COLIN HARMIN AND CULLEN TREVINO OF DUNCAN FELLOWS
Hi and thanks for taking the time out to speak with us at Musicology. Firstly congratulations on the new record The Sadlands. Every album tells a tale and what is this new LP saying to the world?
Cullen - The Sadlands is offering up a window into the world of Duncan Fellows. It’s a handful of vignettes from the past three years of our lives, some happy, some sad. As a group they all tell a story of change, adaptation, and reflection—trying to make sense of life’s unavoidable questions.
What were some of the challenges in putting this LP together and conversely what were some of the greatest surprises you experienced through the writing / recording process for The Sadlands?
Cullen - The biggest challenge was choosing which songs to put together that could stand alone, but also feel congruent throughout the album. We came to the studio with 27 songs that we all loved and ended up shaving it down to 13. Having to axe songs you love is always hard but in the end we were happy with the decisions we made. Honestly, we were surprised how smooth it all went. We had worked with our producer Brack on the first album, and recorded in the same studio as last time so it felt a bit like coming home.
It what ways has the current scene in Austin shaped your music and the direction this album took?
Cullen - Pre-Corona virus we were always at live shows around town. That is by far the biggest influence on the album. We wanted to make something that could translate to a live setting seamlessly. Kind of feels silly now, but we had no idea what was about to go down across the world.
The single Like I Used To focuses on a reconnection of sorts, an alignment of past and present. Specifically, what was that took place that became the catalyst for this track?
Colin - A lot of us in the band grew up in deeply religious settings, as younger people we viewed everything through the lens of religion. It was the means in which we related to the world around us. I remember having a moment in my backyard looking up at the stars and recalling that I had done this many times as a kid searching for God or meaning whatever you’d like to name it. But this time I was simply looking up and I couldn't help but reflect on how much I had changed since then. It was a really strange feeling and that was sort of the jumping off point for the song.
Has there been musical / music industry lessons you have learned from your earliest releases such as 2013's Twelve Months Older, 2015's Marrow and the relatively recent output of Eyelids Shut in 2019 that found their way onto The Sadlands?
Cullen - A big lesson for us that took a bit of time to really understand was that we didn’t need anyone from the “record industry” to give us a go ahead to create and release art. We are 100% independent and fairly proud of that. We’ve dipped our toes in the industry water a few times but at the end of the day what has felt best to us is five friends coming together to make something that meaningful to each of us.
The Sadlands cover art by Anna McCaleb is something of a visual palindrome. What drew you to work with Anna and settle upon the given artwork?
Colin - We’ve been working Anna essentially since day one. She’s my sister-in-law and I’ve always thought she’s done incredible work. For this album we talked about the theme of duality and reflection and she but that into visual form.
Post album launch you will be releasing a video game. Can you explain the concept, its inception and what we can expect?
Colin - I have always been a gamer and have wanted to try my hand at something. I kept mentioning this to the guys and this album gave me a great deadline to try and get something done. I wanted people to be able to go visit a “place” called The Sadlands where they could explore and hear music with other people. So that’s what we built, you can go to thesadlands.com and explore the world and hear songs from the album. We were stoked with how it turned out on launch night there were ~50 online at once.
Having performed with so many amazing artists over the years, has there been any words of wisdom spoken to you that really resonated with you and in-turn altered the way you approach your craft?
Cullen - I think the artists we admire and have gotten to play with all have an honesty about what they are making. That’s a piece of wisdom that's come more from observation and experience than conversation, but it’s stuck with me.
In terms of touring, can you share with us one of your favourite gigs that you have played and what made it particularly memorable?
Colin - We played a quadruple header with Sun Seeker, Sixteen Jackies, and Carriers in Philadelphia in the fall of 2019. It was the last show we would be playing with Sixteen Jackies after a very long tour so all the bands ended up all staying at their home after the show and playing music until the sun came up.
Lastly, on a philosophical level, what does music give you that nothing else does?
Colin - Hope.
