Feature: Shower Beers Decodes “London ft. glimmers”
Can you tell us about the inspiration behind "London ft. glimmers" and the story it tells?
We wrote “London” intending to push the boundaries of what folks assume a Shower Beers song could be. We're already well known for fast, in-your-face pop punk in the style of blink-182, Neck Deep, and New Found Glory. “London” shows a bit more range through its softer, layered production and modern elements like the vocoder chorus. Lyrically, “London” departs from our typical party anthems to tell a story of love found and lost. The lyrics follow the aftermath of a relationship that fell victim to misaligned trajectories - sort of like ships passing in the night. There's no animosity between the two parties - more so lingering feelings and the constant 'what ifs?' one might ask themselves about a past relationship between folks who were just in different stages of life.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for "London ft. glimmers" to life?
We recorded with Rob Freeman at Audio Pilot Studios in New Jersey for our 2nd EP ‘Miracle on 34th & 3rd.’ Rob has some awesome credits under his belt including Gym Class Heroes, Cobra Starship, and Hit The Lights, so to learn from him throughout the recording process was a lot of fun. Rob made sure to push us with each take - his attention to detail while I was in the vocal booth or laying down some leads allowed for some amazing moments throughout the tracks. He also occasionally would hop in with an idea of his own that would support the pre-existing melodies (such as the reverse guitar feedback in the intro to “London”). One moment that stands out was dialing in the vocoder for “London’s” chorus - we were sifting through plug-ins Rob already had downloaded but were having a tough time landing a developer. We ended up giving up and just using the free vocoder plug-in I used on the demos, and it ended up sounding awesome.
What did you enjoy most about making "London ft. glimmers?"
I’ve been a fan of glimmers for a few years now, so to get Maggie Schneider and co. on the bridge was a cool moment. She’s got amazing tone and vocal control - it’s certainly humbling to share a song with her. From a songwriting perspective, “London” deviated from a typical Shower Beers song. Most of the time we’ll start writing a track and finish it pretty soon thereafter. “London” however was written over a few years! If I recall, I wrote the verse and original iteration of the chorus during Covid in 2020 before shelving it. Then the bridge came to me randomly a year or two later, so I made sure to jot it down in my voicenotes app. When it came time to start demoing our 2nd EP, I made sure to sneak “London” in that batch of songs. It ended up making the initial cut, although Rob suggested I change the chorus at the time. I rewrote it to be a bit more upbeat and that’s what made the final product. So overall, “London” took 3 years to complete.
How do you approach collaborations with other musicians or artists?
I try to make an effort to collaborate with other artists on Shower Beers songs as much as possible for a few reasons. Firstly, I’m a fan, so it’s a great experience to get to know these artists that I listen to on a personal basis. Secondly, it brings a ton of texture to our tracks. Having unique voices sharing space on a song helps to add more instances of intrigue and discovery for a listener. It also takes the pressure off of me in-studio, as I only have to sing 1/2 to 3/4s of a track. Lastly, collaborating with other musicians in the current entertainment ecosystem pays dividends regarding song discovery and fan introduction. It helps to share each other’s networks when releasing collab tracks - that way maybe one of our fans who hadn’t heard of our feature before gets turned onto a new cool pop punk band and vice versa.
How did your band members initially come together?
Shower Beers began as my solo project à la Youth Fountain. So for a year, I (Chris) was the sole member. As Shower Beers started getting some momentum and fans, I started networking with local New York City musicians in person and online in communities like the pop-punk subreddit or TikTok to fill out the roster. Now that Shower Beers has a full lineup, we’re excited to get some shows booked and possibly hit the road for a tour.