Omlet’s latest album, DUMB AS ROCKS AND OTHER SEDIMENTS, takes listeners on a journey of liberation through creative expression. Dumb as Rocks is Omlet’s fourth album and reflects the struggle to stay whimsical and creative in a world that is becoming increasingly jaded. Omlet uses witty lyrics, rich layering of instrumentals and multimedia visuals to explore these themes. I had the opportunity to chat with Omlet about the inspiration for this album and also got a sneak peak and what’s coming later this year.
Q: I love the title, DUMB AS ROCKS AND OTHER SEDIMENTS, it’s so eye-catching. Going into this listen I already had an impression of what the overall vibe would be. How did you pick that title and would you say the whimsy of the title translates into your music as well?
A: Yes, silly and clever is always the through line. Across all of my projects, silly and clever is always the thing. The way I picked it is I have this massive note that I started, it’s called Omlet 2, it has over a thousand just little notes that I scribble down. Some of it is full song lyrics, some whole songs written out, some of it is just one word. I wrote “dumb as rocks” there. Most of the album was finished at this point and I decided that was it. My last album had a long title so I wanted to expand upon that, let me include all of the little critters that are rolling around in the soil and that’s the title!
Q: Is there a track that you feel like encompasses the message of the album as a whole?
A: I think it’s My Harpsichord, which thankfully the fans like, I like it too. My Harpsichord was a beast to record. I wanted that chorus to be floaty but also like a belt. It took hundreds of takes to perfect, maybe 40 vocals combined to make that chorus vocal. The theme of that song is liberation. “Clip the strings, pull the floor, my harpsichord is growing wings” and the harpsichord is kind of a funky, unique instrument just casting everything else aside to flourish, especially creatively, because that’s my main form of self-expression…. But there does seem to be a progression where I’m growing more jaded throughout the album but then the final track Old Friends, New Enemies brings that theme of liberation back where everything’s coming to a head. I feel closed in, I feel perceived weird, whatever it may be. So it kind of circles back to what my harpsichord is, especially with dealing with people who you know don't vibe with you, but you're seeking their approval anyway. Both of those just realizing I should be hanging out with different people and letting it go.
Q: What would you say makes this album different from your previous albums?
A: Well, first off, it has the most amount of songs, which I think reflects how vigorous I was with the writing process. I would say the biggest difference though is with the engineering. With my first three I wasn’t thinking about how do I get good at mixing, how do I get good at mastering. I can get a bit obsessive with my projects because I want it to sound like me. So I did all of the engineering, I taught myself how to do every step for this album, and that was probably the longest process for this work. The entire album had been written and I then took a full year just working on the engineering and mastering the skill. That’s definitely what I would say is the biggest difference.
Q: What do you hope people learn about you or your art from listening to this album?
A: I hope that they learn in regards to the art, or, like, art as a bigger topic, that you can do it all yourself. If you have the means and you would like to shell out for the services, I’m not stopping you, I just don’t so I do it all myself. All of my videos, which there are more coming, I do all of that editing myself as well. You can be an artist and also teach yourself all of the engineering aspects. I suppose if I’m teaching a lesson with this album I would like for it to be that if you can’t source it, if you can’t afford it, you can still do it.
Q: What do you think is the ideal environment to listen to this album? If you were to curate a listening experience for someone, with no limitations, what is it?
A: I imagine a backdrop that I made for my ladybug music video under the felt landscape. Just the grass, the clouds, and a sun in the corner… maybe some butterflies.. everything's made out of felt. There's dirt that you can play in, you're making mud pies, you're probably eating some delicious snacks. You're not having a meal, you're just eating a lot of snacks. Chocolate cake is one of my favorite foods, and it looks kind of like dirt, so… and dirt, it's become a big visual theme, so let's eat some chocolate cake.
Q: Who is your dream artist to open for or go on tour with?
A: Magdalena Bay, I feel like that would really work. I love Magdalena Bay. I've seen them 4 times within the last year, and I'm seeing them again in September. I just love Magdalena Bay. Maybe I could be a third opener for the Haley Williams show, put me on before Rico Nasty. I can just perform for the people in the line, I'll do whatever.
Q: What can we expect next from you as an artist?
A: So… I’m not ready to leave DUMB AS ROCKS land yet. I’m not. I have recruited a couple of friends to do some remixes for their favorite songs on the album. It’s going to be called DUMB AS REMIXES, of course. I am still waiting for some finishing touches, then I hope it is going to be out maybe for the one year anniversary of the album. That would be splendid. I'm not gonna reveal who it is yet, because I made a fun video that I'm gonna put out that announces it, so everyone will have to wait and see. The tracks are so fun and I can’t believe my friends said yes to remixing my silly little songs. They really injected themselves into these remixes, so it's cool. I love listening to it and feeling like I'm listening from a completely different perspective. That gets me really excited.
Written by Charly Bradsher