Demoitis #5: Max Bloom (Yuck)
19th November 2024: ‘Somewhere' by Yuck.
Tell us about your project:
What’s the name of your musical project?
Max Bloom, Yuck
Where are you from, and where are you based?
From London, based in London
How long have you been making music under this name or in general?
Yuck was my band from around 2010–2020, and I’ve released two solo albums since then.
Within this project, what role do you play (e.g. principal songwriter, guitarist, producer, etc.)?
In Yuck, I was the main songwriter, guitarist, and singer, and with my solo stuff, I played everything apart from drums.
Tell us about your writing process:
Do you write all the elements of the song, or is it a collaboration with other musicians?
I tend to find it most satisfying to write all the parts myself. I love recording each element and hearing it all come together. I think I’d find it harder to consider everything properly if I brought a song into a rehearsal studio to work on it as a band. That being said, I’m definitely open to a song changing naturally when it’s played by other musicians, there is a certain magic in that too.
Which instrument do you typically compose on?
Usually acoustic guitar, just because that’s what I can pick up most easily. I used to write most of the early Yuck songs on electric, and I think you can hear that in the songwriting - the guitar effects were definitely part of the songs. I think it’s really important to not rely on effects though, and for the song to stand on its own without being masked by distortion or delay or anything.
Do you usually write the vocal melody first or the lyrics?
I’ve always found expressing myself in words quite difficult, music comes much more naturally to me. The vocal melody will usually come while I’m working out the chords, then I’ll record it on my phone, and work out the lyrics later.
Do you write or record nonsense lyrics when you first start composing?
Yes - sometimes a phrase will just pop out and that will become the whole theme of the song, but usually it’s just random approximations of words that serve as placeholders for the phrasing.
And if so, have any of these ever made the final composition?
I think every song I’ve ever written probably has a nonsense lyric in there somewhere!
Tell us about your song:
What’s the name of your song?
When was the song written?
The metadata on my hard drive says it was bounced on 20th December 2012.
If you want to, feel free to share the inspiration behind writing the song, or the meaning behind its lyrics/narrative.
I was in a very dark place when I was making Glow & Behold. The person I built the band with, my songwriting partner and best friend, had just left the band. I didn’t realise it at the time but I was completely absorbed in grief. But instead of processing that grief, I just threw myself into recording this album, which, in hindsight, made things a lot worse. This song is probably the most painful moment on the album.
‘Somewhere - Yuck (demo, December 2012)
Tell us about your demo or demos:
When did you record this demo, and how (e.g., audio-note, DAW, etc.)?
At this point, I was renting a studio at Gunfactory Studios, which was in Stoke Newington (it’s moved to Homerton now). It was a really weird L-shaped room that was right next to the toilet. It didn’t sound very good at all, but it was fine for what I needed it for. I had a fairly simple setup - this demo was recorded straight onto Logic.
If relevant, who did you collaborate with on the demo version of the song?
I was working on a lot of these recordings with my friend Jock, who was playing in a band called Fanzine at the time (he now plays in Puppy). He was my creative partner but like a lot of people I worked with at that time, he probably also played the role of therapist.
Did you experience ‘demoitis’ with a particular version of this song?
I had quite bad demoitis with a lot of the songs on this album. When it came to recording the album, I was in a really bad place, and I feel like I lost control of the process a bit. As a result, a few songs on the album didn’t really end up sounding how I wanted them to. I think with this particular song, though, there are aspects of both the demo and the final version that I really like.
How do you feel now when you hear the demo version of the song?
It makes me feel quite sad. It captures a time and a place that I’d rather forget. Although I love the album version, the demo has a certain intimacy and sadness that got lost.
Do you feel any hesitation about sharing this raw version of the song with a wider audience?
Not really, in fact I quite want people to hear it. The album ended up sounding quite polished, and the demos had a certain raw quality that didn’t really translate into the final versions.
‘Somewhere’ by Yuck (final recording released January 2013)
Tell us about the final version of the song:
When did you record this final version, and how (were there any specific instruments or recording techniques you used)?
We recorded Glow & Behold in a big church in upstate New York. Chris Coady (our producer) hung microphones right in the eaves of the roof to capture the amazing natural reverb. I distinctly remember recording the guitar very late at night, maybe 1 or 2 in the morning. The lights were really low in the studio, and the microphones were picking up this weird creaking noise in the roof. That place was incredibly haunted. We also used the old church organ throughout. I think recording it the way we did really elevated the song.
If relevant, who did you collaborate with on the final version of the song?
It was mainly me, Jonny Rogoff (drums), Mariko Doi (bass) and Chris Coady.
Did any of the original aspects of the demo version make it onto the final recording?
No, I think we recorded everything completely from scratch, but we relied a lot on the demo to guide the final version.
With hindsight, is there anything you’d change about the final version?
I think my vocal performance is a bit forced in the final version. When I was recording the demo, I sang really quietly and close to the microphone because I don’t think I really knew how I wanted to sing. I was really nervous before we flew to New York to record, so I booked some lessons with a vocal coach. She was great, but she came from a theatre background, which wasn’t really appropriate for what we were doing. She used to sit on the other side of the room and make me sing as loud as I could. As a result, I felt like I was forcing my vocals a lot on this album, which just isn’t my natural voice. I have a naturally quiet voice, which I came to terms with much later. But unfortunately, because, to some extent, I was being put into a very high-pressure scenario when I was at my most vulnerable, I think I felt the need to over-perform.
Tell us about the future:
Did you learn anything through the recording of this song that will influence your future recording process?
I think recording this song, in particular, definitely taught me how to take advantage of the environment you’re in. But then again, it’s quite rare to be recording in a big church hall! The process of recording this album also taught me to never compromise on my overall vision. The finished album ended up being very different from what I had planned going into the process.
What do you have upcoming, music-wise or otherwise?
I have a 5-month-old daughter, so I’m focusing on that for the most part!
One final question: Could you recommend three other musical artists or bands that we should speak to for future editions of Demoitis?
Matt Scottoline (Hurry): Hurry is a really great band from Philadelphia. We became friendly when they supported Yuck on tour.
Jack Steadman (Bombay Bicycle Club, Mr Jukes): Jack is an incredible songwriter and producer, and I’d be very interested to hear about his process!
Robbie Stern (Cajun Dance Party, Post Louis): Robbie was my old bandmate in Cajun Dance Party, and the primary songwriter. I think there’s so much fun and energy in those original demos, and I’d love to hear him dissect them.
Max Bloom - November, 2024.
This is a great version, I really like the vocal sound.
I love hearing about the creative process. This is so illuminating about how a song is written and recorded.