Tiberius - “Lull”
We’re excited to premiere the video for “Lull” by Boston-based artist Tiberius. The song is the title track from their brand new record, which was self-released back in January.
On “Lull,” Tiberius tackles the coming of age feelings that come with big life changes. Against an expansive sonic backdrop of synths, hypnotic guitars, and gorgeous backing vocals provided by Sarah Jones, Tiberius pointedly analyzes his own feelings of confusion and uncertainty about the future and his own direction. “It’s unclear what I fear, but I know that I’m scared” he sings in the second verse, capturing those in-between, lull-like feelings where you’re not sure what lies ahead and anxiety sets in as a result.
The video features Tiberius taking on several different identities in a satirical attempt to be more provocative for young audiences. At the same time, viewers also get an intimate look at some hysterical day-in-the-life moments that are all part of the down-to-earth nature of Tiberius and their music.
Stream the video below!
In conjunction with the premiere of “Lull,” we also had the opportunity to chat with Tiberius via e-mail about their great new record, how the video came together, and what it was like recording Lull:
How’s the last year been for you? How did you adjust to the changing circumstances as a musician?
Thank you for asking. As a whole, It hasn’t been too bad. I’ve been extremely fortunate that my loved ones and I have managed to stay healthy and safe. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m thankful for the time to be able to reflect and learn.
As a musician, there honestly wasn’t a whole lot to adjust to. Tiberius, for the most part, is me, a bedroom, and a computer. Besides a brief stint playing some basement gigs towards the end of college, the internet has always been my biggest platform. Despite really wanting to be a part of the Boston live scene, I’ve yet to really receive that opportunity, so things have stayed relatively small. That being said, this past year I feel blessed to have gained the help of my manager Elijah Adamson, along with Ivy Cloutier to help me roll out my most recent project, Lull. They’ve done so much to help me put myself out there, and without them, I don’t think the album would’ve reached the audience it did.
What’s the significance of your stage name/moniker Tiberius? I immediately think of the Roman emperor.
When I was in high school, I was still discovering that I had severe anxiety and OCD. When it reached its apex my senior year, one of the only places I found solace in was my morning English class, with my teacher Matt McDonough. One day he noticed my middle initial started with a “T” and when he asked what it was, I tried to deliver a bit of a smart-ass remark, telling him “it was whatever he wanted it to be”. And from that day on it was, “okay, Tiberius.”
When I started the project a bit later, I wanted to build separation between myself and some of the more personal and confessional content I was making. Tiberius felt like the perfect fit because In those classes I really did feel like a different person. Tiberius; they who can conquer cynicism and depression in order to find meaning in the world. And that’s really what I wanted the music to do. It sounds like a heavy metal band, but oh well.
This is definitely a coming of age record in a lot of ways. What was your mindset when you started writing this record? Was writing something like that at the forefront of your mind?
I started writing and recording when I was 21, living in Saratoga Springs as a college student, and by the time I finished, I was 23, living in Boston during an international pandemic. Throughout all of this, I spent a lot of time reflecting on myself during my college years, and the type of person I strove to be, and the type of person I ended up being. They didn’t always align. I harbored a lot of self resentment that I never took the time to work out while I was at school. Until about a year ago, I internalized this resentment as a way to keep me from hurting other people. It really takes getting your head out of your ass to figure out it’s exactly the opposite. In writing Lull, I just wanted to be better than that.
You’ve described this record as helping you to process certain issues you were going through stemming from a period of transition in your life. How specifically was writing this record therapeutic for you?
I wanted this record to be more uplifting than the last one I wrote when I was 20. Back then, I was writing in this disillusioned state of not feeling like life had any true meaning. I painted this distorted caricature of how I imagined myself when I felt debilitatingly anxious and empty, thinking that if I could accept a lack of meaning in myself, I could then have the power to create my own. Despite good intentions, I can’t help but feel like I missed the mark there. When I had the opportunity to play these tracks live, I didn’t like that when people sang along, they were singing about a lack of self-worth and hating themselves. A lot of things that I intended to be sarcastic or comedic didn’t quite land, and it just kind of felt really weird and unproductive.
With Lull, I wanted to write songs that gave me hope, and serve as a reminder that I’m capable of being the individual I want to be. Especially during the pandemic, these songs became some of my best friends. While making them, I could step into a world away from everything. Combined with a steady therapy regiment, I’d say Lull helped me grow immensely.
You recorded these songs in your apartments in Allston, Mass and Saratoga Springs, and at your parents' home in Rutland, Vermont. Do you think the different settings influenced the sound of the record?
Yes and no. Usually, it doesn’t really matter where I record, because as soon as I open up the projects on my computer I feel fully immersed in them as their own spaces. Since my records aren’t necessarily completely hi-fi, I’ve found that with the way I engineer things, it usually doesn’t really matter where I record something, it kind of just sounds the same.
I do feel, however, that because the record was recorded over such an extended period of time, there's no doubt I was in a pretty different emotional place in my life in each of these spaces. Because I never finalize anything until the end, I have takes in some of these tracks from all of these places. For me at least, these songs feel like they encompass a lot of growth.
What was the process of recording this like? Though it was recorded in bedrooms/apartments, you manage to capture a much bigger sound on the record. It doesn’t sound like a lo-fi/bedroom pop record at all. You also had several other people play on the record. How’d that work?
I think I’ve always tried to make my records as expansive as possible. I wanted to feel as though I could step into my own world entirely and live there for a bit while reality carries on outside of my headphones. I really want my records not to sound like they were recorded alone in my bedroom, but rather that someone is alone in their bedroom stepping inside their own ruminations and fears. That feels a lot more theatrical and meaningful to me.
I love a lot of different music, and specifically, I love a variety of textures in music. I’m a real big sucker for string arrangements where you can hear each individual moving part progress together in choreographed succession, but also shoegaze like walls of sound where it feels like you’re meditating in the midst of a hurricane.
With the ability to essentially just overdub forever, I’ve found I can create a lot of texture without necessarily having to be a burden on someone else’s time. It’s really nice to feel like I can use the sound of the record as it’s unfolding to inform how the rest of it will be written. That being said, sometimes I want a sound that I know I can’t get on my own, and when that's the case I’ll usually call on a few friends to come to my room to play something for me. Most of the time I ended up recording a bunch of their reactions to what they hear in the track, and then take those reactions, chop them up, and place them the way that I want. It’s like I’m sampling someone else's record.
“Urn” is one of my favorite songs on the record. There are some cool sampled spoken-word clips on the track. There’s a similar clip on “Alstroemeria,” too. Where’d you get those from and what exactly are they saying?
Ah, thanks so much. A lot of those clips were from some old video and audio I had laying on my phone, pitched up, reversed, or with some other sort of effects on them. As for what they’re saying, well, I feel like it’s more important to focus on the way they make you feel. Tehehe.
The title Lull caught my attention, as it’s a pretty apt description of the period after college but before you’re on solid footing as an adult, which is something you explore on the record. Was there any significance to that?
The title ended up coming pretty early on in the process. I really loved the word, and especially the way it looked visually. Originally I kind of thought lull would be an EP full of tracks that didn’t really have a place, a collection of tracks from my lull period between the end of college and adulthood. Of course, over time it grew much more conceptual, and ended up turning into what we have now.
Do you have a favorite song on this record or a song that you loved either the backstory of or the process of?
I started demoing “Lull”, the title track, in late 2018 while I was still at Skidmore. I was showing my friend Sarah Jones the song one night, and half-jokingly asked her if she wanted to try to sing some stuff over it. I ended up bringing a mic over to where she was sitting and hit record. After she went home, I chopped and pitched her ideas together to make that lead line that you hear throughout the song. Fast forward to 2020 when I was finishing the track, and I just couldn’t bear myself to re-record it. It just didn’t feel like the song without it.
How’d the video for “Lull” come together? How’d you come up with the concept?
Right around the time I finished the album I acquired an old mini VHS sony handy cam, that I became obsessed with. The thing is just so damn fun. I started carrying it around, doing behind the scenes for little projects, and also just when my small pocket of friends and I were hanging out. I started editing the footage together for some promos, and we inevitably decided it’d be awesome video material.
Somewhere along the way we thought it’d be funny to dress me up in different outfits and film around Allston. Elijah and I were also really into the Bachelor so we decided to throw that in there too. In the end, I think the video serves as quite a nice time capsule for what my life has been like the last year. My neighborhood, my house, my friends and our jokes. It is my ode to Allston as I’ve experienced it.
You’re part of what seems to be a young, thriving music scene in the Boston area. Who are some of your favorite bands/artists from your scene that you’d recommend to our readers?
I’m fairly new to the Boston scene. That being said, I love what's going on in Boston hip hop right now. Artists like Camp Blood, Haasan Barclay, Pink Navel, Optic Bloom...they’re all killing it. I’ve been enjoying the roster over on Disposable America too. They’ve been doing a stellar job with boosting community morale with their live streams and I can't wait to go see some shows.
The folks over at Tri-Heart music, recently rebranded as Battle Mode music are the nicest group of lads who make delicious mix of chiptune hip hop. I feel like you can’t listen to it without having a smile on your face.
I'm also anticipating new content from some good friends of mine this year, particularly my pal Leah’s project Sunday Face, local folk-rockers Clifford, math-rock aficionado Celsius, bedroom punk pals Fictitious Yacht People, and Cambridge based singer-songwriter Junebug. Give ‘em a listen if you got the time.
What’s next?
When it’s actually safe for shows to come back, I really hope to do some touring. Like everyone, I have no idea when that will be, but as soon as it’s possible to do so, I’ll be out there. In the meantime, It’s likely that we’ll be working towards producing some more live sessions.
I already have my sights set on another album. Since I’ve done three full-lengths on my own, it’d be nice to pivot towards a slightly bigger platform for this next release. Working with a label is something that’s always been an interest to me, so that’s a road we may try to pursue. It kind of all depends on what opportunities come along.
You can purchase Lull on limited edition compact disc via Bandcamp. The album is also available on all streaming platforms, including Spotify. Keep up with Tiberius by following him on Instagram.
