Evening Hymns released their highly anticipated follow up to the critically acclaimed Spectral Dusk this autumn on Tin Angel. We spoke to band frontman and songwriter Jonas Bonnetta about Quiet Energies…
Jonas Bonnetta of Evening Hymns trekked out to the Joshua Tree desert from nearby Los Angeles with a Super-8 camera when the spark arrived for his new album: “I had been listening to so much Tom Petty, and it kind of came to me that this record was a journey. A road trip album. A driving album.” When talking about writing the songs on 2015’s Quiet Energies, he speaks of growth and transformation, being generous and giving of oneself, and the inevitability of time passing by. The thrust of the album would be “the concept that all of this pent-up energy could be stored inside these quiet moments and still hold significance – like a whisper with the force of a hurricane.”
First of all – how would you define the term ‘Quiet Energies’, and how and when did you settle on that as a title?
The idea behind Quiet Energies is to have power hidden in subtle moments. I almost named the last record Quiet Energies because I liked this idea of something profound being transported undercover of something small. Small things with big impacts. Little whispers that can have a large effect on us.
When did the writing process for QE begin?
I’m always writing so some of these songs started as soon as Spectral Dusk was finished. There was actually a song that didn’t make either record called Quiet Energies. We also recorded another 4 songs during these sessions that will be released at a later date.
Did you have a concept in mind of what you wanted the finished article to sound like from the start or did it gradually take shape throughout the process?
I knew that I wanted to make something that was more enjoyable to perform. The last record was really difficult because it hurt me to do those songs each night. This new album has it’s fair share of downers but I really wanted to be able to let loose a bit more on stage. I also was feeling way better about my life and where I’m at with the mourning process of my Dad so I think that is reflected in a lot of the writing on Quiet Energies. I originally thought it was going to be more jangly with 12-strings guitars and what not but this is what we ended up with at the end of the day. These things constantly morph when I make records. A slow song maybe becomes faster and then becomes the centerpiece and that informs how we wrap other songs around it.
Despite the name of the record, QE is a lot more full on than Spectral Dusk – was it a conscious move to write a more extroverted, driven record or was it a natural progression?
I like writing that kind of song and on the last record there wasn’t a place for it. I imagine this is a product of that. I also spent the last few years on the road driving and touring Spectral Dusk so I’m sure that’s part of it as well.
You’ve said already that QE is a ‘road trip’ album. What’s in your car stereo when you’re driving?
It’s all pretty weather/topography informed I would say. If I’m in my pickup truck I’m rocking cassette tapes so it would be some old country tapes like George Strait or Randy Travis.
If I’m in my car then probably Chris Cohen’s Overgrown Path. I listen to that record almost daily, and have for the last couple years.
Quiet Energies is out now on Tin Angel Records
