We had the pleasure of chatting to Elvis of the amazing Stone Sea the other day, talking about their newest album, the Irish music scene and their plans moving forward. Check it out below!
How would you describe your sound?
Groovy stoner blended with grunge grit and a hint of world music.
What caused the relocation from Brazil to Ireland back in the early days of the band?
It was a personal decision. Initially, I was only going to stay in Ireland for a year on an exchange program to learn English properly and experience new cultures. But I ended up loving it too much and stayed for ten years. I did miss the sun, though — so I eventually moved to Spain (laughs).
How would you compare the scene in Ireland compared to back home?
Brazil is huge — you could probably fit Ireland inside the state of São Paulo. For being so big, filled with people and rich in cultural diversity, I feel the rock scene is quite scattered. Venues are often far from each other, especially considering there are only so many that welcome original music. That makes it hard to organise and to really feel like there’s a cohesive scene. Ireland, on the other hand, is small, and venues are much closer together. That makes it easier to organise shows and for bands to know each other. I think it was much easier to get yourself seen there compared to Brazil.
You’re finally back with a sophomore album at the start of the year. What’s it like having a decade between LPs? How would you compare your debut to Ad Astra?
The difference is quite considerable! Origins was way rawer composition-wise. I think the experience of diving deeper into other cultures, being curious about harmony theory, and being open-minded about adding and experimenting with other elements made the songs more mature. I think the first songs were way more to the point, whereas now I like to really taste all the nuances of a feeling or a mental state, and you can clearly notice that in Ad Astra.
What is the writing process like for the band?
It usually starts with a musical idea — a riff that comes to mind and starts to develop by itself. I record these ideas on my phone, then at some stage I develop them further by adding additional sections or vocal melodies, for example.
Then, when I have the song done — or at least a chunk of it — I bring it to rehearsal and they help me shape it further by developing other sections or adding their flavour and influences on their instruments. The end result is always something that everybody’s happy with, unless I’m very stubborn about something specific (laughs).
Is there a certain story or theme running though Ad Astra? Or is it more individual stories?
They came about more as individual stories. Some songs date back to 2017, when the first ideas appeared — like Ad Astra itself. A few took a long time to fully develop, and they reflect different aches I dealt with over the years. Ad Astra is quite stoic in the sense that it observes these struggles from a more distant perspective, which is why I chose it as the album title. Also, because in a way we’re sending these experiences out into the universe.
Do you have a favourite track from Ad Astra, and why?
Pff… I don’t know. They’re all my babies — I can’t say I love one more than the others. But I can say that ‘Stain’ came out very punchy in the studio because Connor and I were very in sync. Musically, ‘Age of Tears’ is heavy as hell and super fun to play. I love how the production of ‘Alien’ turned out — it feels great to listen to. The solo in ‘Left to Be’ is probably one of my favourites I’ve written so far, and the lyrics of ‘Ad Astra’ are the ones I like the most.
The only one that doesn’t stand out as much to me personally is ‘Time to Change’. Don’t get me wrong — I love playing it live. But weirdly enough, it’s the one getting more and more streams. I guess because it’s more easily digestible, whereas I tend to prefer the more complex ones.
Busy rest of the year planned?
We’re currently in a writing phase. We already have seven new songs that we plan to record at some point this year. There are also some international shows being discussed, but we can’t confirm anything yet.
Do you have a dream tour lineup you’d want to be a part of? Anyone you’d want to support or friends you’d want to bring along?
I’d love to tour with Down — that’ll probably be my dream tour at the moment. Although that can change every time I think of it (laughs).
If you could have written one song from history, what would it be?
‘Wolf Moon’ from Type O Negative. I think Peter Steele was a genius to talk about the menstrual cycle in such a poetic way (honestly!)