September 26th, 2014 
Drew Caruso 
On a chilly autumn evening I made my way north to the Riverwalk Cafe in Nashua, NH to see Foreign Tongues and a line-up of local artists. The Riverwalk Cafe is a wonderful coffeehouse that has just recently expanded its territory into a new bar. The environment is warm, welcoming, and a perfect indie outlet for the Nashua area, a place that seems to be lacking in local venues.
I watched as Foreign Tongues unleashed a wave of distortion, emotion, and static, flawlessly performing their set. Featuring tracks spanning their entire discography, the band emitted energy, calm, and consistency as if they have been together for years. Opening with “Big Drag” from their recent split with The Felix Culpa, thundering drums filled the room and shook empty coffee mugs and Narragansett tall boys. Paired with the commanding bass, and sparse guitars, their set began with assertive sonic resonance.
After their set I had the pleasure of speaking with guitarist Al, as we discussed future plans, influences, Taylor Swift, and much more.
So you just released a video for “Luxury,” did you guys come up with the idea for that yourselves?
Yeah, our vocalist Cam, he had the idea. He had been sitting on it for a while; he envisioned it. Our buddy Bob Evans filmed it. He didn’t know how it would turn out, so it was like everything we do in the band, just kind of going for something to see if it turns out how we like it, then we do it. Eric Rojas over in California added some special effects to the whole thing, and we were just like, “yes, go with it.”
The songs seem to be getting more lush and full as you guys continue to write, have you had any musical influences in your writing?
For me personally, I deal more with the guitar leads, so a big influence is John Mayer, and the guys will probably hate me for saying that. I probably overplay him when we are in the van. Also a lot of The Jesus and Mary Chain, Father John Misty. We listen to a lot of Albert King, a lot of stuff back to that. It’s a crazy mix of a lot of things.
Do you have any influences outside of music?
I watch a lot of YouTube videos of video games. I’m a big video game buff, and I sold my XBOX, so I watch a lot of YouTube stuff. With video games, it’s eclectic, it’s diverse, and I like to think of our music that way. You can see through our releases, each one is different. It’s like you play a different video game but you love them the same ways.
Everyone is rocking big pedal boards. Do you have a current favorite?
Yeah, the Red Witch. It’s the Medusa chorus pedal. I keep it going the whole set. It’s so dreamy. Our sound has always had this dreamy, pretty, sort of background that we try to keep, and I just love the Red Witch for that. I keep it going the whole time.
You just had your split come up with The Felix Culpa, how did that come about? That was The Felix Culpa’s comeback release essentially.
Cam, our vocalist, was in cahoots with their vocalist Marky, and they were talking for a bit, which turned into us talking with Chris. It was just a maelstrom, and it was just kind of like, “well, now we are doing this with No Sleep.” It was almost out of the blue, which is the best way anything could happen.
Absolutely. You guys are also going to be doing some dates of the Death To False Music Tour, right?
Yep, we are playing New York, Boston, Connecticut, Philadelphia; it’s going to be awesome.
You guys are based out of New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Playing through New England, do you have any favorite venues?
I got to say Great Scott, they are awesome. They keep that cash-only vibe which is like this if you don’t care about being there don’t be there kind of thing. And they always have great sound, too. We just love playing there. We play there often.
Awesome. What’s next for you guys musically?
We are in the process of writing an LP. We have a lot of stuff in the mix right now. We are being very picky. It’s a lot of writing and saying “that’s awesome,” and then saying “let’s take some time on this, let’s revisit this.” But yeah, I believe the next thing will be an LP.
Would you want to work with Jay Maas again?
Yeah, we love Jay. Good buddy, awesome sound. He does everything the way we like, and he likes what we do. We love working with him.
Looking forward to it. Let’s end with “what you have been listening to lately?”
It’s been a mix of stuff. I’ve been listening to a lot of The Jesus and Mary Chain and Father John Misty, as mentioned before. I’m tempted to say something quick; so obscure it’s almost a joke.
Just throw it out there.
For some reason, it just gets me going wild; “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift. I mean it doesn’t influence me. But on a more serious note I have been listening to a lot of Father John Misty, it’s really awesome.
Written and conducted by Drew Caruso — Follow him on Twitter.
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