Kat Harlton
We had a chat with Brian Borcherdt, (who you may recognize from Canadian Electronica group Holy Fuck), about his latest single as Dusted titled “Little More Time“. Brian shares his thoughts on finding inspiration, what he hopes fans take away from the track, and what he’s learned along the way.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your latest single “Little More Time”?
Dusted: It was the first song I brought out after the Total Dust record was finished. I liked how simple it was, the chords, the rhythm. So I wanted the lyrics to be simple and direct. I decided to write a simple statement, acknowledging someone’s passing, taking the inspiration from the loss of a personal friend of mine. The song is about wishing for more from them but also saying, ‘whelp, that’s it, they’re gone’. In a way it isn’t sad. It’s just a frank admission of the facts.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Dusted: It’s a bit saccharine in my opinion, almost sappy. I hope listeners cut through that and allow themselves to relate to the simple expression. I think it’s genuine and unpretentious. I hope it feels good to them.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Dusted: I write a lot of music. I like it all, particularly in those early unaffected, honest stages. The songs are simple and harmless. But the process of refining them into a singular statement, with concise lyrics, recorded as a definitive version, that process is daunting and dangerous. There’s limitless missteps. It can be a burden to get to the finish line with all the parts and ideas un-fucked. I often cringe at the results and have to start over. It’s like the songs are so simple they are almost naïve- I have to guide them very carefully. I learn a lot.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Dusted: My career has a lot of moving parts, a lot of meandering tangents. I think it only makes sense with distance and time. But I’m not there yet to see it or understand it.
I’ve been lucky to have had so many great shows with Holy Fuck. It’s a cool blur. With Dusted I’m grateful that I get to do something a little different. Holy Fuck had a chance to open a Smashing Pumpkins arena tour but we opted out and that allowed me to head out with Dusted in support of Perfume Genius. It aligned so much more with what I was feeling at the time. I’m lucky that I get to have these two things co-existed in tandem. I feel it helps me focus on what I really want, what my true goal is, it feels more honest.
Kat: What’s next? We heard there is a new album in the works!
Dusted: I’m always working on more than one Dusted record at a time- maybe that’s why they take a while to finish. I also have a new group called Quilting that is making almost 20th century style classical or soundtrack stuff. My band LIDS is sort of on hiatus because we are all separated at the moment but an older single is coming out on SUBPOP this June. I think that’ll inspire us to get together as soon as we can travel. And travel is also keeping Holy Fuck apart. We had our first little on-line hang last night, discussing all these pieces we’ve been collecting for a single or EP that will come out soon. I’m really hoping this new Dusted gets some healthy light shining on it this year. I know I’ll be touring a lot around the East Coast but I want to get back to Europe and the US to play shows and see friends.
For more Dusted visit: https://totallydusted.bandcamp.com