Honesty Pop: Bits N’ Pisses by Kurt Inder
Kurt Inder, Photo by Liam Penney
Album: bits n pisses
By: Kurt Inder
ASL: 24, M, Stephenville, NL (For now.)
In the Fall of 2014 there was buzz regarding a couple of home demos that popped up on bandcamp.
shylashes & a night at kurt’s (October/November 2014) by Kurt Inder.
Combined, the two demos cover ten songs of gleaming & glassy-eyed night pop. Blending dizzy and digital elements with lounge guitar grooves and a soothing vocal delivery, these demos created a groundwork which appears harnessed, polished and transformed into the twelve-song flow entitled bits n pisses.
Pay what you want for bits n pisses on digital format.
The album was recorded at Kurt’s home in Stephenville, NL where he currently resides finishing the last months of his recording arts program. Kurt’s plan is to relocate to Halifax, NS in May.
It seems that the Spring and Summer hold a strong possibility for Inder’s sound to find it’s whole new life as a live entity, and in a different province than where it all began.
We caught up with Kurt for some elaboration on his brand of pop, his process and his plans for the future.
Would you consider your musical output as a “bedroom project”? Or do you record in other rooms in your house?
I’d say the output is around 80/20. 80% at home, and 20% where ever I can record drums at the time. I don’t have monitors at home, or a drum kit, which is why the album has a lot of digital, but I do like that sound too.
Anyways, to answer your question, yes I would call it a bedroom project. Or 80/20. I did record in the bathroom, though.
Now, the dumbest question to ask a musician: how would you describe your sound to someone who hasn’t yet clicked play on the bandcamp embed? This is the part where making up ridiculous genre names is strongly encouraged.
This question is hard… Which is a good start in describing what my sound isn’t. I think my music is very soft, sometimes romantic and sad, and it will definitely make my mom worry about how I’m doing when she hears it. Then again, it also has its moments where it sounds like someone is about to start rapping.Well, to me at least.
Ridiculous genre name would be “honesty pop”.
Tell us a bit about the writing and recording process of bits n pisses.
Writing started October 2014, and the last bit of writing took place the night before I released the album. Songs come out of nowhere, and at weird times. This Couch was written while waiting for a cab, and Oranges was written one morning during that big snowstorm last week. I put more thought into the music than I do the lyrical content that is for sure.
Type of Feeling was written in a porta-potty… can’t you tell?
Recording mostly took place at home.
Did you call on any help for any of these tracks, or does the entirety of the album consist of “just” yourself?
I recorded the album alone, and wrote all the instrumentation myself. I got a bit of help writing lyrics with a friend through text. I’d send her paragraphs of weird shit, or we’d send each other a bunch of words that rhymed or sounded nice together, and she would reply with “Yeah, that works” or “No, don’t say that,” or something. It really helped. She was a big help with the lyrics and ideas of Way Too Much, Oranges and Becky Cool.
Any plan for a physical release of bits n pisses?
I’m currently in the works of having a small run of tapes made and partially distributed by a rad label in the U.S.A. I’m really excited for that, and hopefully it all runs smoothly in time for Summer. I’m also in small talks of working with some Canadian peeps too, but I will zip it up at that. A few compilation tape spots were offered to me as well. I’m very excited and thankful. There’s hopefully more news to come in the next couple months too. Thanks everybody.
Will there be a live incarnation of these songs, or is it all about the “bedroom magic”.
There will be a live incarnation very soon. I’m almost finished in school, and will be moving to Halifax. I have friends there from back home in Newfoundland, and also from my second home in Moncton, NB. My friend Pete, who plays bass in Orchards (from Halifax, check them out here) played guitar in our old band in Moncton and has been very supportive ever since. He offered to help with the live idea. It’s a work in progress.
We’re both in school at the moment, I think, so it’s hectic. Pete is VERY smart. Like, SUPER smart. So it will help for sure.
In closing: can we expect more bits and/or pisses in the future? Any notable or un-notable upcoming plans?
I actually took a break from recording new ideas tonight to answer these questions, so yes! Most importantly, be sure to keep an eye out for the physical release of bits n pisses, which will be very soon, and upcoming work with rad Canadian peeps.
Other not so important plans for me will be forming an actual band, learning how to French kiss, and moving to Halifax.
See ya there, and wish me luck. Thanks Secret East!