Collaboration is one of the best ways to expand your own sound. Working with others lets you add in their experiences and influences to create something that can be better than the sum of its parts. The Glacial Drift project is a great example of this.
Over the past decade, the experimental electro sound of Glacial Drift has grown into something truly unique. The project consists of Hilde Clark-Snustad (Montana, USA) and Xavier Alejandro Reyes-Ochoa (Quito, Ecuador) with Jason McDonald (Washington, USA) joining in 2014. Together they have now released the album 2020.
A perfect introduction to the album is the single “Snow”. The deep electro melody acts as a cozy cushion for your ears. The sweet vocals lift us up to an airy feeling of relaxation. Sounds seem to come from all angles to keep the listener pinned down wondering where the song will take us next.
We had the chance to chat with the band and get a little deeper behind the scenes. Enjoy the interview here:
First off, what is the story behind the Glacial Drift name?
Hilde and Xavier visited Glacier National Park and thought about glaciar movement and global warming while writing their first songs in 2009. That inspired the name.
How would describe the group’s sound?
TGD started playing prog rock but grew more into experimental, international, and electronic sounds. Their last album is their most electronic one so far.
Which artists have had the biggest influence on Glacial Drift?
Sal y Mileto, The Mars Volta, Coco Rosie, Portishead were some early influences. Their last album is influenced more by Radiohead, MGMT, and Phantogram.
Tell us how you work together coming from different parts of the globe?
It’s a globalized world nowadays and we have enjoyed traveling and meeting new musicians to work with. While in Ecuador, we worked with a lot of Ecuadorian musicians. Then moved to Seattle where we met Jason. He became an essential member of the group while working on other similar projects.
How does a song come together? What is your songwriting process?
Jason and Xavier send ideas to each other. They transform these ideas into a songs that Hilde can sing and write lyrics for.
What do you hope the listener will take away from your music?
That it is 2020. A messed up year for the world with many unknowns: we are building more walls instead of bridges, a virus is killing an isolating us, while the human is getting way closer to merge our future with machines. It is up to us to decide the future of humanity.
Share some advice for other collaborating bands?
Being a professional musician has never been easy so just keep it fun and have a good time. Things will flow if they are meant to.
Give us a look at the future of Glacial Drift?
We have been more of a studio band so no plans to play live anytime soon and add covid to that. More music to come for sure. Your support always helps to keep the motivation going.
Keep up with more music by Glacial Drift on their BandCamp
