An Interview With Caleb L'Etoile
A brand-new release from Caleb L'Etoile delivers a massive amount of high-energy, catchy, grunge and alternative rock-driven songs that seem to have a kind of horror-themed undertone at times, coming through with an almost theatrical soundscape and performance.
The record is called PS, and certainly doesn't waste much time getting straight to the point with its first track, "Darling, Pt2", which comes straight in with a gritty and grungy riff that descends and feels sort of punkish but with that slight cinematic haunt and it's underbelly, and it's absolutely Wild as an introduction to the song and even more so, to the record itself.
After the rambunctious guitar introduction, it breaks into a bopping, catchy groove driven by the bass guitar and the drumming, which really showcases a depth in not just musicianship but the ability to hook you in rhythmically.
So, you have this bass guitar line rolling through, the drums are driving, in the pocket but alive, and the vocals come in double-tracked and animated. This is kind of where the theatrical element comes in. Those vocals have a little element of swagger to them, little hints of haunt as well, but are also sort of theatrical.
They are fun and slightly carefree, and you end up paying a lot of attention to the lyrical phrasing of it all because it's brilliant.
The drumming is wild as well and really bursts into those explosive sections so that they have full impact, and the whole thing just comes through with these great waves of intensity.
One of the reasons this is such an excellent introduction to the album is because what I just mentioned are some of the great staples of this full release.
Now, there are surprises around its corners and different directions that it does take, and I do suggest listening to this album in full, from start to finish, because otherwise you won't get the full spectrum of what it's actually offering.
Certain tracks can feel more cinematic than others, like "Starling", which has such great guitar work running throughout it, and its arrangement is so unique because it builds in very particular ways.
These are songs that do have some traditional arrangement, but also reach outside the box as well.
Then you have songs like "Beach Horror", which feels more like an alternative surf-rock anthem of sorts. You are certainly paying attention to those vocals, and they have some sort of decimation or amp simulation slash distortion kind of effect on them, but the layers of guitar work are really what pull you into this one.
This one also tells a story and comes through with that theatrical underbelly once again. This is what I mean. The whole record does take different directions at times, but that feeling you get of having more than just a record is always there.
It feels as if these are chapters of a book or acts of a play.
You get these great stories, at times delivering a lot of detail lyrically, the vocals are always animated and sort of in your face, so you get pulled into the swagger and approach of those, but you also get sucked into the story lines. The descriptions of some of these stories during the songs are amazing and help you paint little pictures in your head as the songs unfold.
Probably one of the most explosive, cinematic, and impactful songs on the record is its closing track, "Stoat", which feels almost like a sermon.
I'm telling you, this whole thing is wild, and you really need to listen to it in full to grasp everything.
The songs have strange ways of interconnecting to the point where it feels almost like this is a concept record.
I didn't make it, so I can't be sure about that, but it certainly feels that way.
So, I had to find out more.
I wanted to know if this is a solo project or a full band. If Caleb himself is performing most or even all of the instruments. How he was recording them, and if it indeed is completely horror-themed.
This is quite an experience if you listen to it from beginning to end. I suggest listening to it with headphones on because it's one of the best ways to soak it in, simply because of all the layers of rock texture and tone that are happening throughout this thing.
But after the first few listens, I came up with some questions to ask Caleb.
So, while you listen to this record right now, have a read through of our interview below so you can find out more about where this all came from.
Check this out.
Let's talk about PS ! This album was thriving with a horror themed classic post-punk,a fuzztone garage and alt-rock ! Where did this record come from?
Halloween season is my favorite time of the year. I love everything about it, from the campy to the spooky and all colors in between. I’ve also always loved punk music, having grown up on the Misfits, Ramones, and the wealth of punk bands during the 2000s. Spooky vibes and punk rock became two major staples of my life, and I never really let either go, which brings us to PS…
When I started this project, one of my goals was to release an annual Halloween EP — a little tradition of original songs and covers to celebrate the season. I’d done it the past couple of years, but this time something clicked. Once I started writing, the ideas just kept coming, and I decided to see how far I could push it. What came out was PS — a horror anthology set to noise and melody, where each song plays like a miniature horror movie with its own world, characters, and tone. It’s a love letter to the spooky side of punk — or maybe a post-punk séance for the weird and haunted.
I'm hearing a few different approaches to this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
My influences are kind of all over the place, but for this record, I was listening specifically to a lot of music by Gilla Band, Daughters, and the Armed. I think most of their influence comes through in the noisiness of the guitars, but the vocals also take a lot of influence from Daughters and mewithoutYou, depending on which track you’re listening to. For the record overall, I’d also claim early Misfits, the Cramps, Harley Poe, and the awesome legacy of Halloween songs from the 60s onwards as influences.
Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?
This record was fully recorded at home. I use Ableton Live with a UAD Apollo Twin interface, and my guitar, synths, and pedals running directly to the interface. It also makes extensive use of the Motor Pedal from Gamechanger Audio, a pedal that uses a motor to match the pitch of the note you’re playing and modulate the signal. It sounds sick and is responsible for most of the leads on the record. Also a fun fact, there’s no bass on the record. It’s all my Telecaster pitched down an octave which ended up having a cool tone with a punk flavor to it that I liked a lot.
How did this all start for you as a band?
No band! This is all me at my computer. I played all the instruments, programmed the drums, sang, stomped on some boards, mixed, mastered, etc. It’s about as DIY as you can get from start to finish.
Are you guys performing live right now?
There are currently no live shows in the works, but hoping to expand on that next year.
Now that this is out, what's next for you?
Given that this is the 5th album I’ve released this year, I’m going to take a break. I’ll be back briefly for a reprise/surprise on October 31st, but after that I’ll probably be pretty quiet until next year. I need to finish mixing my next record, and I have a project that’s much bigger in scale than anything I’ve done so far that I’m working on as well.
Who's in all your headphones right now?
Myself lol. I tend to get obsessive when I’m finishing an album and often will guzzle it like a fire hose until I drown myself and don’t want to listen to more music. I’ve been trying to give myself a break though and have been listening to a lot of the new record by The Armed, Most Normal by Gilla Band, this wonderful ambient album called Tender/Wading by M. Sage, Black Eyes self-titled record (and new record Hostile Design!), and some Bad Bunny.
What would you tell people they can expect on this release?
It’s a horror anthology in song form, with each song serving as it’s own little horror movie. It has loud guitars, a variety of creatures and monsters, and it leans into camp as much as it does spooky. It does explore the world of horror though, so I’ll also tell them to expect a content warning for dark themes and moments of violence.
It’s also probably my most consistent sounding record, as this is the first time I’ve written a record intentionally to give the songs a common sound world. Normally I tend to hop genres between, during, and around songs, but with this release I zeroed in on a sound and happily exploited it across 10+ songs. The song Starling specifically was the jumping off point and helped show me I could make the record I wanted to but didn’t know that I could.
Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music?
Thanks for listening and checking this out! I put out 5 albums this year, so if you enjoy it, please consider checking out some more on my Bandcamp (or wherever). There’s a pop record (Vulnerable), a ‘country’ record (Rodeo), an album for anyone who feels strongly about the state of the country and isn’t a racist piece of shit (American Death), and an indie rock record (Mouthful of Teeth).
Also, if you like what you hear, please consider following me on my Substack (@calebletoile) for updates and in depth explorations of my work.
