Last Days of Heaven Multi-Instrumentalist Juan Vargas Discusses ‘Out of Body’

Juan Vargas is back with his latest musical endeavour, Last Days of Heaven. A highly regarded multi-instrumentalist based in Texas, Vargas is well known for his work under The Secret Truth of the Universe. He’s always one to seek out a new challenge, and that’s what he has done with Last Days of Heaven.

The project is a combination of dream pop, shoegaze, and alternative rock elements, with Vargas in pursuit of the most elaborate and engrossing soundscapes he can come up with. His music thematically explores trauma, failure, and romantic loss. He draws inspiration for this project from artists such as Sparklehorse, My Bloody Valentine, and Deerhunter.

We are joined by Vargas today to learn more about Last Days of Heaven, the writing and recording of his latest EP, Out of Body, desired collaborations, and more

How would you describe your music?

Juan Vargas: “You know the feeling you get when you fall in a dream and wake up before you hit the ground? The sound of the wind and the feeling of anxiety when falling is how I would describe the music.”

What is the story behind your the Last Days of Heaven name?

“It’s a combination of two film titles: Last Days by Gus Van Sant and Days of Heaven by Terrence Malick. I was a film major and I do video editing by day. Films have a huge influence on my art.”

Tell us about your new EP Out of Body: What was your experience making it? What went on behind the scenes?

“It took two years to write, record and fully realize five tracks, so it was a journey. Some tracks had a lot of back and forth with collaborators and that process took months. For example, I think Jasper (Byrne) took four months from our initial conversations to actually recording and sending me stems for his contributions on ‘Nothing Left to Torture,’ and, initially, on ‘The Night Comes For You’ there was a female singer for that, but she kind of dropped off of the project after a year of reaching out to her. For me, emotionally there was a lot I was going through during that time, so the songs are an expression of those feelings. My hope is that some of the chords or lyrics can be relatable to someone else and their personal experiences.”

Last Days of Heaven ‘Out of Body’ EP album artwork

When recording your latest batch of tunes, did anything strange, wonderful or terrible occur?

“Well, the last batch of songs was the easiest because it wasn’t me singing on the tracks. It’s so much easier and less stressful to take a backseat on vocals and focus on the instrumentation/production. There’s nothing like dream-pop with ethereal, female vocals.”

What is your writing process like?

“I might have an idea while driving and I’ll record it on my voice memos. From there I will record guitars, bass, program drums, maybe add keys and get a feel for how it sounds. But in terms of building the rest of the song it might take me months because I don’t force the progression of the song. I usually wait until the chorus or the bridge or the coda naturally comes to me.”

What is the music scene like where you’re based?

“There are a lot of metal and alternative-rock/shoegaze acts like Frozen Soul, Devourment, Ozone, Trauma Ray, Bleed, and Narrow Head. So pretty much everything I’m into (laughs).”

What are some of the newer bands that you are listening to or enjoy?

“YHWH Nailgun, High Vis, Prostitute… I mean, there are tons. Those are just a few that come to mind.”

Who would you most want to collaborate with?

“I mean, Nick Basset (Deafheaven, Nothing) mixed and mastered my music, and he made the tracks sound so much better. I would love to have him play lead guitars on.”

If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take three CDs with you for eternity, (assuming there was a solar-powered CD player) what would they be?

“My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, Scott Walker’s Scott 3, and Sparklehorse’s Dreamt For Light Years in the Belly of a Mountain.”

What’s next for you?

“Working on a split with one of my collaborators Almma and also practicing these songs because I would like to perform them in a live setting this year. A full-length would be killer, but also with my track record that could take another four years…”