Crimson Calamity
It’s been a minute since I last interviewed Crimson Calamity on my blog but I always made sure to keep an eye on their latest releases. Their music feels good. Listening to them brings some kind of comfort.
Today they’re releasing their new EP Wildcard and I couldn’t be more excited for them !! Listening to this record feels like a live performance from beginning to end, and I absolutely love that. Congrats Mallaury and Lauren on this beautiful EP and thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions.
Wildcard is now available worldwide :)
Photo credit: Sammy Hearn
Hey ladies, how are you? What have you been up to since our last conversation?
We are great thank you for asking! We spent the last year and a bit releasing singles, touring a little, and just trying to navigate the new normal we live in as best we can!
You've just released your new EP WildCard - what's the story/inspiration behind this project?
It’s a collection of the last 5 singles we’ve released plus an extra one called “Tumbleweed.” It felt like the singles really needed to be together as a set since they were all tracked with Gena Johnson manning the ship. Sonically, each song offers something slightly different and visually, we wanted a dreamy, 70’s kaleidoscope vibe to blend with our signature Wild West yet Witchy Vibe we always offer.
When did you start working on WildCard? Could you describe the songwriting/production process for this project? Who helped you create it?
We recorded the bulk of the songs before the pandemic and were gearing up to finish and release the project at the top of 2020. But then as we all know, the world shut down and we decided to pivot to singles to try and ride out the storm. It’s wild how the world can change overnight.
We are always co-writing with other songwriters we admire so we had a fair amount of material. For pre-production we had a handful of meetings with our producer, Gena, where we played her a bunch of songs and she let us know what resonated with her. From there, we tracked the music at MOXE (Jordan Hamlin’s space here in Nashville) as well as the bulk of the vocals at Gena’s studio. We wanted to capture a live feel on each song, so we gathered all the players together and tracked them playing simultaneously to harness that organic feeling we really desired. Working with this team really helped us dig deep and push forward in ways that we never had before. The caliber of the team we had was just so top notch that it really required us to rise to the occasion and surrender to the magical dynamic being created by Gena and players like Chris Powell, Brian Allen, and Sadler Vaden. Gena and Rachael Moore who also co-engineered a lot of the tracks have such a rapport with them. In many ways we felt like we just handed our songs over to the experts and got to witness them build them into something truly amazing. We’re so grateful to all of them as well as Zane Carney, Shayon Daniels and Zach Runquist, who really brought it home in the studio and during overdubs. Kim Rosen also knocked out of the park mastering.
What different topics are you talking about on this project?
Overall, we cover several different stages of heartbreak. From the pain of feeling haunted on “Ghost”, to the longing for something new in “Due West”, to “Sowyn Song” and “Tumbleweed” represent the phase where you choose to let go and move on. No matter what though, the overarching theme is present on “WildCard” which is, acknowledging loss in love, but never giving up and believing that there is always hope. Oh yes, and there’s a stoner track called “My Best Friends” to help the bitter stuff go down a bit easier. ;)
Any favorite memories from the making of this EP?
The production process was a total and utter dream all around. Two moments that stand out are tracking the band for the title track “WildCard” at Gena’s home studio. It was just so easy and the energy was electric in the room. The other was tracking vocals simultaneously for “Tumbleweed” was also super fun because we got to feel one another’s energy and sing harmony the whole time.
What was the hardest part about making this EP?
I think for us, making the EP was easy, it was the aftermath of continually having to pivot while releasing it that gave us a bit of anxiety. But we’re so happy with the result and we alway say, this project has had a mind of its own. We are just so stoked that the music is reaching people now! We’ve had listeners for the last 5 singles streaming from every continent, so that is very VERY cool.
What did you learn about yourselves after finishing this EP?
We really experimented with some different sounds on this EP than we have before and it led us to some sound discovery for ourselves. Also, having a buddy or as we say “partner in crime” to go through this process makes everything better because sharing the load makes it easier to carry. We’ve definitely learned a lot from working with who we’ve had the privilege to collaborate with on this project! We feel very blessed.
What made you want to name your EP WildCard?
We played with several different titles and when we landed on “WildCard” we just felt it was simple, encapsulated the variety of sound the songs offer, it just tied it all together for us.
What message do you want to deliver through this project?
The only way to fail in love is to give up.
What are your thoughts on today's music industry? If you could change one thing, what would it be?
We’re amazed at how easy it is to get our music out there and reach so many people online, and overall, we are optimistic about the future, but we sure are on the team of paying artists, writers, producers etc MUCH more per spin for the art they make for the streaming companies to profit off of!
What advice would you give to artists out there?
Be true to yourself, speak your mind, get clear on how you want to present yourself, hone your craft and never give up!
What biggest lessons have you learned since the beginning of your career?
There is so much that you continually learn over time as an artist. We are of the opinion that it’s important to know every aspect of your business so that you can have the best team possible when the time is right and feel empowered. We have also learned the art of ‘pivoting’ and embracing change for sure. Especially in the last few years.
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