Last year when we knew True Lust as simply, ‘Lust’ we struck up a dialogue with frontman Dillon Morton about his cover of “Eyes Without a Face”, playing Opale’s L’incandescent on repeat, and truly defining his new sound with descriptive recipes and algorithms like, “Italo swells, haunting disco licks, and sensual synth tones.”
Establishing himself among the minds and talents of fellow Denver denizens in the Holy Underground collective, and seen hanging around the indie communities and rosters at Chill Mega Chill, AMDISCS, and Not Not Fun, Morton along with Robert Sands premiere “Silk & Lace” from the upcoming True Lust album Paranoia, featuring vocal appearances from Outlands. Sewing sheer fibroin textiles softly to sheen audio textures that match, Dillon and Robert have your pre-club soundtrack covered in the spirit of local luminaries that count Pictureplane to CC/NN.
On “Silk & Lace”, the True Lust duo teams up with Outlands’ Melissa Smith and Mark Arciaga from Blacksburg, Virginia who released the album, Love Is As Cold as Death earlier this year. Together the two combine their sensibilities of soul-stationed future with the sound of a built-in-home stereo system designed for the interiors of modern deco condos, where chamber ambiance spills out of speakers in every room. True Lust and Outlands together take back and claim the pre-party as the new after-party that entertains a sonic-but-seductive degree of savoir faire than the so-called privy compasses of sponsor-fueled phone applications.
We caught up once again with Dillon Morton. Read our conversation after the stream below.
What has the process from recording the Dark Water EP to the upcoming Paranoia album been like for the two of you?
Dark Water came to fruition while I was first beginning to experiment with a hedonistic, yet euphorically driven sound. Drawing from an untold narrative of dark streets and hidden strangers, each song sheds light on a specific scene. This self-released EP began the project and storyline of True Lust.
Originally, Paranoia’s title track was intended for the EP, but I felt that it wasn’t quite finished at the time. After revisiting the song, the concepts and momentum that began with Dark Water had reached a point where it felt right to begin writing the album. Having spent over two years working on the new album with Robby, we have been able to successfully develop a wide range of sounds that helped define the direction and vision of the project.
How has the environments and scenes of Denver, Colorado inspired and impacted your sound?
It has in subtle ways. While most of my influence and momentum strikes late at night in my apartment with the blinds drawn, I have also been inspired in unexpected ways by physical locations around Denver. When I begin to piece together the scenes and fragments of a plot for a song, I often picture them in these locations and settings. One location in particular is the alleyway from my apartment building to Colfax. These two blocks of alleyway end at this disheveled motel that used to have a dimly lit club underneath it. It had shag carpet that was closer to marble flooring due to all of the spilled drinks and spit over the years. I can see a great chase scene occurring here – The victim leaves the bar to return home only to be increasingly consumed by the feeling that she is being followed.
I have heard that Giallo film soundtracks and Italo disco factored in during the recording of Paranoia, and I was wondering in what ways did you find the connection between those sounds and your own established modes of creativity?
Synth driven soundtracks often carried the sensuality of Giallo films, heightening the themes of sexual desire, primal fear, and the fragility of sanity. Italo Disco, on the other hand, touches on mankind’s needs and vices in a more glorified and fleeting way. When pitched and slowed down, however, it becomes very haunting, like the fading memory of a former lover. Having drawn from the two emotionally provocative sounds, I feel the album walks a drunken line between arousal and fear.
How did the experiences of working closely with Dreams West, Heatstroke, and Mirror Kisses enhance or inform your creative processes?
It was refreshing to take some time to collaborate with different artists before we began the process of writing the album. While each artist brought their own sound and aesthetic to the table, the songs explore something new, yet remain true to their origins. These collaborations also provided an opportunity to work with new song elements that I hadn’t worked with before, like vocals and funk samples.
“Silk & Lace” is such a warm track that evokes the textures of it’s title. What sort of candid narratives lent the framework for this song?
I picture a woman getting ready for a night out in the city while taking pleasure in a glass of red wine.
Other artists that we need to be listening to that aren’t getting enough bandwidth and hype?
Opale, Exotic Club, and Cosmetics.
True Lust’s debut album Paranoia will be available soon.
