motel void

MOTEL VOID: You’ve just released your new single, ‘Shrine.’ Could you tell us more about the writing and recording process?

ELIANA GLASS: I was inspired by Annette Peacock’s voice and piano compositions when I wrote ‘Shrine’. The harmony is kind of all over the place, there isn’t really a strict key for the song, but I love the chords and the way they sound together. The recording process started with recording voice with piano simultaneously, it was important to me that we didn’t separate them. Later we layered another voice, as well as bass and drums, adding ornamentations.

MOTEL VOID: Will it be part of your new album?

ELIANA GLASS: Yes, it will be a part of my new album E, which will come out April 25 with Shelter Press!

MOTEL VOID: You’re based in New York. How would you describe the current music scene there? Do you feel like you’re part of it? Do you have any favorite local venues or artists?

ELIANA GLASS: I don’t know that I necessarily feel part of a particular music scene in New York. I think people play and listen to music at certain intervals for distinct, particular reasons. Maybe I float within different scenes because of this. For local venues, I love walking in to Sunny’s on any given night. Seeing live music at Brooklyn First Unitarian Church is always special. I really like small venues where you can see a performer’s face and expressions up-close.

MOTEL VOID: How would you compare it to Australia and Seattle, where you also spent some time?

ELIANA GLASS: I was born in Australia and lived there for a few years when I was a kid, I later grew up in Seattle. Had I grown up in Australia, I still would have had access to a piano through my parents and their love of music, but I think I would have turned out differently. Seattle and Washington as a whole have a lot of significant music history (Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Bikini Kill come to mind) and also public school music education, whereas Australia I see as being slightly more remote.

MOTEL VOID: Who or what is your biggest inspiration at the moment?

ELIANA GLASS: My brother inspires me a lot. I can’t get over the beautiful music of Ferkat Al Ard. Tom Waits singing ‘Lonely’. Vaqif Mustafazadə’s ‘Azizia’, written for his daughter. I am inspired by people making things for other people, making something in another person’s name. I like romance in music too, it doesn’t have to be outwardly romantic, it could just be the sound of someone’s voice. Stephin Merritt, of the Magnetic Fields for example, or maybe his music is just romantic through and through, voice and all.

MOTEL VOID: Do you plan to tour in support of your new music?

ELIANA GLASS: Yes I would love to! Hope to and look forward to the adventure of it.