Little Galaxies Waking Sea Interview

Versatile psych-rock band, Little Galaxies, makes a grand return with "Waking Sea," declaring triumph following a turbulent journey. After a brief hiatus, Little Galaxies has returned to the light to shine upon their fanbase with the latest track from their upcoming album, One with the Waking Sea. "Waking Sea" is now available to download and stream on digital platforms worldwide.

With an irresistible guitar groove and an alluring tenor lead vocal that aligns perfectly with the instrumental, "Waking Sea'' explores a variety of sonic textures that fit the song's theme. Co-written by Jeanna Fournier (lead singer) and Amir Eshraghi (guitarist) as part of Fournier's healing journey from a life-altering car crash, the song details her awakening and overcoming of such events with the oceanic metaphor of "being one with the waking sea." "'Waking Sea' is a song about finding peace in the wreckage," Fournier says. "It was inspired by a car accident and my awakening in the years to follow as I healed from injuries and learned to accept my fate by surrendering to the pain to heal and transcend from it." This song is an outlet for listeners to reflect on how they have grown out of a tempestuous period in their lives into the people they are today. To add a symphonic element to parts of the songs, Little Galaxies brought in Ken Oak on cello and Phoebe Silva on violin. The single was co-produced and recorded by Sejo Navajas at 4th Street Recording Studio in Santa Monica, mixed by Andreas Sandnes, and mastered by Evren Goknar at Capitol Studios.

Formed in Venice Beach, California, Little Galaxies was founded by Jeanna Fournier and Amir Eshraghi, who recruited Andreas Sandnes on bass and Lucas Crouch on drums. The ensemble experiments with their own unique sonic dreamscape, drawing influences from psychedelic rock, dream pop, and folk. The band started gaining recognition in 2013 after the release of their debut album, Patterns. What followed was a myriad of festivals spanning the West Coast and well-deserved recognition from eminent blogs including Earmilk, Buzzbands LA, OC Weekly, and The Bay Bridged along with receiving the title of "Emerging Los Angeles Artist of the Year" from The Deli Magazine and "Best Music Video" and "Best Feel Good Video" awards for their single "Tonight" from Radio KSCR.

"During the pandemic, I realized that so many of us are dealing with chronic health conditions, and now is a more important time than ever to nurture ourselves, look for happiness in the trenches, and roll with the ebb and flow of our existence," says Fournier. Life constantly throws unexpected events at us, but Little Galaxies reminds us to make peace and shows us how to become one with the waking sea through this uptempo vibey rock track. Download and stream "Waking Sea," and stay tuned for an accompanying music video, set for release in late July. The album, One with the Waking Sea, will be released on Coconut Spaceship Records this fall. To keep up to date with Little Galaxies' musical journey, follow their Instagram @littlegalaxies or visit LittleGalaxiesBand.com.

Interview with Little Galaxies (Jeanna Fournier)

Question: How would you describe your music?

Jeanna Fournier: A mix of psychedelic pop and dream rock.


Question: Can you tell us about Waking Sea?

Jeanna Fournier: 'Waking Sea' is the latest single from our forthcoming album. It was inspired by my car accident and learning to find peace in the wreckage.


Question: Is there a particular message you hope listeners take from your music?

Jeanna Fournier: I always try to incorporate a positive message into my lyrics. The latest single and our upcoming album deal with coming to terms with our fate and learning to overcome whatever obstacles we're facing. I hope the music serves as a healing guide to those in need of catharsis.


Question: Do you prefer performing live or recording?

Jeanna Fournier: I prefer writing and performing live. I love being immersed in the huge sound of a live performance and connecting with the audience. Our fans really appreciate our live show since we use a lot of unique effects and analog sounds from our instruments and vocals that often get confused with synths, loops or computer-based sounds, none of which we use, as of yet at least. Amir also plays theremin live and it is a sight to behold.


Question: What is the story behind the band name?

Jeanna Fournier: There is a lot of space in our music and we love using delay and reverb to create inter dimensional sonic textures, so we thought a band name relating to space would be fitting. Our original drummer came up with the name and it resonated with us immediately.


Question: How did the band come together?

Jeanna Fournier: Amir and I met playing in another band. I was instantly drawn to the cerebral sounds of his guitar playing. We started making music together strumming on the sands of Venice Beach in the summer of 2012, fell in love, and the rest is history.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?

Jeanna Fournier: Our latest single 'Waking Sea' and songs from our upcoming album were mostly written while I was healing from injuries from a car accident, so a lot of these songs were motivated by my journey to recovery and making peace with the trauma. I lost the ability to play music and perform live for a couple of years, and this loss of doing what I loved most motivated my writing and guitar playing. Relating my tragedy to the natural universe helped me to make sense of this life-altering event and accept my fate so I could transcend and heal from it.

Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Jeanna Fournier: New releases from Hiatus Kaiyote and Gothic Tropic are a couple of things I'm currently listening to.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Jeanna Fournier: I have always wanted to make music since I was 3 years old and started teaching myself piano. There were always guitars, drums, and exotic instruments around the house from my parents' travel and my dad's home country, Bolivia. They also played a bit and my mom sung in choirs, so being around a musical environment probably inspired me at a young age.


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Jeanna Fournier: Thom Yorke


Question: Was there a moment you contemplated throwing in the towel?

Jeanna Fournier: Being an independent DIY artist, there are often times I have wanted to give up. Managing my band, booking shows, organizing tours, co-producing music videos, keeping us on schedule, and more, in addition to writing the lyrics and co-writing the music, has had its tough moments, but it also empowers me. I recently started my own label Coconut Spaceship to release music and collaborate with DIY artists experiencing the same frustrations with the music industry.


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?
Jeanna Fournier: My favorite part is connecting with fans. Some of our fans we have met at shows have become our best friends. Having those moments where you play a show and make someone feel something cathartic and then have that expressed to you in a genuine way is a truly magical feeling.


Question: What's a typical day like?

Jeanna Fournier: A typical day is coordinating, creating content, and making music with my guitar player, co-writer, and partner Amir. Whether we are planning our next release or social media post, or vibing off each other musically, every day is a creative adventure filled with a lot of logistics and new challenges.


Question: What's next, for you?

Jeanna Fournier: Our new album is coming out very soon and we plan to play shows this fall. We also have more music videos, as well as live videos on the way.


Question: Can you share your socials? (links please)

Jeanna Fournier: Website 
YouTube 
Facebook 
Instagram 


Interview by Gwen van Montfort