“We have, by default, a melancholic nature”

“A World for Glub” (CRUDO, 26) is the second long-form installment of the Madrid-based production Basketballwith which they face that path that leads towards their own artistic personality. Curiously, materialized through the figure of Glub.

The Madrid band Basketball returns to the scene looking like a more self-confident group thanks to a solid album as it is “A world for Glub”especially in comparison to that title debut “Late spring” (Sound Room, 24). A premiere with respect to which Álvaro Rodríguez, in charge of answering our questions, points out numerous differences. “The general sound of the album and the sound palette used differs quite a bit from the previous one, from the treatment of the voices to the pre-previous and maximally saturated guitars that give that quite characteristic sound to the album. Also the use of instrumentation such as grand pianos, different analog synthesizers or various percussion elements, which is quite far from the power trio format of guitar, bass and drums on which our previous work is based”. These novelties also reach and extend through the narrative and lyrical plane. “We have been inspired by the loss of faith in humanity, fatigue, love and the inevitable condemnation of immediacy. We have tried to go a little further and move away from that more naive tone of the debut, in addition to reflecting on topics that concern us such as environmentalism or the rise of reactionary hatred that we experience today. Even so, there are elements of our way of writing that continue to maintain our most innocent spirit towards life. And we love that it is so.” In short, an important step forward for the combo, materialized through greater clarity of ideas. “It very faithfully reflects the tastes and the way we see music at the present time. It has been composed and recorded practically simultaneously. Hence, it shows our more mature side and what we want as a band. It is a more realistic photo of who we have been as a band for three years and of the music that motivates us now.”

“Our concerts are controlled chaos, with quite a few different dynamics and atmospheres”

The production of “A World for Glub” It was carried out by Jorge Antequera, who also accumulates his share of merit in those achievements pointed out openly by the interviewee. “Jorge’s appearance, both as producer of the album and as a member of the band, has meant a 180 degree turn in all aspects. We met at a Paredes de Coura a couple of years ago watching some artists who have been absolute references for this album. It’s very nice to think that it all started there and where it has taken us.” The album revolves around Glub, a small ceramic figure who appears on the album cover. “More than a conceptual work, we wanted to present it as a story towards this small ceramic figure recently arrived in the world that is Glub. It functions as an observer, container or connection point for different ideas, thoughts, unconscious patterns and life plates.”

The two sides of the album are differentiated above all by the moods that the songs themselves convey. “Once the recording of the album was finished, we identified two groups of songs that were quite clear and differentiated by a particular narrative and even sound. Some were more optimistic and naturalistic, like the songs on side A, and others were more pessimistic and environmentally friendly, like those on side B. We liked the idea of making that separation because in the end we all have those two sides and, although they may seem contradictory, they are part of a whole. This order fits, both in sense and in order, with the story we want to tell our little one. Glub.” This is, then, an album that swings between the optimistic, the pessimistic and the realistic, with a welcoming melancholy, in any case, surrounding these eleven songs and insinuating itself as an indispensable element in Basketball. “We understand it more as realistic than anything else. A set of ideas, contradictions, experiences or feelings of rage and impotence towards the world, that have been happening to us and passing through our heads in these last two years and we have captured as they are. That melancholy is a totally inherent element, which has accompanied us since the beginning of the group. And although in some of our songs you can find an almost extreme optimism, it is to counteract our melancholic nature by default.”

In terms of sound, the songs of Basketball They show palpable influences from the nineties, although not necessarily by looking back. “We have listened a lot in the studio to more current groups, but with very nineties influences such as Slow Pulp, Wednesday, Feeble Little Horse, Parannoul or Momma, although traditional references such as Los Planetas or The Velvet Underground also have a place on this album.”

Now, and following a logical roadmap, it is time to defend the songs of “A World for Glub” live. “Our concerts are a controlled chaos, with quite a few different dynamics and atmospheres, in which everything from the most acoustic and delicate songs to the loudest and most danceable ones fit in. In addition, we are very happy with how they are combining the songs from the previous album with the new ones. It is a very enjoyable show to play from within… and we believe that this is also transmitted to the public.”