Keep It Light

Making this record was a joy, says Steven Adams of his latest album with his band the French Drops. He even let the positive mood around the making of it influence its title. I love making records but sometimes time, money, or people - including me f*** up my enjoyment of the process. So this time I kept saying to myself keep it light whenever I was making decisions. This buoyant and relaxed mood can be heard across the album in its gloriously skipping tones, as it traverses across indie, pop, alt-rock and more tender acoustic and folk-leaning moments. Its a craft that Adams has been honing for years as the lead figure in outfits such as The Broken Family Band and Singing Adams, so much so that by now it oozes out of him with a seamless grace. Adams aim was clear with this record. I wanted to make a super personal, light-hearted and upbeat record, he says. I wanted to do the whole write about what you know thing and keep it as light as possible. The lightness of the album was a guiding principle but it wasnt a rule set in stone, as Adams soon found out the deeper he plunged into himself. We had a running joke about how we were making an album called Keep it Light that is full of songs about racists and panic attacks and existential angst, he says. But it does you good to get that stuff out. Writing songs and making records keeps me sane. The album is one as full of joy and beauty as it is ink black humor and caustic revelation. On the gorgeous shuffle of Oh Dear - recalling the kind of stripped back beauty of Yo La Tengo at their finest - Adams sings: and true love will not find you in the end. A knowing nod and a wink to Daniel Johnstons earnest refrain that indeed true love will find you in the end. Its such moments that fill the album with equal parts weight and lightness, a smart touch delivered with a deft hand. This is the first record Ive made with the band all playing in one room, getting everything down at once, he says. We played live with all of us on the floor, and it came together really quickly. But we still gave ourselves time to experiment and do fun stuff all over it. This combination of allowing things to be light, not overstressing, the harmony of the group, and the seamless knack of Adams songwriting has resulted in a truly special record.