Feeling Light is a delightfully serene single, a first of fifteen in an album dedicated towards inner tranquility and finding ones roots. Wrapped up masterfully in a 90s alt-rock shell, these mainstays in the Detroit scene for over twenty years return with new inspiration – and I get to chat with vocalist Joe Philips about what it is and what is coming.
How did the four of you meet, and start creating music together?
JP: We’ve all been pretty active as musicians since the mid 90s. Three out of the four of us started Few and Far Between together in 1997. We’d cross paths with Nikkie just a few years later, but the four of us wouldn’t start to playing as Touch the Clouds until 2012. We’ve all been friends for so long, the idea to collaborate came about naturally.
Was there a musical style that you guys had in common? How do you guys create together?
We are all huge fans of music as a whole, regardless of genre, so there’s an open appreciation for ideas when writing. The band’s sound is a product of the guitar-heavy, dynamic sounds of the 90’s indie, emo, and alternative scenes.
As for the production process, typically Joe and Darrin come up with a skeletal song structure on guitar, then Nikkie & Brian will add their flavor. We’ll play around with the arrangement in practice, letting the song take shape organically as we try out different ways to make everything gel. Everyone writes their own parts and focuses on what’s best for the song, and when we record we aim for timelessness.
and what is that sound you’re trying to find?
We try to harness what we love about 90’s Alternative/Indie/Emo Rock, and play it back through our own lensing, still trying to be as original and unique as we can. It’s not about emulation as much as it is guidance. We don’t want to sound like anyone else, per se, but we know where we want to fit in.
We’re big on loud/quiet dynamics and try to get into trance-like grooves. Our production tends to be layered because we’re interested in creating the atmosphere these songs present themselves in.
where does your unique vocal style come from?
My vocal style comes from years of singing in a choir as a kid, coupled with the vocal projection power I developed from trying to be heard over loud drums and guitars. The choral experience attuned my connection to melodies, harmonies, natural chorus and reverb, and my rock and roll experience made me appreciate the full range of human vocal delivery. From a full throated scream to a subtle whisper, and everything in between, there’s an incredible amount of nuance available.
I think the biggest connection between being an occasional Voice Over actor and a vocalist in a band is being comfortable in front of a microphone, and in front of people – especially when you know they are listening critically. It can leave you feeling a bit naked under lights when you let sound expel from your mouth, but every time you step in front of the mic you gain experience and build confidence.
so you guys are back on the music scene, after a hiatus?
You know, we played constantly for many, many years, and at some point, we decided to take our feet off the gas for a bit and just coast. We continued to hang out and play shows together, with other people and projects, but we weren’t really concerned with recording new music. In early 2021 we got the itch to get back in the studio and start making music again…and here were are.
was it better then? is the scene more receptive now?
We were talking about this very thing recently, and honestly, we’re really positive about the present. We’ve had some really amazing times over the years, but everything’s led us to this moment. We’re a stronger, wiser band, and we’re playing from a place of experience. Our song-craft and studio production skills are better than they’ve ever been, and we’re the most excited we’ve been about the band in a long time.
With that said, Few and Far Between was a really well-oiled machine in the early to mid 2000s, and recording “Three” and “Calm In Detroit” with Jon Drew in Toronto were highlights of those years. We were having fun in a musical flow-state and the future looked bright. There’s a romance there, for sure.
I absolutely love how soothing the track is both conceptually and ambiently – because of the emphasis of productivity and hustle I struggle with.
First off, thank you! We’re glad you find it soothing. That’s fantastic.
You kind of hit the nail on the head. We’re all riding this logarithmic curve, hurling towards some unknown goal, and for what? It’s easy to get carried away in the velocity of it all. But just like there is a contrast between an 8-lane expressway and a rural dirt road, you need to remember you can slow down; the choice of which path to take is yours.
what inspired this centredness?
Some of us have practiced yoga or martial arts over the years and we’ve really connected with the benefits of meditation. This song had been laying around musically for quite some time, but lyrically, nothing ever really felt right. Over the last couple years, as we’ve leaned into that practice in an effort to counterbalance societal distortion, something clicked and we’ve kind of used the music to carry that message.
is the EP written already, or is it a work in progress? does this song thematically or otherwise foreshadow what the EP is like?
Yes, this song is pretty representative of the overall sound of the record. We took a lot of time to dial in everything and we’re all excited to have people hear it.
We have a finished 15 song album we’re now working to promote. We’ve always followed the old school method of releasing the entire album at once, but for this album, we’re going bite-sized. Personally, we love the album experience, but that activity seems to be an outlier now. We want to put singles out as easy-to-digest events and work up to the full length release, building interest along the way.
This album is full of parental, big picture stuff, with contemplative and didactic lyrics. We’re trying to craft songs that plant seeds and leave messages that outlive ourselves.
We really put a lot of time and effort into this record, and we strived for this to be something you can play loud in your car, or close your eyes and deep listen with headphones.
We’re working toward a release date and looking to partner with someone for the vinyl release. It’s open-ended at the moment, which is fun for us.
what stuff has changed since nine years ago, and what are you excited to try?
We write from the heart and kind of just let our sound develop as we go. We just want to be ourselves. Some of the new songs we’re developing now were written on piano (a first for us), so it’ll be interesting to see where we go next.
what advice could I take away from this EP?
Everything matters AND nothing matters (remember: we’re just space dust). Always think about what you are doing, and why. Both in an art school way, and a deep, personal way. It’s really tough to not let other people’s opinions enter into the equation, but let things come from within, trust your instincts, and just have fun; it’ll all work out.
A fun one I always like to end with – If you could collab with anyone right now, who might that be?
Wow, tough one to answer! Off the top of our head, it’d be amazing to work with Rick Rubin, Kevin Parker, Walter Schreifels, or Jeremy Enigk. There’s so much great music right now so it’s hard to pick any favorites, but we’ve been listening to The War on Drugs, Soccer Mommy, NNAMDÏ, FIDLAR, Wet Leg, Big Thief lately.