriting styles and tastes in much. I love how diverse is it, and that it represents multiple sides of all three of us.
SV: We never decided that this is going to be our sound, and as you will hear from the album it’s a melting pot of influences and styles. You can usually tell which is a Nikki song and which is a song that I wrote, but I think all together they complement each other nicely.
Was there any particular inspiration for the noir-esque production of the album?
NS: I think all three of us have a bit of a penchant for interest in the darker side of life, so it seemed to come pretty naturally. As far as the production, it had been a while since I’d been in a studio and was kind of in awe what could be done. The Greenhouse really helped us push our psychedelic aesthetic, and Sasha naturally has a good ear for production. I learned a lot from the process.
SV: For me, I’ve always been a bit of an inner goth. I think most of my songs are usually expressions of darker times in my life and frustrations that I need to vent. Exorcising inner demons. I try to write some more upbeat songs on occasion though such as “Moontown” and “Tonight.”
What does the writing process look like in Midnight Larks? Is it mostly collaborative?
NS: When we first started, Sasha and I just needed enough songs to fill a 20-minute set, so we threw out a bunch of songs we’d already written out to see which ones we felt would best suit the band. “Tease” was our main collaborative effort on the album, and we hope to do more in the future.
SV: It would be great to collaborate more and I know Pietro would like to be more involved in the songwriting process also.
Each of you have been playing music for such a long time, were there any pitfalls that you avoided with Midnight Larks because of experiences in previous bands?
NS: Not for me really; it’s all a learning experience. In my other bands I was so young and naive, I probably didn’t even know I was in a pitfall.
SV: I wouldn’t say we avoided pitfalls, but just all brought our knowledge from playing and touring with previous bands to the table which helped us to progress quickly.
Each of you came to Atlanta from other music scenes. What have you seen in other cities that Atlanta could to better in regards to music and art?
NS: I love that Atlanta really seems to embrace all types of music. We’re not really genre purists here, as you see in some cities, which has been great for me. The only thing I see from a few tours that I’ve been on, is that Atlanta could have a few more music venues for smaller bands. I always get emails from out-of-town bands (and intown bands!) asking me to help them get shows, because the few venues we have are always booked and hard to break into.
SV: I have lived in and played many, many cities, and I think Atlanta is a wonderful, diverse city that is constantly expanding. I generally think that Europe (not the UK) treats musicians a lot better and it would be nice if the US and UK would follow suit. For lesser known bands sometimes in some cities, you are lucky to get a drink ticket. In Europe they pay you well, give you food and drinks, and a lot of the time even help with accommodation. I see many larger cities that sometimes do a kind of pay-to-play type thing over here and in the UK. It would be great if there was more funding towards the arts so there would be less “starving artists” out there. Most of us have to work a day job to survive and even some of the more successful musicians seem to be pretty broke. Hopefully that will change soon!
What’s next for the band?
NS: Hopefully to sell out of our album! That would be such a proud moment. We are playing Record Store Day at Criminal, Atlanta Music Fest, and Muddy Roots. Hopefully we can keep getting asked to play festivals, and I think we would all love to be whisked away on a nice tour. Other than that, some much needed sleep!
SV: I hope that when people hear the album it will give us some more momentum to play bigger and better shows, and possibly do some tours. Bands and venues, hit us up!
Midnight Larks will celebrate the release of their self-titled debut tomorrow night, Mar. 31, at the EARL alongside Reverends and Twisty Cats. Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $8-10. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: midnightlarks.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @MidnightLarks
Instagram: @midnightlarks
Twitter: @midnightlarks