On February 17, Busses self-released Wizard of the Eye, their newest album. The Philadelphia trio’s latest is an ambitious affair, charting new destinations on the post- rock spectrum. Dave Brett, Jason Bachman and Nick Apice continue to hone their collective gift for writing meticulous, mood-enhancing arrangements.
Ghettoblaster recently caught up with Brett to discuss the record. This is what he said.
When did you begin writing the material for Wizard of the Eye?  
The majority of these songs were written around 2010-2013. We have been playing them live for a while and needed to get them out.  It feels great to finally have it done so we can start working on the next crop. As it turns out, most of the material for a new record is almost done.
What was the most difficult song to take from the initial writing stage through recording and mixing?  Why was it so troublesome?
Tough question, it’s like having to point out your trouble child and naming all their faults. Each song had its challenges, but I think the one that needed the most attention was “Bubbles.” This is a big rock song, but needed some finesse to not go too far in a certain direction. We ending up re-recording this song twice before landing on it.
Which of the songs on the LP is most different from your original concept for the song?
A lot of these songs took on a life of their own once we got them in the studio. We decided early in the recording process we were not going to limit ourselves to our traditional live setup. We added additional guitars, vocals, horns, upright bass, keys, synth, percussion, etc. That being said, I think “Overload” really took a shine to all that treatment. There’s a moment in that song that just swells and it just feels great.
“Overload” is a gorgeous song, that you can just totally get lost in. What are the lyrics about?
Thank you so much. It’s one of our favorites too. This song is about a feeling of being overwhelmed, but needing to hear the truth. My mother was going through some tough times and it took a while for me to admit there was a problem. She needed help and all I wanted to do was bury my head.  At a certain point, that is not an option and reality has to be faced.
Who wrote the parts for the horn section?
Jason wrote all the horns. He demoed them for us and we offered our suggestions, but he took the lead on that and made it happen. He also conducted the horn players in the studio. Couldn’t be happier with how they turned out.
Do you have a tour in the works?
We all work full time so it’s tough to get our schedules aligned, but we’re looking to get out in the spring/summer.
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