Florida post-hardcore twosome GILT have just dropped their latest EP, ‘Conceit’. It’s an ambitious effort that sees them exploring the nuances of grief alongside a team of guest vocalists that includes the likes of Nat Lacuna from The Holy Ghost Tabernacle Choir and Syd Dolezal from Doll Skin.
Ash Stixx (vocals) and Tyler Fieldhouse (guitar, bass) take a few minutes out of their busy day – which includes helping their partner with an essay about the inaccessibility of the American dream (Tyler) and getting pulled over by a cop while running an errand for their grandfather (Ash) – to tell us all about it, and their band.
What first sparked your interest in music?
Tyler: A lot of people in my family are musicians. My dad is a phenomenal piano player, which is why I learned basically every other instrument besides piano, so there wouldn’t be a comparison, haha. If I was trying to pinpoint when it really became my identity, I’d say Say Anything’s ‘…Is A Real Boy’ turned that corner for me; I realised music wasn’t just learning AC/DC riffs. I didn’t know until then I could connect with words like that.
Ash: I was very interested in doing music since my parents were also musicians, but I didn’t know what exactly I wanted to do. I started with the cello in the third grade and later musical theatre. It wasn’t until I went to Warped Tour when I was 15 that I really wanted to pursue being a performing musician like the bands I saw. I started a high school band soon after, learning how to play the drums, and that was the opening to doing what I love to do.
How has your music taste evolved since then, have you always been drawn to heavier sounds?
Ash: My iPod used to have Hannah Montana and Bratz soundtracks because I never actively searched for music outside of what was in front of me. The first time I got into heavier music was funny enough when I was playing the online game IMVU (this game was not a fun time, btw), and there was a chat room where someone was playing Sleeping With Sirens, and that’s when my music taste shifted. I really liked the heavier sounds I was hearing mixed with really pretty vocal melodies, and then I got into In This Moment which led to Motionless In White. Now my playlists are mostly metalcore and also still Bratz soundtracks.
Tyler: It’s really funny… as a kid, my dad was showing me hard rock, and my mom was into nu-metal, so for me, the whole “whiny” effeminate emo thing was sort of my rebellion. Luckily Fueled By Ramen bands led me to AP magazine, where I got into post-hardcore like Thursday, and eventually, I cycled around to heavier music, especially in the last couple of years. Now I’m listening to Sunami on the daily.
How did you guys get together?
Ash: GILT had a Tinder profile looking for musicians. We met at a local house show, and the first thing they said was, “we promise not to kill you”, as my dad drove away.
Tyler: It’s true! Later, when Ash was the drummer, and we were trying out new vocalists, we went to a show at that same house, and I almost got run over by a drunk driver while walking down the street directly in front of Ash, so that’s what I get for joking.
What’s been the highlight of your time as a musician so far?
Tyler: We were able to leverage our online clout and ask all our friends from years of touring to throw a virtual concert in the midst of quarantine and raised several thousand dollars for gender-affirming name changes for people all over the country. At a time when the isolation was really getting to us, that was a huge spirit boost for us just as much as anyone we were able to help. Playing instruments is fun but being part of a community and feeling a sense of purpose in the work takes it to a whole other level.
Tell us about your new EP – what’s it about, where did it come from?
Tyler: ‘Conceit’ is a big rumination on grief. Ash’s dad passed away abruptly after we got back from tour in 2019. The band sort of lost its identity for a minute, and especially during quarantine, we just spent a lot of time talking online about all our feelings. All of the songs are based on fragments of those conversations and the weird emotional states we were in, from absolutely lashing out at people around us to internalising and avoiding a lot of the loneliness.
How did you curate all the guest vocalists?
Ash: We had all the songs written with what we wanted the guest spots to sound like in our mind. We made mental notes of what we were going for, and we were already tailoring each feature with a certain vocal style in mind. It was only a matter of looking at our friends and seeing who we knew would perfectly capture the sound we wanted. Every guest vocalist we reached out to was not only into it but did the feature just as we imagined it.
Who else would you like to work with in the future? Do you have a dream collabs list?
Tyler: My ultimate dream guest is Geoff from Thursday. We’ve been on the same compilation record before, and the band just followed us on Twitter in March, so there’s a small chance!
Ash: My dream is to work with Chris Motionless and Courtney LaPlante, and also to work with Daniel Danger from Tiny Media Empire.
What do you do for fun?
Tyler: I’ve put almost a full-time job of hours into Elden Ring the past few weeks, haha. My 10-year-old dog, who sleeps on the couch next to me, has been loving it. My partner also has a puppy, and he’s been a huge joy for all of us.
Ash: I like to collect fashion dolls like Monster High or Bratz. It’s been the most peaceful aspect of my life where I get to style and display my collection. I enjoy going to flea markets as well to hunt for dolls. Sometimes I’ll find a doll I’ve been looking for for a while, and that is the best feeling ever.
What would you most like to achieve during your music career?
Ash: I would love to share the stage with the bands I look up to and admire the most. To be able to show the artists I love how far I’ve come and to be able to not only share what I’m doing with them but also learn from them. I have a list of those artists I’d love to perform with or be on the same bill as, and hope to accomplish it someday.
Taken from the June issue of Upset. GILT’s EP ‘Conceit’ is out now.
