Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with In the Afterglow
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
My first 45rpm single was Blondie’s Heart of Glass. As a child, I was so excited when I had the vinyl in my hands, playing it constantly on my parents’ turntable in the living room. The song still holds a special place for me.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
Music has always been an escape for me. It has been the soundtrack to my life since my teens. I almost always have something playing in the background, from trance to indie to metal, depending on the mood.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Shoegaze is my favourite genre of music. I grew up to the sounds of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and Ride. As with so many others, Loveless was a revelation with its melodic but crushing wall of sound. In The Afterglow comes out of my love of shoegaze. Before In the Afterglow, I had been producing dance music as UXB since the 2000s but shoegaze has always been my first love. The development of AI music generation tools such as Udio opened the door for me to create the music I love. I fully integrate AI into the creative process to craft atmospheric compositions that seamlessly blend
human emotion with machine intelligence.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Like being immersed in clouds of shimmering, beautiful noise that lifts you higher every time you hit play.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
AI music tools have revolutionized music creation. They are an aid rather than a replacement for human artistry and decision-making in music creation. All my tracks are guided at every stage by my vision for the sound, aiming to honour shoegaze traditions while pushing its boundaries through innovative AI collaboration. I aim to create sounds that bridge the past and the future, using AI tools as a creative partner to produce lush, dreamy, and achingly soulful shoegaze.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Udio and Suno are the starting point in the creative process, with Garageband and Adobe Audition for refining and polishing the sound.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
There are a couple of Vancouver-based shoegaze bands bubbling under that I would like to give a shout-out, bloom effect and Palm Haze. Bloom Effect have just released their debut EP, oscilón, which is a tremendous mix of soaring, hazy shoegaze. Palm Haze blends shoegaze and trip-hop to create a wall of fuzzed guitars.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
The biggest musical influence growing up with the BBC DJ John Peel. I would listen to his show every week, where he’d play everything from punk to goth to reggae. It was a window to the spectrum of new music being created in the explosion that followed punk.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I hope my music shows that AI-generated music is more than algorithms. I want to create music with soul that resonates with listeners, blending human emotion with machine intelligence.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
The hardest part of being in the music business is exposure. There is so much music being produced today, it is hard to be heard about the noise. It is not enough to be creative; you have to be persistent and resilient.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
It has to be Glastonbury, as it has played host to such a range of talent and styles.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
This is a hard one. There so many to choose from. If I had to choose one, it would be My Bloody Valentine, as this is the sound that has influenced me the most.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
https://bio.site/intheafterglow
https://intheafterglow.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/intheafterglowmusic
https://www.facebook.com/intheafterglowmusic
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
I have just released my debut album, Let The Waves Crash Down, with 11 tracks that pulse with warmth and longing, wrapped in the classic ethereal textures of Slowdive and early Cocteau Twins. Inspired by the sound of Slow Crush and Wisp, I am creating more abrasive and rock influences into my future tracks. It starts with my Christmas single, Home At Last, out on December 4th.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
I hope they will share my passion for shoegaze and all its iterations, from dreampop to nugaze. It is a sound that replenishes the soul.
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