Iuengliss
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The music Tom Metz makes as Iuengliss sounds like it could be a transmission from the year 2025, when the world of pop has finally wrapped its head around tricky IDM rhythms. On his new and sophomore full-length, Motion In Mind, the Denver-based producer breathes warmth, joy, and beauty into glacial electronic forms by draping his own atmospheric voice over prickly beats. Primitive yet futuristic, the disc is ready to dominate the back-patio boom box this summer. In advance of the Motion's release party tonight at Hi-Dive, Metz spoke with Decider about his vowel-friendly band name, his job at Bocumast, and covering Oasis.
Decider: How many people out of a hundred mispronounce Iuengliss?
Tom Metz: Oh, geez, I'd say 90 percent. My friends catch on to it quick, but most of the time people forget it. I think people remember the combination of letters if they see it on a poster, though. It's a word I came up with in high school; I was fooling around with letters, and I liked the word "gliss." It just kind of grew from there.
D: Your music has a definite lo-fi sound. How do you achieve that?
TM: The synthesizers that I start with are usually pretty basic, but I'll add lots of different textures and tones, and it ends up being complex. I think when you have a lot of boundaries, like limiting software. It makes you really explore what you have. Having every software program in the world doesn't make you good at making music.
D: On "Mend Right," you sing, "It's up to you to build a life that's strong and true." Is it your goal to write lyrics that are more straightforward and less figurative?
TM: Definitely. Sometimes vocals can take you away from what might be the song's original feeling. And I'm not a poet by any means. I keep the vocals minimal and the lyrics simple so I can focus on what I enjoy most, which is singing and making music.
D: There's an uplifting, dreamy quality to Motion In Mind. Do you ever sit down and say, "Today I'm making a nasty, dark song in a minor key"?
TM: I think I actually write a lot of dark music. I'd say there are three songs on the new album that are pretty dark, and I've written some dark, experimental songs for my previous albums. I don't do them live all that often.
D: You help run the Bocumast design firm and record label, which is home to some disparate local artists like Jason Cain and Cougar Legs. What's the link between the acts you work with?
TM: If we like the music and it's fun, we put it out. We're not focusing on any demographic because each album has its own. We all love acoustic music, but, at the same time, we all love noise. So, I don't see why we wouldn't put it all out.
D: On your website there's a free cover version of Oasis' "Cast No Shadow." What inspired you to do it?
TM: I was having a bad day when I made that song. If I'm in a sad mood, I like to listen to sad music. [Laughs.] It kind of makes you feel better. So, I was listening to that song, and realized I really like that song, so I went home that night and made the song. It's a pretty sad song.
