Courtesy of Sinnet
Medford residing graphic designer Aaron Spransy might just be feeling a little lucky. With a couple connections and a collection of demos, Spransy finds himself entering the music community with ease. Having formed the band Sinnet, named after his late mother’s license plate, he is now gearing up to release their debut album Island Town. A blend of easy vibes dad-rock and indie punk. Wavves by way of The Shins with a dash of Beach Boys. But before we all set sail to sleek n’ sunny Island Town, and before their dazzling release show with local heroes BEEEF and Divine Sweater, we had a chance to chat with Aaron.
Allston Pudding: Why release a Summer album in December?
Aaron Spransy: [laughs] I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a summer album.
AP: Summer-y I suppose.
AS: [The album] took a while to release. The date had moved to December and I wanted to put it out before the birth of my second child.
Courtesy of Sinnet
AP: On this LP (see left) you say you are really embracing “dad rock”. When did that become a choice and was it at all inspired by becoming a father?
AS: When the single “Island Town” came out, a review mentioned “embracing dad rock vibes”, which ended up being very true to the situation. Being home more during the pandemic I really found out who I was as a dad. There’s many songs about people having children that are so tender, and I feel that way but I struggle to be earnest sometimes [laughs]. I’m poking fun at being a dad in a loving way.
AP: You’re also a graphic designer, but when did music come into your life? What was the main inspiration?
AS: I started playing guitar in high school and started to want to be an artist for a living. Music has just been a part of my life. Though sometimes I wish I could be more cathartic. A lot of artists channel their deepest feelings. A lot of my earlier songs did reference my mom‘s passing which I found really nice to have as an outlet but I also found it really challenging to do in a way that wasn’t cliché.
AP: Tell me how you cultivated the collaborators on this album. The list is pretty impressive.
AS: I had sent demos to my friend Andy Neesley, who’s a Grammy nominated jazz trumpet player, for him to play on the song. Neesley connected me to a label… got Dave Brophy to play drums who I knew through my friend Matt Girard at Revolution Sound Studios in Charlestown. It was as simple as “hey, I have this song” and it fell into place. Having this to work on during the pandemic really helped my mental [well-being]. It was nice to know, hopefully something will come of it, and without a ton of effort, I found some really great people. It’s really feeling the best it’s ever felt.
AP: What’s your favorite and least favorite part of living in suburbia?
AS: Favorite: owning a house, having more space with my wife and child. Having a yard during the pandemic is great. I also love some of the random things in Medford. Bathtub Jesus’ & Mary’s. All of the people who own boats with nowhere to put them. My least favorite: We have a neighbor we don’t really get along with. We’ve had some stress & trouble recently, won’t get into details, but that stuff just sucks.
Courtesy of Sinnet
AP: You have this release show coming up with BEEEF and Divine Sweater. Have you played live since the Pandemic started?
AS: We played a couple of shows at ONCE in Somerville and The Lilypad in Cambridge. [This is a] big show for us, even just the size of the room [at The Crystal Ballroom], we have an eight person band too.
AP: What are you most looking forward to?
AS: I’m looking forward to how the band evolves and how we’ll collaborate, and playing music for anyone right now just feels like such a gift.
Sinnet perform with Divine Sweater and BEEEF tonight at The Crystal Ballroom at Somerville Theatre. More information and tickets can be found here. Their debut album Island Town is available now! Follow Sinnet on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more!