Coastal - An Invitation to Slowness

The story of Coastal has so far been a short one, made up of a handful of delicate lullabies that drifted through the early years of the new millennium. Their hypnotic melodies stem from the fusion of guitarist and singer Jason Gough's shoegaze influences with bassist Josh Callaway's love of slowcore. What sets this Provo, Utah band apart from others in the genre, though, is the crucial presence of an organ, played by Jason's wife Luisa Gough, whose melodies are deliberately understated and repetitive, yet fill every song and carry it languidly toward its natural conclusion. After two wonderful albums, the band has only put out a few self-released EPs. We tracked down singer Jason Gough, who granted us this interview.

If I had to sum up Coastal in a few words, I'd say "a perfect fusion of shoegaze and slowcore." I know you (Jason) were influenced by shoegaze while Josh listened to a lot of slowcore. Can you tell us about the bands or styles that most influenced each of you?

When we formed Coastal I was listening to a lot of Velour 100. Even though people assume we're followers of Low, it's probably Velour 100 that inspired me the most. I was, and still am, a huge shoegaze fan, and so is Josh. Some slowcore is too much for me, though. It bores me. Categories aside, I've always loved sweet, melodic music. That's the style I grew up on. I had a bunch of older sisters who were constantly heartbroken, so I just listened to whatever they played because it was already on the turntable. Jim was in a band closer to Sunny Day Real Estate when we met him. He played guitar and sang. He's not a drummer, but he's gotten pretty good since then, and he also plays in another band that needs his talent far more than Coastal does. Luisa's musical tastes are very different from the rest of ours. She loves classical stuff, and things that are more feminine. Our nine-year-old daughter is learning to play violin, so these days we've got the Suzuki method CD in rotation most of the time. She's getting pretty good. She's already written a few songs of her own, too. Music is a must for any family.

We made an EP between the two albums, and that's when we started experimenting with adding more layers, and in the end we liked the direction it took us. On top of that, there were things I wanted to try out on the latest album (falsetto vocals, strings, samples, etc.). Nobody wants to hear a new album that sounds just like the last one, but at the same time I was very wary of straying too far from our original sound.

Your third LP was announced back in 2009, but it still hasn't come out. Any news on that front?

Don't remind me... I fully intended to finish it long before now, but life has really picked up speed since kids joined our family. We're all pretty busy with our respective careers. By the end of the day I'm pretty worn out, so it's hard to sit down and actually make music. What's really difficult is keeping any kind of continuity when you're recording a bit here and a bit there. I still have a strong urge to write music, though.

What kind of sound will define the next album?

I don't think it'll be all that different from our last album. I still don't have a clear overview of it (I never do), so we'll see once it's finished. It'll include some old unreleased tracks, so it'll end up sounding a lot more like early Coastal.

A lot of bands these days are leaning toward self-releasing music, and Coastal's last three EPs were self-produced... what do you think about that? In the internet era, are labels still essential?

In general I think it's cool. It lets a lot of music get discovered that would otherwise go unheard. Being tied to a label still helps in terms of credibility, though. I wouldn't say it's necessary, but with so many bands out there, it helps you stand out to say you're signed to a label - that someone else is willing to invest time and money in your music. It's been fantastic working with our label over the last 10 years. We could have put the last few years' EPs up on iTunes, but we're not in Coastal for the money. Plus, I felt guilty for not finishing the new album. I don't know if we have a lot of fans, but the ones we do have are loyal (and appreciated).

You haven't played live in a while. Will you be back on stage soon?

I don't think so, for the same reason the album isn't finished. Life gets in the way. Josh lives in California and the rest of us live in Utah. He might move next summer, which I hope will lead to us playing more and making more new music. I love playing live. Our drive to make music hasn't faded at all. It's just become too hard to actually do it.

What are your day jobs, and what do you think about pursuing music as a professional career?

I'm the vice-president of marketing for a multi-million-dollar dietary supplement company. Not very indie, I know. But I like that what I do helps people live healthier lives. Josh and Jim are both senior web designers for their respective companies. Luisa is a stay-at-home mom to our four kids. They keep her very busy. On top of that, she does a lot of volunteer work in the community. I married her. Making a life devoted to music was never the goal. We wanted to see how far we could go without sinking our own money into the band. We talked to Low once, after a show we did with them, and while they've succeeded at it, they said it wasn't much of a life. You end up tied to a kind of salary linked to live shows. It's tough if you're not on a major label or constantly getting radio play. Anyway, I don't think even those artists have that much artistic freedom. Plus it's not a great environment for kids, and for us kids have always been a priority. We have a lot of freedom right now, even if it's not the best situation for making music.

Almost ten years ago you said you were thinking about a solo career… do you still have that idea?

Sure. It's comforting to know that option is always there. These days Luisa is so busy that it's hard to get her into the studio, so I've also started singing falsetto backing vocals. We put the song “We Drink To Remember” up on our website, where I do the backing vocals. I sound pretty feminine, if need be.

What do you think of the current ethereal music scene (slowcore, shoegaze, dream-pop etc.)?

It's really exciting to see the influences of this great style of music still rippling through the decades. Shoegaze and dream-pop really struck a deep chord in me (and in a lot of people). I'm not sure it's ever gotten the attention it deserves, but I think fans of the genre like it that way. Pop music is so hollow these days. With so much indie stuff out there and access to the internet, it's easy to find something you like. Lately I've been into a band called “Letting Up Despite Great Faults”. I found them by way of a music video produced by a guy I was considering hiring for my work team. How random is that?

Thanks to Lazy Lullabies

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