Lead singer Brett Emmons of the Canadian rock group The Glorious Sons chatted about their new album “Glory.”
New album ‘Glory’
On the song selection process for their new album, “Glory,” he said, “It was pretty easy to be honest. All the songs on the album felt like they came from the same world and came together to create a story we felt comfortable in sharing. This particular batch was 14 songs, and other than 1 that will be released as a bonus track (I can’t wait for people to hear it), it was clear that the other three just didn’t support the narrative well enough.”
When asked about his personal favorite song on the album, he responded, “It changes all the time. It’s the first album where sitting on it during mixing and mastering for months where I didn’t get sick of any of the songs. But right now I would say that my favorite is Cosmic Beam. I don’t think we’ve ever made a song like that before, and I just love how ambitious it is and how many turns it makes, all the while staying intimate somehow throughout.
Music and songwriting inspirations
On his music and songwriting inspirations, he said, “It doesn’t really come from any one place. There is not a setting that I need, or a headspace I need to get myself into. Basically, I just always write, and the stuff that has seemed to come out and have staying power lately is the stuff that almost works as self-therapy. It’s usually pretty stream of consciousness and comes from a personal space and comes fast initially.”
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age, he said, “It’s pretty confusing, ever-changing, personally demanding etc. It is what it is. I’m just thankful to be an artist at all. Sometimes it’s just frustrating that you have to wear so many hats nowadays. A lot of the actual labor on top of things other than performing/writing is expected out of the artist nowadays. It takes a minute to get used to— that’s for sure.”
Dream collaboration choices in music
He listed The Dirty Nil band as his dream collaboration choices in music. “We had it planned a while ago but then became too busy. I would just love to rip some really heavy rock and roll with them and get crazy. No big reasons other than that,” he said.
Advice for hopefuls in music
For young and aspiring artists, he said, “Just love the work. There is no destination for 99.9 percent of people in this business. And I don’t even think getting there makes very many people happy anyway. The only thing that’s going to provide anyone happiness in music is being proud of the material you put out, and loving the work it takes to do it.”
Success
On his definition of the word success, he said, “I can tell you what it looks like. It’s pretty simple. A long career that grows and changes, and a body of work that brings meaning to our lives and other peoples lives. Enough money to sustain that. And enough songs that people find favorites even years after beginning to listen to us.”
Closing thoughts on the album
He remarked about the new CD, “It is meant to be a kinder, gentler, and more empathetic voice for people to listen to. I hope it helps people the way it helped me. I think we’re all walking around a little more confused and angry about so many things beyond our control nowadays.”
“One thing we can control is how we speak to ourselves, and how we speak to the stories we’ve lived. This one’s not about pointing fingers. It’s about looking inside and trying to understand,” he concluded.
“Glory” is available on digital service providers by clicking here.
To learn more about the rock band The Glorious Sons, follow them on Instagram.
