Interview with Looming vocalist/bassist Jessica Knight | By Renaldo Matadeen
Springfield, Illinois-born band, Looming, represent a myriad of sounds that aren’t easy to pin down on the first listen. They’re all over the place, but in a good way, pushing the boundaries of indie, post-rock, grunge, and emo, driven on by vocalist and bassist Jessica Knight’s soul-piercing voice. Now, they’re following up 2015’s Nailbiter with Seed, their sophomore LP, out Sept. 29 via No Sleep Records.
What’s the theme behind the record?
Lyrically, it has to do with centering yourself in new places. Musically, it has very similar themes in the sense that, for us, it was about finding ourselves—or keeping ourselves true—while exploring new areas.
What do you think has changed musically—in terms of the band and in terms of your writing—from Nailbiter?
We tried to push ourselves further for this one, so the new album has rhythmic motifs that tie all of the songs together. We also moved to different cities between Nailbiter and Seed, so it was written entirely long-distance or in-studio, and that was different for us as a band.
Seed feels indie, emo, post-rock, ‘90s, grunge—how would you describe your sound?
None of those are too far off. We are rooted in Springfield, Illinois, and most of us grew up around Midwestern emo, which I think shows in our music. We also incorporate a lot of pop elements, because who doesn’t love a good pop song? [Laughs]
The melodies on “Queen” are so ethereal. What is this song about? And how does it relate to “Majesty”?
“Queen” feels like a power song for me. I wrote it when I was feeling a way, and it came out the way it did. I didn’t write “Queen” and “Majesty” to go together, really, but they both toy with the idea of self and how we think of ourselves in comparison to others. It pokes fun at the idea of royalty and brings it back down to ‘Remember that we all started somewhere’ and asks the question ‘Where are you, really?’
You put so much heart and soul into the album? Was that risky for you?
The only way we know how to write an album is to expose ourselves completely. The only way to make a lasting impression is to make it real, and that is what makes music enjoyable to us. So, no. It doesn’t feel risky. It feels right!
Would you elaborate on “Waves”? Such a haunting song and—are those electric beats? It sounds so different.
We originally wrote the song, “Nailbiter,” as an electric song, and that’s something we’ve always wanted to incorporate into what we do. “Waves” was something we thought could work thematically on the record, and it does. The electronic drums add texture to the album, but when we play live, we use real drums, and it provides an entirely different perspective to the song. The whole idea of “Waves” ended up being a beautiful experiment.
What are your favorite songs off the album?
“Queen” is a definite favorite, especially since Henry Tremain, [the vocalist from British band TTNG, also known as This Town Needs Guns], was gracious enough to provide backups on this one. “Waves” is also a favorite, because it’s so weird for us.
If you ask [guitarist and synth player] Cassie [Staub], she would say “Leaves” and “Majesty” are her favorite. So, it depends on the person I suppose. [Laughs]
In closing, just to peg them down: what would you say are Looming’s musical influences?
This is another one that depends on which member you ask. We definitely hold our Midwestern emo roots with bands like Park, but it spreads to bands like Jimmy Eat World, Good Luck, TTNG, Lorde, and Björk. It’s all over the place!
