Interview: Remo Drive talk reinvention, brotherhood, and love of music
by Diane
March 12, 2024
Remo Drive have long been a band of reinvention. Brothers Erik and Stephen Paulson started the musical project as teenagers in Bloomington, Minnesota. Ten years later and four LPs in, they’ve bloomed from a DIY emo/pop-punk band into a lyrical, melodic, and sonically rich indie-pop/alternative rock band.
Remo Drive’s latest LP, Mercy, derived from lead vocalist/guitarist Erik’s move to Albany, New York, during the pandemic. The solitude and new environment gave him time to develop his craft as a lyricist and vocalist. Iconic Seattle-based engineer Phil Ek produced the new album, bringing the brother’s musicality and songs to life in a previously unheard-of way. Think Fleet Foxes-meets-Beach Boys on tracks like “All You’ll Ever Catch” and “New in Town.” The infectiously catchy “No, There’s No Hope For You” echoes some musical cues from Roy Orbison’s “Pretty Woman,” but with different lyrical messaging. The song “I Find Trouble” mixes elements of traditional folk music with the modern indie swagger of artists like Father John Misty and the Shins.
It’s evident that Erik and Stephen Paulson both just love music. It’s what they were put on earth to do. When they are not working Remo Drive, they are often producing works for other projects, including local alternative rock bands Tacklebox and Heart to Gold.
Catch Remo Drive, The Local Show’s Artist of the Month, headlining Fine Line on April 14 with LA’s wilt.
I want to give some context into my knowledge of Remo Drive from the earliest days. I'm from Fargo-Moorhead. And so y'all traveled to Fargo-Moorhead a lot to play this event called New Direction Fest, and you had a cult following there. [So I asked Fargo talent booker Jack Stenerson], "I'm going to be interviewing Remo Drive. What question should I ask them?" And he goes, "What are the pros and cons of playing in basement venues and small spaces versus larger club shows?
Erik Paulson: I feel like the biggest pro of playing in a DIY space is you feel a lot more connected to the audience because it's like everybody's at eye level.
Stephen Paulson: And squished together.
EP: The band, what you're hearing, there's no way to really fill the recipe too much. It's kind of what the band is, is what you get. There's no traditional sound system. So I feel like, for us, that was really fun to grow up doing that. And to learn from seeing really great local bands — what a band should sound like if they are just a good band in a room. I think that definitely informs how we play larger venues. And I think that there are certainly pros for longevity of being able to tour. Having a sound system really helps with being able to sing for more than seven days in a row. And I think it also is nice if you're doing a show every night to have the option of having some personal space if you need it.
I understand there's been a big growth in your sound. I heard this record and it was so unexpected. I just love the songwriting. I love the musical intricacies. I love the sonic elements.
[Clip of “Please, Please Be Smart” by Remo Drive plays]
And then I was doing more research. And then I saw the producer, Phil Ek. And then I looked up his discography and then I was like, "Oh, man, it makes so much sense." Because, literally, these are all records that not only I've loved, I've basically worshiped. Tell me about working with him and choosing him as a producer for your new record.
EP: Phil was a friend of my vocal teacher. They've just known each other through musical connections and personal connections in the Pacific Northwest. And I had expressed to my vocal teacher that we were having trouble figuring out how we were going to record our album. And he was like, let me introduce you to some people I know. And I kind of didn't really think much of it ... And then he sent us emails that were threaded in with Phil and some other really crazy producers. And it was very unexpected. And we got talking to Phil and it was really nice, because I feel like he's got such a diverse discography, ranging from stuff like the Pretty Girls Make Graves records to more delicate things like Fleet Foxes records. I feel like for us, that was really cool because we love a lot of music. And also because we've been in a lot of different genre spaces, it's nice to feel like we have a reference point for something that's a little bit more out there. We got somebody who's gonna understand, okay, well if we're looking for a guitar sound that doesn't really feel super related to what we're doing, we can say that and we know that we'll both be on the same page.
[Clip of “All Your Ever Catch” by Remo Drive plays]
I think we really quickly clicked because Phil loves a lot of music and we love a lot of music and it was just an easy, natural pairing, and we just got along as friends really well, too. And he helped us push ourselves. And also I look up to some many records that he's done. Like the Father John Misty —
Oh my god, me too. Huge fan. I can hear that influence for sure.
EP: I'm borderline stay-on-territory for him since that.
SP: It just felt like when Erik was like, I'm talking to this person about working on the record. And then it was like, "Wait, what?" Like, for us too, there was like so many records that have had a big impact on us that he was a part of. So it felt like a real treat to be able to even go out and work with him. And then also to be able to have a more layered relationship too.
EP: It was kind of like exactly what we needed. Because our last record we did all by ourselves. And we were thinking about doing this one like that too. And I think we would have just gotten stuck in the weeds for so long if we didn't have somebody who —
Gave a fresh perspective.
EP: Definitely. Yeah. It was a huge help.
I was reading the bio and it says this is your most lyric-forward album. And then I'm hearing you say, you were working with your vocal teacher. And I was like, well, not only is it your most lyric-forward album, but also your voice is just glowing in a way that I have never heard before on some of your older records.
[Clip of “Mercy” by Remo Drive plays]
Especially in the song "Mercy." Talk to me about that.
EP: I think I had always been kind of like a singer, because I wanted to be in a band, but I didn't feel like I could steer the ship if I was just playing guitar, which I think probably happened because I grew up listening like Megadeth ... he was like a guitarist who was like, "Well, I just want to have a band. So I guess I got to start singing if I want to have something that's consistent." And so I feel like I was kind of a singer by default for a long time. And more recently, especially since we started playing more often, and I had to think more about being able to sing every day and not mess stuff up. Like, I just kind of naturally got more and more interested in that — and without really planning or expecting that to be an interest.
I was always very much, like, I'm a guitar player first until more recently. So it was a thing that slowly happened from our first record until now. I kept on realizing that I was having more and more fun singing and trying to learn new things. And I think this is just the first [record] where it feels like maybe I'm getting close to being as good of a singer as I am a guitar player. And I feel like it's been a long journey. So it's fun to finally be there and to feel like I can kind of try some stuff that would have been way out of my comfort zone a few years ago. And also I feel like having more of an ability lets me be more conversational, which I think is good for the lyrics too. Because I think a lot of music that grabs me is stuff like Father John Misty, where it's very plain spoken. Or even things like Michael Hurley, or lots of music that just feels very direct. I love that type of writing.
[Clip of “New In Town” by Remo Drive plays]
You two being brothers, how do you influence one another musically? You're obviously both very gifted musicians. And even watching you play guitar is always like, wow, I wish I could play like that. But I feel like you two complement each other? Is it almost telepathic?
SP: It depends. I feel like sometimes we'll really click. And other times I feel like it's just like anything — just way different reference points on stuff. And then we're both kind of like scratching our heads. Like, what are you talking about?
EP: I think our communication is really strong. Because like, I think with other people, we probably get irritated with each other a lot quicker. So I think that because we've got such a strong friendship and bond we are able to work together in a way that's really cool.
SP: Yeah, we were kind of talking about this since you got back home for getting ready for tour. But looking back from when we started getting more into music we'd be listening to and sharing with each other. I remember you shared this record and it really grew on me. Or it was like something where you shared this with me a long time ago. I didn't get it then but now I've gone back and checked it out and it clicked.
EP: I think it's been different in that we don't get to just recreationally play music together as much. But I think as far as how the writing goes, it's still pretty similar because our drummer for the past couple records has been living all over the place. So when we kind of come together to build up songs that are kind of already going, it's usually very focused and a big burst. And we'll do that over a two-week period where we can all get together and block off time. And the biggest thing is just being able to be like —
SP: You want to go jam?
Everyone: [Laughs]
EP: And we'll end up playing like Deftones songs or something.
[Clip of “Makin’ Muzak” by Remo Drive plays]
SP: I don't feel like the writing process has changed. I feel like it was just more like the less serious part of music and more of the initial fun spark we both grew to love and still love. And that thing is more the thing that I know I miss a lot.
EP: Some of the songs on this record have their origins in our kind of goofball jams. "I Find Trouble" started out as a totally different song that we jammed together. And most of it, we kind of redid. But there's the chorus part with the start-stopping stuff. I think it was us just trying to do something we'd heard in a Voids song.
[Clip of “I Find Trouble” by Remo Drive plays]
Like, "Oh, we should try to do a song that has those kind of things." So I feel like sometimes we'll find just from playing songs that we dig together we'll go, "Yeah, we should try to do a song that feels like that."
And you can tell like by the progression in the sound that y'all are interested in such a wide array of music. And then I've also noticed, there's this trend where some of your most obsessive fans are all like, "Why won't you play the shame album again over and over?"
Everyone: [Laughs]
Greatest Hits — forever! It's like, I get it. It probably brought them a certain joy and a certain life.
[Clip of “Yer Killin’ Me” by Remo Drive plays]
And I know, it's a theme that seems to come up with some people who are just so obsessed with that first record. What is your response to that? Having to hear it all the time?
SP: For a while, I feel like for both of us, it was harder because ever since Greatest Hits came out we didn't expect that to have as big of a splash as it did. When we were working on that I was like, "Oh, this feels like we're really stoked on this." And this feels like our best thing that we had done at the time. And it's cool that it's affected so many people in a positive way. But from then we were always like, let's keep on exploring musically what we want to explore and try something new every time. And I feel like for a while it was hard, where people were very anti-enjoying what we were trying to do. And I feel like now it's more funny. Where it's like, we're not taking Greatest Hits away. You can still listen to that whenever you want. It's still accessible. And it's like, we're not forcing you to listen to the new record. If you want to listen to it and you like it, great. If not, and it's not clicking, that's fine too.
EP: I definitely took it really hard for a while. Because I feel like prior to that, what we were used to is we would always do stuff that was different. And our friends around town would support us. And now, we had a bunch of strangers who were interested in the project, and they didn't have that context about us. So I think it was just really kind of a shock, because we were used to this thing, we're gonna sound like this … And our friends would always be — I don't know if they liked it or not, but they're always supportive. And I think that at first we were pretty hurt because we were not used to that. At this point, now, we just had to figure out how to get used to it, or else, it's not a tenable thing to just live in that feeling.
There are still things we'll read that when people will make kind of personal or pointed things that will still hurt. But I think we know now that it probably doesn't have as much to do with us as it does with their own perception of us as non-people.
[Clip of “No There’s No Hope for You Plays” by Remo Drive plays]
Think y'all are really compelling in the way that y'all have grown so big and started in that DIY punk ethos into growing into this band with more and more sophisticated elements of musicianship. Talk to me a little bit more about the lyrics of this record. There's a vulnerability aspect to it. As you mentioned, there was more intimacy in the lyrical writing and even in the way you're singing and pouring your heart out. You spent a lot of time alone during the pandemic and just really focused on lyrics and songwriting. I'd like to hear you talk a little bit more about your lyrics.
EP: When we first started, I think I felt like — there's an AC/DC quote that's like, “Lyrics are a space between the guitar solos.”
Everyone: [Laughs]
EP: That's probably how I felt when I was younger. I think that's probably pretty normal for somebody who hasn't had much life experience yet. And then as I've gotten older, I think one of the first records that I really really noticed it in more of a sophisticated way than a lot of emo stuff was really appealing to where I was at in my life when I was a teenager. And I definitely appreciated the lyrics, but there wasn't much of an interest in the craft of that because it is very just journalistic in a way. I think one of the first ones that really made me realize that it was a craft of its own was "The Party" by Andy Shauf. I saw him at the Cedar with no prior experience with his music and just fell in love. Because it was really compelling music and his storytelling was amazing. And it was not really very heavy-handed with how he was writing, but it was still very emotional. And that started a long journey of me really changing my focus to exploring that whole other side of music.
