ATH Interviews: MIniature Tigers

In anticipation of their new album coming out in a couple weeks, we thought we’d check in with recent New York transplanters Miniature Tigers.  We talk with the band about what it’s like to live in the big city, what we can expect from new LP Fortress, as well as a few other goodies we thought you might be curious about.  So follow the jump for full interview with frontman Charlie Brand.

ATH: What do you think touring with a buzz indie band like Free Energy does for your band?

Charlie: It gives us the chance to get in front of a new audience. We’ll meet people after the show who hadn’t heard of us but become fans of the music.

ATH: All we’ve heard so far from your new album is the Neon Indian produced track “Gold Skull”.  How did that collaboration come about?

Charlie: I was a fan of his record and was listening to it a lot over the summer. I had this song which had more of an electronic element than the rest of the songs for the album. We felt his touch would make this electronic song fit in more with the record. We reached out to Alan and asked him if he’d want to collaborate on it with us. He was such a down to earth nice guy and passionate about the song. He came into the studio in Manhattan for a marathon all night session.

ATH: The single has obvious Neon Indian touches as evidenced by the lo-fi pop sound created by it.  Will the new record be similar or hark back to the debut LP?

Charlie: We try not to repeat ourselves and I don’t feel like anything on this record would fit in with the family of songs on our debut.  We worked hard to give each song it’s own vibe. Gold Skull in some ways is the oddball of the record because it had a different producer but it’s also the most synthy moment on the album.

ATH: How did you hook up with Chris Chu of Morning Benders? (record producer)

Charlie: I’ve known Chris for years from our bands playing shows together. I sent him the demos I was working on for the album and he expressed an interest in making a record with us. From the conversations about music I’ve had about music with Chris, I knew our taste levels were in the same realm and he could also get the tones we were after.

ATH: How’s the adjustment been moving from the relatively lo-key Phoenix area to the hustle and bustle of New York?

Charlie: It’s been great, I love New York! It’s a whole different way of life than Phoenix and it’s been fun and exciting diving into that. On the other hand, I love Phoenix and really appreciate the relaxed life style to the west coast almost as equally to New York.

ATH: Have you guys made the leap and quit your day jobs to focus on the band?

Charlie: I think for the most part we’ve still been doing part time jobs here and there. We drop everything to tour and are never held back by a day job but I don’t know if we’re in a position to say we’ve quit our day jobs. Musician’s purgatory

ATH: What are your top 3 records that have dropped this year?

Charlie: MGMT – Congratulations

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today

Gorillaz – Plastic Beach

ATH: Who do you like to win the World Cup? (to be fair, we asked this prior to the start of the World Cup)

Charlie: I would love for USA to win but I’m a realist and realize that probably won’t happen in my lifetime. I’ve always loved Brazil, they love to play and you can see it.

Thanks again Charlie for taking the time out to talk with us.  Also, make sure you mark your calendar for the sure to be awesome Miniature Tigers show at Stubbs on August 3rd.  We’ll of course remind you again of that one closer to the date.