Writing a tremendous amount of songs was the beginning of it all.
Herr God, formed just nearly four months ago by indie rock artist Chloe Gallardo (main vocals) with members Jesse Brinkenhoff (guitar and vocals), Jake Ramos (bass), and Sam Friedman (drums), has finally released their most-awaited debut single, jesus candle in the liquor store.
The song opens by immediately drawing the listener into its dreamlike atmosphere. The vocals float delicately above the instrumentation, delivering perplexed lyrics that invite all kinds of interpretation.
Layers upon layers of feedback and overdrive create depth and intensity as the song goes on, yet the rhythm keeps a constant flow throughout, keeping the music grounded despite its stock-still yet billowing instinct. While delving into the contrast between the holy and the profane, the song envisions feelings of some type of earthly respect, where the sacred and the commonplace come together in an intriguing way.
All things considered, jesus candle in the liquor store is a trip into the world of shoegaze and a testament that transports listeners to new and unexpected places, leaving them forever changed by the experience.
To know more about the band, read our short interview with Chloe Gallardo from Herr God below:
INTERVIEW
Hello, Chloe! Congratulations on the release of your debut single. To start, can you tell us about the origin of your band’s name, how Herr God began and the reflection of your music’s identity?
Thank you! Yeah, the name actually came from a poem I read by Sylvia Plath called “Lady Lazarus.” I had been working on putting together a new project and had all the songs ready but was missing a name so I flipped through one of my books for inspiration and I happened to find that poem and the term “Herr God” really stuck out to me. I like that it looks like “her god” but it actually means “Mr. God.”
As a new band, what do you hope sets you apart from others in the music scene, and how does this release embody that uniqueness?
It’s pretty hard to be unique these days but I’d like to think that I’ve drawn inspiration from certain aspects of different genres like slowcore and shoegaze and kind of added my own touch to it with keeping true to my lyricism. I’d like to think my lyrics and songwriting have always been sort of unique because I write about experiences that have happened to me personally. I think this track is a good representation of what is to come.
What challenges did you encounter during the process of bringing this track to life, and how did you overcome them?
Honestly this process has been the easiest in comparison to my past releases. That was kind of my goal with this project. I wanted to keep it pretty simple and minimal as far as people involved. I wrote the songs by myself on the GarageBand app on my phone and then I sent them to my friend Sam Silbert who ended up loving them and wanting to produce them. So I flew out to Philadelphia and we recorded everything in two days. Everything fell into place so effortlessly it really felt like the universe was on my side with this project.
Out of curiosity, why is the debut single name called “jesus candle in the liquor store”?
When I was writing the demos I was just naming the songs really outrageous things, not thinking I would keep the names but I ended up liking how strange they are. Ha-ha.
How do you feel about sharing this piece of your artistic journey with the world for the first time?
I am so excited.
This project is really special to me because it represents a really pivotal time in my life and it’s also a sound that I’ve always wanted to create.
Lastly, what should we expect from Herr God in the upcoming months?
The Herr God debut EP will be releasing this summer while we are on our first tour. We also have some exciting visuals to share coming very soon…
jesus candle in the liquor store is out now via all streaming platforms. Listen here.