Plastic Harpoons are a four-piece band from Santa Barbara, who started when lead vocalist and songwriter, Taylor Casey, moved back home to Santa Barbara after 3 years bouncing around Austin and New York City. He met up with lead guitarist Daniel Vasquez and the group was rounded out in 2019 with the addition of Sean Renken (Bass) and Bijan Firouzan (Drums). There’s a classic Southern California rock feel to today’s song, the soon-to-be-released latest single, which blends a laid-back feel with an unsettled vibe.
Americana UK asked Plastic Harpoons to share their thoughts on the new song and their latest album ‘Modern World‘ which is out on Lolipop Records in October.
Can you describe the significance of “East of State” and discuss how it fits into the rest of the forthcoming LP’s general message?
“‘East of State’ is another chapter in the story of living in our modern world. It’s about finding something beautiful within the midst of chaos. Musically, it stands out from the rest of the album, as we approached it very collaboratively, cross-pollinating genres and each of our influences.”
With regard to your forthcoming LP, Modern World, where did the writing process start? Where did you draw inspiration from as you underwent that process, and what ultimately influenced this record most?
“A majority of the songs were originally written by Taylor Casey as singer/songwriter songs. During Covid, we found refuge at an avocado ranch, where we transformed each song into what they are now. Along the way, we found our groove and voice as a band and our songwriting process became more and more collaborative. Lyrically, the songs drew inspiration from life: from living in new cities, to heartbreak, loss, and new love. Musically we feel that we have found our own sound, which still seems to be evolving.
To be honest, we’re just stoked to finally have an album out to share with the world. We feel that we captured how the songs feel live, and have already heard more people singing the lyrics to the singles that we’ve released so far. We’re especially excited about ‘Diamond Wings’, ‘Gettysburg’, and ‘East of State’.”
Sure, I could climb high in a tree, or go to Skye on my holiday. I could be happy. All I really want is the excitement of first hearing The Byrds, the amazement of decades of Dylan's music, or the thrill of seeing a band like The Long Ryders live. That's not much to ask, is it?
