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Interview with NTNT
- by Cory Huennekens
Lets start off by talking about the new EP you're working on. When did you decide you wanted to start making a new EP?
Dustin: I pretty much knew about halfway through writing the first album that there would be follow up. I’ve written about 50 or 60 songs/ideas since last June when "I'll find you in the colors" came out. One thing I'm really happy about with this upcoming EP is the amount of time and attention to detail each song is getting.
What is the driving force behind the songs, the motivation behind the words and music if you will?
Dustin: The human condition and all of the overwhelmingly large feelings that come as a result of it. Birth, death, joy, sadness, lust, love. Family and friends and their lives. We all feel a need to express and to be understood. Music is simply our way of doing that.
As a songwriter, what is the raw material you use as inspiration to write?
Dustin: Some times I have no fucking clue. I'll just start hearing a song in my head and sometimes I don't even realize it hasn't been written into existence yet. That said I'm inspired and deeply moved by great movies, conversations win friends, family... Oh and wine - I use wine.
In what ways would you say this EP is different than the last one you released?
Dustin: It's darker. The last record had an overall message about life. I wanted to inspire my self and others to live a full life. To never give up if you really believe in something, to love one another... This record is a bit more my own. I sing about some things I probably wouldn't talk about. It's an overall story, I think, about a healing process. Musically it's matured a lot. I've been at it for longer, I've honed my craft some. I'm able to create sounds that I hear intuitively more rapidly without having to sit there and fuck with a synth for an hour and end up losing the idea.
Can you tell me a bit about any particular difficulties or hurdles you encountered or had to overcome with the new EP?
Dustin: Yeah, I changed writing environments ( houses lol ) midway through and changed drummers as well. Both of which were a good decision but very stressful. The most challenging part was the mix. I wanted to do the mix myself because It's so integral to the way it is interpreted by the listener, yet I wanted something professional quality as well. I had to grow a lot as an engineer in order to accomplish what I wanted.
Do you have a track of the new album you're especially fond of, and if so why?
Dustin: I'm fond of all of them. I chose these five out of so many other ideas. I wanted to pick songs that were all amazing. It's cliche but the term "all killer no filler" was on my mind the whole time. We have this song called "getchya so good" on there though that I am particularly proud of. The chorus is bold and yet so feel good at the same time. I love it.
NTNT is a rising star on the Portland music scene, what would you like your fans to know about your music?
Dustin: Thank you! I think the fans know the music fairly well, but if there was one thing I would say to them it would be thank you for everything and that our lives and music is both fueled and enriched by them.
You can find NTNT on Facebook as well as Bandcamp, make sure to keep an eye out for their upcoming release!
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