[Exclusive Interview]: Smallpools Release New Single “Social” and it’s All Good Vibes

[News]

This weekend alt-pop veterans Smallpools released a new single, “Social”  in anticipation of a new EP due December 7, 2018, and an upcoming tour.

Photo courtesy of Smallpools

The single is part of the band’s new approach to release singles and EPs rather than saturate the current industry with a full-length album. Active since 2013, their first and only album LOVETAP! was released in 2015, and the band has been dropping popular singles and EPs ever since. It’s a system that has been working for them and has proven to be a great success as they’ve worked their way into top spots as royalty in the world of alternative pop music. They’ve managed to ride the wave and keep a positive following over the last 5 years and with the sound of their recent releases, it’s clear these guys aren’t going anywhere for a very long time.  Check out “Social” above and our exclusive interview with drummer Beau Kuther below:

How do you think you guys have changed/evolved/grown from your first EP in 2013 to now?

A good amount of time has gone by since we first started this Smallpools adventure. With time comes growth, experience, and knowledge. You live and you learn. We’ve matured as humans and as artists. We’re excited about where were stand at this moment in time and feel no outside pressure to do anything we don’t want to do.

Recently you guys put out a number of singles and an EP, now this new track (which I love) and another EP on the way (which is super exciting), but are there any hopes to do another full-length album soon or are you guys in no rush?

It is super exciting! We’re in no rush to put out a full length, but that could change at any moment. We were in talks with a company about doing a full length but decided releasing a small batch of music works best for us right now. The musical landscape has changed dramatically in the past 6 or so years. I don’t know if people have the patience for a full album of 10-14 songs right now? It’s a bit sad because I grew up walking to the “record store” after saving my money up to buy a new album from my favorite artist: it was like a ritual to me. (Ohh damn, I sound like my dad haha) Songs and artists burn out so fast these days it seems. I wish that wasn’t the case. We’ll keep doing what we do and hope people want to keep listening.

What has drawn you guys to this single/EP approach rather than releasing albums?

Like I was saying on the previous answer, this approach of releasing music is working for us nicely. It allows us to put out a small batch of tunes that we feel good about, tour a bit, then come home and do it again. It’s a low-stress situation that allows us to create whatever we are feeling at the moment. If we release something and it resonates well with the people, that’s great, but if not we didn’t waste a year or two worth of hard work to just have a full album fall short of expectations.

How would you describe the new singles and upcoming EP?

Fresh, complex and fun for the entire family!

What’s your creative process been like with this upcoming EP?

This EP has a bit of something for everyone; well, that was the goal anyway. We wanted each of the 5 tracks to have a voice of their own. That’s the great thing about a short EP, each song has to stand alone. You can’t add a bunch of filler tracks between a few golden tunes. There’s no filler here… it’s all thriller baby!

Can you speak on the new single “Social,” what it means to you guys and what kind of message you want it to express?

Boy, I sure do love the track Social! We wrote it a few years back with our friend Frederik Thaae in LA. It’s fast, has a killer guitar riff, and tackles an issue I think we all sort of suffer from these days, FOMO. We’re always feeling the need to be “social” and post about every little thing we do in life. I get it, you had a latte today and lattes are tasty. We all love lattes. I hope actual human interaction doesn’t become obsolete.

Photo courtesy of Smallpools

Can we expect any new tour dates following this EP drop?

Oh yeah! I’m stoked to get out there and play these new tunes! We just released the first leg of the “So Social” North American tour today. It’s the east coast portion of the tour. We’ve decided to split up the tour into separate legs. We are trying to be as efficient as possible with our touring these days. We’ll do a midwest leg and then a west coast. Dates for those are TBA.

What artists inspire your sound?

I’m inspired by a lot of music from the 80’s and 90’s. I’ve been on a huge Foo Fighters kick lately. I just went and saw them with my girlfriend last weekend and I was blown away by the show. I’ve been a Dave Grohl fan my whole life; seeing the energy those guys bring night after night playing for nearly 3 hours is so inspiring! I hope we can rock that hard after 25 years of being a band!

Any dream musical collaborations?

I think it would be so awesome to work with Roland and Curt from Tears for Fears.

Who would you say you make music for?

Playing and making music is fulfilling in so many ways. Creating something new and fresh is very personally rewarding. Then when we get to release it to the world it’s even more gratifying! Then we get to see people smiling and singing along to songs we’ve put our hearts into at shows; it is just the best feeling in the world!

Dream tour locations?

I think we should play a show in Hawaii. We also want to do a proper European tour! If you’re reading this and live in Europe and can bring us across the pond please email greg@thisisnoisemgmt.com . I’m not even kidding!

Favorite live show you’ve played, and why?

There have been so many great shows over the years. Selling out Irving Plaza in NYC this past spring was pretty incredible. Firefly back in June was also one for the books! I love watching those inflatable killer whales fly through the audience!

Anything else you want readers to know? 

Thank you for the continued support! We’ll keep releasing music if you keep listening.

Look out for Smallpools‘ new EP “So Social” out December 7th, and catch them at a venue near you soon!

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