Vancouver rockers The Silence Industry produce rock music like no other, as latest release As the Walls Close In shows. The main track from the record (also titled As the Walls Close In) is a proper banger of a tune, building up slowly and turning the genre on its head. Find out more about The Silence Industry in our interview below!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a new EP titled As the Walls Close In. What can you tell us about the record?
As the Walls Close In is the 1st in what’s intended to be a series of something like digital 7 inch singles. The thought process behind this series of releases was essentially “huh, I’m working on an EP of 5 or 6 songs worth of material at the moment, why not release them as singles along the way?”
This sort of just ended up going in its own direction with the addition of multiple b-sides. It seemed like a good opportunity to put together some alternate mixes, experiments and other things that might not otherwise be included in something more like a traditional full-length release. The lo-fi piano version of Rags of Clay is an example of that. A few long term fans have been asking for some stripped down piano versions of some of our back catalogue, so I just figured “why not now!?”.
How has the reception to As the Walls Close In been so far, and where can it be purchased?
Really positive so far. I’m actually kinda surprised at how people have been really digging into it and enjoying the b-sides as much as the title track. It’s available on Bandcamp on a PWYW basis, as well as out on most of the major download platforms like iTunes/Google & the major streaming platforms like Spotify. Personally, I think Bandcamp is a great way to get and follow independent music, because it gives you access to get on an artist’s mailing list and you can also get in touch directly with them. (Feel free to give us a shout!)
What was the writing and recording process like for the record?
As the Walls Close In is one of about 5 songs that we had written during the course of 2023 more or less immediately following the release of To Turn the Earth. The actual songwriting for our stuff is mostly done on piano and guitar, while having fragments of lyrics and themes in mind. Once there’s an overall outline for how a song is gonna go, then the drum programming and more concrete synth/guitar/bass arrangements start to take shape. The process never really goes the same way twice, and is subject to lots of just messing around until something gels.
The actual recording is all done in our little oversized-storage-closet on an aging PC that was put together 12 or so years ago. Ha, it’s really time for an upgrade one of these days.
Do you have any more singles planned for release from the EP?
Ha! Sort of is I guess the best answer. This release will stand as it is, but the title track will probably end up on an EP wrapping up this batch of songs before we starts working on the next few. Some minor tweaks may happen between now and then, and there will probably be some other experiments included on the EP as well when that all comes together.
Are there any plans for a full-length album anytime soon?
Ha! Short answer, yes ish. Forgive me for this somewhat roundabout answer, but at this stage of historical & technological development I’m not really sure I know what a full-length album consists of when it’s not necessarily tied to any physical medium. I have always tended to think in terms of everything that TSI works on is an EP, but in truth there’s probably only a few of them that would actually fit into a vinyl EP’s runtime.
So, yeah, this series of digital singles is kinda a work-in-progress release path towards a possibly more polished 5-7 track release which will be out some time in 2024. After that we will begin working on the next one, for which some of the songwriting has already started. It feels a lot more manageable for us to work on that sort of scale-at-a-time than going for 12+ track releases, if that makes any sense.
Your music has an alternative rock sound. What/who were you most influenced by when making the record?
It’s kinda funny, growing up I had pretty negative associations towards the term alternative rock as it was used especially in the 90’s, but I find myself gravitating towards it more these days. This is mostly because it’s vague and broad enough to capture the things that have inspired TSI the most, and it doesn’t pigeonhole where TSI might run with it too much. So, like, if Danse Society, the Chameleons, SWANS, Ministry and the Exploited can all be considered alternative rock (in only a very very loose sense), then I think describing us as alternative rock is pretty accurate.
As far as influences go, I guess I’ve actually just listed a few major ones. Beyond that, at this point TSI is sorta going for just trying to do whatever comes ‘naturally’ (for lack of a better term) and seeing what happens. That being said, I’m constantly listening to new music from a variety of genres because it’s good creative brain food. A lot of it is somewhere in the post-punk/gothy zone, but also electronic stuff, some hip hop, psychedelic rock etc.
You’re from Vancouver. What is the local music scene like in the area?
It depends on what you mean by local music scene with that. There are a ton of super creative people. Lots of musicians putting out great stuff. Not that many venues. People are mostly pretty standoffish here and don’t go out in general much, let alone go to shows. If a local band can get 35+ people out to a show, that’s a great night.
Do you have anything else exciting coming up in the next few months?
Well, I hope it’s exciting at least! Yes, we will have a bunch of releases in this series coming up. The next one is called Forward, and/or Dust! and will probably be out by the time this interview is published. A few more will follow in the coming months, with the title tracks ultimately being collected on something like an EP.
Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?
Unfortunately that’s not something that’s feasible for us in the near future. Some day perhaps though! Would love to very much! Bucket list item.
Any last words for the fans?
Thanks for reading, thanks for listening, and thanks for following us! Y’all are wonderful. Much love.