An Interview With the LA Band SQUID CULT All About Their New Single ‘Baby Blue’ and More!

The Los Angeles band Squid Cult recently released their debut single ”Baby Blue.”

Check out the song here- https://soundcloud.com/squidcult/baby-blue-2/s-dfiSa

Squid Cult harness the power of rebirth on “Baby Blue.” The band, which includes Daniel Talton (guitar, vocals), Karter Mycroft (bass, keys), Csongor Erdélyi (lead guitar), and Max Pretzer (drums, vocals), found an unexpected synergy, and history, between each other when they first met. When a friend brought the group together to record a couple of Talton’s songs, they discovered they’d all spent time wandering the basements of Bloomington, Indiana. Their chance meeting in LA, in addition to their mutual influences like Modest Mouse, Springsteen, and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, culminated in the creation of Squid Cult. As they grew as a band and developed their multi-faceted sound, the next step was venturing into the studio, where “Baby Blue” was born. The single, the first they arranged as a band, is a fitting introduction to the diverse sound of Squid Cult.

Inspired by the desolate Chaco Canyon of New Mexico, “Baby Blue” is an atmospheric, hypnotic track about rebirth. Awash in a sense of isolation and destitution, the wandering melody was born from a dream that Talton had. The infusion of emotion feels equal parts like a broken soul and a hopeful dreamer, one who is searching for something better. Punchy drums and hearty riffs build to a volatile, enrapturing chorus. It’s clear, Squid Cult has found a unique rock sound of their own on “Baby Blue.”

Connect With Squid Cult Here:

Facebook → ​https://www.facebook.com/squidcult/

Instagram → @squid.cult

Twitter → @squid_cult

Learn more about Squid Cult in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time, Squid Cult!

Of course! Dan (DT) and Karter (KM) here. Interrogate us plz.

So how has 2018 been treating you all? What is one musical goal that you have had for this year and how close are you to reaching it?

DT: 2018 has been a wild, whiplash year. For me, it feels like everything has been a struggle except Squid Cult. I guess the obvious answer is finishing and releasing our first album, All Boys Leave Home Someday . We’ve really poured our hearts, souls, and disposable income into it. Though (low key), I think we’re most excited about what we’ve dubbed ‘Squid Cult Phase II.’ All Boys Leave Home Someday , has been a way of finding our common ground. Now we’re ready to explore all the nooks and crannies of that ground. At the end of the day, we love to write. And in Phase II, we’ll be writing about 5 records!

Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be in this band together? Has anything surprised you about it all so far?

DT: To be honest, it has been on from moment one. But a specific moment for me might be one of our Craft Hill shows. We were playing a lovely little bar/grill that fed us and gave us all the beer we could drink. We’d been playing a lot of acoustic songs, very pleasant and sublime. But one day, we had written some new, much scarier songs, and we chased everyone out of the bar. I think that’s when I first felt the possibility of everything we could accomplish together. I feel so, so lucky to be playing music with these weirdos. I’ve been
waiting for them my whole life.

How difficult was it to come up with your very unique and interesting band name? What other names were you considering?

DT: Holy cow, this is an excellent question. We have a spreadsheet in the Squid Cult Drive that has I think 400+ names. All of them pretty bad. For a couple months our group thread consisted entirely of name suggestions. Some classics include: Don Flan, Squerp Gun, President Shrimp, and (my personal favorite) Cuttlefish: a Go-Go Bar. We had all but given up when Karter suggested ‘Squid Cult.’ It was a stroke of genius! I could tell before he had even said it, he had found the name. It was something in his grin.

How do you think this group’s hometown has influenced the sound and how you all carry yourselves in this group? If you don’t think that it has, why is that?

KM: This is tough because we all grew up in different places! Though we did all live in Bloomington, Indiana for a while, long before Squid Cult got started. Maybe it influenced our sound, maybe not. But also, it means we have something to prove in LA, a city we all love.

As a relatively new band, I am curious to know what you have found to be the most fun part about this whole music ride? What has been the most challenging/difficult part about it all?

DT: Hm. I think the most fun part is the secret moments. When we stumble upon a riff, a progression, or an idea that we know is special. Or bringing in a song with an idea in mind, only to have it totally transformed by your friends. It’s beautiful. Maybe the most challenging has been just booking shows. We’re all introverts. We love music, and find that part of the process relatively intuitive. Convincing other people to let us play, that’s a whole different skill set. Then again, I do love the underdogs. So I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Let’s talk about your debut single “Baby Blue.” What was the inspiration for this track? How excited were you to finally release music as a group? How do you think this track is a perfect introduction of the kind of music to expect from Squid Cult in the future? How does it compare to the rest of your forthcoming debut album “All Boys Leave Home Someday’?

DT: Oooooo, so many thoughts. I love ‘Baby Blue.’ To me, it’s everything best and most generous about the music I’ve written so far. It’s a gift to the ones I love: a song to put on when everything falls apart and there’s no one to believe in you but yourself. A reminder you’re not alone! We’re all alone, you know. Alone, here, with you. It’s a distillation of the good boy I’ve been up to this point, and that boy’s death-knell. But it’s only a tease for the rest of the album. It’s a welcome, and the happiest hello. I hope you’ll listen to the rest of the record. Put on your seatbelts, cuz this one’s a wild ride.

When do you hope to release your debut album? What was it like making this collection? Did anything surprise you about the overall process?

KM: It’s coming out June 22nd, if all goes according to plan. “All Boys” was honestly a joy to make, which is saying something considering we drilled the songs for like a year and spent pretty much 100% of our disposable income to produce it. It’s a very performance-based record; I’d say 90% of what you hear is all us playing together–one take, no edits. All that energy, all that fun, is a snapshot of every time we play together. We
practiced ourselves raw for this thing. There were a couple of game-day calls though…’Everybody Knows’ was a spontaneous in-studio decision, for example.

DT: Hoping to release it in June. It was an emotional roller coaster and a joy. It was very performance-based. I’d say 90% of what you hear is all us playing together–one take, no edits. All that energy, all that fun, is a snapshot of every time we play together. We practiced ourselves raw for this thing.

Where do you think you are all happiest- in the studio recording new music, on stage performing or elsewhere? Do you have any upcoming shows this summer that you would like to tell our readers about?

KM: We enjoy both a lot, maybe for different reasons…In the studio we are just trying to craft good stories, lyrically and musically and soundwise too. On stage we like to get wild; I’ve heard Dan describe it as “cannibal squids looking for another meal” or something. And YES we have a really cool show coming up on June 22nd with a bunch of our favorite bands!

How do you think being a musician and in this band gives you all the most joy in life today?

DT: I think real joy comes from an overflowing of life. When a person is so full to bursting with wild, reckless life, that it must be shared. This band fills me up, gives me purpose, and gives me a chance to be myself. My real, weirdo self. For a chance at that, I’ll go anywhere,
do anything.

We are currently living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious to know how your own music is reflecting this time period? If you don’t think it is, why is that? Would you say that other musicians are making music that has been influenced by this climate?

KM: We try not to put any overt political messages in our songs…Instead I think we try to present ideas, characters, etc. that we find interesting or relevant or controversial and let the listener decide what to take away from it. Like, in our song ‘The Urinal’ I picture this old macho guy taking a piss and suddenly having a crisis of sexuality, and the lyrics are all the ways he struggles to reassure himself…”I was born to be a man, Everyone’s in love with me” etc. We don’t feel the need to beat you over the head like “Hey look at this toxic masculinity!” but the message is definitely there (plus it wouldn’t be as catchy of a chorus). I think other musicians operating in this current climate–which definitely comes with a sense of desperation!–are reflecting that in their own ways.

How important do you think social media has been to this band? Do all you help to maintain all your sites or is one of you more into it all? Or do you rely on your PR/management team to handle it?

DT: We do our own social media, so that’s all us! Come say hi!

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favorite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

KM: This is tough…Our favorite bands from our general area right now are Jerkagram, Dream Clinic, and Sprain; can we have them?

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

DT: The message of our music is: in the ocean, on this planet, there is a squid that shares your name. It never judges, it only observes. It is unafraid. It is unrestrained by moral codes. It is your squid, and it is in your brain. Love it, and it will love you.

If you guys were all going to be stranded on a deserted island, what musical item would you want to take with you and why?

KM: I want one of those cheesy guitars with a giant body and a whammy bar and I will only be performing Jimmy Buffett songs with it.

Would you like to share anything else about your music or this band with our readers?

KM: We are cooking up so many different things right now it’s hard not to start rambling…I think between Dan and I we’re writing like six albums right now. 2018 and 2019 are gonna be pretty packed for us. So I’ll just say we’re very very excited about everything on Squid Cult’s horizon, and we hope we can find some people who are as stoked about it as we are! Thank you for the interesting and fun interview!!