Automatic Loveletter

Denis@RRR: Back in 2007, Automatic Loveletter signed to Epic Records and released Recover EP. Why did you wait so long after Recover to release anything? What was happening with your label? You're now on Sony Independent Network and it's four years later...

Juliet Simms: We were supposed to release a whole album but Epic wouldn’t fund it. They would fund an EP, after pulling teeth for about a year. So if we’re being completely honest here, it wasn’t me who waited... they wouldn't release it. Allison and I did everything we could - tours, guest spots, you name it. What was happening is they kept going through different presidents and, each time, I had to prove myself to them so they wouldn’t drop me. It was ridiculous.



Denis@RRR: How was staying together in that time? A few members left the band... you're obviously committed, but did you ever want to give up?

Juliet Simms: I've never even come close to giving up. I've definitely had moments of discouragement, but they only last for moments, and then I’d screw my head back on. Plus, if I gave up, I wouldn’t know what to do… I don’t know how to do anything else. Hahaha  :)



Denis@RRR: Did Automatic Loveletter's plans keep changing? You released a three track EP in early 2009... the date of the album kept changing...

Juliet Simms: Again... not my choice… Epic couldn’t make up its mind. I just want to add as well that things weren’t all bad at Epic. I made some great friends, relationships and so on. It also was a stripe-earning experience. Without it, I wouldn't be who I am today and learned all I have learned.

Denis@RRR: The album was supposed to be titled The Ghosts We Carry Home, at one point. What happened with that title?

Juliet Simms: I made a new record. :) That was the title of the album I did with Epic that was never released, which would be nice to release maybe… one day



Denis@RRR: You pulled through, and Automatic Loveletter's debut full-length, Truth Or Dare, is out on June 22nd. Guide us through the writing process for the record. You have a lot of demos, don't you?

Juliet Simms: YES! Over 150 recorded and some not even recorded. I lived in LA for eight months and wrote my ass off. Wrote with a couple friends, family (my brother and guitarist Tommy) and on my own. When it came time to do the record, I sat with my producer and a few other cooks and narrowed it down to our favorite ones.

Denis@RRR: Over the years, you've accumulated many many demos, many of which are available somewhere on the internet. How tough was it choosing 12 songs? Are you worried many fans may have already heard half the album?

Juliet Simms: I know! It’s crazy how many demos have leaked! Sometimes, at shows, a kid will call out some random song I wrote years ago and I’ve even asked them, "Oh, that song? Ya… umm… How does it go again?" And ya know, I’m not worried because that just means they’ll be even more excited when the next album comes out… a full record of new songs! Yay! LOL



Denis@RRR: Tell us about the recording process for the record.

Juliet Simms: We did it at Josh Abraham’s studio in Silverlake (Los Angeles). So big and awesome! Basically it was me and a team of excellent musicians and a RECORD button. :D  We tracked drums first, then bass, guitars, keys, vocals and so on.. the whole process was about six weeks

 

Denis@RRR: What is the significance of the album's title?

Juliet Simms: It’s everything to do with my lyrics and style of writing I feel. It’s also how I’ve been living my life the last eight years. It’s all been a big eff’n game of spontaneity, fearlessness, honesty, down-and-out, on-cloud-9, etc. It sums me up. And now sums my band up too!  :D



Denis@RRR: Tell us about the artwork. It's very cinematic...

Juliet Simms: Haha, ya know, some of my favorite female singers did it… I wanted to jump on that bandwagon.



Denis@RRR: How has the band's image changed since 2007? The artwork for Truth Or Dare is very Gaga-esque, and your recent promo shoots are just you Juliet, without the rest of the band...

Juliet Simms: Gaga wasn’t the first person to put something over one eye… I think it was Bowie actually, who is one of my hugest influences. If it comes off that way, then so be it. She's awesome. It wasn't my intention though.



Denis@RRR: Why did you decide to release Heart Song - a song that sounds completely different than any of your previous material as the album's single?

Juliet Simms: If you'd ever heard previous demos of mine, you'd know why. Songs such as "Greyscale" "Take My Soul", "San Francisco", "The Only Ones", and so on are very much in the same vein… “Heart Song” is very much me and that type of bluesy melodies, and daring lyrics are in my blood.



Denis@RRR: How do you feel you've changed as a person and musician since 2007's Recover?

Juliet Simms: I feel like I've found myself. I know who I am now, who I want to be. Not to say that in three more years I’ll look back at this time now, and say, "man, I didn’t know anything." I feel that we are constantly progressing and learning new things. For right now, I’m where I should be. I’m a better songwriter, have countless tours under my belt, more fashion-savvy, a better guitar player, and I’m a lot more chilled out than I used to be. Haha.



Denis@RRR: What has starting young and in the music industry taught you?

Juliet Simms: It’s taught me to surround yourself with family and friends and those who love you and a great team of professionals. Youth is easy to persuade and, I wont lie, I was pushed around in the beginning and I fell for it. But it has taught me to be tough and stick to my ideas as an artist. Since I’ve doing things this way, things have been going SWELL! :) haha



Denis@RRR: You'll be heading out on Warped Tour this summer. Excited? Tell us about the Warped experience...

Juliet Simms: SO EXCITED!!!! It was like band camp for rockstars… It was the time of my life and I can’t wait to do it again!



Denis@RRR: Tell us a crazy tour story. Previous stories include FBI agents and strippers. Don't let us down!

Juliet Simms: Once upon a time, a snaggle-toothed gorilla stormed the fort of Checker Station (Checker Station was a camp for locklis furry gremlins). Well, it just so happened that there was a team of four that specialized in monster finding and capturing of these horrible critters. There was this one night, it all happened so suddenly! Bolts of lightening slashed the open sky, the earth rumbled and volcanos exploded across the lands. It was up to the four to save the planet. But the only way they could do is... A face-to-face, with the demons threatening our lovely earth, in a hot dog-eating contest. Luckily for us, the monsters were Vegan. We won. The End 

Denis@RRR: What do the next six months hold in store for Automatic Loveletter?

Juliet Simms: Tour, mayhem, chaos, and rock 'n rolling.