BY SAMANTHA MULLETT
Photo Courtesy of the Windish Agency
After playing around with dance-pop builds and easy choruses, Delorean decided to perform more and program less in their latest album. Apar, named after the Basque word for, “froth,” shows the more methodical side of the band with live guitars, drums and actual female vocalists. By featuring Charlift’s Caroline Polachek and Glasser on the record, the quartet has found new avenues to explore.
The Barcelona natives have been releasing infectious hits since 2000 and now have us swimming in their sun-dazed all-analog gig. Touring relentlessly with Miike Snow and making an appearance at FYF last year, Delorean has mastered their live act. With a few minutes to spare after kicking off their latest Spring tour, we talked to one of the original bandmates, Ekhi Lopetig, to find out how they’ve climbed to their current rung and what’s on the horizon.
Where are you broadcasting from at the moment?
We’re in Washington D.C., playing at the Black Cat tonight.
Could you tell us a little bit about your current tour?
It should be about four weeks long, we played our first show yesterday. We’re doing 20 shows in 30 days, all around the country, in Toronto and in Montreal. Yeah, I mean, it’s the third national tour we’re doing here in the United States, and we’re pretty happy to be back.
Any city you’re looking forward to returning to?
Well we do like New York of course, we know a lot of people there and it’s one of the cities we’ve played the most. We also like LA, San Francisco – the main cities are good. We like Philly, too. We like the whole country, it’s uh…it’s an easy country for us.
Does any particular show stand out?
Yeah we had the craziest show in Philadelphia once. That was one of the nights where things got crazy and wild, and for some reason that night, people just went nuts. We had one of the best shows of our life that night. That’s why we feel Philadelphia in our hearts.
So the Philly crowd overwhelmed you guys?
Oh yeah, the energy was amazing. So overwhelming. They took over the stage, people were dancing all the time. It was very special.
If you had to collaborate with another artist for a future track, who would it be?
We’re big, big fans of Phoenix, we’d love to tour with them or do something with them.
What was your top album of 2013?
Jesus, only one? Ehh that’s tough. We like the Blood Orange album, we think that’s a great record.
Where do you think your sound is going next?
We’ve always been a pop band, this last record was an approach to more classic songwriting, really pop rock stuff. I think we’ll lean towards a more electronic production next. We just started to write new material so the work will tell us where we’re going – but we’d like it to be more electronic, dancier. We don’t have a very specific goal – but the more we produce, the more we work towards a complete idea for the next record.
How do you feel about remixes?
We sometimes DJ, we like remixing stuff because they give you a hint of what you could do with your own stuff. It’s not your song but in the end, you rework it. We like it because you try stuff and think – hey this works, and I like the vibe. I like the sound on this remix, why don’t we apply it one of our songs.
How did you four originally come together?
I don’t know it was pretty normal. We all grew up in the same area and we were playing you now, punk and hardcore stuff. We then decided to do a different kind of band, and have been playing ever since. It gradually became something more studious, and now it’s our job.
If you weren’t doing music, what would you do for a living?
Well, I studied philosophy and I’m a big reader so I would probably find something related to that, or related to books. Or maybe a different position in music – I’ve never had a serious reflection on that.
You guys are headed to The Independent in San Francisco soon – any shoutouts to the Bay Area?
We’re looking forward to the show! We might not be back for awhile but we love playing there, so people should come and have a good time!
RELATED LINKS
Get Tickets to See Delorean at The Independent
Get Tickets to see Delorean Near You
True Panther Sounds Official Website
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