From Texas to Ohio the Dublin band, Little Green Cars, are motoring their way across the United States on the success of their fourth US tour of the past 12 months.
The band’s debut album “Absolute Zero” released by the American record label Glassnote, also home to Mumford & Sons and Phoenix, skyrocketed into the number one slot in the Irish chargts and the 19th slot in the US continues to be one of the top new releases of the past year.
Chatting to IrishCentral from the road the band shared their creative insights on “Absolute Zero”, their current musical influences, touring in the US and much more.
I.C - Your debut album 'Absolute Zero' has been receiving rave reviews, how did you decide what songs would make the cut, and how did some of your older songs have to change for the final album version?
The craft of songwriting was our primary focus since the conception of the band, and we spent most of our time in rehearsals trying to perfect it. As a result, we had the luxury of having a backlog of dozens of songs from which to choose So tracks vary from being 4 years old (Red and Blue) to being finished in the studio (The Kitchen Floor).
The 11 songs that made the album fell into place quite naturally; they were all considered the best representation of the ideas which we were trying to portray.
I.C - I am a huge fan of the entire album, but have a soft spot for 'Kitchen Floor', do you collectively have a favorite song on the album?
I think we all consider the album as a whole piece of work, and are very proud of that. Each of us will have different preference for particular songs for one reason or another.
I.C - You have been compared to Arcade Fire and The Decemberists, what current bands do you admire on the scene today?
There are some great acts coming from Ireland such as Bleeding Heart Pigeons, Gypsies on The Autobahn and We Cut Corners. We got to see Bruce Springsteen play in Hamilton on one of our tours and none can not admire that live show or back catalogue of amazing records. We all love James Blake's new album too.
I.C - You have been touring the U.S for the past few months, how are audiences here different from Europe, and Ireland in particular?
American audiences seem far more open to be impressed by live music. They're curious. They don't appear to be as influenced by a scene or being cool as much as the rest of the world.
The response to the album at home was fantastic, though. The most special show that we've ever played was the day after our album launch in Vicar Street. Our album was number 1 on release week so it's great to see Irish supporting Irish.
I.C - The U.S loves you guys, and it has been said that you "evoke Americana effortlessly " , however I have always felt a very strong sense of Irishness in your music, is this something you are conscious of?
We have never tried to create a particular sound with our music; what end up as songs happens very naturally to us. We're all big readers of American literature and consider a particular romanticism in it.
There is no way to not become influenced by outside sources of music, whether its American Folk music or the Irish music that we were surrounded by growing up.
I.C - What do you miss most about home when you are on the road?
We spend 24/7 together and share bedrooms so definitely your own personal space!
For more information on the band visit littlegreencars.co.uk.
Little Green Cars “The John Wayne”:
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