Shark? Interview

Formed in 2009, Shark? are a Brooklyn based band who received critical acclaim in 2012 for their Kickstarter funded album True Waste and who feature on the soundtrack for the much anticipated GTA V. I recently got a chance to speak to member Kevin Diamond…

Antony Heald: From an Englishman’s perspective, although you’re based out of Brooklyn your sound seems to come straight off the SoCal beaches and into the studio. How did you come about your sound and what influenced you? 

Kevin Diamond: That may have something to do with the fact that I was born and raised in Nantucket. MA, an island off the coast of Cape Cod. Someone once told me, when they found out where I was from, that it explained the “deranged surf-rock pixies thing” that I did. Not sure if it does or not, but I guess it makes sense. In general this band was formed to play music that was fun and felt like a party, so that I could sneak evil thoughts into peoples heads while they dance.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N12sAB51kes[/youtube]

AH: Your track California Grrls appears on the soundtrack of quite possibly the most anticipated video game of all time, GTA V. How did it come about and on a scale 1-10 how excited were you once you realized it wasn’t a prank? 

KD: We’re thrilled. I lost several long weekends in College to Grand Theft Auto 3. I still remember the first time I stopped playing GTA3 and got into my car to drive to class, and I had to remember I wasn’t in the game anymore and running over people on the sidewalk was frowned upon. So to be involved in GTA V in this way is just amazing.

AH:Being on the GTA soundtrack is going to bring a lot of new listeners to your music, what would you recommend they listen to in order to understand who Shark? are? 

KD: As far as our influences go, I’d point to The Replacements, Pavement, The Pixies, Husker Du. But I hope people already know those guys. I’m more influenced these days by my peers, some bands we’ve played with recently that are doing amazing things are Speedy Ortiz, Sleepies, Sleeping Bag, So So Glos, Lost Boy ?, Big Ups. The current music scene is really invigorating, at least in the northeast of America where we normally play, and everytime I see one of these bands live I just feel like I need to work harder and make better music.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ygbo2aqXJUM[/youtube]

AH: Listening to Wither which you recently leaked, it seems to have a different feel to True Waste. How do you feel the band has changed between the two albums? 

KD: I recently explained the difference between True Waste and the new record Savior this way: True Waste was made with too much money and not enough time. Savior was made with too much time and not enough money. It’s more lo-fi, we literally recorded in the basement of a church in like a closet. We spent 9 months mixing it. It sounds like we made it, so it’s more personal, a little more slip-shod, and a lot more interesting, to me. I hope people agree.

AH: Savior is your new album coming out October 1st, what should fans new and old expect from it? 

KD: Fun songs about existential dread. 

Savior is out on October 1^st from www.oldflamerecords.com as well as their recently announced tour dates. Shark? can be found at sharkquestionmark.com and on Twitter @shrkquestionmrk

Follow Antony Heald @antonyheald