INTERVIEW: Passion Pit @ Parklife 2012

On the surface, PASSION PIT may seem like the kind of act that wouldn’t have a trouble in the world. Especially if you take the bright uplifting sounds on all their records as their way of telling you that (we may have been guilty of thinking that in the past). But in reality; there is a hell of lot more to this Boston 6-piece than first meets the ears.

Since that fateful day in 2007 that lead composer/writer/vocalist, MICHAEL ANGELAKOS, wrote an EP’s worth of tracks for his at the time partner (now known as the bands debut EP, Chunk Of Change). Passion Pit have been through a whirlwind of popularity and praise - as they picked up a major label deal, an incredibly well received debut LP and headlining slots at festivals across the globe in only a matter of a few years.

But it hasn’t all been glad tidings, as the band and the brains behind the operation, have also felt the harsher side of the critics – being attacked for ‘selling out’, being ‘cartoonish’, and having an ‘all helium, all the time’ lead singer. Unsurprisingly, this kind of criticism combined with constant touring and a constant limelight was a pretty lethal mixture for the band. And this was felt doubly for Angelakos, as in the time between their albums, he spiralled in and out of depressive and often suicidal mindsets and was even admitted into a ‘clinic for mental health issues’ at one point.

It has been a long time coming and it’s something that may never have actually come to fruition, but in 2012 the band released their sophomore album, Gossamer. The album throws away the secretive issues of its writer that were hidden throughout their debut, Manners, and deals with them head on.

Touring for this year’s Parklife festival, we were lucky enough to catch up with Angelakos backstage in Melbourne, a couple of hours before he and his band performed a highlight set of the day, to gain an insight into one of the most brilliant and troubled minds that the world has to offer.

Tom Hutchins: You guys have visited Australia a number of times now, how has this visit differed from the others?

Michael Angelakos: Each visit is a little different, but this time around it’s a very different festival. Which is fun for us, but ultimately we’re still working with the new show and improving all the odds and ends that go along with that. We’re a bit tired and overworked, but we love playing here, the audiences are great. We’re looking forward to coming back and putting on the show that we think we can put on, because festivals always pull it back a little bit.

TH: How have your sets at Parklife been received so far?

MA: Everyone has been really really receptive actually, but you know, we’re up against Justice DJs…

TH: Have you been billed against Justice for the entire festival run?

MA: Yeah. It’s kind of weird being a band on a mostly DJ oriented bill…

TH: Yeah, Parklife is a very Electronically inclined festival…

MA: Usually we’re the Electronic alternative at a Rock festival, but now we’re the Rock alternative at an Electronic festival [laughs]. So it’s very different in terms of reception, but there are definitely fans here and people who want to see us live. It’s been good to say hello again [laughs], that’s where we’re kind of at right now.

TH: Now that the new album, Gossamer, has been out for a couple of months and everyone has had their say, how do you feel the record has been received?

MA: It’s been really positive, I’m extremely happy that people like it. I feel that it’s not one of those flash in the pan records for anyone, especially the people that worked on it – they feel that we’re building on something very special and different. I’m very proud of it from a writer’s standpoint and the band is really proud of it from a performance standpoint. We have a long way to go and I think that’s a lot more interesting than with just coming out with a hit song and that being it – you know, really single heavy.

TH: So you feel you’ve made it in a way that should be listened all the way through, from start to finish?

MA: Yeah definitely, and some people will like certain parts of it and not like certain parts of it because it’s more diverse - which I think is the major difference between Gossamer and Manners. I listen to Manners and I have no idea where that came from [laughs], so Gossamer makes more sense to me and therefore I’ve been having more fun with the songs live.

TH: Has the album lived up to your own expectations?

MA: For me to say that I’m relatively happy with something is a big deal, for me at least [laughs]. So yeah, ultimately I’m happy with it.

Gabe Gleeson: So you feel you’re a very self-critical recording artist?

MA: I think everyone should be. If you think you’ve ‘done it’, then why keep going? I intend to make many records in my lifetime and really, you have to earn the privilege to do that. I had to strike a balance between giving something to our fans that put us in the studio in the first place and also going down a new path and following my creative callings. I always feel that I could do better and if I was to record an album right now I can guarantee that it would be better than Gossamer. But I have to tour right now - that’s the way it works.

TH: Do you feel you have matured in the time between albums as a band?

MA: Without a shadow of a doubt, yes. I mean, we’re a completely different band in terms of how we approach touring, how we approach each other as humans as well as how we approach the show and the crew, production, sound – everything. We really give a shit, as opposed to before when we were just doing it and not having any idea what was going on – it really hit us over the head. Now that we’re a little more cognisant of the world surrounding the band, it’s made us really grateful and more careful about our decisions. We want to make sure we put on the best show and put out the best music that we possibly can

TH: Is Gossamer a reflection of your life during this time?

MA: Yeah, it’s just a non fictional account of what was happening to me, predating the actual writing of most of the songs. I was going through a rough period in my life and I’m very happy that I used the album as a vehicle to deal with those issues.

TH: As you just mentioned,  the album addresses a number of intense and personal themes, yet to a casual observer, much of it still keeps a very bright and uplifting sound – is it a conscious decision to make an album in that way?

MA: Yeah, absolutely. The juxtaposition, that kind of dichotomist mechanism is very prevalent in Pop music, you know, even girl groups in the 60’s to the 80’s Synth Pop noir. I don’t know if it’s a conscious decision, it’s just the music I write.

TH: Yeah, you’re not necessarily trying to cover up the lyrical content…

MA: No, that was more Manners. I was really afraid of being direct on Manners, whilst I decided to be really direct on Gossamer. And [that style] just works, a lot of bands do it, but it’s just so exaggerated with Passion Pit. It’s our calling card I suppose and it’s very prevalent in all our music.

TH: And finally, what happens next for Passion Pit?

MA: Touring [laughs], Touring for another two years. I don’t think people understand how long a touring schedule really is, it’s not just to promote the record, this is our work, this is our life. And we also just want to be a really great live band.  There was too much growth of the project during a time when we weren’t ready to be exposed like that – and now we feel we can deal with that limelight.

We are in a much better space now and we’re much happier to do say something like late night television than we were years ago, because we had no idea what was happening back then. And we look back and we were like “oh god, they caught us then?! If only they had given us a couple more months we would’ve been so much better” [laughs]. So now we feel the time is right and we’re going to be promoting this record for a while.

Words by Tom Hutchins & Gabe Gleeson, check out their streets on POSSE.COM