INTERVIEW: Montreal Duo Born At Midnite

CARRIERE: I think it has a lot to do with the instruments that we’re using too. Sometimes you plug in a synth, and you’re like oh this was designed to do this and it’s like a rave machine so you’re just going to start playing a fake version of a classic rave song. What do you call it? The Costco version?

RMP: And do you have any favorite synths?

CARRIERE: What we’ve been using the most is the JP-8000. Is that what it’s called?

SANDFORD: We did a lot of Motif [Yahama Motif] didn’t we?

CARRIERE: This one [pointing], the Motif rap one, this is the one on the top.

It was definitely all over the record for the drums and if you go to the house kit you don’t have to do any work it sounds like house music right away.

RMP: See when I listen to “My Spell” there’s a little jungle kind of trippy sound and I thought–when I walked in–I saw the Juno 106–I thought for sure it was composed on it or it might have been a UKG preset that came out of it.

CARRIERE: Oh man, that one’s definitely on the Motif. I feel like the Juno just has so much of a specific sound that I think we end up using it as a background layer sometimes because it just has too much classic flavour, which is insane because we’re using a lot of classic flavour already.

RMP: You mentioned that when you go on tour, you collect records, but I’m noticing you also collect melodies. Because when I listen to “Underground Shopping District,” there are the three notes that you end the song on. I know I’ve heard those three notes before. I think it might be on a train or something.

SANDFORD: You’ve heard it many times.

RMP: But I can’t quite pin where it is.

SANDFORD: It’s the Montreal Metro.

CARRIERE: Which is from Aaron Copland, “Fanfare for the Common Man.”

SANDFORD: That’s what it’s from? I didn’t know that, that’s cool.

CARRIERE: Yeah, and we sped it up a little bit to be in the tempo of the song.

RMP: I knew I knew it from somewhere. I’ve been to Berlin and thought maybe that was it but no.

CARRIERE: How does the Berlin train go? It’s always like Einsteigen, Einsteigen Bitte. What are they saying?

RMP: Do you plan to keep dropping subtle nods to Montreal or the places you’re fond of?

CARRIERE: I don’t know. [laughter] Amery, I would say, writes a larger percentage of the lyrics.

SANDFORD: I mean, that song is about the underground train in Montreal. But I also like referencing places that everyone can relate to. Even in the art I’ll use the cross a lot, or that one intersection. I really like having things that are recognizable and it’s cool that you were like, “What is that?” and it’s the metro here.

CARRIERE: It’s the Montreal dog whistle.

RMP: You also collaborated with several artists; Royal Tusk, April Lawine and Fireball Kid. Why did you choose these artists? Did they come to you? Did you come to them?

CARRIERE: April Lawine is our friend Gabby and she plays in the band Shunk. She’s the lead singer. They’re a local band. We got her because she has a really, really, really awesome vocal fry. Kind of like a Canadian Valley Girl accent. And the point was, it’s like, what’s her name? Avril Lavigne. It’s like a classic Avril Lavigne interview so we wanted someone whose voice was kind of similar.

Royal Tusk, that’s my older brother’s rock band from Alberta. Yeah, and he knows how to scream–we wanted a funny screaming sample, you know, scream singing is hard to do.

RMP: Yeah, because he’s the one who says “rock on!” right?

CARRIERE: Yeah, that’s my older brother. [laughter] Oh, and Fireball Kid? He’s just, he’s a local legend.

SANDFORD: He’s, I don’t know, he’s inspired us so much. I feel like when you were asking us about the scene here, he really helps... I don’t know, he’s just someone who brings everyone together and he also has this really other amazing band called Can’t Believe, and they do a lot of really interesting sampling. And when David talks about hearing a song and you’re like, “Fuck, I gotta get in the studio,” they’re who I think of, you know.

RMP: So were these collaborations born simply out of you guys wanting to work with them? Or it’s also you guys wanting to put these artists forward?

CARRIERE: To work with them. Because I feel like that would be a little bit presumptuous to be like, yeah we have such a big platform that we can give this guy a leg up or something. There’s nothing like that. No, definitely. They made sense for what we were trying to do, but also they’re people we know. So it’s like that, it’s fun.

I think, for Fireball Kid we had the intention to make a song and we had no song in advance, so that one we all wrote–the three of us–together, kind of at the same time you know. We jammed it.

RMP: Are you guys looking forward to defending the album on tour?

SANDFORD: We’re gonna defend it with our lives. That’s hilarious. I don’t think of it like that.

CARRIERE: I think it’ll be fun. It’s nice that there’s not a lot of equipment.

RMP: When you go on tour, what do you take? One drum machine, one guitar?

SANDFORD: Two samplers, vocal pedal, and a guitar. So easy.

RMP: And you’re doing a North America and Europe tour?

CARRIERE: We’re doing about two weeks in America or a little less it feels like and maybe three weeks in Europe in the fall which is going to be really fun. We’re going to Glasgow...

RMP: Where is Glasgow are you going?

SANDFORD: The Glad Cafe.

CARRIERE: Really, is that where? Reykjavík, Copenhagen, Berlin. Which one is odd? We’re going to Vienna... Hamburg.

SANDFORD: Athens, Manchester, London.

RMP: Have you toured these places before?

CARRIERE: I have, definitely, yeah. Well, I haven’t been to... I’ve been everywhere.

SANDFORD: You’ve been to Reykjavík?

CARRIERE: I haven’t been to Reykjavík. I forgot about that one. [laughter] I mean, I’ve been to the airport when that airline used to exist.

RMP: And do you have any specific cities you’re most excited to play again?

SANDFORD: I like Cologne, they’re so fun. I played at a lingerie store when I went there, and it was on a Tuesday, and everyone was there being like, “Yeeah!” And after they said, “Can we take you to the park? We love going to the park.” And we said, “We love going to the park!”

RMP: My final question would be, what do you hope that people take away from listening to Eternal BAM Nation? What’s the main message you want to give?

CARRIERE: Mostly because it’s online, just thumbs up. But I’m happy that the album’s out and we basically don’t have to do the song and dance of promoting it anymore and people can just listen to it. And if they like it, they can continue to listen to it and it’s their shit that they listen to, you know. It’s not me trying to hope that some people like it anymore.

RMP: What about you, Amery?

SANDFORD: I’m so happy that people see that it’s supposed to be fun and they’re excited about that and that’s it. I went on tour alone last year with my solo project and I had a lot of people come to the shows saying, “I love Born At Midnight and I’m so excited.” And I thought, that is just really cool and it makes me feel seen in a nice way–that people just enjoy it and are excited.

- This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Born At Midnite is a duo made of Montreal-based artists, Amery Sandford and David Carriere. On August 13th, they kicked of the North American leg of their tour at Foufounes Électriques in support of their newest album, Eternal BAM Nation.

Sandford is a musician and illustrator whose artwork is seen throughout Montreal, whether on albums, posters, or at local art pop-ups throughout the city.

Carriere is a producer, songwriter and is a guitarist for TOPS, one of the notable bands to emerge from the Montreal indie scene.

This interview was conducted by Charles-Edouard Lahr at Carriere’s music studio in Montreal.

________________________________________

RMP: For people discovering Born At Midnight for the first time, how would you describe the project?

CARRIERE: A fun band. A cool band. Easy to listen to. And sort of unpretentious fun music maybe?

SANDFORD: Well, David long ago described it as product placement punk. And I feel like that’s kind of where we’re at. It’s like pop music that kind of sounds like... it sounds like maybe demented versions of this kind of pop music that we were talking about that’s universal and everyone likes it, but there’s something kind of off about it... but fun.

RMP: I like the whole product placement. I feel like there’s a lot of humour in your music. There’s a little... I don’t want to say nonchalance. There’s a “let’s not take it too seriously and just have fun with it.”

And something I’m curious about is what’s the story behind the name Born At Midnite?

CARRIERE: It’s just something that sounds cool for no reason. It’s just a bit of a joke to be like, what would a band that thinks they’re really cool call themselves?

RMP: And you’ve known each other for a while now, the project started around late 2018. Do you guys remember at one point just messing around with music to then thinking, oh we’re an actual band now?

SANDFORD: One hilarious memory I have is that we bought this red tracksuit on the plaza. It was this red velour tracksuit, and we were making songs and also wearing this really funny tracksuit. And we thought, this is kind of veering towards what the band is about. It’s kind of tacky and fun. We did it for fun for so long, and then it was kind of just an amazing surprise that it resonated with some people.

CARRIERE: We’re not taking it more seriously necessarily. We’re just spending a little bit more time doing it, I guess.

RMP: So you’ve always been kind of jamming and bouncing off ideas? Because you’re [Carriere] in TOPS. And you [Sandford] have a solo music career and play in other bands as well.

SANDFORD: Yeah, I was in a punk band before. So that really influenced my songwriting. Also, it was just fun, it wasn’t results-based. We would just try and do something and if we liked it, we would maybe show Seb at Arbutus. And if we didn’t, we’d be like, that was soo bad and nobody needs to hear it.

CARRIERE: The stinky songs are out there. Or they’re in there; they’re hidden.

RMP: Maybe they’ll come out one day.

SANDFORD: We want to do an illegal tape. And it’s just all the worst music that we’ve made. [laughter]

RMP: And talking about the album. It’s called Eternal BAM Nation.

CARRIERE: Eternal BAM Nation, yes. Which is: you’re going to hell forever. But you’re going to Born At Midnight forever, I guess. [laughs] It’s pretty surface level in that it’s the name of the band where it’s just like fake, cool sounding.

SANDFORD: But I think it’s evocative, I think with the visual identity of the band–I do all of the illustration and stuff–and because of the time limitations and where it has been in terms of focus on other things, it’s always kind of a side thing. I feel like I accidentally developed a universe.

It’s done with riso printing and animation. I feel like the more we made songs, the more I could picture this world. And there’s something kind of medieval sounding to me about Eternal BAM Nation. I was thinking of a futuristic medieval anime world. It’s a bit demonic, but it’s also fun–and maybe a playful evilness.

RMP: In your creative process, regarding the art, do you hear the songs and make your art based on them? Or do you sometimes make your art and then through the way you see it, create songs through that?

SANDFORD: Song first. I don’t think I’ve ever done it the opposite way.

CARRIERE: That would be fun.

SANDFORD: It would be really fun, but it would be hard. I think I’ve always been trying to bridge the two things that I do, and I’ve had a lot of questions about what either thing looks like and why I do two kinds of things and all this stuff. And I think also doing commissions for other musicians... there are a shocking amount of people that don’t have a visual... they can’t really picture anything when they listen to music. And I find that so interesting. But for some people, there’s nothing that conjures an image for them.

RMP: Did you create those little alter egos specifically for Born At Midnite or were those old projects you already had?

SANDFORD: That was a particular development. And also just trying to look at other inspiration, like anime. Yeah, different styles of drawing, which feels hilariously teenager. It feels like I’m making deviant art.

RMP: Yeah, kind of like in the late 90s, 2000s.

SANDFORD: Yeah, like internet, Tumblr, anime. You know what I mean?

RMP: I was getting a lot of the old 90s European rave culture vibe from the drawings you were doing.

SANDFORD: That’s a huge part of it.

CARRIERE: That’s all these books you have also, the posters.

SANDFORD: Yeah, we have a couple of books that are just archives of rave tape art or rave posters and I think that’s such an amazing inspiration and it’s important to document music in a way that it is kind of ethereal, like parties or whatever. So I feel like I always... I really am inspired by old flyers and old tape art of ravey... maybe it’s like a... I can’t even think of an example: really crazy text and really crazy colours and stuff.

RMP: I know what you mean. I used to live in Glasgow; I used to collect a lot of rave posters throughout all the universities. So I know what you mean by that. I like how you can document cities’ history through its rave posters. So it’s really cool to have this influence within your music and your art style.

SANDFORD: At the Glad Cafe.

CARRIERE: Is that where you played?

SANDFORD: Yeah, and we’re playing there.

RMP: I feel that there are some rave and European influences in your album, but before I get to that. On Eternal BAM Nation, what would you say is the best song that represents Born At Midnite?

CARRIERE: On the whole record? I’d say the “Ur Cool Knife,” maybe. They all have their own edge.

SANDFORD: The one that I like right now, which changes all the time, but I think “I Haven’t Forgotten You.” We did this video with our friend, Quinn Hopkins, and the way it turned out and the feeling I get it feels very unique.

RMP: It is an incredibly unique song, that song. When I heard it, I think it was when I got the biggest slap from the album, especially because it comes in so early. When I listen to indie, I’m not used to hearing sampling come in.

Track number two and track number three, you’ve got “Ur Cool Knife” and “I Haven’t Forgotten You” and it introduces your world so well. And you delve into all these genres and it kind of reminds me of what King Gizzard does, where they’ll do a full album based on a genre but with their own style in it.

I heard loads of, you know, UKG influence, I heard Eurodance, kind of internet culture. Even a bit of Hyperpop here and there. Are there any genres that you haven’t explored yet that you’d love to get into in the future?

CARRIERE: I don’t know. I listen to everything, and it’s fun to be able to be like, I can actually make that type of thing, but instead of saying, I’m gonna spend a year and a half mastering Brazilian guitar, I might just sort of approximate it and bring an element of it into a song. For “I Haven’t Forgotten You,” it was Amery who said, “I really want a song that’s just two chords.” Like, a really basic indie song, but you want an early 2000s style vocal sample that would be on a hip-hop song pitched up through the wire style thing, on top.

So, I don’t know. I listen to music and I’m always thinking about how it’s made often instead of just absorbing it and just relaxing and enjoying the music. I’m always like, how is it exactly done?

RMP: You deconstruct it. Are there any particular artists or albums that you want to deconstruct and bring that out?

CARRIERE: I think, maybe some more jazz and some more metal and a little bit more country could be a little, like, fucked up. But that’s kind of like the album Amery is working on anyways–not the metal part but...

SANDFORD: I’m working on a solo record right now that is country-inspired but it’s not gonna be country at all. It’s gonna be my country album, but it’s not gonna be OG.

CARRIERE: There’s some, like, trashy dance elements and also some reggae elements so it’s really bizarre sounding music.

SANDFORD: It’s really weird. [laughs]

[Angine de Poitrine mentioned]

RMP: Quebec has its own Daft Punk now and it’s crazy. I’ve been so impressed that you have this such niche genre and everyone’s diving head first into it.

CARRIERE: It’s because they were doing it very earnestly and not trying to be successful, I think. I think that has a lot to do with how focused and specific their thing is to them.

SANDFORD: I think the discourse is also really interesting because some people I know say it’s not going to stand the test of time. But for me, what it makes me think of is OG Montreal, weird, like, AIDS wolf, DIY, crazy artist Montreal warehouse. That’s where my mind goes when I see it and think of it and then I just have other friends that say, “nah it’s not gonna last.”

CARRIERE: They say it’s a gimmick and...

SANDFORD: I think that is also cool, it is obviously very popular but maybe more in our scene there’s kind of a polarized thing. It’s interesting.

RMP: Of course, Montreal has a very diverse and a very alive musical scene. How influenced are you by the Montreal scene? Have you lived in prior places that you’ve been more inspired by?

CARRIERE: No, this is definitely the most inspiring place in many ways, it’s not that this scene specifically is inspiring, but I’m inspired by all of my friends in my circle that are making art. So, often if they like this song I’m satisfied and nobody else actually needs to like it. Or sometimes someone will make a song, and I’m kind of having an inner jealousy of how good it is. And I say, okay, I gotta get back to work. You know? Not a real jealousy but a: “Oh, damn. They did that? What the fuck?”

RMP: What would you say were the tracks that came together the easiest or the fastest on this album?

CARRIERE: I feel like the intro track we did in maybe 30 minutes. [laughter] We just had to wait for the sample of Amery’s friend from Canmore, whose child cried.

SANDFORD: Yeah, I said, “Can you send me a video or a sound clip of your baby crying?” And she said “So easy. I’m gonna get it. Don’t worry.” [laughter]

CARRIERE: Yeah, then we put together the track. We wanted this funny, like, evil, sick, three-time sort of slow waltz, I guess. Pretty goofy. Yeah, and I think by the time we finished this song and got the sample of the baby crying, we were good to go. That song was just purely conceptualized before we made it because it’s just the name of the band, right? It’s like 12 bells and a baby crying.

RMP: That’s true and I like the whole midnight aspect, and the references. You have kind of a concept discography almost. In the future, is that something you’re interested in doing? Telling a story throughout your discography?

CARRIERE: I think there will definitely be more songs with the name Midnight in the title [laughs] and I don’t know what the point of it is, it’s kind of just stupid and cheeky and self-referential for no reason because it’s obvious what’s happening.

It reminds me of when you listen to techno from the 90s or something and the names of the remixes make no sense sometimes. The artist would be named, let’s say, A+, and it’s called the A+ C version.

RMP: You mentioned 90s techno. The underground culture of these sounds, I find these genres present in the album. As I said, I hear UKG, I hear Eurodance, I hear Italo Disco. Where does this influence, this love for these European sound genres come from?

SANDFORD: I think David is an immaculate record collector on tour.He’s always bringing back the craziest things.

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