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Ismatic Guru, the most demented duo amid the Rust Belt ruins of Buffalo, New York, inject their absurdist trajectory of synth-punk surreality and no wave intensity across their fourth self-titled tape, out today through Swimming Faith and Idiotape Records. The latest tape is loaded with spits and scowls, demented ditties, highly strung and far-flung, paying ode to the "guitars that destroyed the world" sentiment. I chatted with John Toohill and Bran Schlia, the two masterminds behind the project, all about their heavy improvisation attack at recording, their mantra to not overthink art, and if and when fans can expect them to finally play live.
Paperface Zine: What's life been like lately for the both of you? Aside from Ismatic Guru, what else have you been working on?
John Toohill: Just trying to find joy while watching the crash course that all humanity is on in real time. I think everyone has kind of been laughing into the void to keep from falling in lately. Still doing tons of new music with too many projects. And gardening with Lindz. Learning plants is nice.
Bran Schlia: I have a sense the pandemic hangover is finally wearing off because lately I've been roped into so many different projects, helping artists achieve their goals, but also chasing after a few of my own. Most recently, it's been heavily tipped toward filmmaking and music videos, but there's still the usual backlog of releases waiting to stream out onto Steak and Cake Records.
PZ: When we spoke last year, John you said, "I'm still dreaming that we finish a fourth tape, press them all as an LP, and then do a short tour to support it. Early 2025." No wax this time, but is a short tour still a dream or becoming more a reality? Can fans finally expect an Ismatic Guru show?
JT: Well we just finished the fourth tape, I'm pretty sure I just put a big hurt on my credit card today with the pressing plant, and it's only July of '24 so I guess we will see if the rest of the prophecy comes true. Also I seriously don't think I can actually play these guitar parts AND sing at the same time so somebody has to come do one or the other if this isn't gonna sound like Christmas time at Guitar Center. Bran has an even heavier lift. Might be easier for you to grow two more arms B.
BS: I guess it's a little weird to conceive of a project without ever considering how it would be performed. It's really a credit to all the people that have listened that we're now faced with this pickle. But I'm not worried, I can think of a few heavy hitters to draft into this operation and I'm betting we can make it work. After all, once John says something out loud, it's usually only a matter of time before it comes true.
PZ: How has the Ismatic Guru journey been over since the first tape in 2021? What's changed, what's the same?
JT: I like that Bran has always said "before we start, what have you been listening to a lot lately?" and I usually turn him onto something and then he blows a little of that into our sails.
BS: At the core, the ideation process has remained essentially the same. I pull a few of my magic tricks out of the hat during the mixing and arrangement, and that's where the shifts can happen. John has been really helpful to feed me reference points that can take our work into a new direction without sacrificing the things that make it sound like Ismatic Guru. I think I've also just grown exponentially in the last few years as an engineer and student of recording and production. Lots of hours cooking my brain to YouTube tutorials has paid off a little.
PZ: Not sure if I've ever asked you this before, but what's the story behind the band name? Did you have other names kicking around? If so, what were they?
JT: After we made the first EP and needed a name, we half-jokingly referred to our genre as "guitar music" and that was sorta that. I don't think we ever actually had any other names on the table and in competition, did we?
BS: I remember I kind of had a list going that I shared in the beginning, but nothing seemed to feel right. It's almost as if this name found us because it happened so naturally. John scrambled up the letters of the words "guitar music" and here we are.
PZ: Now let's dive into Ismatic Guru IV. What can you tell me about the material written for it? Is it mostly new material or did you also revisit some older unfinished tracks?
JT: Man, we do not write and record like any other project I have ever done [laughs]. Bran has a wild system that I won't dive too far into but, at least for me, it's the newest possible material because I have no idea what I'm even really "writing" because I'm playing the actual recorded tracks that end up on the album for the very first time as we're recording for the first time.
BS: Yeah it's a bit hard to explain and, forgive me, but I think I need to keep our secret recipe close to the vest. I can tell you that we generally never have leftover songs to go back to. Everything we make gets used up, there are no Ismatic Guru director's cuts. I can also say that we always use a system of heavy improvisation that gets culled down to its finer bits in post. The songs are born without intentions and then curated into a shape later.
PZ: What kind of gear did you use for this new tape?
JT: I have a guitar and an SM58.
BS: I always use an Epiphone bass and a junky Yamaha keyboard from the early '90s. My drum set is a Frankenstein of weirdness and broken cymbals. We track it in Logic and I use whatever mics are around that aren't broken. My standards for gear are very low, as long as it makes sound we can figure something out.
PZ: Would you share your insight on the tracks? Let's start with "Heroes." Also how fun was that water balloon fight in the music video?
JT: It was at the end of a record breaking heatwave in Buffalo and neither of us had time to cook up a video concept. I just sent Bran a message saying "we could fill up water balloons and slow motion smash them in each other's faces?" It's a song about trying not to be afraid to fail horribly at doing something new. Felt like it worked with the theme, right?
BS: John is a genius when it comes to creating a great visual and not over-doing it with story or scope. Normally I like to be behind the camera but I trust him to always lead us in the right direction. This video was maybe the least thought out, but it’s probably my favorite so far. I always say that our mantra is not to overthink, just do it.
PZ: The second cut "How Do They Know" reminds me of Snakefinger meets The Minneapolis Uranium Club Band—a rapturous sound many contemporary punk acts aim to do, but never quite as well here. What can you tell me about the origins of this one?
JT: It's about opening your phone and getting advertisements for something you were just talking about or doing in real life. It's gotta be one of the most seemingly innocuous, yet incredibly disturbing things in this shit future.
PZ: The closer "Get Em" is an absolute mad dash of what you guys do best—flashy and nervy freaked out grooves to the max. How did this one come together?
JT: Just trying to squeeze in a little of our own selfish enjoyment without making it too "Golf." You know, music that's only fun for the people making it? That shit is golf. Overly techy, too jam-y, too long or too many guitar solos, and flashy drum fills. Shit like that. I call that Golf. We definitely do some putt-putt silliness here and there, but I think we're in the safe zone.
PZ: What's it like having Idiotape Records in Paris also do a run of the new tape? How did you get connected there?
JT: It's cool. They just hit me up at the right time asking about IG and we said, "let's do it!'
BS: We're so thankful they were interested and can step in to help reduce shipping costs for our friends overseas.
PZ: What are your future plans within the band?
JT: Sell this tape out. Put out more music. Keep having low stress freedom and fun doing it.
BS: I don't see why we couldn't keep doing this for the next few decades. It's very easy and very gratifying, so why the heck not?
PZ: Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.
JT: It's Gin, Chartreuse, Luxardo, and Lime. I'm off the sauce but I'll make you one anytime you want.
BS: Thanks for all Paperface does to support artists, these interviews are valuable in so many ways, for the artist to reflect and for the fans to get the inside scoop. Appreciate you!