A front-to-back listen of EULA’s second LP, Wool Sucking, is an experience of morbid curiosity and relentless self-conflict like watching a good horror movie, or removing a Band-Aid. The record delivers a raw and unabashed glimpse into Alyse Lamb’s life and inner machinations, at a most vulnerable point, introspecting and reacting. The band has undergone some major, and potentially trying changes since their last record, 2011’s Maurice Narcisse, having uprooted from their New Haven safe haven and moving to Brooklyn, acquiring new tensions and anxieties atop the calamity of the everyday.
Each song seems to purport its own stage in the interim. Thick and swirling bass instilling notions of uncertainty on songs like “Little Hearts” and “Aplomb”; inquisitive, yet cautious guitar on “I Collapse” and “The Destroyer”, tossing a “look before you leap” approach to life out the window; and steady but restless drums painting a nervous heartbeat on “Noose” and “Orderly”. All is but a nicely placed implication for what Lamb’s crude and open vocals overtly bash you over the head with: that a reality far beyond our control exists—both inside and out—and it’s not always pleasant. Most people aren’t this honest with their own friends and family, or even themselves, let alone an unseen audience.
We caught up with Alyse Lamb over email, which you can read following the album stream below. Wool Sucking is out now on Famous Swords and Mirror Universe.
Your music fluctuates between the weird and eerie, and the impassioned and agitated. Is there one element you feel is more prevalent than the other? How do you feel your audience perceives it?
When I’m feeling particularly unhinged, the music I write is rather unsettling and off-kilter. When I’m feeling elated, exuberant… I tend to sound hyper-kinetic. Each song idea starts from a raw place. The music I write surrounds that idea and pushes it to an extreme.
I think when an artist displays any kind of sincere, raw emotion in a live setting, the audience will react in a positive way. It’s all about forming a connection and making the audience feel something deep inside their bellies.
How was the recording process for Wool Sucking? Were there any challenges with this being your second full-length? Or was it an easier process?
We’ve recorded in so many different types of spaces over the years… bedrooms, basements, garages, closets, fancy studios. We’d book a few hours here, a few hours there… weeks would pass… a few more hours… we jumped around a lot. With Wool Sucking, it was an entirely different process. It was a job we went to every day. We did eight, nine, sometimes ten-hour recording sessions. We brought our briefcases, fax machines and power suits. Good thing Martin (Bisi/BC Studios) is the best boss on the planet. He helped us remain focused and energized. One big challenge for me was the mixing of the record. Martin mixes strictly analog. We had to be on our mixing game at all times because we had to strike the board at the end of every night. I am forever grateful to Martin, though, because I learned so much from his technique.
Is there a set time that you say, “OK, it’s time to write a new record,” or is it more gradual, compiling songs and fine-tuning over time?
Our first album Maurice Narcisse was born out of a playful, physical place. We had written a bunch of songs and felt it was time to put out our first record (we had only recorded singles and EPs up to that point). After about a year of touring and several life changes later… I felt it was time to write another album. Whenever I go through something heavy, I become an especially strong little conduit. So Wool Sucking poured out of me like a flood. Perhaps the next album will be a more gradual process, but this time around it was a spark that burst into flames.
Could you discuss the album’s title? Where did it come from? What made it stick with you?
I find great joy in naming albums and titling songs. It’s really important to me that a title captures the meaning/mood of the piece. It is also very important how the title sounds phonetically, and how your mouth looks when you say the words. This album is about transformation… beginning as a helpless baby animal and eventually turning into a roaring lion looking for food. Kittens sometimes suck wool or woolen-like fabric if they are weaned too early. It’s a misdirected form of nursing and a compulsive behavior. That’s all I’ll say.
Is there a favorite or most personal track on the record? If so, would you mind telling us about it?
It’s an entirely personal record that came from an intimate place. I can’t really single out one track. My favorite thing about this album is the range of emotions I was able to capture without losing my shit.
What are your plans once the record is released?
Four weeks of parties (tour) and lots more writing and designing.
