INTERVIEW: ANOTHER MAGIC RELEASES Latest ep “Don’t Hold Back”
BY OLIVIA LEON
Seattle based artist Another Magic, AKA Thomas Arndt, recently released their EP “Don’t Hold Back.” The genre blending artist takes “art-pop” to a new level with entrancing drum beats and basslines to draw you in from start to finish. I got a chance to chat with Arndt this week about everything that went into the EP and what’s to come for Another Magic.
Photo By: Thalia Le Fleur
First off, I was just listening to your EP and this is definitely becoming a summer staple for me. Absolutely love it!
Your style is also super unique! How would you describe it to a totally new listener?
It’s a bit of a mix of everything! There’s elements of post-punk, 90s pop, folk, grunge, Brazilian forró… I just start playing and see what comes out, what feels good. I think it loosely fits under the “art pop” genre… Growing up I fell in love with the all ages punk scene in Seattle (and places like the Redmond Old Firehouse), and I think there’s always a bit of that influence in there, but there are so many other textures too. Joyful resistance music?
Do you have any main inspirations for your music? Is there anyone within or outside of the music industry that has influenced your work?
I think what most keeps me going as an artist is seeing other’s creative processes. Esperanza Spalding’s “Exposure,” where she wrote and recorded an entire album live-streamed over 3 days really lit me up, for example. Because in a way she showed how even at those spectacular levels of creation, the process is kind of the same: try things out, experiment, play around, edit, feel, listen, choose when it’s finished. Also just seeing her enjoyment of the process! That’s also why the Nada Rosa “Album in a Month Challenge” in January that this EP came out of was so inspiring. Lots of people posting little bits of their progress online was really fun and kept the ball rolling.
I really loved “Don’t Hold Back.” Do you have a personal favorite off the EP?
These songs are all special to me, but I’m really feeling “Right Here.” I’m SO happy I got to use that matchstick beat I made awhile back— I sampled striking and lighting a match and blowing it out and then played it as a little drum kit. I had already created the base of the song and then I thought oh, let’s try this on here and it was perfect! One of the little mantras I have for music making is “nothing is wasted.” There are bits and pieces of work from years back that keep filtering their way into these songs, which just feels like a sweet way to be engaged in a music practice. It also feels exciting to have natural processes in my songs, like fire coming to life, breath, the water, bird calls.
What generally goes into your process for music creation? The whole EP flows really well and is such a great listen.
For me it’s all about layers and rhythm. I almost always will start with either drums or bass, which are my main interests. Something I did differently on this album was spending time dialing in the bass sounds before writing. I usually will find a sound that’s in the direction of what I want, write the basslines, and then tweak the sounds later, but spending time on that first felt good and I think led to a slightly different writing process.
You recently helped organize Seattle’s So Dreamy Fest, which looked awesome! Are you interested in other aspects of the music scene aside from creating music?
So Dreamy was so beautiful! It was two days of 25+ QTBIPOC acts organized by a team of artists working together to create something that didn’t exist and fill a gap in Seattle programming. It felt so good to see it take on a life of its own as people filled Cafe Racer and Vermillion and got down to all that amazing music. I love event production and definitely will continue to work on projects in and around Seattle, particularly ones that highlight marginalized artists. I’d say my real passion is in creating unique environments for people to have new and connective experiences together.
I also noticed you have a few live dates yourself coming up! How do you find your experience with your music translates or changes in live spaces?
I throw a monthly “dance party plus” called World Wide Bounce, which features global bass music, live bands, dance performances and vendors. It’s been a really beautiful time and over the last year a really special community has developed there. The next one is July 21st at Chop Suey (3rd Thursdays) and I’ll be DJing alongside Siempre Bruja, Lesbian Death Bed Justice Manslayer and Taylar Elizza Beth!
I’m also over the moon with our band Day Soul Exquisite (I play percussion) and we will be gigging around town all summer and releasing our first single very soon. And I’m working on a live show for the Another Magic tunes.
Finally, I love to get insight into what artists are listening to at the moment, so do you have any current music favorites? An artist, album, EP, or even just a song that's been on repeat?
Rachael’s Children and Black Ends are my favorite local bands, especially their live performances, which are so energetic and alive! (It was so awesome to have Nicolle Swims collaborate on “Walking in the Footsteps” for the EP). The Gender Tender Experiment just did one of the coolest performances I’ve seen in a long time, a mix of theater, dance and music surrounding the Stonewall Riots and queer resistance. I’d love to see more work that mixes genres and disciplines like that! I feel really inspired by all of the amazing musical misfits in Seattle who are connected in spirit if not sound.
Be sure to check out Don’t Hold Back on all streaming platforms!
