INTERVIEW WITH ELECTRO-POP ARTIST + TV/FILM COMPOSER TYLER DURHAM OF LIMINA
Tyler Durham is a musician, songwriter, and film composer for TV, films, and games, and, under the artist name LIMINA, he flexes his songwriting and production muscles to craft catchy and dynamic electro-pop soundscapes. The latest track, Sanctum, is out now, with his newest single, Dissolved, set for a release on March 12. The album Coming Home is due for release next month, features both tracks, and centers around “exploring and creating a musical journey through anxiety, doubt, anger, hope, acceptance, and love”. In my interview with Tyler, we chat about his musical influences, composing for film/TV, the LIMINA album Coming Home, and much more.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Hey, Tyler! How are you doing, how’s your year been so far?
LIMINA: Hi Brittney, my year is going well - my work is picking up quite a bit, and I have some exciting projects coming down the pipeline
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How did you get your start composing for films? What was it in particular that drew you in?
LIMINA: I grew up in a musical family so I have always loved listening to and playing music.
However, my film-scoring passion developed in high school. My brother introduced me to the Eminence Symphony Orchestra which almost exclusively plays video game and film soundtracks, and I immediately became hooked. The layers of emotive expression, the powerful waves of sound, and the storytelling capabilities of orchestral writing inspired me to explore every bit of that language. I started pulling clips from films on YouTube to score and reaching out to anyone and everyone who had a project so I could learn how to tell stories through music. The challenge of finding the right musical language for a scene or a film has continued my passion into today.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Do you have a favorite film composer or a composer in general?
LIMINA: The answer is, “It depends.” =)
I love many composers for different reasons as they have their own unique writing styles. However, the composers I find myself studying or listening to the most are Camille Saint-Saen, Stravinsky, and Arvo Part. Regarding film composers, Johann Johansson and James Newton Howard are right at the top. I do spend a lot of time listening to music outside of the classical and film worlds as well. Sigur Ros and Son Lux are two of my favorite bands.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Can we talk about the current single “Sanctum” from your upcoming album, “Coming Home”. Now that it’s out how has the reaction been? How does this song fit into the album's sound and themes overall?
LIMINA: I’ve been so grateful for the initial response to “Sanctum.” I’ve received many sincere messages from people expressing that the track has elicited some peace in their day. It’s the best compliment I could receive because that’s what the track is all about.
"Sanctum" is a piece about self-reflection and unearthing a place in ourselves where doubt, love, joy, and anger are all welcome. A place where we can be consoled, seen, and restored.The layered voices and rolling piano in the opening act as a call into ourselves. Once we step through the door into our own "sanctum" an essence of spirituality emerges through the pump organ and pitch-shifted, deep bell accents. Just as we allow all of our emotions to pass through us, the musical phrasing has a conscious ebb and flow with strings that are both fragile and emotive. It’s the 9th track on the album so it comes towards the end of the story when the protagonist is beginning to derive her self-worth internally, not externally.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Since you started this album creation cycle back in 2020 during the pandemic. Where was your headspace going into this? And how do you think that time influenced the project, if at all?
LIMINA: My first E.P. Hidden Spaces was written at the height of the pandemic and in a time where it was difficult to find work, Hidden Spaces was a way to stay connected with my art and passion for creating. I started working on and off on Coming Home in 2022. As a film composer, my music is often commenting and supporting someone else’s story and while I absolutely love to collaborate in that way, “Coming Home” became a chance to create and explore a story of my own. The inspiration for the album emerged from spending time on the London Tube. You see so many people and only get the faintest glimpse of their experience through a laugh, a clenched fist, or just silent contemplation. All of this is accompanied by a loud, yet soothing hum and pulse from the train. I wondered about different experiences people might be silently confronting. I imagined a story of someone estranged from their family but wanting to make amends and what that emotional journey would look like. That simple idea became the bedrock of the album and allowed me to explore and create a journey through anxiety, doubt, anger, hope, acceptance, and love. “Coming Home” is ultimately a story about redemption and rediscovering oneself. Outside of the underlying narrative, I’ve always been drawn to neoclassical elements, electronics, unique and layered musical textures, and playing with form. “Coming Home” was created, in some way, to rediscover my own musical voice and challenge my creativity.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What has been the most unlikely influence on you for your LIMINA project and its forthcoming album, Coming Home?
LIMINA: I love exploring sound design so much of my influence comes from various sounds in the world or new synthesizers. For Coming Home, it was the London Tube system. I loved exploring different ways I could incorporate the setting of the story into the music itself. In “Let it Take You,” I built most of the percussion bed from the sounds of the Tube’s wheels rolling on the tracks.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: How do you go about challenging yourself as a creative overall to stay fresh and the best you can be?
LIMINA: I’ve found the best way to stay fresh and excited about creating is by listening to new music and experimenting with my own. If I hear an interesting progression, orchestration technique, or complex synth sound, I will figure out how it was made. It’s so important to be constantly adding new tools to my sonic toolkit and every time I discover something new, my creative juices immediately start flowing.
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: What’s one thing that people are generally surprised to find out about you?
LIMINA: How much I talk to myself while I am writing. =)
THE RECLUSIVE BLOGGER: Lastly, What’s up next for you?
LIMINA: Unfortunately, I can’t say too much, but I’m working on a great Netflix docuseries as well as a drama series. I'll be sharing all the details as soon as I can!
Pre-Order LIMINA’s forthcoming record by clicking on the photo below!
LIMINA SOCIAL MEDIA
OFFICIAL WEBSITE / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK / BANDCAMP
NOTHING BUT THIEVES RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM ‘DEAD CLUB CITY’
ALBUM REVIEW: NOTHING BUT THIEVES RETURN WITH NEW ALBUM “DEAD CLUB CITY”
“Dirty English sky is washing me away.”
“Tomorrow Is Closed” | Dead Club City
From the moment you hear the first few notes play from Dead Club City, the new album from English Rockers Nothing But Thieves. You know two things, this is not your standard Nothing But Thieves musical fare, and the band has boldly dipped their toes into the world of concept albums. So this is going to be a wild ride, and it is. If you haven't heard of Nothing But Thieves, they are a quintet hailing from Southend, U.K. comprising Conor Mason (vocals, guitar), Joe Langridge-Brown (guitars), Dominic Craik (guitars, keyboard), Philip Blake (bass), and James Price (drums). In their ten years, they have amassed quite the fanbase and following, including a #1 alternative radio single here in America with Trip Switch. Now the band is on the fourth studio album Dead Club City a blistering venture into an unknown world filled with narratives, characters, and concepts all inspired by the band's struggles with the pandemic, the lockdown, and life in this new world we live in. NBT has always had a natural knack for raw honesty and extrospection (and introspection in some cases) in their lyrics. So, an album like Dead City Club truly allows them to explore and hone in on those skills.
The album opener, Welcome To The DCC (aptly titled, I might add), quickly puts the listener within the world of the DCC. Frontman Conor Masons' honeyed falsetto greets you with the lyric Welcome To The DCC repeated. All set amongst an atmospheric soundscape of textured tones and synths. The crunchy layered guitars are all very 80s inspired and hard-hitting. The album segues into the second track, the anthemic single Overcome, a song filled with blissful synths, punchy basslines, and rockier guitars. Lyrically, it's one of few tracks that lean hopeful in tone and messaging. NBTs' grit is still very apparent throughout the record as well. It's not something they lost or even shied away from. It is all over tracks like Tomorrow Is Closed, City Haunts, and Members Only. The latter two have a sludgier stomp-rock vibe to them. There are a few restrained moments on the record, like the reflective love letter Green Eyes:: Siena and the slinky R&B-influenced confessional Talking To Myself. The band also leans fully into pop and electronic music on the dance-pop number Foreign Language. Dead Club City closes on a high note with the electric and hard-rock number Pop The Balloon. It is loud, brash, and so rock and roll. 
NOTHING BUT THIEVES - Dead Club City Album Cover
While Nothing But Thieves has been a band for ten years now. This fourth record clearly shows why they are one of the U.K.s most exciting Rock acts and live shows. Dead Club City demonstrates Nothing But Thieves' progression as a band and their skill in experimentation. It has not steered them wrong so far. While the concept album can quickly go bad, even comical for so many artists, for Nothing But Thieves, it didn't. It could be the overall evasiveness and abstract nature of what is the inner realm of the Dead Club City. Which comes across in a more choose-your-own-adventure manner, even more so with the attached visuals. Then there is the tight production from band member Dominic Craik and the on-point vocals from Conor Mason. Whatever it is that gelled together at the right time, Nothing But Thieves has easily put out one of my favorite albums of this year.
You can stream Nothing But Thieves' Dead Club City, which is out now on all DSPs, by clicking here.
Welcome to the DCC
Overcome
Tomorrow Is Closed
Keeping You Around
City Haunts
Do You Love Me Yet?
Members Only
Green Eyes :: Siena
Foreign Language
Talking To Myself
Pop The Balloon
YOU SHOULD KNOW... JONATHAN HORSTMANN FRONTMAN OF AUSTIN’S CAPTIVATING POST-PUNK TRIO URBAN HEAT
I interviewed Urban Heat frontman Jonathan Horstmann at Pasadena’S Cruel World Festival last May after the band played their afternoon set at the festival. You can read the piece below…
I spotted the multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jonathan Horstmann of the Austin-based post-punk and 2nd Wave band Urban Heat taking selfies with fans and chatting. I had one interview scheduled during this year's Cruel World Festival, and it was with Urban Heat. The enigmatic trio formed in Austin, Texas, in 2019 after multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Jonathan Horstmann needed a live band to fill out his analog soundscape and songwriting. I have most likely mentioned before seeing how an artist interacts with their fans can tell you a lot about them, especially in an industry driven by ego. Immediately, Horstmann exudes star power not only onstage but off stage. A thought that struck me the first time watching Urban Heat's early afternoon set and then the second time after meeting with his fans and in our introduction for the interview. There was an existing underlying strength or quiet confidence I couldn't place. I later learned he's been sober for some years now. Ultimately, he did it for his and his family's peace of mind. You can easily find him talking about it openly and honestly in many interviews, including this recent Spin piece. His onstage persona is commanding, electric, and ferocious, unlike his band members, fellow musicians Kevin Naquin and Paxel Foley, who exude similar energy differently. The Texas trio brought way more than just the heat to Southern California, with quite the adoring audience as they scored new fans along the way.
One of the first things I am constantly curious about and ask literally anyone playing a festival of this magnitude and that question is. How does it feel to be a part of such a big festival and play it? Horstmann responded, "This is the first time that we've been a part of something at this scale that's genre related, right?" Normally, our genre is regulated, off like into a corner or something. But this is all about dark fuckin' music. So, being a part of that. That feels incredible. I feel blessed to have this opportunity”. This same genuine openness and honesty continued for the rest of the interview. We talked about who we were most excited to see. Although I'm not a fan of putting artists on the spot with a response, his answer was pretty diplomatic. He said everyone, as everyone brought something unique to the table.
We also get onto the discussion of representation as a Black artist after I ask about their cover of Goodbye Horses by Q. Lazzarus, born Diane Luckey, and what covering that song meant to him, "I think Diane Luckey's story with something as a person of color making dark music, "I feel a kinship to." "When you choose songs to cover, it says something about you as an artist." "It says something about the space that you're existing in and who you respect, right? And I think there wasn't anyone else that would make sense to cover the way it makes sense to cover to others." "I just wanted us to do. Justice”. So, it makes sense when you hear their recording of the Q. Lazzarus song that it sounds like a tribute. Though Urban Heat has never branded themselves a political or socio-political band, they don't shy away from it, nor do they purposefully go after it, but songs like ‘That Gun In Your Hand’ or ‘Simple Love Song’ are perfect examples showcasing that side lyrically. After referencing a conversation with Pat, in a slightly joking manner, on representation within their genre and whether they would be one of few Black/POC playing the festival and onstage. Albeit true, there was a hint of bittersweetness to it, even more so considering the amount of us who have taken the genre and culture under our wings. Horstmann continued mentioning that one of the biggest catalysts for change is visibility, talking about all of the Black and POC fans they have. That is something Urban Heat hopes to continue to be a part of.
So, when I asked Jonathan about his songwriting and influences, as he is the primary songwriter. Two things immediately stood out. First, How he said he needed to let go of control, and two, that he wanted to be an instrument of something greater. These goals seem like herculean tasks but never count out Urban Heat. Their latest EP, Wellness, often speaks on similar themes, with lyrics dipping into darker compositions like mental health, the pandemic, existence, and relationships, but ultimately with a sense of hope. The writing started out by a then hunkered-down Jonathan in North Carolina before switching to a studio for the rest of the band to continue. In all honesty, Jonathan’s distinctive baritone is the highlight. It cuts through the Urban Heat palette of heavy synths, gritty guitars, and nostalgic bass lines carrying echoes of Ian Curtis.
"So have you ever? So have you ever seen the face of God? Do you turn around and wonder what it was?" -
Have You Ever |
Urban Heat
Concluding our conversation, I had to ask a few fun questions, including his pick for a go-to karaoke song or jam. So, if you're ever out at your favorite karaoke spot, hear a baritone raising hell singing ‘Mr. ‘Brightside‘. Well, you didn't hear it from me. Another fun fact I learned is the band is a big fan of podcasts, notably, Disgracedland. They love to chill out to podcasts on those long moments on the road. I inquired about what being an artist and songwriter meant to him, including being able to share his craft with a larger audience. He responded with one of his most earnest answers; "I think that self-expression and the pursuit of that are probably the highest and most important things about the human experience. I feel very blessed that I'm able to do that. But yeah, it's everything". His response was something I'm sure anyone creative, myself included, could understand wholeheartedly. It was also very much indicative of an artist who knows their strengths, weaknesses, and talents. Also knows where they want to go and how to get there. In short, it's what my Mom would call a five-year plan. So, it seems that Jonathan and Urban Heat already have theirs written up. If you want to learn more about Urban Heat, then click here.
You can view the festival portraits I took of Jonathan Horstmann below. 
-- Stream Urban Heat's 2022 EP 'Wellness' out now --
A LITTLE MORE ON… EM BEIHOLD, THE EARNEST POP SINGER-SONGWRITER BEHIND “NUMB LITTLE BUG”
A LITTLE MORE ON… EM BEIHOLD, THE EARNEST POP SINGER-SONGWRITER BEHIND “NUMB LITTLE BUG”
Em Beihold // Courtesy of Republic Records/Moon Projects
Em Beihold is currently opening up for Lewis CapALdi and RECENTLY HOPPED ON a collaboration with Lauren Spencer Smith and GAYLE.
Em Beihold is not a fan of rollercoasters because they make her sad. I think… Well, it's a statement she makes loud and clear in the song Rollercoasters Make Me Sad. The track is effusive with punchy melodies and dulcet harmonies, while Em's lyrics often capture dissonant emotions through snappy metaphors. Here Beihold has carved out a niche with songs like the previously mentioned track, Rollercoasters Make Me Sad, Groundhog Day, 12345, and the massive hit Numb Little Bug. Rollercoasters Make Me Sad adds another ace to Beihold's songwriting book with how she succinctly captures feelings and a moment in time. It also should be on your Spotify or Apple Music rotation and playlists if it's not. It was back in March when I got to chat with Em during a presser, learning a little more about her as an artist and songwriter, how her songwriting process works, and even a bit about the inspiration behind her songs, which most of her songs touch on modern-day anxieties, relationships, and mental health/illness. She was also excited to be touring with Lewis Capaldi, a tour she is currently on. I asked her about working with Stephen Sanchez and how turning Until I Found Her into a duet came about. The song has her singing from the girl's perspective. One of the biggest collabs all started from Em liking his reels and her manager noticing, thinking they should do a song together. So, to my fellow creatives, this is a gentle reminder. You never know what might happen and who might see it. Keep creating, and do not be afraid to shoot your shot. I also asked about her future collaborations. Em said her dream collab is with Regina Spektor, an artist she says has been at the fiber of her work and artistry since day one. While Em may not be too fond of rollercoasters, she is currently on the wildest one of her life, and it's only getting started.
Stream “Eggs In The Backseat” out now on all DSPs
