Utah alt-dance quartet Southernmost Gravy have released a handful of original tracks in recent months, effectively injecting their own unique style into the EDM world – with lashings of color, melody, retro synths and energizing drops.
We caught an interview with them to find out more about their sound and their journey so far. Here’s how it went.
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Hi guys – thanks for the interview! For those new to your sound, how would you describe it?
Undefined, because we are always changing sounds. We are looking to experiment with different sounds and genres all the time. We like to test out so many different noises, so it’s honestly sometimes hard to explain. I guess we like to stay in the Dance/Rock genre of things mostly though.
How long have you been making music?
About 6 months as Southernmost Gravy.
How does the band format work for an EDM act – who does what, and how do you get started with an original track?
I, Ben, create synths and chords and things like that. Our guitarist, Leo creates all of our solos and cool sounds. Eomer, our drummer, creates our beats and all of our sick drum solos and fills. And sometimes, we just jam and that’s what inspires us to create a new track.
Do you ever disagree creatively, and if so – how do you overcome that?
Yes, we just don’t talk about it. Haha. No, but we sometimes disagree but always find a way to incoporate everyone’s ideas.
There’s a fair amount of organic musicianship in your music – does this mean there could be a full set-up for a live show, or do you stick to laptops?
We have a live guitarist and drummer. I create digital sounds using a synthesizer and a beat machine. We create and experiment with a lot of organic instruments on stage too while having fun jumping around.
What’s the music scene like in Utah for this kind of style (prior to Covid of course)?
We are kinda the first for our style. We are super different from everything. Utah is dominated with Indie, Rock, and Alternative music. We stand out sort of because of our type and how different it is than the rest of Utah’s genre.
You’ve managed to capture a fairly unique style with your instrumentals, is this something you’ve honed over time, or did it come about by chance?
With practice and pitch, come great responsibilities. Haha, but actually, we just practice a lot individually and all of it is just how much we work on sometime, if that makes sense.
Who or what would say has been your greatest inspiration in making this kind of music?
The Band Camino, Don’t Hurt My Turtle Plz, Muninn, and Leokc. Some of those are locals too.
In what ways have the events of 2020 affected what you do as a band, and have there been any positives to the change in process for you?
We practice way more during these times so we don’t sound like trash.
Your music is incredibly uplifting. Is your target audience purely the club-goers and dance fans, or do you hope to branch out into cinematic sound design or working with other artists?
We plan on working with more local artists soon so that we can expand in the area in different enviroments and places.
If you could only play one of your tracks to a new listener, which would it be – and why?
Starting Up or Hi because those have all the elements that we use in our other songs that are currently out right now.
What’s your biggest ambition right now, where would you like to take things?
To level 2.1. We want to grow bigger in the Utah music scene so that we can get bigger opportunities to play bigger venues and to connect with bigger artists.
Is there anything else we should know?
For anyone reading, you can go follow us on Instagram @southernmostgravy.
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Find & follow Southernmost Gravy on Instagram or visit their Website.
