I met Jake Ingalls of the rock-party psychedelic groups Spaceface and The Flaming Lips to ask him about Spaceface’s New Year’s Eve extravaganza at Young Avenue Deli. The singer / guitarist / sampler / composer took a break from the vocal warm-ups in the studio to talk to me about the holiday concert, the band’s new album (half done) and their recently released single Christmas.
“We’re finishing a new record,” Ingalls says over the phone, allegedly hiding in a corner of the studio. “We’ve got six or seven songs practically done.” The offer of the group 2017, Sun Kids, was an explosion of childish optimism and rainbow rock, and one of the favorite albums of the year for this music writer. It even features Julien Baker on the “Timeshare” theme. The new album promises to be something different, even if the psychedelic trend is familiar to fans for a long time.
Forced into new territory by the release of his drums, Ingalls says he has begun incorporating samples into the music. “I’m always learning from the lips,” says Ingalls, who explains that he is inspired by the larger group, if not by direct contributions. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” he adds, explaining that the use of samples is something I have wanted to try for a long time, but felt hesitant to commit to doing so. Ingalls adds that the inspiration is “not to be dismayed, to find an alternative solution.”
In addition to meticulously stratified sampled drums and acoustic guitar strings, Ingalls uses field recordings of particle beam debris provided by researchers. The samples, Ingalls says, sound like something out of place Star Wars.
“This summer, I have to go to the Great Hadron Collider,” Ingalls recalls excitedly. He visited the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, Switzerland, where the Spaceface singer met scientists studying space. Some of them, says Ingalls, also sing in a group called Pinya Collider.
So Spaceface’s new song, “Piña Collider,” is named after the only cover band with scientific staff, Ingalls explains. “It’s an ode to CERN’s science workers.” Spaceface released the single “Panoramic View” in October 2020 and the audience at the New Year’s Eve concert could be one of the first to see and hear the new songs performed live.
Spaceface is no stranger to holiday performances. “We just released a Christmas single,” says Ingalls. The song, titled “Christmas Party (Nice & Naughty)”, is a festive-themed party and has gained strength in broadcast services. “It’s funny that the metric of success for an unsigned band these days is if they appear on a Spotify publisher’s playlist,” Ingalls adds, happily noting that “Christmas Party (Nice & Naughty) “entered one of these playlists.
“I feel lucky that in Memphis we’ve become this holiday act,” says Ingalls, referring to the band’s annual Halloween and New Year’s Eve concerts, which have become full-fledged shows. Spaceface, a group already well known for their live performances, confetti, costumed dancers and amazing light shows, always increases the advantage of holiday concerts. Ingalls says, in all seriousness, that fans can expect to see a “double-necked guitar with lasers.” According to his band, the band will play rave songs that provoke the dance and Ingalls will spin a DJ set after the band plays.
“We love playing there,” Ingalls says of Young Avenue Deli, a Midtown venue that has seen more than its fair share of alternative rock acts, both local and touring. Think Dinosaur Jr., built to spill, black lips, native blood, HEELS and Amy LaVere. “We’re excited to get into the new sound system.”
Spaceface performs at Young Avenue Deli on Tuesday, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m.: $ 10 in advance, $ 15 at the door.