Interview: Luke Rathborne

Luke Rathborne is an up-and-coming rock musician from New York, New York. Set to release his new album, Again, this March, Luke is opting to take on the music world on his own - and doing a pretty good job at navigating it. Recently, Legendary Kids Press was able to speak with him about the upcoming record, touring and his label, True Believer.
How would you describe your music to those who haven’t listened to you before?
If any person is looking for a way in, I would first like to see where exactly they entered and see what their experience is. I feel like there’s so many different songs and sounds [that] it’d be hard to name just one. At the end of the day, it’s me.
Who/what inspired you to get involved in music?
I had a friend who left me a guitar when I was around 12 and later passed away. He was a river guide who was staying in an extra room in our home. As far as big inspirations, I remember always feeling a creative urge to sing and make something.
You’ll be releasing your new album, Again, this March. What was the recording process like?
The process of recording Again was done in a private studio with Ted Young (Sonic Youth, Kurt Vile) and I producing. In the early stages, it would be trying to get as much of the song live as possible (there are a larger majority of live takes on this album, as well as vocals) with bassist Darren Will and drummer Jamie Alegre.
Then, in follow-up sessions, I would take this skeleton of a thing and overdub electronics, synthesizers, percussion, acoustic and electric guitars, back vocals and anything else I was considering until we had a fleshed-out song. Sometimes, things didn’t need a whole lot, and sometimes, they would go in an entirely different direction just being in front of it.
How will this release differ from your last album, Soft?
I’d imagine the way I physically release the record will be somewhat different. Particularly, on this record, it will be much more a return to releasing singles in a careful and controlled manner, similar to what was done in the 60s-90s in music.
Beyond that, this album complements the last quite well. But since Ted and I were very conscious about the LP, we wanted to thank his tremendous engineering ability. We built it from the ground up. It sounds consistent to how we wanted it to sound.
What’s the lyrical inspiration behind the songs on the LP?
The lyrical inspiration behind the LP is a bit surreal. To me, it’s a bit hard to describe without listening. I suppose that the idea is to connect to people on a very direct [and] emotional level. There are stories spinning in and out, and truths, half-truths and falterings.
It’s really trying to open up the insides and connect.
The album’s lead single, “Losing It”, has been featured on Billboard and Noisey. How did it feel to collaborate with such prominent outlets in music?
[It] feels great. I love when you have the realization that passion and music transcends all. Here is a record made by the artist, released by the artist, and we’re finding the barriers crashing down. What a time to be alive!
You’ll be embarking on a US co-headlining tour with Alex Caldner in promotion of Again. What are you most excited for, in regards to it?
I am excited to see the friends both old and new [that] we’ve made all over these great countries. There really are a lot.
You’ll also be announcing a UK tour soon. Can you let us know when you’ll be releasing dates?
UK dates will be announced within the next few months.
You run your own label, True Believer. Why opt to run your own instead of signing with someone else?
Money. The majority of the label deals have an endless propensity for spending it and it suffocates the budget for touring/future projects.
If the right deal came along, I would consider it, but the way I operate the label now serves me on a massive level and I don’t have to deal with a bunch of douchebags as well.
Any last words?
I hope not yet. I still feel so young in my bones.
Again is available this March via True Believer. Those wishing to stay up-to-date with Luke can do so via Facebook and Twitter.
