5 Q&A With In The Afterglow
How did you come up with the idea?
I have been making music for over two decades, mostly EDM tunes as the act, UXB. Growing up to the soundtrack of My Bloody Valentine, Ride and Slowdive, shoegaze has always been my first love. I have been inspired by the new wave of shoegaze and dreampop bands, from Blankenberge to Crystal Canyon to the Fleeting Joys. I wanted to create an atmospheric, dream-like and ethereal track would make listeners feel they are immersed in warm, lingering light. For the lyrics, I wanted to tell a story of how a chance meeting brought two people together and changed their lives.
Was there any challenge that you encountered while making "Lives In Tandem?"
I wanted to make sure to have a catchy tune that would sustain the interest of listeners to the end, taking them along with the narrative of two lovers.
What impact do you hope this track will have on your audience?
I hope it takes listeners on a cinematic journey with its soothing vocals, soaring guitars and warm production. The song is about beauty in a lush melody.
What is your creative vision as an artist?
As I am originally from the UK, I am inspired by the pioneers of the shoegaze scene from the late 1980s and early 1990s, and see my work as paying homage to them. The wave of new shoegaze bands making music today shows that this is a vibrant and diverse genre, and I hope to contribute to an ever-growing playlist of amazing music.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a musician, and how did you overcome them?
As with many others, the biggest challenge is a music system skewed in favour of big acts, which makes it hard to break through. The power of Spotify is a big problem for alternative, independent acts. Spotify has become hugely influential as a discovery engine for music and it is so difficult to be seen and heard when 100,000 songs are uploaded to it every day. Fortunately, there are platforms such as Bandcamp and publications like Punk Head that are devoted to promoting independent bands.