Countdown to TREMOLO Shoegaze Music Festival 2024 // An Interview with SPARKLER

• Thanks so much for the interview. Let’s trace the band’s roots and story

Sparkler began in 2019 after the dissolution of the band Hug. Chris and Tron wanted to start a project that moved away from melancholic “heavy” Shoegaze.

• What are your main influences and inspirations?
  

MBV is an obvious one, Ringo Deathstarr, Fleeting Joys, Jesus and Mary Chain.

• How would you describe your sound?

Abrasive but sweet, direct but ambiguous at times. Like the melodies and progressions are there and easy to follow, but everything gets swallowed up and spat out in a way that it’s one wall of sound.

• What does the word ‘shoegaze’ mean to you?”
  

Sonic cohesion with various textures.

• Tell us a little about your recording process and how you create your songs.
  

Tron: Chris is the main songwriter and I hop on melodies and lyrics. We always start by recording demos at home where they either become fully realized songs or they just sit in the void of an external hard drive. We’re very lucky to have a sound engineer who is also our bassist; she recorded our next album and helped us achieve the sound we were looking for.
Amelia: I wasn’t in the band yet, but I engineered and mixed “Trip Hazard”, a secret song from the “Big Sonic Chill” album repress and some more upcoming things… For me, behind the board for this one, I felt pushed to change what I thought was “right” for shoegaze, and really lean into experimenting with sound as a concept, instead of following a rule or what someone else had decided was best previously.

• Which song(s) are you most proud of and best represent the band?
  

Tron: I think “Acid Casualty” is a song that encapsulates what we’re going for. Everything came together fairly quickly on that one and folks seem to like it. Everything on the new record is something to be proud of and we can’t wait to release it.
Amelia: personally I’m most proud of “Pet Hotel”, that was one of the most fun songs I’ve ever recorded and loved the experimenting we got into – metal chains, guitar loops, screaming.

• What kind of old/new music are you listening to? Any current bands/artists that you are excited about at the moment?
  

Tron: some bands I’ve been into are Gurriers, Holy Springs, Kraus, and memory loop. There’s a lot of cool music right now I can’t name em all.
Ian: My favorite current bands are probably Washer and Meat Wave.
Amelia: In terms of new music, I’ve gotten really into Free Refills and their crunchy style, and have been revisiting older obsessions like Tapes n’ Tapes, Macseal, and Silversun Pickups.

• Who would you most like to collaborate with?
  

Butch Vig. 

• What has been your best/worst gig so far (both as a performer and spectator)?
  

Tron: Best was Seattle at the Black Lodge. It was the final date on our run with Doused and we all kinda had
this manic energy. We played loud as hell and the fog machine wouldn’t stop spitting out bog juice so we couldn’t see. Worst was this fest in Pomona cuz we played outside in 100 degree weather with no shade. My pedals were boiling lava hot. Never again.
Ian: My best gig/most fun personally was opening for a Japanese Kiss cover band in Tokyo lol. The worst was a house show where they cut the power.
Amelia: Best gig as a performer was our show in Seattle from the summer tour with Doused, just a killer lineup, and crazy good energy from the crowd, plus some memorable moments with our friends on stage, and overdoing the fog machine.

• What are your expectations for the upcoming Tremolo Festival, and what should the audience expect from your performance?
  

We’re mostly excited to perform with and see new bands at the fest. Seattle is a great city for music and making those connections is always a win. Expect to see us have fun and move around and hopefully not blow your ears out.

• What are your plans for the future?
  

Tour, release a new record, tour some more