Gloom is a local metal band that has made the best out of tough circumstances by recording a completely socially distanced single. Their new single, Pariah, was released at the end of February and was pieced together digitally through Dropbox files between band members.
Photo via @gloom780 on Instragram
Shaun Poniewozak, Gloom’s bassist was determined to get the band’s music out regardless of the circumstances.
“When we started the band [in June], we were still able to get together. But the newest song we released, Pariah, we couldn’t really get together. So it was pretty much a combination of us sending files back and forth. Once they hit my computer, I put them all together and did it from there,” said Poniewozak.
Due to restrictions, the band has not had many opportunities to record together or play live shows yet.
Instead, Poniewozak used YouTube and his previous experience with equalizer pedals and mixing drum sounds to create music.
“We couldn’t even get into a recording studio to record real drums, so everything we’ve done has been just fake program drums on a computer. Most people that I’ve shown, they wouldn’t be able to tell, so I’m good with that for now, but I would really like to get in a real studio setting,” said Poniewozak.
Zach Fish, Gloom’s vocalist, said it is a lot of work to keep in constant communication with the rest of the band and piece together songs outside a studio setting.
“When we could get together, it sped up the process. We would just joke around and play a riff and be like ‘oh, we like that’, and then we would build a normal recording process. But since we can’t do that in these crazy times, it takes a lot,” said Fish.
Pariah has a slightly different sound than Gloom’s previously recorded songs and they are proud of how the socially distanced Dropbox single turned out.
“A lot of it is just trial and error […]. The learning curve is steep, so you find out what works for you. When we were done listening to Pariah as a band, even though our friends like it, I instantly hear the difference. I’m like, ‘oh my God, this is 10 steps up from where our production should be and I still can’t believe we’ve done it ourselves’,” said Fish.
Despite not being able to jam together, Gloom says that their Dropbox is still full of content. They are looking forward to recording new songs together and playing live shows as soon as they can do so safely. The anticipation of playing live shows in the future has been a motivator for them.
“It’s kind of a blessing in disguise, so we can sort of perfect these things so when people can finally come to see us, hopefully, they’ll leave and go ‘oh my God, this band’,” said Poniewozak.
Until Edmonton can see Gloom’s energy and passion in the flesh, fans can catch the music video for their song “RAN” on YouTube and follow their Instagram @gloom780. Gloom’s music can also be streamed on all platforms.
