It Looks Sad: At First Glance
by Daniel Coston
With only a handful of songs released over the past four songs, It Looks Sad has received a large amount of national press and accolades. Formed in Charlotte in 2012, the quartet (Jimmy Turner, Josh Wilson, Aimee Jenschke and Alex Ruiz) have already toured much of the country, and received glowing reviews from national reviews. All this for a band that has released one four-song EP in 2014, and a few singles on the Carolinas-based record label, Tiny Engines. The sound of It Looks Sad recalls a time in the early 1990s when Indie Rock was young, and the possibilities seemed endless. Wtih the band still at work on their first full-length, Alex Ruiz checked in with Tangents for a quick chat.
Tangents: How did It Looks Sad come together?
Alex Ruiz: Just a bunch of friends and friends of friends who got together and decided to make a band.
Tangents: How would you describe the sound of this band?
Ruiz: We sound like that feel when you're half asleep and someone's talking to you, but you're too sad to care.
Tangents: How has the band’s sound changed from the beginning, to now?
Ruiz: The new album we're working still has sounds like the eps we put out. maybe a little different.
Tangents: Where did the band’s name come from?
Ruiz: It's a secret.
Tangents: You all play out of town a fair amount. Was that also a decision that you made early on?
Ruiz: I think every band wants to play out of town shows when they start out.
Tangents: What are the pros and cons of touring?
Ruiz: Touring is awesome. I personally like sleeping on people's floors. The only thing I hate is needing to pee all the time while driving and not being able to stop every couple of miles.
Tangents: Which recording do you think captures your sound the best, to date? Has that recording been made yet?
Ruiz: “Creature" was an old song that we didn't put on the first EP, but we all loved it and wanted to release it, and “Nagoya" was the first song we wrote together after the first EP came out.
Tangents: Where do you draw inspirations for your songs?
Ruiz: Just the way we're feeling at the moment.
Tangents: How would you describe your audience?
Ruiz: The best. We appreciate everyone who comes to see us. Everyone's been really nice.
Tangents: Your music isn’t easy to define. Do labels, or genre questions, get in the way of people discovering, or even enjoying music?
Ruiz: I'm sure it does. Not something I've really ever thought about though. People who like good music will find good music.
Tangents: Finish this sentence. When it comes down to it, It Looks Sad is….
Ruiz: Trying to finish a record.
