Music Waves Q&A: Some Days Are Darker
learn more about Some Days Are Darker through dipity's monthly music interview spotlights
Introduction
Brooding in the bleakness of the Phoenix city twilight, Some Days Are Darker marries themes of gothic romance with the tension of noir cinema. Rendered in high-definition like razor-sharp shadows against the heat of burning passions—the very existence of these songs offers meaning to the all-consuming blackness.
Q: What is your name? Where are you located?
My name is Lear Mason and I write armageddon love songs in a band called Some Days Are Darker. We are currently located in Phoenix, relocating to NYC this fall.
Q: What is the backstory behind your artist or band name AND What does the name mean to you or signify?
I have a notebook of what I call ‘entries’. It's kind of my daily log for thoughts and ideas. Like a poor man’s Meditations. Many years ago I wrote down “Some days are darker…” It seemed to me both an observation and an affirmation. Hard times are formative.
Q: How did you begin your journey into the world of music? AND How long have you been in the music industry?
I started playing guitar when I was 12. I spent the first few years learning songs I liked and by the age of about 17, I was writing songs and playing in my first band. I’ve been in the industry for about 25 years and this is my seventh band. Lucky number seven.
Q: What inspires you as an artist? Give us some insight into your creative process.
I am admittedly highly emotional and music is the most visceral form of expression I’ve found. I write songs to convey, confess or express how I feel and why. I think with each song I’m trying to find resolve or some kind of insight.
Q: What's your favorite song you've released? Why is it your fave song?
We released “Obsession” on Valentine’s Day. It’s a song about the throes of desire layered with obsessive-compulsive disorder. While I don’t have compulsions or Rituals (which is the name of our latest EP) myself, I am a diagnosed obsessive thinker which causes me to spiral into unfathomable and sometimes unmanageable levels of detail. In this song those thoughts are directed at the object of my desire…
Q: What's an upcoming project or which event(s) are you excited about?
We are currently working on a small Midwest tour—hoping to play in Cleveland, Detroit, Windsor, Toronto and hopefully another city or two in the surrounding area. We’re also in the studio at the end of the month recording two new songs which will be released this spring!
Q: We love to read and get inspired by lyrics. Share the title of a song and its lyrics (one of your favorite songs you've either written or released). What does this song mean to you?
I’ve never considered myself suicidal, but I have considered the idea of suicide—meaning I’ve thought about what it would be like and what affect it would have. The new song we’re working on is called “Bleed Out Loud” and there’s a verse that dances around this and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed in your own mind.
Bleed Out Loud:
we are drowning in our faults we’re living with fears we can’t overcome fate take me in your arms I’m ready to feel cold oblivion
Q: What are your thoughts about the world of poetry? Are there any poets that you're a fan of?
Poetry is one of the great artistic mediums to me like the music of film. It’s incredibly important. I love that poetry can convey ideas and emotion with such brevity and allow for infinite interpretation. When I’m traveling I always have a small book or two with me. A few notable poets in my every-day-carry are: Charles Baudelaire, Sylvia Plath, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Wesley Eisold, Allen Ginsberg, Gordon Downie, George L. Clarke, Leonard Cohen, and Albert Camus.
Q: Who are some of your favorite artists and musicians that you listen to?
I’ve been listening to a lot of moody trip hop stuff like Tricky and Portishead. Almost two sides of the same coin with their masculine and feminine energy (a lot of vulnerability coated in darkness). Also the first two Cranberries albums and Boys for Pele by Tori Amos have been on repeat for about a year!
To Check Out More of Some Days Are Darker’s Music Visit:
Their Website
https://somedaysaredarker.com/
Instagram: @somedaysaredarker
Follow and listen to more on Spotify [Here]
Subscribe to YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/somedaysaredarker
Apple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/some-days-are-darker/1470196639
Bandcamp: https://somedaysaredarker.bandcamp.com/
Any other thoughts, comments, or shares after reading the interview?
[Interview Processed By VFORROW]
Thank you so much, Some Days Are Darker, for sharing and submitting to Dipity Lit Mag! ~ Jazz Marie Kaur (Vevna Forrow).
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Great interview -- looking forward to checking out this band further. I listened to Obsession -- wow, so moody and smooth. That bass line is going to be stuck in my head all day. I loved this quote in particular: "Many years ago I wrote down “Some days are darker…” It seemed to me both an observation and an affirmation. Hard times are formative." Isn't that the truth? My toughest period of time for my creative pursuits was a decade of almost ridiculous sublimity.