It’s the most well liked day of the 12 months as far as I speak to Solar Room founder, singer and guitarist Luke Asgian, and it couldn’t be extra applicable climate – not only for their photo voltaic nomenclature, however as a result of the band’s music has been bringing the south Californian warmth the world over for the final three years. Their discography of EPs and singles offers a scuzzy, fashionable tackle the sound that, in your head, soundtracks the picture of a sun-tanned surfer operating throughout a on a golden seashore – ideally shot on grainy, half-bleached 8mm movie.

The band grew up in southern California seashore cities, all enjoying in varied storage bands throughout highschool – however it was COVID that spurred Asgian to begin Solar Room in earnest. After the band’s second EP netted them a viral hit, they caught a wave of enthusiasm that propelled them onto a number of worldwide excursions. It’s not usually a band but to launch their debut LP has performed reveals in South America, Europe and Australia in addition to their native US.

However for the band’s newest four-track EP Can’t Clarify, they’ve branched out past the seashore, even when there’s nonetheless a great quantity of sand of their sonic sneakers – the discharge owes as a lot to fuzzed out indie-rock just like the Strokes as a lot because it does the Seaside Boys. In line with Asgian it’s a shakeup impressed by the influences they soaked in as they relentlessly hit the street throughout the final three years, touring with bands like Inhaler and Sports activities Staff. As they did so, they have been uncovered to plenty of music that wasn’t fairly as distinguished on the SoCal seashores of their adolescence.

I spoke to Asgian about that shift in model, what the band has discovered in going from home reveals to world excursions so rapidly, the worth of road-testing songs and why, for him, easy will all the time be higher with regards to guitar gear.

How would you outline Solar Room as a challenge?

The band has undoubtedly modified over time. It began off as only a COVID challenge – I used to be in my second 12 months of college when the pandemic hit. We obtained despatched dwelling from college, and I had to return to my dad and mom’ home – so I used to be simply tremendous bored at dwelling. That’s when the 4 songs on our first EP Sol Del Sur have been written.

We have been shocked at how rapidly it took off – we couldn’t even play reveals on the time, however the music caught on on-line actually quick. It was by no means meant to be a profession. After COVID it was nearly throwing home reveals, home events and bringing all of our buddies to get everybody dancing and moshing. And I nonetheless really feel that’s the core of the factor – we wish to deliver folks out to bounce and mosh and have enjoyable and bounce round, with a very vigorous present.

Our recorded music – undoubtedly the sooner stuff – sounds fairly mellow and laid again. However we by no means performed it like that stay. We’d all the time play it as quick and as loud as we may. And now, a few years into studying in regards to the recording course of, studying extra about songwriting, I believe the recorded music is beginning to replicate the stay present somewhat bit extra, the chaos of every thing.

The sooner materials is extra overtly influenced by 60s surf and storage rock – was that only a results of the place you grew up?

So all 4 of us grew up in Seaside cities in Southern California. So yeah, that was simply the music that was round on a regular basis. And the tradition of the cities, too – all the children have been beginning storage rock bands, and all occurred to be influenced by that 60s storage and surf – with out actually even interested by it!

In order that was an enormous consider us forming our sound – and I believe we’ll by no means be capable to shake it absolutely, as a result of that’s simply what we grew up doing. That Californian storage rock factor will all the time be part of us, our guitar enjoying, our songwriting.

What prompted the shake up for the brand new EP Can’t Clarify? It doesn’t lean as closely on that retro surf model.

A part of the rationale this explicit EP is somewhat bit totally different is that we’ve been touring for a number of years now, with bands from everywhere in the world: Inhaler from Eire, Sports activities Staff from the UK, and so forth. And that opened our minds to essentially cool music that we didn’t develop up round, however they did.

For instance, I had by no means heard of the Stone Roses earlier than we toured with Inhaler. They have been all tripping that we didn’t know who they have been! However now they’re one in every of our favorite bands. So touring has been an enormous factor for increasing our sound, and shifting past simply enjoying what we grew up round – touring has proven us a lot new music, and it’s made songwriting actually enjoyable once more.

You headed out on massive worldwide excursions earlier in your profession than plenty of bands do – what did doing that educate you?

We have been undoubtedly thrown in on the deep finish – I grew up enjoying in highschool bands from the time I used to be like, 13, 14. And the largest reveals we had performed to have been like 75 folks – after which we get all of those correct reveals, these assist slots the place you will have a soundcheck and there’s a inexperienced room – all that was so new to us.

We discovered quite a bit about writing songs for stay reveals, since you realise that some songs are much more enjoyable to play stay or simply go over higher than others. So we began writing with that in thoughts, simply to verify we have been placing on as chaotic and hectic a present as we probably may.

And going to totally different elements of the world and seeing how they react to your sound is simply actually fascinating – I really feel like early on that sound we have been doing was very particular to southern California, so it was even bizarre to play that in like, Ohio, not to mention Uruguay or Argentina. So It was actually cool to try this.

How do you method guitars, amps and pedals for Solar Room?

I all the time take the route of ‘easy is healthier’ – for me, the guitar is a device for songwriting for the band. So it’s humorous, I should have the most straightforward pedalboard of all time – a lot of the reveals, I’ve simply run a Tubescreamer, all the time on, right into a Fender Deluxe Reverb. And I used to be enjoying the identical Jazzmaster for the primary two years of the band – it was the one guitar I owned, I suppose as a result of I didn’t know that a lot about guitars. And it was working!

However after we obtained into the studio, there have been all these classic guitars – the studio that I grew up going to in Lengthy Seaside is known as Jazz Cats, and the man who runs it’s referred to as Jonny Bell. He’s an area legend, and he simply has a lot cool classic gear, and data to tape and all that – so it was cool getting form of mentored by him by way of tone and all of those classic guitars.

So we obtained to make use of some outdated Silvertones on some EPs and stuff, and lately I lastly obtained my first “new” guitar – new to me, because it’s classic. It’s this Gibson Melody Maker – it’s so enjoyable enjoying that stay, as a result of it’s simply so totally different to the Jazzmaster that I’ve used for 3 years straight.

I even have a joke about our bassist Max getting a free bass. We performed this competition, Shaky Knees in Atlanta, and after our set we’re strolling round, testing a few bands. After which some man, an older man, 50s or 60s, begins yelling at us – he runs up and says one thing like “sick set – which of you is the bassist?”

Max [Pinamonti] is like “oh that’s me,” and he’s like “man, I actually liked your bass guitar – was it a purple Rickenbacker?” – Max is like “no, it’s a Fender P bass,” – and this man is like “oh, I believed it was a purple Rickenbacker.” So Max says one thing like, “no, however I want I had a purple Rickenbacker”

After which this man goes, “okay, I’ll purchase you one.” And it’s a bit like, “wait, what?” – however Max will get this man’s quantity, and offers him his tackle – 24 hours later he will get some textual content from the man being like “the Rickebacker is out of inventory – however I’ve obtained you this practice store P bass.” Which is like, a $5,000 bass! However, he obtained it, and that’s the bass he performs stay now!

However for me, it’s been very nice to have the most straightforward method I probably can. Even with guitars – I solely personal a pair, and we’ve been doing the band full time now for 3 years. I don’t see my method altering anytime quickly. I believe I might get somewhat anxious, if I began chucking extra pedals on my board or including guitars into the rotation.

You talked about the guitar is only a device for songwriting – what’s that course of like now for Solar Room? How does a track go from concept to completed observe?

The way in which it occurs is that I’ll be at dwelling or on the street and give you a verse and a refrain – after which that’s introduced into the storage, and jammed out with the entire boys to determine the transitions, the intros, the guitar elements and all that stuff.

However, importantly, mainly each track we recorded up to now two years we performed stay for months. All of the recorded songs have gone by means of so many revisions from us enjoying it at stay reveals – we’ll discover that crowd goes useless at a sure level, or if we don’t do a construct fast sufficient and so forth. And it’s been cool as we’ve had the chance to be on the street a lot, and I really feel like that’s helped our writing a ton as we will simply check songs out. By the point we’re able to report, we’ve already performed the track 30 occasions stay – so we will get a very good stay take of it, too, and never must overdub stuff one million occasions.

However all of the boys are actually good at songwriting at this level, so everybody will deliver of their totally different concepts, whether or not that’s a guitar riff or a bassline, after which we’ll construct it up within the storage.

This new launch is a 4 track EP – a format you appear to have a selected fondness for. What’s made it your launch methodology of alternative, over longer EPs and even an LP?

We’ve been form of discovering our legs somewhat bit – like I used to be saying, we hit the street instantly, earlier than we performed collectively for any size of time, earlier than we had dialled in who we wish to be, what we wish to sound like. All of it simply occurred actually quick, and so I really feel like we’ve been discovering our bearings ever since then – and due to this fact simply haven’t felt absolutely able to decide to doing our first album.

However up to now six months, I believe we’ve actually began locking in on our sound, our songwriting, who we wish to be as a band – so I believe an album is certainly the following step for us. As a result of I kinda hate that the digital age has form of pressured everybody into making singles and EPs, simply to seek out the following TikTok hit or no matter. I believe that’s tremendous lame, and it’s not why we’ve been doing singles and EPs fairly than an album. It’s extra that we simply wish to lock in on who we are in our sound, earlier than we take that leap. However I’d say we’re there – I’m actually pleased with the songwriting and the sound recently.

However it’s loopy how TikTok and every thing has modified how folks write songs as of late – I really feel like individuals are simply searching for a viral 15 seconds in a track, they’ll simply write no matter so it’s not simply a 15-second track. We’re attempting to write down songs – good songs. We’re not simply searching for viral moments…

Aside from the step as much as an LP, what’s subsequent for Solar Room?

We’ve obtained a tour supporting Dayglow within the US, Mexico and Canada – and we’ve got a lot new music that’s all actually enjoyable to play stay. We form of took the entire summer time off to simply work on new stuff – since we began enjoying stay, it’s been the longest hole that we’ve not carried out a present for. So we’re tremendous excited to get again on the street, as all of the music is actually live-oriented – and it’s additionally simply gonna be recent, as we’ve been enjoying the identical set for a very very long time. Having this new arsenal of songs to go in with is enjoyable, and, you understand, all of us begin to miss it after we’ve been dwelling for a bit!

Can’t Clarify is out now.