Music People

behind the single art with Pete Gamlen ("Headphones" by EZ Company)

I enjoy music and I enjoy the creative stuff that has to happen for music to enter the world. Like cover art for songs! Therefore, today I'm interviewing designer/illustrator Pete Gamlen about the art he created for "Headphones" by EZ Company.

First, wow, what a great song. I already knew EZ Company's Ezra Tenenbaum from his work in Shallowhalo—now he's taking his considerable synth skills out for a solo spin. "Headphones" (out via House of Feelings) features synths that pulsate and ripple like a puddle disturbed by fat raindrops, and hypnotic—or should I say hypnotique?—vocals from the Marseille-based Musique Chienne.

And the single art is just darling. The titular headphones are there, upon the noggin of an adorable dog, chillin in the park with a reel to reel tape recorder in hand. The typography is also pleasingly retrofuturistic, like it's advertising a personal computer from the early 1980s. How can you not be charmed? If you are not charmed, get a charm radar tune-up STAT, brother.

I got to ask Pete some questions about the making of the art...below, the answers...

[Molly Mary O'Brien] Will you give me a brief overview of your design/illustration career so far? What made you want to do this professionally?

[Pete Gamlen] Sure! I always had a strong interest in drawing, but it wasn't until college that it materialized as a potential professional path. I graduated in 2011 and was fortunate to start freelancing very soon after; I had the one and only traditional portfolio meeting of my life at the New York Times and they gave me my first job, which was to draw a small mushroom for the book review section. Since then I've illustrated articles for newspapers, magazines (RIP Lucky Peach), written text and drawn for small press publications (RIP The Smudge), designed a pizza box, illustrated murals and worked with a smattering of musicians, bands and brands.

How would you say your illustration style has changed/developed over time?

My style and tools have evolved gradually rather than any huge u-turns; switching to a rapidograph pen from a #2 brush for example. I get bored drawing in the same way all the time, and different subject matters often suit a different visual tonality, so I'm often oscillating between different levels of cartoonishness or relative realism. This typically manifests as: sometimes people have perfectly round heads, sometimes they don't, haha.

Looking at the work on your website, I’m struck by your use of color–all the palettes are so unique and eye-catching. Hopefully this isn’t too lame a question but…how do you pick your colors?

Thanks! I've always loved hyper-saturated colors, and trying to create the most visual impact and balance out of just a handful of tones. The illustrators of the 60s and 70s were masters of that. Typically I try to get a good balance of black and white, and then see what accentuates that. A lot of people hate purple but I love it against black. Some of the larger Where's Waldo style scenes I've done require a different approach of using a broader palette of more muted shades to avoid being overwhelming to look at. Fruit stands and dollar stores have a lot of great color combinations. Plastic and lead paint are beautiful.

How did you happen to book the gig for the “Headphones” cover art?

Ezra and I have been friends for years, and I've always been happy whenever he's asked for help with lettering, layout or illustration. I love his new record so I was psyched to do some art for the 1st single.

Did you get any particular instruction or inspiration before beginning?

No special instructions! I just wanted to make something that'd make the person looking at it smile and want to hear the song.

How much did the actual sound/vibe of the song inspire the art?

Making a picture look how music sounds is alchemical and rare. I don't know if the illustration sounds like the song, but as soon as I sketched the sweet and sad/sleepy-eyed Snoopy-esque dog that it felt like it had the right essence for Ezra. Visually I was also inspired by the certain sweep of the footpaths in Sunset Park, near my apartment.

What was the review/approval process like? Were there any unexpected challenges along the way?

My first pass at color was a little more psychedelic and bright, so Ezra came back with a request for a more muted and wintry feel. I also made some compositional refinements after not looking at it for a while and then coming back with fresh eyes.

Do you like to listen to music as you work? Any particular songs/artists inspiring you these days in general?

Definitely; I often have either WFMU or WKCR on during the day, but I listen to a lot of records and tapes too; two of my favorite releases from last year was Peace de Résistance's second album Lullaby for the Debris and Straw Man Army's latest, Earthworks, which is just a totally incredible and powerful record for the times we're in. I also got a lot of Hood CDs on eBay recently that have been in heavy rotation. Saudade by the Spanish band Le Mans is also a really wonderful record that I could listen to at any time of day in any mood.

Do you have a favorite album cover / single art made by someone else?

When I was a kid I was really obsessed with the cover illustration for Dookie. I copied it out huge onto the cardboard sleeve of my A0 plastic art folder. Proud moment, haha.