My first exposure to Philadelphia’s Creepoid came via their 2011 album Horse Heaven, a sprawling and sometimes dreamlike album that touched on psychedelia and shoegaze without losing a focused intensity. 2014 looks to be a big year for the band; they’ve followed that album up with a new self-titled full-length, and an EP, Wet. I checked in with bassist Anna Troxell and guitarist Sean Miller via email to learn more about the process behind both, their recent show with Dinosaur Jr., and more.
You recently had both a self-titled album and an EP, Wet, come out on the heels of one another. Were the songs written at the same time?
Anna Troxell: That is a fair assumption, but no they were written quite a bit of time apart from one another. We actually started writing some of the songs from the S/T right after Horse Heaven came out in 2011. We then continued to write in 2012, and started recording in 2013. The plan was for the S/T to come out in late 2013, but it got pushed back to this year. In the meantime, we built a home studio and started doing our own engineering and mixing. The songs for Wet were all written late in 2013 and were recorded at home. Even though the self-titled [album] had just came out, we kind of liked the idea of an onslaught of material being released all at once.
How did you go about putting each record together? Did you have an overarching concept for both?
Anna: They were put together pretty differently. The S/T is a representation of how we were evolving as a band for almost 3 years, so in that sense there are some different themes and approaches present. Some of the ideas we were exploring had a lot to do with questioning your environment – and being present and aware. However, I think that record is more about a journey than a single condensed idea. On the other hand, Wet was written much more quickly and almost effortlessly. We felt a sense of freedom after recording our ‘Sophomore’ record, and the platform of a 4 song EP felt like the best way to channel that catharsis.
In your interview with Impose, you mentioned that you’d written the song “Baptism” on acoustic guitar; is that your instrument of choice for songwriting?
Sean Miller: There are periods of time it is, and times it’s not. But obviously aspects of that song (and most others) rely heavily on the sound and character of the full band. In reality, whatever little idea we had been messing with initially on the acoustic guitar(s) didn’t sound very similar to what’s on the album.
You recently played Brooklyn with Dinosaur Jr. — how did that go?
Anna: We were totally geeked out to have been selected, and super excited to play with them. It was definitely one of the highlights we’ve had as a band.
In the same Impose interview, you mention that you’re planning to get a few more EPs released before the end of the year; how are things proceeding with that?
Anna: Well, since that interview – a few things have changed. Namely, we quit our jobs, so the focus is on touring.
We’ll be out on the road non-stop through October as support for Against Me! and then Balance & Composure, all over the US and some Canada dates. So, recording might be pushed back to facilitate that; we’ll see how alive we are in November.
Image: Adam Wallcavage
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