Band Crush: Meet Brooklyn’s Quiet Loudly

Don’t let those flowers, spectacles, and suits fool you, Quiet Loudly is a band that can rock. And, true to their name, they can also pull you in with their softer side as they did in my case with the song “You Were The Leaves” that we featured in last week’s Prairie Braid Video. After hearing a couple of their more raucous tunes, the song surprised me with its gentle beauty and sweet lyrics. Their sound is difficult to describe, with influences ranging from 60’s psychedelic rock to soul to indie, but they make it all their own in a really refreshing way.  Learn a bit more about them in our Q&A with lead singer/guitarist Max Goransson and stream “You Were The Leaves” below. For more from Quiet Loudly check out their album Go Into The Light Smiling here.

Maybe Puerto Rico? I went there for the first time recently and was really taken by certain aspects of it that, I’d like to think, our music has in common: it’s simultaneously laid back and wild. And the people there are so passionate and vibrant. The air felt very charged with the unique spirit of it all. It also feels like a very timeless place. Most of Puerto Rico bares that richness of history and tradition, yet has that electric energy of NOW.

What inspired you to name your album “Go Into The Light Smiling”?

Well, I knew that when it came time to name the album, I wanted to use a title that tied together the underlying concept of my lyrics. Once all the songs had been written, I realized that, kind of unintentionally on my part, every single song shared the theme of death in one way or another – whether it be an obvious motif or more of an undercurrent. However, I don’t think of this as a depressing album at all. I mean, some of it is very sad, but some of it is a little quirky and tongue-in-cheek and finds me approaching some more difficult or heavy subject matter from a curious and playful perspective. Death is complicated. And, while it is often something people fear, it is also so natural and, sometimes, even graceful. It is a great unknown and, to me, uncertainty can be really alluring and beautiful. Even the euphemism “passing away” implies such casual grace. So, I really wanted to represent that perspective in the title, to explore the possibility of embracing death in a beautiful and open-minded way. That’s what “go into the light smiling” means for me. Instead of mourning what is no longer, it’s an appreciation for what WAS – all the love that passes through me and all the things that thrill me and inspire me.

How would you describe your personal style?

I would describe my style as “comfortable”.  I gravitate toward a middle ground between total schlubiness and formality. I like to incorporate both ends of that spectrum – i usually wear black or khaki pants and a collared shirt, but I’ll either wear the shirt open with a plain black undershirt or I’ll have a grungy, comfortable hoodie over it.  I like dark colors – I think black and grey are very soothing and I tend to shy away from anything that’s particularly conspicuous. I like to keep a low profile : )

What are you guys up to this fall? Will you be touring anytime soon?

We’re doing a couple of things that are out of the ordinary for us.  First, we’re performing at a friend’s wedding as the wedding band.  So, right now we’re working on tons of covers that will be fun but appropriate for the occasion.  After that, we’re recording a “cover album”,  we did a kickstarter fund to help us raise money to make this album.  One of the incentives was that people that donated a certain amount could request any song in the world that they would like to hear us Quiet Loudly-ize and we would record it.  Well, we ended up getting nine donors that donated that much, so we are going to learn the songs that they asked for and play with them a bit and try to make them our own in some way.  Then, we’ll record them and do a very low-key release on the internet.  And, yes – we are planning on touring!  The details are really up in the air right now – we’ve talked about November or January. We also haven’t quite decided where yet.  No matter what, it’s something that we’re really, really excited about.  We love making new friends on the road and we’re really proud of our live show, so we’d like to share it with whoever wants to come out.

I’ll be there for sure! I hear they put on a great show. Stay up to date with Quiet Loudly on facebook!

Photos by Jessica Amaya.

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