I love watching behind the scenes and reading interviews. It’s always a thrill discovering some funny trivia, simple but effective tricks, learning about the artist’s vision of their work and how it can contrast to the public’s perception.

From time to time, I wanted to make more light-hearted posts, so this first self-interview with Recreational Noise was the perfect opportunity. Our very own behind the scenes. Hope you enjoy!

Flora: While listening to “We Are the Evil That Inhabits the Earth”, I felt your music was a way to express your inner feelings in ways words couldn’t. An intense mix of nostalgia, tense anxiety evolving into anger, always surrounded by beauty and hope.

Is your music coming from particular stories, or more like trying to express your vision of the world?

RN: I definitely write more from a particular feeling or moment, than trying to relate a story. My goal is always to try to capture or evoke an emotion, so that when someone listens, they can experience that, but connect to something personal to them. Even with Arbor Atlantic, I have a similar approach, even lyrically, where the lyrics I write tend to be more surreal, still having an impact, but allowing for somewhat open interpretations.

Speaking of lyrics, what got you into singing? Is there a reason you chose vocals over an instrument?

Flora: From when I was around 3, I’d see Aerosmith, Mariah Carey on TV and naturally sing along. I was a huge fan of Mariah Carey, also when I learned to read I noticed that she was on the credits, and wrote her own songs! I thought it was the coolest thing. But I never felt creative, so I just sang a bit after school. I started writing songs in my mid 20’s (my first blog post talks a bit about that), and “Flora” is probably the most personal I’ve done.

Is there a song from “Flora” you can particularly relate to?

RN: I think a lot of the tracks have an impact on me, but Gardenia lyrically always drew me in, as it has some of that surreal character to the lyrics I mentioned before. Each listen I tend to liken it to different meanings and interpretations, such as parallels with songwriting or a want to escape from something.

On the topic of the album, on “Flora”, once we settled on the floral idea, how did that influence you? Did it cause any difficulties, or was it easier working with a theme in mind?

Flora: It’s easier for me to work with a bit of constraints, so you had a great idea choosing the “Flora” theme! When I’m on my own with too much freedom I’m completely unproductive. Your band, Arbor Atlantic, on the other hand, is very productive.

You started releasing albums in 2022. However, according to your discography, your oldest album dates back to 2014. Do you have an explanation for this?

RN: It’s been a long journey. When we started recording and writing together back in 2012-2013, we both had only a very basic understanding of best practices in using recording software, mixing, etc. Most of those early albums were around and shared for friends to listen to, but never “officially” released. Once we got more comfortable and knowledgable, we started to release those older albums, while working on new ones. That certainly helped the final products, and I know I’m happy we waited to make sure those songs, despite when written, were not unlistenable. Looking back on those older albums, I know our approach to writing evolved over time.

What does your approach to songwriting look like, from lyrics to melody? Does one inspire the other? Do you focus on any specific part of an instrumental?

Flora: It varies a lot. It can come from a melody, loop, chord progression, or solely from lyrics. For me the first step is the hardest, but it defines a constraint, and from there the rest is easy to complete. With collaboration, the first melody and lyrics is the hardest part. Nowadays I’m focusing more on whether the melodies would sound good live, with a minimal setup.

Despite digging through the depths of Google, I could not find any live performance from you. Is a live performance of your songs, either online or IRL, something you would like to do?

RN: Right now there is not. Outside of some small little get-togethers with friends, we haven’t performed our songs live. I always tend to write a lot of layers of guitar and such, and with it just being two of us in Arbor Atlantic, or myself solo with Recreational Noise, I’d need to rely on pre-recorded tracks/bass/drumming, and that’s not something I’m too keen on. Honestly, when writing and recording I tend to leave things fairly raw, hoping to add some of that feeling of a live performance with each song released. On the topic of layers, I always noticed you have a way of adding so many beautiful layers of harmonies in each song, and finding an effective melody that both highlights and elevates the instrumentals.

Was there any particular artists that inspired you or influenced your vocal style?

Flora: Thank you so much! Apart from Mariah Carey, I listened to a lot of R&B. In particular Aaliyah and her producer Static Major, who was a master of dark harmonies. Also rock bands: Fleetwood Mac, Garbage, Curve… Girl bands, especially the Sugababes and Siobhan Donaghy… Recently I’m obsessed with Japanese rock bands like DADARAY, but with their complex harmonies, it definitely feels like they are music theory experts.

I’ve seen you do many collaborations in different genres. How different is the collaboration process, compared to working solo?

RN: For me, I always try to approach it from the standpoint of creative freedom. If someone is going to join me on a song I wrote, I want them to have full control over what they add. I don’t like to influence, or give recommendations, as I think everyone’s unique style should be embraced, and that always comes through much better when allowed flexibility. On the opposite side, if I’m asked to collaborate or add a part for someone else, I always try to be open to feedback and guidance, and remain laid back in the process. I know others can have a specific vision, and if they are looking for something specific, I want to make sure I stay within those boundaries.

You’ve also done a lot of different collaborations and worked on various projects. Is there one in particular that stood out as making you feel more comfortable in your voice?

Flora: It got a lot better thanks to DHXP and Cosmoose. I mostly listen to music with a lot of energy or intensity, but at the beginning producers definitely preferred when I sang softly. That was a bit demotivating because I’d rarely be in the mood to listen to those songs (but I’m very proud of them!). I discussed this with DHXP, and he replied “go for the screaming, I can always use distortion”. And he didn’t seem put off even though I sang louder and louder, tried to growl and scream, so that gave me a lot of confidence and motivation to continue singing.

You mentioned first using an 8-track recorder for your compositions. Did you release some of these works and did you rework them a lot? Do you think that using an old-school recorder effectively captured raw, nostalgic emotions?

RN: I haven’t. Those have stayed lost to old hard drive storage, and there’s a good reason for that. While using that recorder gave me a lot of skills in working with less, or getting creative in accomplishing certain effects, the output was definitely not great quality, as I was only just starting out and experimenting in writing styles, genres, etc. Though, recently I have started to try to revisit one of those old projects, to try to rebuild it from the ground up, still keeping some of the original riffs/melody lines.

What did you use when you first started singing? Was there a specific setup, or certain gear that helped you along the way, or made a noticeable change in your approach to recording?

Flora: At first I had a RØDE NT-USB microphone, with accessories included. No interface. At the same I started working with DHXP, I also got the advice to use a hardware compressor, to make sure I could go from soft singing to scream quickly without clipping. That was great advice.

There is a whole universe building with Arbor Atlantic. Is there a project you’ve been thinking of that hasn’t materialized yet? Like writing a book, or release one song per week?

RN: Not really. We’re currently working through a large concept project with Arbor Atlantic (the Harbor Day EPs and story), and that is pretty expansive. We also have a bigger story planned out for after that which ties in and further expands on the world we’re building. Beyond that, I’m happy just continuing to allow the process to move freely, and minimize any restrictions in creating.

Many thanks to Recreational Noise for this great self-interview, I hope you discovered something you didn’t know!