Exclusive Interview: Itself Timeless talk writing and recording ‘α’!

One of the many, many highlights of the 10th Anniversary of Tech-Fest this summer was a set from London Post-Metal act Itself Timeless, a band shrouded in mystery who like to let their art do the talking. Of course that didn’t stop us from getting not one but two exclusive interviews with them, this being the second and all about their 2021 EP ‘α’ which is the culmination of several years toil in front of the furnace and a stunning piece of work…

How did your previous experiences writing and recording help to smooth the path of creating ‘α’? “‘α’ was the result of quite a considerable time spent refining the songs, in both a live as well as a rehearsal environment, and it is a good representation of us as a band at the moment it was released. We were trying different things in terms of arrangement and production, and as satisfied as we are with the outcome, we will probably try to change the approach again for our next release and improve wherever possible”

How does the writing process of a new track start? Melody, riff or rhythm first? How does it evolve from there before you consider it the finished article? “That tends to vary from song to song, but generally speaking, so far the music has been the result of ideas that appear as pretty complete sonic landscapes, which we then try to recreate with our instruments. We are not much of a ‘jam’ band in our approach to composition. We tend to work on ideas until we have a coherent, agreed-upon result – we could probably work on certain ideas forever, but we also try to reach a ‘good enough’ point and not let perfectionism get in the way (too much!)”

Your debut EP “α” was recorded by Russ Russell (Evile, Napalm Death, At The Gates) before being mixed and mastered by Maciej “Jonson” Wiergowski (Entropia, Ewelina Lisowska); what made you choose them for the purpose and how much did you enjoy the process? “Working with Russ was our first experience with an established producer, and we loved it – he is a lovable, extremely hardworking person, and although we had very limited time in the studio, his experience definitely helped the process. Jonson was recommended to us, and the work he has done on the EP speaks for itself!”

If you had the opportunity to work with a guest in the studio next time around, who would you like to work with and why? “Although a typical “guest” collaboration might not be the best fit for this band due to the way we operate, we are open and considering the idea of working with others on material – the answer to this question will probably come in time…”

For us gear nerds out there, can you tell us what you’re using gear wise (pedals, strings, drums etc) to get your sound? “We might have to keep a bit of a mystery here, as our focus is the music itself rather than the tools used to create it. We tend to work with a lot of analogue gear rather than digital, and each piece of equipment is chosen with intent for its sonic qualities”

What difference would it make to you as a band if you could land an endorsement from a gear manufacturer? “That would help us from both a financial and a promotional point of view, yet it would still be subject to the same standards we normally use in choosing equipment. Hopefully a good partnership can be found in the future!”

“α” by Itself Timeless is out now via Drowning Sea God Records and is available over at bandcamp.