Recording Under the Influence is a recurring self-titled feature where we ask artists to ignore their musical inspirations for a minute and share what really went into the making of a particular record. In the case of Pop. 1280, that means influences that are as illicit and nightmarish as their surgical tool sound—a strangely alluring blend of the Birthday Party and Lower East Side era Swans—from the pulpy sci-fi novels of Philip K. Dick to speed-addled sleepless nights…
1. Pulp
Philip K. Dick, Jim Thompson, John Carpenter, David Cronenberg, Martin Amis.
2. Speed
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, William S Burroughs, Lou Reed. No sleep.
3. Headlines
We mostly keep politics out of the band, but the surrealism of modern mass media has seeped into a lot of our music. Headless body in a topless bar. Long Island Ripper. Kitty Genovese.
4. The American Southwest
Traveling there has provided us with lots of inspiration for music and imagery for lyrics. Bisbee. Tombstone.
5. Alcohol
Ernest Hemingway, William Holden, Under the Volcano. Hangovers. The Horror.
