Inside The Slow Collision Of Light And Shadow: One Hundred Moons On ‘Black Avalanche’
Punk Head: The title “Black Avalanche” sounds a bit heavy. What does that mean to you? Is it metaphorical, personal, or both?
Collin Young: A lot of the lyrics are meant to stay open to interpretation. I guess it represents some kind of inevitable darkness. When I was working through the lyrics with Jen, she saw it as something coming from the outside, where I thought of it as more internal.
Punk Head: Your music balances beauty and unease and the tension between shadow and light. How intentional is that duality in your writing and production?
Collin Young: Definitely intentional. Each new idea should come from a different place so there's contrast from one moment to the next, which keeps things interesting. Thematically, it's all a reflection of life; sometimes you're up, sometimes you're down, that just feels honest.
Punk Head: This song kickstarts a new chapter for you. How does Black Avalanche set the tone for the album that shares its name?
Collin Young: I think it reintroduces us as a fully formed band. Our first album was made as more of an insular project between me and Jen, where this new record was fleshed out from the whole unit. It comes out the gate with live drums and guitar, setting the tone that this is a rock record made by people playing together.
Punk Head: Your sound merges shoegaze, dream pop, and post-rock — three genres obsessed with texture. What’s your process for building those layers without losing emotional clarity?
Collin Young: Well, even though the final product ends up coming from the band, a lot of the writing still takes place on a computer at home, where there's endless opportunity to pile on sounds. Sometimes you're just throwing every idea you can into the sonic soup, but I've come to learn that too many layers just turn into mud. This time we made sure that any sounds that didn't contribute something interesting would get the axe, so you're not just hearing layers for the sake of it.
Punk Head: A lot of your sound feels like memory — distant but familiar. Are you writing about personal experiences, or are you trying to capture more abstract feelings?
Collin Young: Thanks, glad to hear it comes off that way! The aim is to keep it abstract enough that people can see what they want to see, while still keeping enough of a thread that it means something to me. It's rarely premeditated; often, I'll just go with the flow of the melody. I don't think it's necessary to write from firsthand experience, but this record definitely ended up circling around some feelings I’d been having without me even realizing it.
