In March, we started hearing passing recommendations about a band out of New York called Here We Go Magic. Once you get past the awkward syntax, those recommendations add up. The woozy dream pop that songwriter Luke Temple says to have recorded in a “two month period of stream-of-consciousness recording” is perfect for post-work mental detox and an unsurprising choice as openers for the ethereal, meandering indie rockers Grizzly Bear. Here We Go Magic’s self-titled debut finds Temple eschewing the falsetto that he’d used in his former work (which at times sounded an awful lot like Sufjan Stevens) for a more somber tone. Appropriate, considering that the first track, “Only Pieces”, asks more existential questions, repeating the line, “What’s the use in dying, dying?” The Grizzly Bear/Here We Go Magic bill reaches the 9:30 Club tonight, so we asked Temple a few questions about the evolution of Here We Go Magic from “stream-of-consciousness-recording” to five-piece band.
You’ve been releasing albums for a couple of years now under your own name. What about the Here We Go Magic release do you think resonated so much with your current audience?
I think there is a spontaneity in the this record that I may not have achieved in the past. I recorded it very fast and loose, no obsessing over detail.
Why did you start releasing music under a moniker instead of as Luke Temple? Did the stylistic change have anything to do with the name change?
Yes, it seemed a proper vehicle to try on a new name. I just wanted to do it, so i did.
It seems like the four-track is your recording method of choice, and it’s certainly yielded impressive results. Is that something you see yourself continuing to use in the future or would you consider diverting from the homemade recording approach?
I will always work on 4 track whether it’s towards a proper release or demos. I understand it at this point better than anything else. I have learned how to trick it into things it’s not supposed to do. I think the next record, however, will probably be recorded on at least quarter inch tape.
Is the Nat Johnson who co-directed the “Tunnelvision” video the same person you’re referring to in “Nat’s Alien?”
Yes, sir.
How has playing with a full band been different than playing solo? Do you have a preference?
Both have their place. I love playing with people as long as we are all on the same page conceptually; technique doesn’t matter to me. With this band I have found that, so I love even the difficult moments. I think we have a shot at developing a real sound, which is exciting.
