Vancouver by LA's Chains of Love follows up their first EP with a listen to the title track of the second installment, with “Misery Makers”. Fronted by LOOSE Recordings chief Nathalia Pizarro and Felix Fung, with production from Richard Gottehrer, they waltz their way across the ballroom with floor with news of upcoming recordings with Sharon and the Dap-Kings' Binky Griptight. With Misery Makers Vol. 2 available March 25 from Manimal / Light Organ; heart-breakers and wallflowers are united in a slow dance of companionship and conflict.
The emotions and tears from trouble makers and lonely hearts take part in a dance for the solitary and sullen. “The threat of love is not enough to stop the misery makers,” Nathalia sings with the accompaniment of stage stealing strings. “Misery Makers” sways in a rocking step to give comfort to the inconsolable, a ballad to ease the mind and spirits of the miserable and misfits alike. As the orchestrations sweep you off your feet in the big send off of the song's finale, Chains of Love raises a champagne to toast to everyone and all who are prone to dancing in the venue's dark corners by themselves.
Felix from Chains of Love discussed their new EP, hints of what's ahead, songwriting notes, and more.
How does it feel having concluded your Misery Makers EP two volume series?
If you had asked me a year and a half ago when we actually finished the record I would've said proud. I think they're great and we worked really hard to grow and do something different. I think we achieve that. We are too restless and busy to be bogged down by sentimentality.
Looking back to the making of these past two EPs, to where you are now, how do you feel about these steps of development, and what does all this mean for your future songs?
I feel the growth and change were/are the only options for an artist. Anything else and you might a well get a regular job. These steps if development are necessary. Otherwise you run the risk of being a parody of yourself. We changed a lot as people since the first record. I'm not the same my perspective is different, I'm older.
We fought hard to be brave and move the sound forward knowing full well that it could ruin us. But we are only concerned with what's new.
The future is just as much a mystery to me, as it is to you.
The process is any which way and loose. All avenues are explored. There is no routine. Although having said that we do know how to sit down and just write. Writing is never a problem.
What have your current song-writing and practice sessions been like?</strong>
As far as practice, we don't, often. The band is full of really talented musicians. We demand accuracy and we all know what is expected of us. So we show up prepared for the few rehearsals we do have before tours and shows. We wrote and recorded the songs, not much to rehearse.
How did this lounge-y, title track, chain-breaker from the Aileen Bryant poem become adapted for this song?
For the record she fit her words to our music. The music usually comes first. A hook a riff and a melody. That sets the mood and then Nat writes to that mood, with a lot of back and forth of course. For this particular song Aileen's words fit. It wasn't solicited. Nat writes the lyrics. So maybe she would know why that came about.
How has LA been treating you all, and what kind of creative and collaborative environments have you all been discovering?
LA treats us like it treats everyone else. It's warm and the Mexican food is amazing. As far as creative environment, not sure. There are a ton of amazing bands in LA, though. And even though it's funny to say, I feel LA is going to explode with cool arty underground music much in the same way San Fransisco did about five years ago. I'm looking forward to it. I think it will change peoples' perspective on the LA music scene. I know it did for me.
Chains of Love's new EP Misery Makers Vol. 2 will be available March 25 from Manimal / Light Organ.
