Quick interview with Sweeping Promises!!!!!!! They are a post-punk band from Boston who released their phenomenal debut LP "Hunger for a Way Out" last year. With much joy, here is our interview with Lira and Caufield. Enjoy!
SWEEPING PROMISES
Remove Records: Can you start by telling us a bit about yourself and how you got involved in music?
Sweeping Promises: Lira and Caufield met in college (Arkansas) about 12 years ago. We've been playing music ever since. Lira was classically trained in voice in college - she keeps up her practice mostly through the band now; she's also a pastry chef (she is starting a bakery called "It's Gonna Be My Day"). Caufield is a PhD candidate in visual studies and mixes/masters music on the side.
What have you been listening to lately?
Getting back into classic country (Ernest Tubb, Lefty Frizzell, Kitty Wells), lots of ambient music (the Hiroshi Yoshimura revival on constant repeat), punk YouTube (our fave recently is Soup Activists), early 80s minimal and new wave (as always).
What was your experience like recording Hunger for a Way Out? Did you really record using a single mic?
Yes, although it isn't like the record is just one track. There were overdubs. We mostly left the mic in the same place in the room and moved the amps around until they sounded good. There were at least two full seconds of reverb/echo in our concrete bunker space - the ceiling was like 40 feet. We wrote the songs minutes before recording them. Lira would sing the songs without a PA while we were rehearsing - we were playing very quietly. There is a lot of Moog on the recordings too. We did the thing where we doubled the bass guitar with sub Moog.
What are your thoughts on the Boston music scene? Any favorite local bands?
Boston is a tough town for music, and we believe many musicians (including us, sadly) have had to move during the pandemic. Still, many great projects remain. Check out Loretta, Victoria Shen, Dame, Al Marantz, Sticker Shock, Kathy Snax, Raavi and the Houseplants, Kremlin Bats, Lane, Anjimile, Squirrel Flower... we could go on and on.
Can you tell us one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?
Lira and Caufield have started like six other bands, beside SP - we've been doing this for a long time!
How do you feel about the future of music/art?
Traditional creative institutions (venues, studios, schools, labels) and music streaming/storage infrastructures have created unliveable margins - time for redistribution. The continual emergence of inspiring DIY music is proof that a real future can exist.