A Chat with Infra Violet (06.09.21)
Founded in early-2020, Infra Violet is bringing 80’s synth-pop sounds to modern-day society. Combining the talents of Beth Munroe and Toby Campen, the UK-based duo is unique and intriguing. We speak to the artists about their new album Dream Tether, musical influences, phobias and much more!
OSR: Not a very original question but how did Infra Violet come about?
Munroe: In May 2020, Toby got in contact and started sending me tracks he had produced, and I sat and wrote vocals, lyrics and guitar to sit over the top of some of them. We were in the middle of the pandemic, so all our interaction was just endless emails, transfers, video calls and messages, but it worked really well just constant communication and constantly sending improved versions back and forth until the songs were ready for the world. We only properly met for the first time on the set of our Polaroid music video six months later.
Campen: I’ve mainly been in rock bands up until Infra Violet, but had always had an interest in more synth-based music. I’d dabbled in recording ideas and collaborating with some friends, but the last year or so gave me a chance to really flesh out these ideas into full songs. Once I’d gotten a handful of songs together, I looked for a vocalist and discovered Beth whose solo music really impressed me and it grew from there.
OSR: What can you tell us about your album Dream Tether?
Campen: The album contains a few of our early singles re-recorded and re-mixed, and some brand new songs where we took the sound in some new directions. After releasing a few singles and seeing if people connected with what we were doing, we decided to commit to making a full album. We wanted to explore what it really means when we suddenly lose those connections, but without making an album that was too heavily centred around the last year of the pandemic. We didn’t want the album too tied to that period in time, but it’s something we’ve all lived through and everyone has experienced in different ways.
Munroe: Dream Tether is an album all about connection to each other, to the environment and to ourselves. In everything there’s a sense of losing all groundedness and trying to find a way back, we’re all so separated from everything even before the pandemic. There’s pessimism but there’s also hope in exploring the basic human need of trying to find meaning when everything seems to be falling away. We really poured everything into this album, into making the performance and production as good as we could possibly get it to the point that in the span of the album we grew a lot as musicians. We really pushed ourselves with this and we’re actually super proud of how it came out.
OSR: What was the recording process like?
Campen: Like our earlier releases, much of the album was recorded remotely sending each other projects and working through all of the songs in demo form before picking which ones would make the final cut for a full recording. Luckily through my job as a sound engineer, we have access to a properly soundproofed mixing studio in London, so we were able to meet there once lockdown was over to do mixing and mastering sessions. Between the two of us, we have the skills to record, mix and master the music to a decent standard so we’re happy to keep things independent in that sense. We have worked with some great people in the past but for the album, we wanted to have creative control over the whole process.
OSR: If you could change anything about Dream Tether, what would it be?
Campen: I think creating the album during lockdown isolated the writing process of the album a little but I’m still very happy with the end product. Maybe getting to record some of the parts like vocals and drums in a big studio as opposed to at home would have been fun but again, they still came out great and we’re very happy.
Munroe: The thing about Dream Tether is that it was 18 months in the making and every step of the way we pushed ourselves to the absolute limit in both performance and production. We poured so much into this that we’ve come out the other side as better musicians and songwriters. It’s not that I would change a single thing about Dream Tether, it’s our baby and we’re so proud of what we’ve done, but now, looking ahead, I can already see how to write better and perform better and I know Toby’s improved massively with all the hours and days and weeks he’s spent honing this album. I’m never going to look at Dream Tether and cringe, but now that we’ve pushed the limits of our very best, I know we can do better.
OSR: Do you have a favourite track from the album?
Campen: It’s a slower one but ‘Radio’ is a particular favourite of mine, as well as ‘Run’.
Munroe: It changes back and forth but at the moment it’s ‘Wanderlust’. It feels like a quiet little moment to really pour my heart out and I love how the harmonies build and blend throughout the song. I hope it doesn’t sound conceited but listening to it makes me want to cry.
OSR: What about your least favourite track?
Campen: I wouldn’t say least favourite but I wrote a very difficult synth line for myself in our lead single ‘Grow’, so that’s a challenge to play live.
Munroe: I don’t have one.
OSR: WHat do you hope people take from your music?
Campen: Although some elements of our songs can be quite dark, I hope people take some positivity away. There’s definitely a cathartic nature in songwriting from my perspective.
Munroe: As a music listener, I’ve always found the most effective songs are the ones that sit right there with you in your darkest moments, side by side just letting you know that you’re not alone. With the environmental themes, I simply wanted to express the feeling of wanting to help, wanting to justify life by not causing more damage, but not knowing how to fight this looming sense of doom. In the end, I feel that’s more potent, to name those feelings and let them sit within the listener, to know we all feel like this rather than raising myself up above them telling them to take any specific action. I can’t offer the answers, but I hope I can offer a little sense of hope through connection; that no matter how you’re feeling, someone else feels it too.
OSR: Who are your influences?
Campen: Music from my childhood like The Police, Talking Heads and Kate Bush. When it comes to more modern musicians I like The Midnight, CHVRCHES, The Naked and Famous and Electric Youth.
Munroe: It’s been the incredible women singer-songwriters rising up with the pop scene with their own voices and their own point of view to put across – it’s so refreshing and inspiring. Laura Mvula, CHVRCHES, Naked and Famous and London Grammar have all put out exceptional stuff recently that I’ve been listening to on repeat. I’m sure some of that has bled into the album.
OSR: Do you have any phobias?
Campen: Snakes from watching too much Indiana Jones a kid. Also, mushrooms when it comes to food.
Munroe: I don’t have any intense phobias as such but escalators, train doors and leeches make me very nervous! Oh also, if I think too much about time loops I get heart palpitations.
OSR: What do you believe is the best way to discover new music in this Internet Era?
Munroe: To regain a sense of community within music, I think you can only get so far on your own and all of the best music I’ve come across this year was by recommendations from friends. The internet is turning music and all creativity into more and more of an isolated experience where everything is fed through the algorithm of your own echo chamber. Listening to what other people listen to is what has kept music alive and interesting for me. I don’t want music to fade into background noise, recommended playlists based on what you’ve already played before. The best thing about music is the people in it and the connection it gives us to one another. We need to keep hold of that as much as we can.
OSR: Do you have any message for our readers?
Munroe: Whatever you’re feeling, you’re not alone. Whatever you’re looking for, the connection you need is already there reaching halfway. The world around us is hyper-competitive but also falling apart. In the midst of that, it’s worthwhile to take stock of what the rest of the world expects of you versus what you can really, truly manage without harming yourself. Your brain and body are designed to rest and recuperate, don’t let anybody make you feel bad about that. Do what you can for the planet and drink some water. Oh, and listen to our album if you want to.
Thanks to Toby Campen and Beth Munroe for speaking with us. For more from Infra Violet check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
