Ryan Walchonski formally stepped away from guitar duties in Feeble Little Horse earlier this year to focus on his solo venture Aunt Katrina, a project that quickly expanded into a six-piece band made up of various figures in indie rock spread across Baltimore and DC—including members of Snail Mail and noise-rockers Tosser. The resulting debut album This Heat Is Slowly Killing Me is an interesting blend of guitar-forward alt-rock influences, ranging from upbeat grunge pop on “Locked Me Up” to somber slowcore recalling Carissa’s Wierd on “Peace of Mind.” There’s even a chaotic electronic interlude that brings Venetian Snares to mind.
With the record out today, we had Walchonski take us a little deeper into these nine songs’ origins, from the existential lyrical matter about growing apart from someone to the music he took inspiration from—which generally seems to be rooted in late-’00s/early-’10s fuzzy indie pop á la The Radio Dept. and Women, with occasional references to more surprising jumping off points such as Britpop and old John Mayer demos. You can stream the album below, and read on for Walchonski’s commentary.
1. “How Are You?”
This song is generally about growing apart from someone. It’s important as the initial track on the album, as it poses a leading question to be explored, prodded, and perhaps answered throughout the album. It started out in its demo form as pretty downtempo and sparse, but [producer] Alex Bass added a guitar overtop that really brought the song to life. It’s also the only song on the album with a vocal sample, which I was really fond of when I found it. The outro then kind of explodes, falling over itself as the drums lose their identity of strictly keeping time, instead deferring to the blown-out guitars. I told Ray, our drummer, to “go crazy on the drums.”
2. “Peace of Mind”
A song to reflect on who you are. I’m sure we all have times where we’re trying to find some kind of peace within ourselves. As we move through life, it can be tough to figure out what it is that we want. This is a song about hoping for a more tranquil life.
3. “Just a Game”
The lyrics here are pretty straightforward: Have you ever worried about what others think about you? And further decide they probably think you’re a joke? That’s what this one is all about. Instrumentally, I feel like this is an attempt at a Britpop style song—light, fun, fast, and short.
4. “4 Corners”
This song explores feelings of regret that I was feeling during the writing of the song. Often, I find myself wishing that my life was different, for something other than I have. It’s a helpful reminder that it’s OK to appreciate what you have. The instrumental, I think, is one of the ones I’m most proud of. The chord progression is weird, played in an alternate guitar tuning, with the melody floating up and down oddly along the chords. The outro marches into a web of different guitar parts. I’ve always been inspired by the end of the song “Drag Open” by Women. It’s two weird guitar parts that meld into something greater than they are alone.
5. “Ran Out of Time”
This song is about dealing with loss, specifically the death of a loved one. Death is so visceral and so human. We spend so much time trying to avoid thinking about it that when it happens, it’s such a shocking event. This song is about running out of time with someone you love, pining for those moments back that are now just fuzzy memories.
6. “Bait”
A fun little instrumental palate cleanser. Made with my buddy Spencer, who’s one of the first people I met who was also interested in pretty niche electronic music.
7. “Locked Me Up”
Perhaps inspired by overindulgence. I’m not quite sure, but hopefully you can find something in this song for yourself. I love how the guitars scream in the second half of the song and the choruses explode into this huge wall.
8. “Rhythm”
What if you took Don McLean’s “American Pie” and turned it into a song by The Radio Dept.? That’s what I hear when I listen to this song. The guitars buzz in a way that blends together into a fuzzy blur. The dancy drum machine keeps the whole song plodding along.
9. “I Don’t Want to Be Your Friend”
If the first song of the album is posing a question, the last song answers it. This song, I think, was inspired by a John Mayer demo song from the early 2000s or so called “Quiet,” as well as a Radio Dept. cover of the folk song “Annie Laurie.”
