In The Works: Little Death

Fans since catching their first ever show back in our more youthful days of 2006 and suitably impressed by their superb debut mini album last year, we keenly await a first studied, ear-shattering full length effort from Little Death. Frontman KC Underwood isn't sure if it'll be an album, collection of singles or another EP, but he gives Ragged Words a detailed look at the band's progress as well as an exclusive MP3 to prove it.

It’s been a quiet summer for the band. Nathan spent the last couple of months in Canada attending to some personal matters. Julianna likes holidays. Chris really wants to rehearse, or be in a band that does. Anyway, before they left we went into Strongroom studios in Old Street to record a few songs, but life got in the way and in the end we only managed to get the drums and bass down, the guitars and vocals would have to wait. For some time now I've been putting off learning pro tools, as I tend to favour comfort and nostalgia (and laziness), I had previously recorded all of our demos on an old 8 track. This resulted in people comparing us to bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine, because I drowned out the numerous mistakes in recording with lots and lots of reverb, a technique I still love. Realizing the band wouldn't be playing much this summer I knew I couldn't postpone it any longer and buckled down with my new Mac Powerbook I received as a gift from a loved one, and a pro tools Mbox I borrowed from a friend. I found pro tools to be a lot easier to learn and use, and far less intimidating than people made it out to be.

The first week was a blur, but when I emerged I had tracked all of the three songs we started in the studio, plus another two unfinished ones, all in the living room of my flat off brick lane. If anything can be said to balance out the way digital technology has damaged the record industry and thus the livelihoods of musicians it is this. When we recorded our first single in 2007 it cost us 1200 pounds, for two days in a studio. That was considered a good deal at the time, as we had a friend who worked there. The label funded it so we didn't think too hard about it. When we recorded our E.P. which we released in November of last year, it cost us around 700 for two days in which we rushed out 5 songs, in studios where clocks where hanging over our heads and each minute we took siphoned money that could be used to get us on the road, or into the studio again to record the songs that were piling up faster then then we could learn them. That way of working is never conducive to a state in which creativity flows naturally, and resulted in a feel to the songs we were never comfortable with. 

Coming out of it this time, I feel better about the songs than I ever have, knowing that I was relaxed when I sang. Knowing that if a guitar wasn't right, I gave it a night to sleep on, came back the next day and found the right sound, which usually involved my cat either mewing or crying or scratching at the door or jumping against a window or chewing on a cable. He features pretty heavily on this record, (will it be a record or a few singles or another E.P. we're not sure yet) and thus will be credited by his full Christian name which is Mr Gordon Watson. He was my only company for two weeks and we shared many heartfelt, poignant moments. In the end we both learned a lot about noise, about life, about love, and the pros and cons of changing the litter box. Mostly pros. All pros actually.

I hit a wall while mixing them, and my laziness resurfaced from a very long two week hiatus. So as I'm typing they are off getting the final tweaks put on them by our friends Dean Reid and Adrian Hall. Two songs are now ready, called 'Cool Lips' and 'The World Won't Wait'. The others are entitled  'Just Say Maybe'  'Lyra' and 'So Long' and should be ready by the end of August, if Gordon gives the o.k. 

More: www.myspace.com/lovelittledeath