Adamic, the dynamic duo whose musical journey traces back to their early days of friendship, released their latest record on September 29, 2023. With hit singles like “Sounds Like a Voice,” “Heather,” and “Solid as Solid Gets,” followed by the impactful “All of a Sudden” accompanied by a compelling music video, the band is riding the waves of success. Their latest creation delves into the essence of their enduring friendship and collaborations with musical heroes, making Adamic a force to be reckoned with in the music scene.
Your latest record, has been out for a few months now. How has the reception been, and what has been the most surprising or gratifying response from your fans?
Ian: “Sounds Like A Voice” was the first song we finished and taught us what this new recording process was going to look like for us. We’d been doing things our “very indie” way for a long time, so it was like entering a new world working with Andrew and learning his process. We were used to doing drums first, then tracking everything on top of that. With “Sounds…” we did that in reverse, with drums coming last.
“Heather” and “Solid…” got us fully acclimated to this new world and assured us that we could work on this level and make a record that we’d been dreaming of. We had demoed each song on our own before taking them to Andrew to start tracking. His attention to detail and style of producing challenged us and enhanced each song on the album. He never pushed for major changes to what we’d written, but would question certain lines or parts. Which ultimately proved if the parts held water or not.
These 3 singles do a good job of capturing all the different facets of the record. They act as an introduction to what Adamic is and set you up for the rest of the record while leaving room for surprises.
Collaborating with musical heroes is a dream for many artists. How did these collaborations come about, and in what ways did working with your musical idols influence the direction of the new record?
Josiah: So for this record we worked with Andrew Stanton as our producer. He’s also a guitar player in the band Disciple, which were a huge musical influence for us growing up. The first real rock/metal concert I ever went to as a kid was Disciple, and I’d say they were one of initial reasons I wanted to play this style of music. A few years ago I was taking online guitar lessons from Andrew, and I noticed on his Instagram he had different bands recording at his studio every so often. I asked him about recording at his place, showed him some of our music, and the rest is history.
We recorded the drums at Off the Wall Studio and Lester Estelle engineered the sessions. Lester is Kelly Clarkson’s drummer, and he also plays in another one of our favorite bands, Pillar. Ian and I used to play so many Pillar (and Disciple) covers when we were teenagers, so it was a special moment to have Ian perform his parts with Lester overseeing everything.
Andrew obviously had an influence on the direction of the record, being our producer. He pushed us to dig a little deeper in our songwriting and performing. At the same time he was always looking for us to find the idea/part that was most authentic to who we are. And I’d also say knowing that Lester and Andrew would be hearing our songs/watching us perform kind of lit a fire under us to be at our best. Just having them there put the right kind of pressure on us.
The latest single, “All of a Sudden,” seems to hold a special significance for Adamic. Can you delve into the inspiration behind the song, both lyrically and musically, and how it fits into the larger narrative of the album?
Josiah: So this song was originally the opener for our previous record Sayings. I remember messing around with a delay pedal and coming up with the intro. Then the rest of the music just seemed to fall together. It was like the song was telling us what part should come next. Ian ended up writing the lyrics very much on the fly. He knew what feeling he was trying to capture, but left the lines open to interpretation. The song talks about a sudden life change, and the idea of things never being the same.
When we were deciding on songs to include on this record, we knew we had to re-record this one. It’s become a staple of our live show, and its meaning to us has been profound over the last 5 years. Placing it right after Gloom felt right in context. It comes in with optimism, intensity, and a sense of moving forward. And the new version that’s on the record elevated all the emotions we felt surrounding this song. We’re also really happy with the music video we released for it back in September. You can watch it on our YouTube channel (@AdamicOfficial).
Adamic has a history rooted in a long-lasting friendship. How does this enduring connection contribute to your creative process, and do you find that it brings a unique dynamic to the music you create together?
Josiah: Absolutely! Ian and I have been friends since we were 3-4 years old. We’ve played music together in some form since we were 10 years old. The way I play guitar to his drumming, and the way he plays drums to my guitar is a huge element of our sound and songwriting. There’s such a mutual understanding of each other that we can quickly create and get to what we’re looking for in a song idea.
We’ve also spent so much time playing together, I really think we’ve developed our own sound. When we started Adamic, a big part of the basis for this band was to play the kind of music we loved whether it was “in fashion” or not. Having that freedom to not be boxed-in to a certain genre allows us to blend our different musical influences into something that’s uniquely us. That combined with years of fine-tuning has made for something I think is special. And this new record is our best demonstration of that.
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