The Prescriptions | Interview | New Album, ‘Time Apart’
The Prescriptions are releasing their latest album today, ‘Time Apart’, out via Single Lock Records.
The Prescriptions sharpen their sound with ‘Time Apart.’ Produced by Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes) and Brendan Benson (The Raconteurs), the album funnels a half-century of American and British sounds — including taut power-pop, explorative indie rock, jangling heartland hooks, and New Wave nuances — into something sharp and singular. The result is a warm, widescreen follow-up to The Prescriptions’ 2019 debut, ‘Hollywood Gold,’ its songs balanced halfway between classic craftsmanship and progressive exploration.
When recording sessions for ‘Time Apart’ began, The Prescriptions — singer/guitarist Hays Ragsdale, bassist Parker McAnnally, and drummer John Wood — were still riding high on the critical success of ‘Hollywood Gold.’ Back home in Nashville after a round of cross-country tour dates, Ragsdale filled his head with songs by Big Star, Elvis Costello, and other artists who, like him, used pop melody and rock & roll muscle as launch pads for a bigger, bolder sound. Flush with newly-written material, the band then headed into Brendan Benson’s studio to record power-pop anthems like ‘April Blossoms,’ stacking vocal harmonies and bright bursts of electric guitar into songs that blended street-smart swagger with amplified shimmer.
Months later, the guys found themselves in Florence, Alabama, where they recorded additional tunes with former Alabama Shakes keyboardist (and Single Lock Records co-founder) Ben Tanner. A global pandemic had brought the touring industry to a temporary halt,and The Prescriptions found themselves with unlimited time on their hands. They used that open-ended schedule to their advantage, experimenting with synthesizers and other unexpected textures, chasing down new ways of presenting their melody-driven sound. While the outside world grew increasingly chaotic, The Prescriptions created their own universe inside the studio.
“When we recorded ‘Hollywood Gold,’ we spent a lot of time rehearsing, then went into the studio and cut multiple songs each day,” says McAnnally, who grew up alongside Ragsdale in Birmingham, Alabama, before forming the band with fellow Tennessee transplant John Wood in 2015. “This record was more about going out and finding something new, and having the luxury of time in order to do that. With each song, we were asking ourselves, ‘What’s compelling? What have we not heard before?’ We were deliberate. We were collaborative. This album is what it sounds like to really mean it.”
“You can listen to our first record and hear our different influences,” adds Wood. “We’ve always had wide interests, but ‘Time Apart’ allowed us to become more specific. We’ve been a band for seven years now, and that means we’re able to move together in one direction, which isn’t something we could easily do at the beginning. We wanted to squeeze all the juice we could out of this combination of power-pop and experimental rock.”
Fiery and forward-looking, ‘Time Apart’ explores both sides of the pop/rock divide. It’s a 21st century album rooted in everything that made the classic stuff so compelling — sharp songwriting, ringing refrains, percussive stomp, and guitars that chime one minute and churn the next.
“Guitars and studio toys are what this record sounds like”
It’s fantastic to have you, how are you doing?
Hays Ragsdale: Thanks for having me. I’m doing well, currently in Little Rock where we played last night.
Are you excited about the new album, ‘Time Apart?’
Yes I’m excited. It’s been a long time working on this one, and we just got the vinyl for it so it’s feeling more real that it’s actually coming out.
How long did you work on it and did you find the time during the lockdown creative?
The first songs were written before our first album came out so it’s been at least 4 years from that point. We spent a good while in the studio for this one, and were kind of able to take our time. Which has its pros and cons, and learning what those were was something I’ll take from this record. There are cons to having way too much time on your hands, which, when the pandemic hit, was one of the biggest challenges for me. Having all this time, but feeling like I had to hit pause on some of the different irons in the fire. Whether all that was real or not I’m not sure, but the pandemic definitely wasn’t the most creative time for me.
I really love the relaxed photo of the artwork, it kinda represents what you wanted to do with the sound. Would you like to share some further words about the recording and producing process?
Thanks, I’m glad you like it. I think it does represent the feeling of the record in that there was just a lot of hanging out and recording. The recording of this album was separated into two or three parts, and I think that comes through on the record for better or worse. The bulk of the record was recorded in Muscle Shoals during the height of the pandemic where we were able to just go and have a home away from home.
How pleased were you with the sound of the album?
I’m pleased with it for sure. It sounds like all the people who helped make it, which was the goal from the start. Guitars and studio toys are what this record sounds like.
“The band’s process is different with almost every song”
How was it to work with Ben Tanner (Alabama Shakes) and Brendan Benson (The Raconteurs)?
Both were great. When you work with people as talented as them, you just try and soak in as much as you can so you can steal it and use what you learned. They both brought different things out of us as a band so it was an interesting experience trying to put the pieces together after it was all recorded.
How would you compare it to your debut album, ‘Hollywood Gold?’
It’s a step in a new direction for us. I wanted to make sure I was singing from an honest place and not trying to fit someone else’s idea of what I needed to sound like. This one feels like getting closer to something, and that’s exciting.
How do you usually approach music making?
Always following and protecting whatever that thing is that made you want to start playing music. You have to fight for it in this day and age because it requires a good amount of focus, and it’s easy to get distracted with the way our lives are. Or maybe I’m just getting older. The band’s process is different with almost every song. That’s one of the things that makes it fun, you never know where the idea is going to come from next or where a simple idea can take you.
Are any of you involved in any other bands or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?
John Wood (drums) records his own songs and plays with other people around Nashville. Parker (bass) produces records. I’m starting a fake band with my brother at some point hopefully soon.
Do you often play live? Who are some of your personal favorite bands that you’ve had a chance to play with over the past few years?
We are currently on the road playing and it’s great. The 45 minutes of playing is what we are doing all the traveling for, so as long as that stays the focus, it’s great. The crowds we’ve had have been really kind and have been an energy boost for sure.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favorite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
‘Oh Mercy’ by Bob Dylan is one that has stuck with me a lot recently. That’s an amazing album. I got to see Julia Jacklin at the Basement East in Nashville recently, and her new record is something I’d definitely recommend. I just asked John and Parker if they recommended anything and they said the new Alvvays record and Andy Shauf.
Thank you. Last word is yours.
Thanks for having me, Psychedelic Baby!
Klemen Breznikar
The Prescriptions Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / SoundCloud
Single Lock Records Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
