Review Fix chats with Sights & Sounds’ Andrew Neufeld, who discusses the band’s new album and goals for the future.
Review Fix: What was the biggest obstacle during the creation of this album?
Andrew Neufeld: Most challenging is filtering all the ideas through the funnel and dialing in what works the best. The most rewarding is 2 parts. First is the initial creative spurts that ignite the song ideas in right away. These moments come when you least expect them. The second most rewarding part is where we are at now. Having the finished product. Listening back the mixes with all the candy and soundscapes weaving in and out, and being able to share it with our peers and whoever is able to listen to it!Â
Review Fix: What was your creative process like for this album?
Neufeld: Write / demo/ rewrite / demo. Luckily we have some recording tools at our disposal within the band so we are able to hash out songs and really step back and listen to them as we go. But the downfall of that is oftentimes suffering from dermatitis and striving to capture the energy and honesty of the takes in their original conceptions.Â
Review Fix: What inspires you? How has that changed over the years?
Neufeld: Seeing my friend’s bands do crazy things inspires me. Being able to travel around the world w. S&S or Comeback Kid and have people fuck with our music inspires me. Learning new ways to create music is inspiring. It’s always a positive for me to step outside my own comfort zone and find new ideas to bring into the fold of my own creative journey.
Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?
Neufeld: S&S is an atmospheric rock band from Toronto Canada. A melodic band with electronic elements with punk/hardcore roots. Think Smashing Pumpkins mixed with New Order and Oasis.Â
Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?
Neufeld: Live shows always end up heavier. The crushing elements are so much more apparent in a live setting. That’s not intentional but I think coming from such a heavy background it’s more natural for us to go balls to the walls on in an energetic live environment.
Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?
Neufeld: We just released a whole album! The newest single that is coming out with a video this week is called “Serpentine”.
Serpentine is a dive into the deepest parts of our minds. The parts that overwhelm us when they are finally recovered. Set behind a hard electronic backdrop, this is definitely the heaviest song on ‘No Virtue’ and will resonate probably more to those who know me from singing in Comeback Kid. Sights learned a hell of a lot recording our last album w. Devin Townsend, and we sent a nod to him on this track as you will be fully aware of. The song is about the eternal build. When you’re always “almost there”. My brother Joel ( drums ) and I had this song hummed out for probably 10 years now and we’ve finally brought this beast to life
Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2019?
Neufeld: We have some album release shows and touring planned. First in Canada and then we will round out the year in Europe in December. Looking forward to touring the album in the US in the new year.
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