Bass Drum of Death, the lo-fi garage rock project centered around singer/multi-instrumentalist John Barrett, has hit an interesting crossroads in their creative career. With five acclaimed albums, major song placements in massive video games, and a newfound, more collaborative recording process, Barrett’s solo brainchild has the cult-like following and critical love that any band could wish for. But creative breakthroughs stem from challenges, and as BDOD turned into a trio, featuring guitarist and brother of Barrett, Jim, and drummer Ian Kirkpatrick, the mastermind behind it all found a fresh way to present the trio’s art. He did so by venturing back to the past.
SIX, the new studio album from Bass Drum of Death, set to arrive on Friday, is a return to form for Barrett and his band. With all three members being involved in the demoing process, these eleven songs are some of the band’s most collaborative and raw of their whole career. The band wanted to get back to the unpolished, lo-fi nature of Barrett’s earlier solo work, and they hit their stride without a second thought. Moments like the blurred distortion of “Like a Knife” or the poetic open wound of “Never Gonna Drink About You” highlight the nuances that hint back to BDOD’s origins, while simultaneously highlighting Barrett’s growth as a songwriter. The punchy “Phantom Drip” feels like a nostalgic trip through punk’s golden age with a surf rock twist, showcasing just how far the band is willing to stretch this concept of getting back to their original sound.
With a new album just around the corner, Glide had the pleasure of speaking with BDOD’s fearless leader to discuss the longevity of his band, how his relationship to collaboration has changed over the years, and how SIX came to be. You can read our entire conversation below.
Bass Drum of Death is about to release its sixth studio album. Did you think the project would enjoy this longevity when you started it as a solo project years ago?
It’s crazy that it’s gone on this song, especially as I’ve seen other bands that started around that time fading away. People have moved on, but I guess I’ve always just kept on moving and kept focusing on whatever is next. I haven’t really thought about it in terms of how long it’s been going on. It still seems pretty new and fun to me. I think the trick is trying to keep it new and fun with every record and every tour. I will say, it has surpassed what I thought it would be at the time.
Speaking of keeping things new and fun, SIX actually, more so, harkens back to those original BDOD albums. What inspired this return to form in terms of your writing and recording process?
I’ve been demoing things the same way the whole time, but I think with a couple of records, the final recording changed a good bit from the demos. With this one, we had a great partner in crime with producer Jeremy Ferguson, our producer and engineer, and we wanted to take what was on the demos and elevate it. Try to keep some of the magic that the demos tend to have. Obviously, clean it up and make it so that you can hear everything. That was kind of the goal, and I think we got pretty close. We’re all really excited with how it turned out.
I think with the last couple of records, the production has been a lot cleaner than the first couple. I think there are a lot of really good things on those records, but at the same time, it’s one of those things where I went, “You know, we’re six records in, we don’t need it to be clean for radio. I want it to sound like it does in my head.” We didn’t try to be super perfect, so that’s what I mean when I talk about going back to the way I used to do things.
Was it a challenge to keep that homegrown, DIY sound while recording in a professional studio?
Yeah, a little bit. Not really, though. Jeremy really understood what we were going for, so he made it really easy to get those sounds. When you have somebody like that who really understands what it is you’re going for, it makes it easier. That helped a lot. From what I remember, we didn’t spend a whole ton of time getting tones or anything like that. We just picked something we like and ran with it, and that’s pretty similar to how I do demos. Whenever I do demos, I’m not too focused on the tone. I’m basically just worried about if you can hear it and if my computer is plugged in correctly.
When we were recording, there was a pretty massive snowstorm in Nashville. There weren’t a lot of vibes, and we were all wearing huge parkas just to stay warm. There weren’t much vibes going around in terms of that, we were just trying to get the takes done as quickly as we could.
How long has the record been complete? When was the last time you really sat down and listened to SIX?
We recorded it in January, and it was getting mixed and mastered into March. I had mostly everything written early last fall. I was ready to go, but it took us a while to get schedules figured out and have the band all in one place because we all live in different places now. It was good because we had a bit of a break last fall, so I had some time to tweak the songs here and there, kind of. As far as the record, I wanted to go in and do it and not have some kind of year-long, drawn-out wait to release it. I wanted to get it done like in the old days. They would make a record and release it four months later. I think we’re a little bit behind that, but not by much. I kind of wanted to make it and get out while it’s still pretty fresh. All said and done, the record was finished in March.
Is there a moment when you’re working on demos that you realize you have an album on your hands, or are you just constantly working and bringing your best ideas to the band?
Kind of just taking it as it comes. A lot of my demos will be in various stages of completion, and usually, the ones that I end up completing the furthest are my favorites. That’s what is great about how we work now, bringing Jim and Ian into the demo process. There are some songs on this record that I didn’t complete very much of, and they helped flesh them out. Now we’re getting a bit more mileage out of these ideas.
That’s usually how it goes, I don’t ever sit down to write and go “This is for this.” Basically, I just try to capture ideas when they come, and I see how much they need to be worked on.
Are you used to having this many eyes and hands on your demos?
With the last album we did, Say I Won’t, it was a pretty similar process. Jim and Ian both helped a lot with those demos. This album was the same, but before that, it was just me making the demos and then going into the studio. This is the second record we’re doing where it’s a more collaborative process. I’m still learning how to work with other people on songs I’m coming up with, so it’s a learning process. We’re getting more and more comfortable with it as we go.
The lyrics on SIX feel a bit more poetic and personal compared to previous BDOD records. Is that something you focused on, or noticed you were doing? Do you agree with the sentiment?
It kind of just came naturally. There wasn’t anything specific. I guess I had a pretty big break, and I was spending a lot of time at home. I had a lot of time to sit there with my thoughts, much more so compared to other records. I’m old now, so I don’t go out anymore. A lot of my time is spent bopping around the house, so I think that contributed to it. I always just try to take things that come naturally and try to run with them as far as I can take them.
Has knowing when to walk away from a demo become easier the more you do it? Is there any more of a blueprint to the demo process now that you’re six albums in?
It’s more of a feeling. I’ve been trying to get better at finishing a full idea, even if I’m not crazy about it, just as an exercise more than anything. There were a few demos that we all finished, but they didn’t end up making the album. I feel like if you go through that sort of process, you may end up learning something, or you may end up having a song that fits somewhere else, or an idea that turns into something else. I’ve been trying to get better at not casting things to the side too quickly and trying to finish a full idea. You never know what idea will come out of that.
How many demos did you bring into the studio for SIX? Was there a moment where you had to whittle things down to the eleven songs that made the album?
We pretty much took exactly what is on the record into the studio. There is one more that we did that we all liked a lot, but it didn’t seem to fit on the record. I think we’re going to try to do something with that one later on in the year, like a bonus track type of situation. We tried to limit our time and give ourselves some limitations on stuff, so we didn’t want to go into these sessions with half-cooked ideas we would end up spending two days on. We basically took the songs we knew we loved and did those. Pretty much exactly what you hear on the record is what we went in with.
When it comes to elements of an album outside of the music, like cover art and tracklisting, are you heavily involved in those steps?
We’re all very involved in all of that. Actually, the tracklist was probably one of the longest-running discussions on anything on the whole record. Everyone has different ideas of what they want, so we got everyone to write in their ideal tracklist, and then we worked backwards from there. We got to a place where everyone was pretty happy with it. I think that’s super important, even nowadays, with how people listen to music, primarily singles or just one song off a record. I still think it’s super important to sequence a record. Especially, I think about the sequencing in terms of A and B sides for vinyl. That’s something I think is cool, and we definitely put some time into it.
Will there be physical pressings for SIX?
Yes. We’re doing vinyl, CDs, and tapes. We’ll have a pretty comprehensive selection for this album.
Are you a vinyl collector yourself?
I am! Not quite as much recently. I just got a car that has a tape player, so recently I’ve been collecting more tapes than anything. I do have a pretty good vinyl collection that I’m really proud of. The physical copies are definitely something that is important to me. I love going into record stores and finding stuff. A lot of the early records I bought were just based on the cover; I just thought they looked cool. It’s important that we have all of that represented and people be able to get the music in whatever manner they choose.
How did the design for the album cover for SIX come to be?
We had some discussions and threw out some ideas. A lot of the last few records it’s been photographs of me or an object. We wanted to switch it up a bit, so we worked with this amazing designer named Sarah Goldstein, who is here in Nashville. She took all of our ideas and synthesized them into something we’re all super happy with. The only direction we gave her was “simple but striking,” and I think she nailed it in that regard.
Bass Drum of Death has gone through a few lineups over the years and has now landed as a trio with you, Jim, and Ian. What is it about your relationship with them that makes the collaborative process feel more natural to you?
Well, Jim is my brother. So we have that relationship already. I think they’ve always been very supportive and want to be involved. In the beginning, when I was playing shows, making twenty dollars a night, touring in my Corolla, it was a hard thing to ask people to do. I never wanted to burden anybody with this stupid thing that I was doing. Thankfully, they’re super supportive and want to be involved, so I let them, especially in the whole process from the songwriting all the way to what have you. It’s been good, I really like how we work together both on and off stage.
Speaking of touring, there is a big tour in support of SIX kicking off towards the end of September. What are you looking forward to the most when getting back to the road, and how has your relationship with touring changed?
It’s different for sure. I’ve got a wife and dog at home now, so I’ve got a pretty good situation that I’ve gotten comfortable with, so it’s tough to leave them for extended periods. Especially compared to when I was 25 and single and ready to go do whatever. It’s still really fun, and I still enjoy it. Being able to go visit all these different places, you sometimes take it for granted, and I’m not trying to do that. I want to get the most out of taking these trips.
When you sit down and think about it, it’s pretty wild that you’re able to do any touring, so I love it. I’m looking forward to this fall; we’re all very excited about it.
Are there any songs off the new album you’re particularly excited to perform? Is there a venue or city you’re excited to return to or visit for the first time?
The fourth song on the record, fifth if you count the intro, but it’s called “Pick ‘Em Up and Put ‘Em Down.” I think that’s going to be a fun one to play live. I’m excited to go back to Minneapolis; we haven’t played there in a while. I always loved the city. I think that’s a super cool spot, and they’ve always been very kind to us. I’m also excited to play The Roxy in Los Angeles. I don’t think I’ve ever played on the Sunset Strip or what have you. That’ll be a really fun one.
Aside from that, I’m just excited to get back out there. We haven’t played shows in quite a while now, so I’m excited to get back to it and get moving.
Going back to the longevity of Bass Drum of Death, was there a moment when you realized this project was going to become bigger than you expected? At the sake of sounding corny, did you have an “I made it” moment?
I don’t know if there was necessarily a lightning strike moment. The biggest one was “Crawling After You” being in Grand Theft Auto V. I didn’t realize, at the time, how big a deal that was. I know it’s a big deal of a game, but there are 250 other songs on there. That ended up being pretty crazy for us. It’s kind of wild to look up and see how many streams that song has racked up and how many people know the band just because of that game. If I had to point to one thing, it would have to be that.
What is your relationship with influence like? Being someone who is constantly working on ideas, do you find yourself gravitating towards certain movies, books, or albums when you’re in album mode?
It’s kind of hard to say. I think I kind of grab things here and there. If I zero in on one certain thing, I end up writing songs that sound like that. I try to keep it a little bit varied. The big ones on this record were The Stooges, ZZ Top, and the Raveonettes, and bands that I’ve loved forever, like The Spits. It’s all across the board, but those are the big ones that influenced SIX.
SIX is only a few days away from being released to the world. How do you feel about the project after this time has passed? Is there a sense of relief when you put out a record, since it’s officially out of your hands?
It’s cool because the way we did it this time was a shorter run-up. I feel like I’ve stayed busy with all sorts of stuff. Obviously, since we’ve released the last couple of records, stuff like social media has changed very dramatically, and changed how you interact with people during a release. I had to re-learn how to do a lot of that stuff, so I’ve stayed pretty busy, and I haven’t had much time to think about it. Now that I think about it, I’m more excited than anything for the album to be out. That’s when a different kind of work starts, going on tour and playing it for people, and hoping people enjoy it. It’s more exciting than anything for me.
Speaking of people hearing the music for the first time, how did you guys land on songs like “Never Gonna Drink About You” and “Do Nothing” as the lead singles for this album?
“Do Nothing” was a good representation of the record in general, just in terms of tone and general vibe. It’s mid-tempo, so it’s not too crazy. “Never Gonna Drink About You” was just one of our personal favorites, so that’s what we went with, and we wanted to let people know we can still do some fast ones. I’m really pleased with the response.
You talked about the song you’re most excited to perform, but is there a song off of SIX you’re particularly excited for fans to hear?
Maybe the last song on the album, “Night Ride.” It starts off kind of slow and has a really big, noisy build towards the end. I’ve done similar songs like this in the past, but they never sounded this crisp and well-engineered. That’s a really cool one, and I’m hoping we can wrap our heads around it enough to play it live. It’s very different from any other song on the record.
