Stereo Subversion feature: Eluvium

Over a year after I did my first interview/profile piece for an artist, I’m branching out into that territory again. Blogs like Stereogum, Tiny Mix Tapes, and Pitchfork are all buzzing about Eluvium’s upcoming album, Similes. Due out on February 23rd, the album is the first official release from Matthew Cooper in a few years, and in that time, he’s built up a reputation as one of the most worthwhile composers in more mainstream instrumental music, rubbing elbows with other successful bands like Explosions in the Sky.

Last month, I got to talk with Matt and discuss where he’s been and what’s coming next for Stereo Subversion:

SSv: And how has the direction of your music changed in the last two or three years? What’s inspired you to write since the last album?

Matthew: For Similes, it’s the longest time since I’ve waited to put out anything. Or since I’ve put out a new Eluvium album. Actually, before I was working on Similes, I was working on another record that I guess I would describe as the follow-up to Copia, in a way, where it did have more orchestration, and it was kind of longer, even more drawn out orchestration. I got fed up with it right before I finished it and felt that I’d hit a stasis. It seemed like all of the ideas were coming a little too easy to me. And, so, I was talking with my wife about it, voicing my frustration, and she was like, ‘Well, why don’t you do what it is that you really want to be doing?’

That’s how Similes started. Because I had a lot more time, and I was working on a few other things instead of Eluvium albums, it kind of came from just sort of sitting and thinking. That sounds rather simple. Certain, [more specific] ideas do come up, but it really cropped up out of the idea of just being lost in thought. That was the direction that I wanted to take with the new album was something that sort of described the idea of not really having any specific thought – that sort of thinking about thought.

Read the full Q&A on Stereo Subversion!