Raindrop Mild Meltdowns Interview

Mild Meltdowns showcases a meticulously put together sonic landscape that envelops the listener in a wash of retro production techniques, synths, and shimmering guitars.

The recording of Mild Meltdowns began in Autumn of 2016, when Miles Devine invited his ultimate studio band - Timothy Sneddon, Lachlan Earl and Oscar Henfrey - to his home studio to record a full length album alongside co-producer, SPOD (The Laurels, Richard in Your Mind, Straight Arrows).

For the first week the group bunkered down to write and record all the drums and bass for the record directly onto a 16 Channel Tascam Tape Machine, a machine that would be a huge part of the sound of the record. This initial tracking process was used to find the right groove and tempo for all the songs. Having a tape machine allowed this process to be much more fun. With production inspired from bands like The Beatles and The Flaming Lips, some songs were recorded at very different tempos than where they started, sometimes even with each instrument being recorded in different speeds.

After much pitch-shifting and tempo changing, Devine locked himself away to get the most crunchy, warbly guitar sounds he could with a little help from his 4 track cassette recorder and a vibrato pedal. To add to these layers, synthesisers came next, featuring mostly Mid-70s Rolands and Moogs, along with samples of mellotrons and chamberlins.

Lyrics were the next stage of the process. Devine would spend long days recording the music until the evening. Then his girlfriend, Hunter Atari, would write lyrics with him. The two would use the lyrics to overcome the 'meltdowns' that would occur in the life.

"Mild Meltdowns explores the idea of being able to eventually laugh at the things that are most devastating or dramatic to us." - Miles Devine (Raindrop)

After months of recording and writing, SPOD was given the controls to begin mixing. The only instruction given to him by Devine was that there were no limits to how far he could take the production. The result was SPOD adding absurd amounts of Delays, Linn Drums, Vocoding and a whole bunch of sexy surprises.

Mild Meltdowns showcases a meticulously put together sonic landscape that envelops the listener in a wash of retro production techniques, synths, and shimmering guitars. Devine has been ambitious and creative in his songwriting but also managed to create a highly accessible record with his knack for catchy vocal hooks.

The record has produced 3 singles; the motown-inspired 'Only Hope', the dream-like 'Another World', and the sprawling, Chillwave mini opus, 'Bob Dylan's 116^th Dream'. It is also the follow-up to Raindrop's 2015 debut EP, 'Crowded Brain'.

Listen to Mild Meltdowns here.

Interview with Miles Devine

Question: How would you describe your music?

Miles Devine: I would describe it as a big mess of emotions, echoes and crackles with a sprinkle of glitter.


Question: What inspired Mild Meltdowns?

Miles Devine: Everything that was going on in my life at the time; the idea of these problems all having a weird way of molding together to make songs all just came in this nice, natural way.


Question: Which is your favourite song to perform live and why?

Miles Devine: When Things Turn Round. It's the ultimate song to end with as it always feels so beautiful to play. It's like taking a deep breath in and then exhaling a rainbow.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Miles Devine: Recording, if I could solely record for the rest of my life I would do it.


Question: What is the story behind the name, Raindrop?

Miles Devine: I always found that it would rain every time I'd make music.

Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Miles Devine: My cat Eno and my wonderful girlfriend, Hunter Atari.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Miles Devine: Tyler the Creator, The Internet, Sunset Rollercoaster, Earl Sweatshirt, Thundercat, XTC, Kendrick Lamar, Madlib and Steve Lacy.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Miles Devine: My inspiration came from the people around me giving me the confidence and inspiration to take it as far as I want to.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Miles Devine: I'd love to write a song with Andre 3000 one day.


Interview by Brooke Hunter