motel void

Desert Liminal is an experimental pop trio and fixture in the deep field of Chicago independent music. Combining elements of dream pop and shoegaze, the group’s nontraditional song structures center dream-like poetry and vocal harmony within a cloud of analog synth textures and layered, swirling violin loops.

MOTEL VOID: How has your sound evolved since your 2017 debut “Static Thick”, and what new elements can we expect on your upcoming record “Black Ocean”?

DESERT LIMINAL: In the 7 years since Static Thick was released, the sound has evolved immensely while maintaining some core poetic and melodic elements. On this record we expand from a duo to a trio in composing all the arrangements, with Mallory adding rising vocal harmonies, swirling violin loops, and fuzzy, gaze-y guitar. I think anyone who liked our previous releases will be thrilled with what we’ve done on this record. Interestingly, Black Ocean and Static Thick were both mixed by the same person, Brian Sulpizio, who has been crucial in shaping our sound over the years.

MOTEL VOID: Can you share the inspiration behind your new single “Kid Detroit” and how it ties into the themes explored on the new album?

DESERT LIMINAL: Kid Detroit is a stream of consciousness shifting memory of a tour that drummer Rob Logan and I went on in the beautiful, pastoral Driftless region of the Midwest in 2017. For years before our lives expanded to where they are now, it was just the two of us everyday leaning on the band to deal with life when we were much younger. We love each other very much and are like family, but have had our ups and downs through the years culminating in this song which captures the strange nostalgia of missing the simpler past even though you were miserable back then. We may have been a wreck, but we had the music and each other and the band.

Black Ocean as a record deals with similar themes of shifting memory, strange nostalgia for the bad times of the past because of the people who were there with you, deep love in musical relationships, and dealing with grief through making music.

MOTEL VOID: What was the recording process like?

DESERT LIMINAL: We recorded at Palisade Studios in Chicago with engineer Nick Broste, who is responsible for a lot of the outstanding production on this record. It was a lot of work and it was a blast.

MOTEL VOID: What was it like touring the US and Europe and performing alongside artists like DEHD, Midwife, Deserta, and Laraaji? Did these experiences influence your music?

DESERT LIMINAL: Touring Europe was the time of our lives and we loved seeing DEHD play every night while savoring the food and the sights. We would love to come back and were inspired by the tour.

MOTEL VOID: With “Black Ocean” set to release on October 18, what are your plans for promoting the album, and are there any upcoming tour dates?

DESERT LIMINAL: Our next show is the experimental deep listening Talk Low Festival in Cincinnati, featuring cool artists like Claire Rousay, Joy Guidry, KMRU, and Laraaji. We are then playing a record release show in Chicago, and planning on touring the west coast of the US in 2025.