EVERETT GOES HEAVY ON SMOKE SIGNALS

Smoke Signals finds the Camas emo band expanding their dynamic range keeping the messy and personal immediacy

Smoke signals, the eleven-track record is deliberately restless. Everett Tea push further into Midwest emo's intricate guitar language, and they also lean harder into metal-weighted breakdowns and sudden dynamic changes. “long-tailed cat” contains intensity followed by softer and more exposed passages. “empty parking lot,” featuring Kate Burton of beach side property, adds another vocal texture, while “alt+3” becomes the album's emotional centre, effectively dividing itself into two contrasting halves.

What stays with me most is the writing. The album began from frustration surrounding changing relationships and growing older, and gradually arrives somewhere more accepting. The loud sections feel cathartic and aggressive, while the quieter moments carry more weight because of what surrounds them.

It's messy, melodic, heavy and vulnerable in equal measure, and I recommend it to anyone who wants emo that still has somewhere to go!

Interview with Everett Tea

(•)> Smoke Signals feels substantially more collaborative than anywhere but here. How did having more people involved change the way the songs developed?

(•)> You deliberately wanted the album to explore both faster, heavier material and softer passages. How did you decide where each song should sit on that spectrum?

(•)> “long-tailed cat” was chosen as the first single because it contains two extremes of the record. When did you realise that contrast represented the album so well?

(•)> How did Marek Wood's arrival as drummer change Everett Tea's arrangements and overall sense of dynamics?

(•)> What did producer Justin Abel bring to the record that changed the way you were hearing the songs?

(•)> The lyrics reportedly became less frustrated and more accepting as the writing progressed. Can you identify the moment when that emotional shift became apparent?

(•)> “alt+3” contains two distinct sections and seems to embody that movement from frustration toward reflection. Why did that song need to be structured that way?

(•)> How do you prevent the heavier breakdowns from overwhelming the more vulnerable songwriting?

(•)> You have mentioned quieter artists such as Phoebe Bridgers, Slaughter Beach, Dog and mealworm as influences. What do you take from those artists that translates into Everett Tea's much louder sound?

(•)> “empty parking lot” features guest vocals from Kate Burton of beach side property. What did her voice add to the song that you couldn't have achieved within the core lineup?

(•)> The album also contains playful titles such as “i don't skateboard or dinosaur” and “religion, politics, and the great pumpkin.” How important is humour and personality when you're writing about heavier subjects?

(•)> After making Smoke Signals, what do you think Everett Tea understand about yourselves as a band that wasn't clear when you made anywhere but here?

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Everett Tea on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist