Dom catches up with Christina Michelle from punks Gouge Away to talk about the potential of a UK tour, and new album, ‘Deep Sage’…
S] Hi, how are you today?
Hey! I’m doing pretty good. Thanks for having me.
S] Talk to us about the best memories you have working on Deep Sage with Jack Shirley?
It was a pretty immersive experience. We slept in the studio. So between excitement, exhaustion, and having only a few brain cells left, I remember some fun nights of goofing off together. Then we’d wake up and do it all again.
The best part was recording live to tape. The guys were set up in the live room together. I was in a vocal booth with a window so we could see each other and they had a monitor in the room to hear me. Honestly, I always found recording to be a boring and tedious experience that I never looked forward to but bouncing off each other’s energy like we would at practice or a show made it a really fun time.
S] How do you define success as artists now, what does the term mean to you?
To me, it means writing music you’re proud of, playing well live, and bringing others up with you. Everything else is the cherry on top.
S] How do you look back at Burnt Sugar now?
It was a validating experience. We took risks on writing songs like “Ghost” and that’s now our most popular song. At the time it felt like any deviation from , Dies was a risk. Knowing how much people embrace that song felt like the more risks we take aren’t really as scary as we might think. People were way more open-minded than we envisioned.
S] In what ways does Deep Sage represent a new beginning for the band, if any?
Writing under the radar for a while helped us freely write the record we wanted to, without being concerned with outside expectations.
We used to take nearly every touring opportunity but now we want to take better care of ourselves and operate more intentionally, which means only saying yes to things we’re excited about.
S] I’m interested in the lyrics for both ‘Idealized’ and ‘Stuck In A Dream’ – both seem very self-reflective, but I don’t know if that’s an oversimplification, what do those tracks mean to you?
“Idealized” is my favorite song. I always wanted to write a pro-abortion song without it coming across as just an anthem. “Stuck in a Dream” is about being stuck in the dream of touring life, knowing that if you want to be honest about your experience, people aren’t going to want to hear it because it’s perceived as a life everyone wants. Most of the time I love touring, but when you’re not in a healthy place mentally or have things going on that you should be home for, being on tour is arguably one of the last places you should be. They were lyrics I wrote in 2019 when we were touring non-stop. I needed a break for a long time and instead got rewarded with one of the most brutal treatments on tour ever by venue staff, etc. It definitely makes you question your life choices.
S] I’ve always loved the band’s visuals and videos/artwork, how important is that aspect of the band to you?
Thank you! It’s really important to me and it always means a lot to me when I see other bands use art intentionally. Art can help express themes, a mood, or a point and I think it can elevate the music.
S] Is there a message for your UK fans, and supporters who have gotten behind you, and will continue to?
Thank you always! It’s always a crazy thing to think about anyone liking us, let alone people who live far away. We have plans to spend some time over there this Summer and we can’t wait. <3
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