A Chat with The Soviet Influence (29.01.2021)
The Soviet Influence continues to dust a light helping of politics over deeper societal and personal issues with their new album Socialism: An Introduction. Peter Snow, Ty Mackenzie, Blake Morey and Peter Morey bring their musical skills together to create quirky melodies with a splash of leftist fervour. With a hint of nostalgic tones, they bring a wash of fresh ideas. We sat down with Peter Snow to talk about the band’s new album, adding politics to music, mixing societal issues with personal experiences and much more!
OSR: How did the band first get together?
Snow: The Soviet Influence started out as a project of the songwriter Peter Snow. Ultimately with the impending release of our second album, The Price of Vigilance, Peter decided to gig with the music. To accomplish this he recruited Blake Morey, Peter Morey, and Ty Mackenzie. We now function as a full band and aren’t just Peter’s project.
OSR: Your band has always incorporated your political views into your music, was this something you consciously decided when you first got together?
Snow: When I was writing the first album, one of the first songs I wrote was ‘Song for the Anarchists’. It was inspired by watching students protests, and also a deep displeasure with the Canadian government of the time. It was originally called Plant the Bombs. I had always wanted to write more political music and that urge became undeniable.
OSR: Your new album Socialism: An Introduction weaves more than just straight politics into the music. Can you tell us more about the social aspects woven into the songs?
Snow: There’s a lot of debate and argument happening around the world about the way we organize societies. It’s important to talk not just about political structures and how we fund services, but also the kind of society we want to be. As a band, we believe very strongly in compassion and empathy as essential ingredients to a well functioning community. Not just for family and friends, but also for strangers. I tried to include this theme as much as possible in the lyrics, with the idea that we shouldn’t have to struggle alone. For example, ‘Into Space and Beyond’ is about running away from an oppressive society, but it’s also about being together.
OSR: How difficult was it to create an album that looks at societal issues while drawing in personal experiences?
Snow: I think the pandemic made this part easier. Suddenly there was this enormous global episode of people suffering. It’s terrible and it is affecting everyone I know. It also highlighted the impact of societal problems on the individual in ways that many people never notice. Since I work as a social worker in addition to being a musician, I’ve been witness to this interaction for many years. Now more and more people are seeing it. At the end of the day, any society-wide issue will have a multitude of personal stories underneath it. I tried to bring that out in the music.
OSR: What was your creative process for the album as it was recorded in the midst of the pandemic?
Snow: I spent a lot of time writing and demoing on my own. I would then send ideas to the other band members and our producer, David Partridge. From there the songs would grow and change into what they are now. Sadly we couldn’t really do much writing together so it was clunkier than any of us would have liked. It did lead to these really cool moments where I’d open an email, load up a track someone was working on and be excitedly surprised by the result.
OSR: How do you feel this album compares with your previous releases?
Snow: This album is more pop-oriented, louder and in some ways less cohesive. There was a lot more experimentation of style. I also think the melodies are much tighter and catchier than anything I’ve written before.
OSR: If people could take away one thing from the album, what would you like it to be?
Snow: That ultimately compassion and empathy are essential ingredients to a successful human community. Also that The Soviet Influence are great and you should buy all our records.
OSR: The first single from the album ‘Oh Not Tonight’ has an accompanying music video. Can you tell us a bit more about it?
Snow: ‘Oh Not Tonight’ is, in our opinion, the most powerful song on the record. It’s based on the idea that suffering alone feels nearly impossible. It’s a cry for help. It also has a memorable melody and strong guitars. I wanted to capture the desperation of a dark night of the soul, but in a way that was more like getting hit in the chest.
The video was filmed in my home studio which is also our practice space. With COVID restrictions I had to do it alone. I was really into acting as a child/teenager so it was fun to get back to doing some of that. You can expect a similar energy when we finally get back to gigging.
OSR: If you could change anything in the world, what would it be and why?
Snow: I would want to see a world with far less trauma than we experience now. I’d also want us all to have more empathy for the struggles of others.
OSR: What else can we expect from you in the coming year?
Snow: We are aiming to have some live stream shows in the late spring early summer, once our lockdown restrictions are lifted. Hopefully, by autumn we will be out on the road again. We’ve also got 1 or 2 more videos in the works!
Thanks to Peter Snow for chatting with us! You can find more about The Soviet Influence on their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
