The diverse American indie-rock quartet Morning Trips has charmed fans with their uncompromising devotion to Alt-Rock. Nonetheless, the band’s musical output does not end there. The Florida band’s approach has evolved from effervescent, atmospheric pop to frenetic, introspective punk and beyond, drawing inspiration from a range of genres, and it never ceases to astound us. On their most recent release, “An Imaginary Life,” Morning Trips channel 90s Shoegaze and contemporary Indie Pop elements.
The band’s newest chapter begins with the publication of “An Imaginary Life,” their first release of the year. This song exemplifies Morning Trips’ varied sonic pallet as they continue to expand upon the expansive, eclectic sound they’ve cultivated.
In addition to obvious alternative influences, the band delivers a fascinating indie pop song with rich and luscious vocals, fuzzy washed-out guitars, and acoustic textures. A genuine acoustic kit drives the intensity of a gentler, more beautiful song, reminding listeners that Morning Trips’ best quality, their energy, is thriving and pumping more than ever. It is a well-crafted work that serves multiple genres and will be enjoyed by many.
‘An Imaginary Life’ is a glossy, dream pop single written, recorded, and produced by The Morning Trips, marking their strongest work to date and paving the way for the release of their debut EP in the spring. Check out the song and the exclusive interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
MORNING TRIPS: We are from the Panhandle of Florida! A notoriously polarizing part of the United States. Lots of beauty scenery with lots of not so beautiful aspects. Our band was birthed out of love of music and the four of us finding each other along the way. I kinda think of our band formation as the holy trinity of meeting friends, I met Logan in high school, Amos at a party, and Noah through the internet.
2. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘MORNING TRIPS’?
MORNING TRIPS: I think collectively, we were inspired early by fast, angry music with a strong message, but we also loved really elegant, lush textures. We also really loved rhythmic based bands, bands that were either driven by strong bass lines and grooves. We found a lot of our common interest laid in bands like Talking Heads, Ramones, Radiohead, and Smashing Pumpkins. We have a lot of fondness for the golden era of pop punk, centrally for the straight forward song writing fundamentals. We have a lot of admiration for Turnstile and Bloc Party too.
3. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
MORNING TRIPS: I am the lyric writer, so naturally I’d like people who identify with the music to be able to identify with the lyrics first and foremost. I think our music has a strong central message of looking inward to reflect on how you can make outward changes in yourself and your surroundings, positively. Be it politics, your own foibles, or even a funny story – that overall is what we are trying to do. Musically, we strive to keep ourselves entertained and that really lends itself to experimentation. We love intentionally curated “noise” in our music, that is a common element from our live show and studio arrangements.
4. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?
MORNING TRIPS: Everyone in this band grew up playing in bands. We worked up our chops, emulating artists, learning the craft, and such – we got the teachings pretty early. We still take great influence with pieces that resonate with us for sure. The biggest challenge our band faced was really forming before the pandemic and how we didn’t really know when we were ever gonna play live again. That lent to us really becoming studio rats and learning as much as we could, working with the best people we could afford to find. We’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great people to where we acquired the knowledge to produce ourselves and our vision of our music. Once the pandemic eased up, we really started playing as a live band again which has helped shaped how we view our sound so much.
5. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and afront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
MORNING TRIPS:
I personally feel the only music worth listening to is music that is trying to have profound impacts on the aforementioned. Music has greatly shaped how I view the world, and through the right combination of communication and circumstance, it can do amazing things for everything from fashion aesthetics to mental health. The technical artistry and personal narratives can go hand in hand in playing a role politically, culturally, or spiritually.
6. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
MORNING TRIPS:
I think, as a creative, I want people to understand what the song is about and where I am coming from. As a music consumer, I know for a fact people are going to interpret the music whatever way that resonates with them, and that’s perfectly fine. Sometimes the interpretations are better.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or diferent in the future?
MORNING TRIPS:
Yes.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
MORNING TRIPS:
The early days of the band, the songs were primarily laptop demos written by me – and the rest of the band would fill in the picture. Traditionally now, we are either starting songs together or in duos. Whether it’s me and Amos, me and Logan, or me and Noah. Usually when we start production, Logan has a huge hand in engineering a lot of the band elements, the drums, guitars – while I produce a lot of the soundscapes and overall picture of the production. On “An Imaginary Life”, we worked with our friend Jose Del Rio on the drum engineering, and we produced most of the song in my bedroom.
9. What has been the most difcult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
MORNING TRIPS: The hardest part whether it’s people on the internet or people in person, it’s random people telling you they know what’s best for your band. When we were a bit younger – age wise as a band – we hadn’t built up our confidence, it was easy to overthink ourselves into believing someone else’s terrible life advice, nonetheless people who barely know you. And the whole pandemic thing was pretty hard. It was hard to just make plans in life in general, then to try planning timelines and ideas for the band, it was tricky. That time in reflection, really felt like the world was collapsing and we has a band, had to maximum the time and effort we had been trying to put in while we had it.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
MORNING TRIPS: We have been fortunate enough to work alongside so many producers and engineers. We were so fortunate to work with Zach Fogarty on our latest single, “An Imaginary Life” – he also mixed our forthcoming EP. He worked on many of our favorite records like “Pixel Bath” by Jean Dawson. Our EP was mastered by Becker Mastering that did “Planet Her” by Doja Cat and so many great pop records. When we landed working with them, that felt great. We’ve also been fortunate to work with Jeremy SH Griffith, who has worked with Anberlin, Underoath, and so many great bands as well. We worked with a gentleman named Carl Bahner, who I learned so much from in our very early days.
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