Alexandra Morte sang on Whirr’s 2012 album Pipe Dreams. The record was arguably the most enjoyable shoegaze release of the last 15 years, even if it wasn’t necessarily an earth-shattering masterpiece. Morte left Whirr after this album and later formed the disappointing Camera Shy with Whirr / Deafheaven guitarist Nick Bassett. Her current band Night School fortunately steers clear of Camera Shy’s twee-pop, opting instead for Whirr-style heaviness. Our conversation follows.
1 | Your vocals are an intriguing cross between the trancelike stasis of Seefeel, the sublime and otherworldly chants of Rachel Goswell, and the dark and haunting proclamations of Bilinda Butcher. Who has influenced your singing style?
Thank you! Rachel Goswell and Bilinda Butcher have definitely been influences. There are also artists that are more in the pop world who have definitely influenced me like Nina Persson and Harriet Wheeler from The Cardigans and The Sundays. There’s a band called Eisley who made a record in 2005 called Room Noises that I love and definitely influenced me. Their vocals sound so dreamy on that record and the harmonies are beautiful.
2 | What are your favorite songs on Pipe Dreams? How do you think the album stands up as a whole?
I really like Junebouvier and Flashback. I think it’s a really good record, but definitely more lo-fi than what came afterward. My personal favorite Whirr album is their newest one Raw Blue, but Pipe Dreams is fun and just feels nostalgic for me to listen to.
3 | What was the songwriting process like on that album?
It was pretty collaborative on certain songs. I would get sent something that sounded like an 8-bit version of the songs, I think through something called TabIt. Then I’d just write a vocal melody and lyrics on my own and practice with the band leading up to recording. I played synth on the record as well and would just play along with the chords that had been written for guitar. I didn’t write vocals for all the songs; on some I would just sing what someone else had written.
4 | You left Whirr shortly after the album’s release. Why?
I just wasn’t able to tour as extensively as they were about to be. At the time my daughter was very young and I wasn’t in a position where I felt good about leaving her for long periods of time. Since they definitely wanted to do full U.S. tours and European tours it just didn’t make sense for me to stay in the band. I would have liked to continue to play with them, but things ended in a very amicable way and everyone understood one another’s perspectives.
5 | Thoughts on the G.L.O.S.S. controversy?
The whole thing definitely sucked. It’s really disappointing that their friend decided to use their Twitter in a way that no one in the band agreed with. But after more than 10 years, I’m glad that things are looking differently now. Everyone in Whirr is all for making amends through things like donations to the Trevor Project and just taking accountability in general.
6 | I personally wasn’t a fan of Camera Shy. I didn’t think it was heavy enough (which is surprising, considering Bassett’s involvement). Thoughts?
My thoughts on the fact that you didn’t like the music? Lol. I mean, the band was basically started as an homage to The Softies. So anyone who doesn’t like that kind of music would probably not be a fan. Nick and I both like all sorts of music and that just happened to be a genre that we felt like we wanted to make music in.
7 | Night School successfully brings back the heaviness. What do you want to achieve with the band, artistically speaking?
In the beginning, I wanted to make music that sounded like a heavier version of The Ronettes. It has definitely evolved over the years, I’ve steered away from a doo-wop sound. Nowadays I just try to write songs that I would want to listen to. As long as I like what I’ve written as far as the vocal melodies / harmonies and song structures, then I feel good about creating a piece of music that I’ll release. At the end of the day, I just try to go with songwriting that I feel proud of and then make it sound dreamy and heavy.
8 | What have you been listening to recently? Favorite bands / albums?
Fawning, Luster, Welcome Strawberry, Still Ruins, Japanese Breakfast, Grandaddy, Pedro the Lion, Clairo, Addison Rae’s album is actually really good, Magdalena Bay, Jessica Pratt. I’m pretty obsessed with Jessica Pratt; nothing else right now sounds quite like her music, it’s so beautiful.
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Brett Abrahamsen is a lifelong connoisseur of the experimental and obscure. He is also a science fiction writer (and an amateur philosopher of sorts). He resides in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
