Santa Barbara knows the guys of Clean Spill are legends on both sea and land. They can surf the hell out of a wave, and also deliver surfabilly, lo-fi vibes that will have you swaying like the ocean. It’s definitely garage rock, with it’s laid-back, chill vibes, but it’s also more introspective than this genre tends to suggest. There’s a theme of duality right in the band’s name, and that yin and yang vibe is palpable on their forthcoming release. One of the most remarkable aspects of this EP how it shows that it’s possible to be happy and sad at the same time, sometimes even while listening to the same song. It’s spooky how they pull it off so well; it’s like listening to your inner dialogue in someone else’s voice.
On Friday, October 19th, Clean Spill’s latest EP, Nothing’s On My Mind, will be available everyone, but you can check it out here first:
The band recorded this EP two years ago, in October of 2016. It was recorded at Jazz Cats Studios, run by Johnny Bell. Hanni El Khatib produced it, and was a huge influence on the sound for the EP. He helped the band harness the energy of the live show and bring that authenticity into the recordings. He was knew exactly how to choose the right gear for each song; he knew exactly which guitar to grab, what amp to use, and what pedal to hit for the sounds they imagined. The songs were all tracked live initially, then layered to perfection. They used almost entirely analog gear, mostly vintage from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s. The result was a raw, warm, accessible, distorted but clean record. The band says,
“We’ve wanted to release our EP Nothing’s on My Mind for quite some time. Its an introspective look into the mind and it’s internal dialogue, as it attempts to figure out how this crazy world works. With some extra energy added by Hanni El Khatib as our producer, we recorded the truly raw rock album that we’ve always wanted to make!”
Clean Spill’s first single release from this EP was “Doctor,” and it had incredibly colorful sounds break over introspective lyrics… again, it’s spooky, and all too relatable. Second single, “Rolling,” was released along with an official video on Consequence of Sound. Following the same inspiration of duality that was displayed in first single, it’s a happy song with sad lyrics. The paradox was explained by the band, who told CoS,
“This song is the essence of Clean Spill, a happy song with sad lyrics that emulates the paradox of our band name. If all the lyrics were happy, the song would be cheesy.” “‘Rolling’ is a surfy, melodramatic breakup song,” adding, “This song masks the heartbreak and feelings of loneliness with lighthearted guitar and an uptempo surf beat.”
The other four tracks keep that same tradition of duality while remaining chill through the ups and downs. There’s a lovable nature to each track because it’s so self-aware. You almost have to laugh along with the band because life is pretty goofy when you take your ego out of the equation.
If you’re in Berkley, CA, you can catch the band performing at 924 Gilman on Saturday, October 20. In the meantime, get to know these insightful records, and pick up a copy of the record on October 19.
