Interview with The Impliers

The Impliers, a beautifully strange indie-pop duo, are renowned for their smooth blend of psych, dream pop, and electronic influences.

They emerged on the scene in 2022, establishing themselves with thoughtfully layered music, rich vocal harmonies, and memorably vulnerable lyrics. Based in Denver, the duo stands out among their peers with their wholly self-produced multimedia artistic explosion. Their creative endeavors extend beyond music and encompass award-winning sprawling psychedelic music videos, surreal short films, and sketch comedy.

How would you describe the music that you typically create?

We make music across a variety of genres – from short synth pop songs to film scores. As our first release was a full concept album covering a very specific emotional journey, as we start to release more music, we’ll demonstrate the full range of the music we create, which we realize might turn off those that only want to hear more of the same. Our latest single “Love At First Sight” is a song that tries to capture the sound and mindset of the fresh buzz of love is a radical departure to our first release, “Cocoon”, which was very indie, synth pop driven with a rather serious message, but our creations aren’t limited to genres, but it is important that the music matches the messaging that we cover, and we cover a broad range of feelings, thoughts and emotions, so we’re excited to share a lot more singles over the next few months that highlight some of this range.

What is your creative process like?

This depends, as we both have libraries of hundreds of unfinished songs and parts. We do have a gigantic story we have outlined and have been interpreting with songs for years, but as far as the music goes, Dan tends to get melodies in his head and then just interprets them, while Charles usually turns on an instrument and sees what comes out. Sometimes we just create something fresh very quickly, like “Love At First Sight ” was made in just a few days back & forth. Sometimes we start with a part and send it back & forth until someone catches creative flow and takes the song to a final place, sometimes one of us might reach back and take a melody or song from the others library and turn it into something new, sometimes we combine parts from things we like and then see what the mood fits and start combining from there. We’re more into the process of the doing than anything else, there’s something about the curiosity, calibration and exploration that is very rewarding. Then once it’s done, we move on.

How do you feel the Internet has impacted the music business?

It’s much better than selling tapes out of your trunk. You can now literally reach the whole world, and if you can get yourself into the algorithm, you can really make a difference in your reach. I think companies like Spotify are really trying to help artists. However, it is still really difficult and stacked in favor of who has the money, and the most money is spent by the labels. Social media doesnt even let your posts reach but a fraction of your own followers, and you really have to be savvy to run digital ads to get folks to find your songs, but the fact of the matter is that you can do this, when in the past, it was one tape at a time and very, very hard to get that reach. I feel it’s only going to get better.

Have you got a ritual of sorts when writing and thinking about your music?

Have an end goal in mind. Start and finish. But especially, finish. Done is better than perfect.

Which famous musicians do you admire?

Those that have done things that are so different – and so striking that you can always, always tell when it is them from a mile away. Michael Gira from Swans created such a powerful way of expressing emotion that would make your ears bleed, and the fact that they only tour their current album makes each experience novel and fresh, Mike Patton used to go out of his way to make THE most complex arrangements you have every heard that were so technical to pull off live.

What is next for you?

We’re releasing a concept album covering romantic love called “The Magic Pt 1”, but we’re taking a slightly different approach in releasing singles from this album, as well as several other upcoming albums over the coming months to keep our audience tapped into new sounds. These concepts are very important to us, and we want to keep sharing pieces of the full universe we’re creating.

What about your music is rebellious, unconventional, or unusual?

We’re just not a band, we’re a multimedia group. We put out short film, sketch comedy, music, and all types of things that we enjoy that is all part of our expression. The impliers is going to continue into something more unique as we keep releasing info and find new presentations in how we do both recorded and live material, but the music and sound will always stay at the core.

What sets your music apart? What is unique, or at least uncommon?

We’re trying to be very honest and present thoughts and emotions that people tend to avoid. We’re a little softer and more tender than what we’re used to hearing, especially from males, and we want to give you a vulnerable view into how feelings impact people that includes both optimism and failure. We all have trouble from time to time, we don’t want to just present the good without the bad, but the honest depiction of the living experience. We want to give people real things to think about and connect with.

Has your musical journey had a deliberate direction, or did it simply gradually evolve in whatever direction it found?

We started as kinds that would detune guitars and improvise and split down separate paths and built our own studios and evolved our own sounds, which were both light & dark in their own respects. We remained one another’s biggest fans over these years and found joy in the combination of our music. Now, we do fun things like combining songs that compliment one anther songs by combining parts, or finishing one another’s songs, or releasing them as is, and sometimes we troll one another by taking the other’s song and completely changing the genre, but it is all what serves the message and the art and keeps it enjoyable for us.

What can we expect from you within the next 6 months? Any releases planned? Future Gigs?

Our next gigs will actually be live sketch comedy, and we will ultimately be performing some live music over the next year, and likely these shows will be billed under different names until we’ve built a following enough where there is a demand for more impliers shows. This will allow us to experiment with our live presentation, which is not going to be a 1 for 1 representation of our albums, but something we feel is more compelling, powerful, and experiential and cinematic than a group of songs. We feel we owe anyone watching us a full, powerful, compelling experience. And we are building just that. And there is no rush. And being an internet band at this point without a local following, we don’t think there is enough people that want to see us in one place. We could not even get placed on the local music festival which features hundreds of local bands, so like anyone else, we have to work hard and earn that.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

There are a few ways – 1) you power through. Sit in your chair and push play. You will likely hear something you want to tweak, volume, a melody, and next thing you know you catch an idea, you are in flow and 2 hours goes by and you have transformed the song. 2) You send it to a friend and ask them to try to put things on it, but you have to be willing to let go of what it is the moment you click send. This is what destroys bands, the inability to collaborate. 3) If you love something, set it free. Maybe it is not time, move on. If it wants you to come back, it will let you know. But you don’t have to pursue something you don’t love if you fall out of love. This is why it is important to finish as much of the song when you are in the puppy love state of writing it.

The Impliers, Release New Single “Love At First Sight” From Upcoming Sophomore Album “The Magic – Pt 1”

“Love At First Sight” showcases a stripped-down, upbeat, and danceable pop sound, representing a radical departure from the expansive, rich musical and vocal texture of their debut album, “Cocoon.” The track maintains an eerie similarity to the musical spirit of their previous work while embracing a new tone.

Accompanying the single is a captivating 4-minute music video, taking the viewer on a journey with a mysterious woman along a strange, fantastical, and winding road. The experience encompasses a wide range of emotions, visual aesthetics, and musical styles. The Impliers’ signature blend of mystery, comedy, and surrealism provokes profound contemplation while unraveling the irresistibly catchy, stripped-down, upbeat, and danceable pop sound of the lead single from The Impliers’ sophomore album, “The Magic – Pt 1.” This concept album delves into the vast dimensions of romantic love. The action-packed video, created, performed, recorded, produced, filmed, edited, mixed, and released by The Impliers, will leave you hitting the replay button repeatedly, offering both unexpected surprises and striking story elements that reward repeat views and listens.