Word! What’s up?
Hello. Yup, things are good here at home in Silverlake. The weather is incredible and the food is amazing as always. Just been back from another U.S. tour with The Warlocks. We’ve been on tour pretty much since March this year. I am broker than broke, but am having a great year none the less. Been going to gigs with friends, staying up too late, strumming the guitar and loads of Xbox.

The album’s out in November. How does it sound?
Devotion Implosion will be out very soon. It sounds spacious, dirty and beautiful. kind of like love and life. Lots of fans and friends have come up to me expressing its unique sound, that no one sounds like this record. I think we stumbled upon some interesting sounds and combined them with our style, which spat out this special album.

How was the recording process?
The record was recorded in our Downtown LA loft and in my apartment in Silverlake. I guess last year is when we did it. We worked in various blocks of time. We did not go into a proper studio and bang out a record in six weeks like so many bands do. We wrote some songs and recorded them, then we wrote some more and recorded those. It was over a year that we did the album, but we also had lots of time off writing and living. If we smashed the days together, I’d say we spent three months on it.

Did it all go according to plan?
The process was sometimes smooth and sometimes not. I think that is the way everything in life goes. Some songs just present themselves and others need a little bit more love. All in all, it was a mind fuck of an adventure. There was no map, no one overseeing this project. We had piles of songs and parts all over the place; in the end it really took shape and the songs chosen for the album were the best songs we had at the time. I contacted Gareth Jones (Liars, Depeche Mode, Wire) to mix the record and he mixed it in London. We couldn’t be more thrilled with his efforts. He nailed it!

It’s a really lush and muffled sound. How do you achieve that?
Thank you. I don’t know really. It was one foot in front of the other. It’s like, how do we speak? The words just come out of our mouths from our thoughts. This is what happened in making the record. What ever we were hearing is what we recorded. There was not a master plan or concept. We wanted to sound like us.

How does the writing work?
A large portion of the music on this record was written by the band, sitting in a room jamming. The melodies and lyrics came from me. I found it very helpful to record all of our practice jams onto an iPod. I’d dump it into my laptop and listen to what we did on headphones to see what was working and what lyrics were speaking to me. I enjoy improvising lyrics; it’s a lazy gift. Some of my favourite melodies/lyrics were made up on the spot and used on the record. I enjoy the innocence of this approach. The sound of words has always appealed to me. Words, they are incredible; the more I lean in, the more curious I get. The themes are classic situations in my life. Themes of love, drugs, alienation, paranoia, beauty, hope, fear, desire, etc…

We totally love ‘Morning Light’. It has a wistful, romantic quality: does that reflect you as people?
Yes, thanks. I love ‘Morning Light’ as well. It’s a simple and powerful song. Desire and romance are instilled in me. It seems love is our mission in life; at least it feels this way for me. Without love, I have nothing. Either with a girl or my friends and family. I can’t imagine going through this brutal world without love; I’d cash in my chips. Artists like Hope Sandoval have always moved me with their ability to express romance and intoxication in music. It’s very appealing. The writing is extremely personal, in a poetic way. Poetry is a gift for our ears and hearts.

Right on man. There’s a dark edge to the music as well though…
With Gliss, we just create this edge. This is not deliberate. Again, its just who we are. I love rain, night time, clouds, etc. I find it gives me creative inspiration; there is a mystery of desire in the air during these times and that is what you are hearing; late night, dreamy times; the times when anything is possible. How can I feel inspired during rush hour traffic? Urggghhh. I bury my head in the sand.

What are the main influences?
This is always a tough question. The reason is that music is not only influenced by other music. A girl, a movie, etc. Its life that influences me. Music that I find inspiring comes from a place in a soul… The Velvet Underground, Ray Charles, Mazzy Star, Peter Doherty, Elliott Smith, Depeche Mode, John Coltrane, Cat Power, etc...

We heard there’s some “instrument swapping” that goes on on stage?
Basically, we all play drums, bass and guitar, keyboards, etc; there are no set instruments for us. We switch instruments throughout our live set, recording and writing. However a song is written is how it’s performed. Whatever you hear on the album is what you will hear and see at a live Gliss show. We definitely challenge sound men and women. They have to deal with the vocals moving from mic to mic and that is a challenge. I enjoy this process; I’ve always just loved playing music. It wasn’t about being a drummer, or guitar player; I just wanted to be in a band and create something interesting. I still feel this way. I am addicted to music. It was one of my first loves and escapes.

How would you describe the live show?
Noisy, powerful, dreamy and interesting. It goes back to your previous question; we have so many fans that love our instrument swap. Every show they come up and express how they enjoyed it and that is refreshing and great to hear. It was not a plan for us to do this, it was just fun and our way. We’re glad we took a chance!

Gliss play The Lexington on 10 November and Komedia, Brighton on 16 October