We like to think that Chicago's premiere indie outfit Mister Suit was way ahead of the current Midwest uprise. Over the past few years, the home spun recordings from Garrett Jones have sent flare sigals preparing us for the current floodgate of artists and bands brought out of their bedrooms and onto the platforms and venues of interest. Jones has spent recent months fine tailoring his sound at Chi-town's own Pieholden Studio, recording with Matt DeWine, and sharpening his song construction skills. Premiering his new song, “Get It Right”, Garrett tightens up the Suit with aims at a precision that respects all principle trademarks of his solo-man-band sound with its most elaborate refurbishments yet.
In the Mister Suit spirit—heard throughout the past seas of singles—every instrument and uttered noise is emitted with an urgent purpose of now. An autobiographic song of doing it right the first time around while on the come up, “Get It Right” moves up from the bottom and into a bigger production light, and the good, progressive fight. In the art of defining and refining the edges of 'verse, chorus, solo, rinse and repeat;' Garrett maintains a chaotic and somewhat frantic undercurrent that keeps everything honest and hungrier than ever before. Jones and DeWine steer the song into the carefully mapped channels of post-punk percussion fed through a Korg MS20 with the application of a VOX AC30 to effectively amplify all guitars and keys. Join Garrett and I for a closer listen and discussion, after the following debut of the new Mister Suit single.
Mister Suit's Garrett Jones digs into his recent batch of recordings, albums and EPs in the works, beginning with a look into manufacturing a grounded kind of chaos.
Your music always has this whirlwind of controlled chaos happening. How were you able to harness these yins and yangs?
I guess it's just that really. I'm trying to make some chaos happen. I think most songs are generally pretty boring and repetitive—mine included, and there's nothing really wrong with that. People like that, they like to know, or feel like they know, what's going to happen. So I just try to get some madness to happen, even if it's controlled, or contrived. I mean, my songs are pop songs really. Verse, chorus, solo thing, rinse & repeat, and outro. Gotta have some element of chaos in there.
On “Get It Right”, there is some straight from the gut gushing, while gearing toward trying to get things right. What was your projected point of precision when writing and recording this song?
Yeah, I guess it's pretty literal. I'm talking about just trying to get it right, primarily in my relationships, playing music, and bettering myself. Start out small, make some small improvements, pay my dues, and just try all around to get it right. Started from the bottom, now we're here.
What recording and production methods have you been discovering and utilizing lately?
Well, these last batch of tunes were recorded with Matt DeWine at Pieholden Studio in Chicago.
I played mainly accoustic instruments on these tracks as opposed to my usual arrangement of 909 drum machines and synth bass. We ran the drums through an old Korg MS20 and got a pretty wild Martin Hannett-style drum sound. I think it turned out pretty cool. We also used an original Vox AC30 on guitar and keys and turned it up louder than I have ever heard an amp in my life!
Hints of releases in the works?
Well, I'm sitting on enough tracks for a LP, but I'll probably end up axing half of them, and just put out an EP, but ya never know! And that should be happening mid summer.
Collaborations?
Nothing planned, but I think it would be cool to to do a split single with somebody. Maybe I'll ask my pals in Napoleon to do that. You know those guys / girls, right?
What have you been enjoying listening to as of late?
Really just a lot of the Clash, which is really annoying those who spend a lot of time with me… I was real into the new Blood Orange record, and my usual fix of Northern Soul / Girl Group compilations. I went through a Chicago House phase for a bit—Mr. Fingers, Frankie Knuckles, Marshall Jefferson, et al. And at night and at work I've been listening to a lot of Cocteau Twins.
The new Mister Suit EP is expected to be released this summer.
