Adam Mowery has lived in Halifax ever since I’ve known him, but I’ve always considered him the Monarch of Saint John. He doesn’t know that, nor can I confirm that Saint John’s order of succession makes him the rightful ruler of his hometown. Mowery’s latest EP, Papal Visit’s Where Do They Swim?, however, would be worthy of the church’s blessing at his coronation.
Mowery’s wry lyrics are the bone dry complement to the squishy lo-fi production of his writing partner Pierre Cormier. This is a peanut butter and chocolate affair. The tape crunches and crinkles under Mowery questioning a local bather on the EP titular track:
“Where do they swim?
There must be a lake or quarry.
Hey, I’m not asking for your life story,
Tell me, where do they swim”
Where Do They Swim? is a great addition to Papal Visit’s catalogue with all the grinding guitars and pop-inspired melodies you’ve come to expect from them. Easy comparisons can be made between this track and the Guided By Voices lo-fi releases like Alien Lanes.
Here, the tape is more than just a medium for the recording, but a vehicle for summing the instruments into a single texture that dangles on the edge of warm compression and jagged distortion. Mowery and Cormier have infused the single with a touch of The Kinks as well that jumps out in the guitar sounds and Mowery’s melodies and lyrics.
However, I can’t review this record. I played a very small part in the production of its b-side, and continue to be a long-standing fan of his music since first hearing “Local Bands” from his 2013 EP of the same name.
In lieu of a review, here is an interview I conducted with Mowery:
MacNeil: Tell me a little about the history of Papal Visit.
Mowery: Five years ago this month, Pierre and I put out our first single. The first two years were kind of a trade back-and-forth affair. Pierre would send me some music and I’d write the lyrics and record it next time I was in Saint John. After that we started playing shows and we’ve done Sappy, some small tours of New Brunswick and the Quality Block Party.
MacNeil: Papal Visit and Adam Mowery have a lot to do with Saint John, How does it feel to be a transplant in Halifax?
Mowery: I have such good ties in Saint John and it doesn’t feel that different when I go back home. I still know a lot of people who are active and involved in the scene. Monopolized Records out of Saint John is putting out this stuff for us. I still feel very connected to that musical family
MacNeil: And how about your connection to Halifax?
Mowery: I don’t have too much connection to Halifax. I played here for years, but a lot of the guys I want to play with and the jam space are back in Saint John. The rest of the time I play with Mike Trask and all of this keeps me pretty busy.
MacNeil: Tell me about your literary background and how that ties into the way you write music. It seems like you often have surface concepts, but are actually talking about something else in your songs.
Mowery: Well I think for Papal Visit stuff, it’s all wordplay for me. Often times I don’t write the music. I come up with the vocal melody and the words. So in that way, it’s much like an exercise for me in the same way that you might dissect a poem, I kind of get to do that with my own stuff. The words are everything for me, but things aren’t written about super specifically. Like a David Bowie song, it might not make surface sense but it sure sounds nice together.
Yeah, but this one is more direct, I like that it’s dialogic. Just somebody looking for a swimming hole. The phrase starts and ends every verse structure, and then from there writing just becomes filling in the blanks.
MacNeil: Despite your literary background, I know you like pretty simple pop music. Three minutes is a long song for you.
Mowery: I think songs should be all kinds of lengths but I do like pop music. I am body positive when it comes to verse form, all sizes and shapes. I grew up listening to Guided By Voices, Wire and a lot of punk music, so lots of music with short songs.
My biggest fear with songwriting is boring somebody. So I like to try and make my point and get out. I’m a pretty fickle listener and I imagine the audience is the same.
MacNeil: Pierre’s squishy, trashy mixes on the 4-track, are they inspired by your love of Guided by Voices?
Mowery: I think they come from a love of all lo-fi music. Guided by Voices, Beck, K Records and even Sloan’s Twice Removed. Even though it was made in a big studio, it still tries to sound lo-fI and a lot of stuff from that period is that way.
Part of what I like about songwriting is that it’s divorced from commerce. A guitarist has to go get a bad-ass guitar, but song-writing is all about what’s on the page or recording. It’s straight from the brain and not filtered through a thing you bought.
MacNeil: Do you labour over songs?
Mowery: No, I use a lot of instinct. That’s what keeps it interesting for me. With the Papal Visit stuff I might do a few different drafts, but often I try to leave some of the process ambiguous before I start. When I get to Saint John it leaves a lot of room for collaboration.
MacNeil: You do your own artwork as well don’t you? Papal Visit has a strong aesthetic
Mowery: I’ve always liked bands with a cohesive look from album to album. All Cake albums look the same, Blue Tone records all have a similar look. I think being an indie musician, that’s one of the things you should enjoy, you know. If I was on board with someone else, I might not get to put whatever I want on the cover.
MacNeil: I think your collage art is really fantastic. Does the artwork tie into how you write music? Where do you get your clippings?
Mowery: I found a marketing school book tossed on the sidewalk by The Local. Great source material.
Papal Visit, even its weird name, is all about repurposing one surface meaning to another. That’s what I do with the art. I take old branding and give it a new meaning.
Give the track a good hard listen, and if you figure out where they swim make sure to tell Adam and Pierre. I’m sure they will want to know.