More than two decades after releasing their last album, The Sighs return with a third full-length that brings a brand-new vitality to their harmony-drenched guitar driven-pop. Wait On Another Day finds the Massachusetts-bred band drawing from an unearthed batch of demos and dreaming up a fresh sound that’s hook-heavy and full of heart.
The Sighs’ first release since 1996’s Different, Wait On Another Day came to life after lead guitarist Matt Cullen stumbled upon a box of analog tapes recorded at their old band house back in the ’90s. Once Cullen had shared the demos with his bandmates and their longtime producer John DeNicola (an Academy Award winner known for co-writing “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”), The Sighs decided to meet up in DeNicola’s barn studio in Upstate New York and revisit a handful of the tracks. As heard on each cut from Wait On Another Day, that spontaneity brought a kinetic power to the recording process—an effect that’s intensified by The Sighs’ unwavering chemistry.
The band recorded live during their five-day session, channeling the raw energy that made them a must-see act throughout the ’80s and ’90s. “With their connection rooted in a pure passion for music, Wait On Another Day promises to thrill The Sighs’ longtime following and the crop of new fans who’ve discovered the band online in recent years.
Ghettoblaster caught up lead vocalist/guitarist Robert LaRoche to discuss the effort, which was released earlier this month. This is what they had to say about it.
When did you first begin writing the material for Wait On Another Day?
“Wait On Another Day,” “Socialite,” and “It’s Real” were written around the same time period in 1987. The remaining seven songs between 1991 and 1993. We had quite a backlog of material actually
Tell us about the concept for the record? How did you guys reconvene after all of this time?
Our guitarist Matt Cullen found a box of demos we had recorded at the “band house” in Northampton, Mass. that we used as our headquarters during the late eighties and early nineties. He spent a lot of time remixing the material and began sending the songs to the other three band members and our producer John Denicola.
It was a lot of fun to hear these tracks after 25 years! The band was in excellent form and the tunes were strong. It was John Denicola who suggested we come up to his recording studio in upstate N.Y. and recut a few songs. We wound up recording 10 songs in five days.
How was the recording process? Do you all live in different places? Or was getting together pretty easy?
I live in Austin, Texas. Matt Cullen is in Ames, Iowa. Tom Pluta and Tommy Borawski live in Western, Massachusetts. Myself and the two Toms’ recorded the live rhythm tracks. Guitars and vocals were then added. Matt recorded his guitar parts at his home studio.
“It’s Real” is the first single from the record. It’s a great retro rock sound, which got me thinking. In the 20+ years since your last release, have your influences changed much? Or do you still find the music you loved at a younger age overpowers the newer artist?
Of course the music I grew up listening to, The Everly Brothers, Beach Boys, Chuck Berry, to name just a few, had a huge influence on me. But I still enjoy listening to college radio, hoping to hear the next perfect song.
What artists are you guys listening to these days?
I’m currently enjoying tracks from Big Grams, Cults, and Sarah Jarosz.
What’s next for The Sighs? Might you tour or was this a one off adventure?
There are no tour plans at the moment. We did play a release show in our hometown of Holyoke, Massachusetts on August 26^th.
(Visit The Sighs here:
http://www.thesighsmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/TheSighs/)