Stereo Six: Seattle Dream Punk Trio SCARVES Run Down Their Integral Albums

Hailing from Seattle, Washington, dream punk group Scarves are our latest Stereo Six feature, where the artist in question runs down the five albums (along with one curveball choice) that helped shape their newest album. Scarves just released their latest LP, Dinner Dates for The End of Days, on September 28th via Good Eye Records, a ten-track “dinner date” for any true fan of dream punk.

Over the last few years, Scarves have etched out a reputation as one of the buzz bands around Seattle. Their new record is something of a concept record, with each track acting as a portrait of an end times that’s positively inspiring and heart-warming. The album was recorded at Portland, Oregon’s Destination Universe and produced by Hutch Harris in an intentional punky way. Many of the songs were recorded in one take, a testament to how tight of a unit this three-piece is.

The Dinner Dates for The End of Days album dropped on September 28th, via Good Eye Records.

01. Weyes Blood – Front Row Seat to Earth EP (2016, Mexican Summer)
– This was the record I bumped on the plane to Seattle. I took a lot of cues from their expansive harmonies and intricately plotted chord progressions. Coming into a band that’s often been called “abrasive” has been interesting for me as a softer, melody-harmony focused writer, and it’s been really cool to see how those styles mesh.

02. Pile – Jerk Routine (2009, Exploding In Sound)
– Pile’s whole discography was pretty influential to how we approached rhythm and song structure on this record. When we were writing the record I kept coming to practice with all these songs and parts that were heavily based in 6/8, much to our drummer Cael’s chagrin. He told me listening to this record, and also their release Magic Isn’t Real, really helped him find interesting ways to make 6/8 groovy.

03. The Hold Steady – Separation Sunday (2005, Frenchkiss Records)
– I don’t know if Craig Finn has ever written a book, but I still consider him one of America’s greatest novelists. The way his characters evolve and interact over the band’s discography has always been something that has fascinated me and has definitely been something I have tried to emulate in my own writing. This record, in particular, has such a strong and compelling arch with its main character Holly that always blew my mind. I really hope someone adapts it into a musical someday!

Also, he sold me his PA at a house show last year and we wrote a lot of the harmonies on our new record using it.

04. Hop Along – Get Disowned (2002, Hot Green Records)
– Frances (Quinlan) is my favorite vocalist and someone who has really inspired me to inject as much emotion into my singing as possible. This record, in particular, has always held a special place in my heart. Every song on Get Disowned is such a journey and the compositions just destroy me. I thought about this record a lot while writing Dinner Dates.

05. The Vapors – New Clear Days (1980, United Artists)
– New Clear Days is a record that was sort of laughed off due to its bizarre and controversial single (the radio hit “Turning Japanese”), but the album itself is a gorgeous takedown of nuclear war that I think captures Cold War anxiety in a really empathetic way. Also, the bass playing on this record is incredible and I think had a lot of influence, conscious or not, on modern indie rock. Listen to their track “Letter from Hiro” and then Death Cab For Cutie’s “Soul Meets Body” if you want to hear what I am talking about.

06. [Curveball Answer] Duncan Sheik & Steven Sater – Spring Awakening Soundtrack (2006, Verve)
– I’m not ashamed to say I love theatre, and that it’s one of my primary influences. Spring Awakening hit me at a formative time and stuck. I was in a production of it in college, which gave me the chance to pick apart the sheet music and formed the basis of a lot of my arrangement moves. It’s gorgeously orchestrated and sung. When Niko asked me to write a choral part for the end of our record, I pulled from those ensemble harmonies.

Now that you know what the band digs, have a listen to Scarves’ latest album Dinner Dates For The End of Days, and scope our their upcoming tour dates just below.

Tour Dates:

10/12 – Syracuse, NY – House Show
10/13 – New Jersey – TBA
10/14 – Pittsburgh – Mr Roboto
10/16 – Cincinnati, OH – House Show
10/17 – Chicago, IL – Burlington Theater
10/19 – Davenport, IA – Daytrotter
10/20 – Kansas – TBA
10/21 – Omaha, NE – House Show