Discover new Music Introducing: Tarsals
Tarsals is a Philadelphia based artist whose most recent album combines elements of sound
collage, drone, and soft acoustic fingerpicking to generate an intimate and sentimental
atmosphere. Tarsals has most recently performed as a solo acoustic act but is transitioning
toward a heavier, more sonically dense sound for shows in the future. Drone EP to be released
before 2027!
Artist q+A
Imagine: there has been some kind of government censorship on music and you’re only allowed to listen to five albums on repeat for the rest of your life. What albums are you taking with you until your dying moment?
Ooo! That’s a tough one. I’ll probably regret this list and want to change it immediately after I
send this but:
1. Earth - 2: Special Low Frequency Version
2. Travesia - Ni Minuto Mas de Dolor
3. Bad Bunny - Verano Sin Ti
4. Suzanne Ciani - Seven Waves
5. Doopees - Doopee Time <3
Bob Dylan famously said, about writing his music, that it “isn’t him” — something else took over entirely, like a trance, and when he snapped out of it, he had some of the most lyrically profound music in front of him; music that he had trouble taking credit for. What does songwriting look like to you? Is it reaching a transcendent flow-state, or is it a way simpler process?
Sometimes I have an idea for a song that I want to execute and can jump right in but for the most part, I’m just touching my instruments every day and making myself available for inspiration to strike. It’s almost always when I’m not expecting to write a song that something comes along. I guess it is a sort of flow-state that can only be reached when I’m practicing incessantly for the sake of playing. Then I stew on ideas for a long time before they actually become a finished piece of music.
Do other art mediums (i.e. painting, sculpture, film) inform how and why you make music? Who are some of your favorite artists outside of the art form of music?
There’s a monochrome painting by Yves Klein that on the surface looks like just a giant canvas painted blue, but when you look closely at it for a while the painting completely takes over and you start to see the undertones of yellows and greens and the viewing becomes this incredibly meditative experience. The first time I saw it in person I thought it was the closest visual representation of the sensation I try to create with the ambient/drone music that I make. Maria Lusia Bombal is a writer that has always inspired music in me. Her magical realism fiction is oneiric and tragic and has been a huge development in my growth as an artist. Movies are great too. Shout out to Claire Denis for making Beau Travail.
Is there someone in particular that has greatly inspired your current music taste? How have you carried this into your artistic expression?
There are many friends and family members who have influenced my taste in music, too many to name! At this point I just want to be well rounded in my knowledge of music and my approach to making art. It began early in adulthood when I started to learn about recording music and collaborating with other musicians. Everyone has something to share!
You’ve been assigned aux for the spaceship ride to Paper Moon. What are you playing?
Tras de Ti by Eduardo Mateo because wow
Or Telstar just because space theme :)
The Difficulty of Unscrambling Orgins Album Art
