Sound

TRUST a stranger

John Rogers | Friday 5 October, 2012 10:42

Snipe caught up with New Yorker and rising gothic-techno artist TRUST, aka Robert Alfons, amidst the flurry of preparation for the UK release his eponymous debut album.

Adjectives that spring into mind when listening to Trust: dark, heavy, sludge, muffled, gothic, disco. I like the description: “a hit factory buried deep in the mud”… tell us about your aesthetic, and how it was born?
Thanks John. The songs on this record definitely started from a small setting, sometime just a melody or on the piano. It’s also inspired by my odd digestion of pop music. No matter where the songs started, the dream for each song is the stars.

You created this project with the wonderful Maya Postepski – how did the project come about? Did you work in same physical space, or was it an internet-recording project?
It was great to collaborate on this album with Maya, I think we did some great work together. But I’m really excited about all the new stuff I’ve been writing while on tour this year. The next album is really shaping up.

You are probably tired of answering this – but was a difficult decision to start playing shows without Maya? I guess her touring commitments with Austra would have been quite crippling otherwise.
The live show is the best it’s ever been, and I’m so happy with my band! The audiences’ response has been great.

Who are the new personell? Was it fun translating the album to live?
I’ve got two babe lady backup musicians. It’s always a pleasure to rework the material for the live setup, it really reinvigorates the songs.

Tell us about the visual world of TRUST. Do you have specific artists and designers (fashion & visual) you work with, or are inspired by?
I’ve been lucky to work with some very talented people, Petra Collins, Norman Wong, Kristie Muller, to name just a few. I hope that my music brings me more collaborative opportunities in the future.

Do you feel like part of a specific community or scene?
It’s always great when I get away from the insular world of writing music and play shows because I start to feel like I’m a part of a musical community. I feel so lucky to have shared the stage with so many talented performers.

Are there new material, remixes, projects, singles on the way?
I’m going hard on material for the next record, looking forward to sharing some sneak peeks soon.

It seems like the internet has shrunk the distance between bands and their fans. Do you like to talk to your listeners and fans online, or hang back? If you do, where should people reach you?
You can find me on Twitter and Instagram ‘tr_st’ and ‘robertalfons’ respectively.

See TRUST live on 9th October at the Shacklewell Arms. The album is released in the UK on Arts & Crafts on October 22nd.

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