Far Caspian

Far Caspian—the project of Leeds, UK-based Irish musician Joel Johnston—today shared his instantlymemorable new single “Pet Architect” off his forthcoming new albumThe Last Remaining Light, due outJuly 14thvia Tiny Library Records. The timeless indie-rock delight, bolstered by kinetic guitar riffs and asteady drum beat, arrives with a claymationvideobyAlistair Nicholls, premiering atBrooklyn Vegan.“Iwrote ‘Pet Architect’ after a Crohn’s flare up I had on tour that made me feel alienated from the rest of thegroup,”explains Johnston.“I try my best not to feel sorry for myself or dwell on my situation but certaintimes have pushed me into frustration. In that moment, all I wanted was to feel ‘normal’ instead of lying onthe floor in pain in the airport baggage claim. Whenever I got home I wasin the headspace of wishing Iwas back to how I was before my diagnosis. I was reading about Japanese architecture and how theyfilled in tiny spaces on the street between buildings with condensed buildings and I felt like that worked asa metaphor for howI felt being pushed into an illness that wasn’t there previously.”“Pet Architect” follows the LP’s acclaimed singles “Arbitrary Task,” “The Last Remaining Light,” and“Own,” which have earned great press fromPitchfork(Selects),Billboard(Cool New Pop Songs),Consequence(Top Songs of the Week),FLOOD,Ones to Watch(playlist),Northern Transmissions, andmore. Far Caspian also recently announced a fall 2023 U.S. headlining tour, including shows at hisbiggest NYC & LA venues to date: Le Poisson Rouge on November 10thand Teragram Ballroom on November 18th. The performances follow his SXSW and Primavera Sound Barcelona festival debuts thisyear. See below for a full itinerary of upcoming dates.The Last Remaining Lightis now available forpre-order.Anchored byJohnston’s dogged attention to detail—he writes, performs, records, and mixes everythinghimself—Far Caspian’s music consistently feels like its own self-contained world, full of densely packedhooks and guitar-based atmospherics. WithThe Last RemainingLight, he’s made his most cohesive andcompelling work yet. The album is the result of Johnston streamlining his approach in the studio, findinginspiration in peeling back his tracks’ layers in a way that’s both rewarding and immediate in its simplicity.Work onThe Last Remaining Lightbegan right after Johnston turned in mixes for his 2021 debut LPWays To Get Out. Whereas that previous album was the result of almost two years of tinkering andfinding his sound, Johnston decided to set clear limits anda hard deadline for its follow up.“This processwas more about following my intuition rather than getting in my head and rewriting everything over andover,”he says.

Early Praise forThe Last Remaining Light:“Johnston’s voice, presented here as a swirl of feelings informed by Elliott Smith’s delivery, distinguishes‘Own,’ and makes the listener want to wrap themselves in its warmth again after it ends.”-Billboard“Far Caspian have continuously outdone themselves with each subsequent single from their upcomingLP. ‘Own’...sees the act at their most Duster-esque, fusing downtrodden, melodic slowcore into theirusual brand of indie rock. The result is one of their most compelling tracks yet, one that plays withdissonance, structure, and heartbreaking harmonies. This one’s for anyone gearing up for a sad indiesummer.”-Consequence‘Pitchfork’s Selects Playlist’ for “Arbitrary Task”"...the track’s instrumental perfectly balances melancholy with an upbeat melody recalling peers likeHovvdy as it locks into an Elliott Smith–like groove for nearly five minutes."-FLOODon “Own”.

I started writing for album 2 the day after I handed in the mixes for 'Ways To Get Out'. I felt exhausted from trying to piece together the first album but when it was done I was inspired to start the next thing and learn from my mistakes. I knew straight away that I wanted to write a 10 track-40 minute album after making a long debut.

I moved into a derelict basement in the city centre and got inspired by the daily commute. Commuter repeating was written on the first day of moving in and the last remaining light followed the next day. I had forgotten to bring my headphone adapter on those first sessions so the drums on those songs were recorded without a click. You can hear them slow down and sped up throughout the first song. I think that works really well as it feels a bit hectic and unorganised. Very similar to my view of the city in the mornings.

This approach led me to keep the mindset of not chasing perfection. Instead, I decided to only record my parts once or twice and keep that initial hesitation. I moved out of the studio after recording was finished and moved my studio back into my loft for mixing. I bought a Tascam 244 4 track the year before to demo on but was gathering dust in the corner of the room so I thought I'd get it going again. Most of the elements in the tracks were printed to cassette and back into Logic. It was pretty cathartic to send a nice recording into the Tascam and destroy it with tape saturation.

Throughout the final part of recording and mixing I was listening to alot of The Microphones and Brian Eno. On every trip into the studio I'd listen to 'Discreet Music' by Brian Eno. And the experimental nature of Phil Elverum's music encouraged me to be comfortable in the imperfections. I think with this album I'm starting to become comfortable with myself and my art and I'm looking forward to expanding on the next record.