Brooklyn's The Antlers have managed to achieve an impressive feat in 2011, moving deftly away from the much-discussed thematic content of their breakthrough hit Hospice without seeming determined to reject wholesale its impressively assured mix of texturally-rich anthemic rock and melancholic lyricism. This year's critically-lauded Burst Apart builds on Hospice's successes while pursuing new avenues, drawing heavily on electronics and broadening the emotional spectrum. When I sat down with drummer Michael Lerner during their recent UK tour, he readily acknowledged the band had been put in an odd position by Hospice's huge success: 'It was a bit unexpected, to say the least.' Hospice, indeed, represents a rare story, though decreasingly so these days: a record that gained notice and acclaim without the benefit of label backing. Lerner notes the band was aware of the potential limitations of going about releasing it themselves: 'We finished the record and we thought about a couple of labels that maybe had a bit of interest, but it didn't quite pan out. We ended up self-releasing, which has in your mind a bit of a ceiling. If you self-release a record it's not going to necessarily blow up or anything like that, so the fact that it caught on the way it did was definitely shocking to us, and gratifying. But I don't feel like anyone can expect to get the sort of reaction that we did with that record. It turned all of our worlds upside down.'
Understandably, producing a follow-up to a record that has received a surprising and eminently positive response is not the easiest of tasks. 'There was pressure. That's a typical thing for a lot of bands, that sophomore slump, the next record after something that gets attention... There was a very intimate, a very strong reaction to [Hospice]. We were hoping that, wherever we decided to go as a band, musically, that people would have open minds and want to follow.' Had the band considered retaining the concept album form that framed much of the discussion around that record? 'We discussed, "shall we do another concept record?" and as soon as we delved into that it felt forced, and it wasn't really something we wanted to do. I think the most important thing for us, first and foremost, was that we made something we feel is honest.' This honesty became central to the band's attempt to produce a follow-up: 'In our hearts we knew we had to go in and have fun, be musicians, not to have anybody direct us and let things unfold the way the would unfold.'
That meant, in this case, the band pursuing the very disparate set of influences that they shared - an entirely new issue for them, given that Hospice had been largely written by vocalist/guitarist Peter Silberman. 'Hospice was very much mapped out, and we would come in every night and fill our parts. It wasn't really dictated by Peter, but all the points along the line were there already to follow.' The follow-up, however, was a more egalitarian process: 'With Burst Apart we started from scratch... It was fully democratic, everyone would sort of let their influences come out and I think that's where we're gonna continue in the future... It's an opportunity for something fresh and creative which is what I really strive for. I don't know that it's possible to be original in music, but at least it's a more satisfying way, let the ideas go and censor them as we go along.'
This decision to focus inwards as much as possible led to a perceptible shift in the band's sound, towards more electronic textures than on previously releases - though this was not a complete transformation but rather an expansion: 'Hospice has those [electronic] elements as well, it's not a straight-up rock record or post-rock record, it has elements of electronics.' This exploration of an increasingly varied set of sonic materials is, for Lerner, an important motor of the band's trajectory: 'All we're really going for is a larger palette sonically... we're not an electronic band, not rock, we're a bunch of guys who take the sounds that feel like they're working, however that shapes out, you know, it's part of the process, basically.'
This process of fleshing out the band's sound has also involved an extensive amount of touring; they are seemingly always on the road, which is not always the easiest prospect. But for Lerner, it is vital: 'I've always loved being on the road. It's definitely difficult, for the reasons you would think, because being back home we're disconnected, we're driving that much, you try to pick up with friends and family but... nobody's complaining. This is the life we chose here and it's fucking amazing, we're here in the UK, we're in Europe and people are singing along to the record or very enthusiastic. This is really a dream coming true, without sounding too hyperbolic.' This enthusiasm is palpable in band's performance later that night, and it is clear that the new songs are providing an invigorating focus for the live show. 'I really enjoy playing them [the new songs] live. I think any band, after touring on a record for a year and a half or two years, you're ready for new material... I know that we discussed while we were recording our growth process, as far as larger audiences, or what we're taking from external influences, as far as the concerts, and I think that kinda snuck in to the recording process.'
This momentum the band has accrued begs the question, perhaps premature given how fresh Burst Apart still sounds, of where they'll be heading next. An EP of covers and remixes called (together) was recently released on Frenchkiss Records, and was conceived as a kind of 'companion piece' to the album: 'A few of the tracks are older, there's a couple of tunes are the original attempts at songs that may have evolved into something else on Burst Apart, and the other ones are collaborations and remixes... some of them might be a bit self-indulgent and lengthy but we enjoyed doing them.' Beyond that, Lerner has some hints towards the sounds that are preoccupying them at the moment, and that could make for some interesting new material: 'We're actually all getting back, gravitating towards house, post-krautrock... there's just that underlying pulse, some sort of attitude...' They've also been listening with interest to what is perhaps the most significant development in electronic dance music over the last few years: 'I think James Blake is great, their live show's amazing... there's a good mix of music that's taking little pieces of what happens in the past influences, from late '80s early '90s, it feels fresh.' It is this sheer plurality of influences that gives the band its dynamic, a unique space they are attempting to explore with increasing refinement: 'There's that space between us, the dance aspect, the contemplative aspects... we merge those two things, a little bit cerebral but coming from the heart.' And that last could be taken as a perfect summation of The Antlers' ethos, regardless of what new directions it ends up taking them in.