Reference Points: Southern Shores

Reference Points is our weekly column where we get the chance to ask our favourite artists to reveal what inspires them from outside the world of music. This week, we catch up with Ben Dalton of Toronto’s Southern Shores who, on the cusp of releasing New World EP, tells us about the paramount importance of that first cup of morning coffee.

Jamie and I live in the same house and we’ve been constantly refining our daily routine for creative potential. It all starts with one essential ritual: morning coffee. Back in the early Berlin days of Southern Shores, we used to drink the instant java variety with rollie cigarettes, just to wake us up. We’ve come a long way since those days of grainy, sour bitterness. The early hours of the day are our optimal time for creativity and before whatever either of us needs to do or wherever we need to be for the rest of the day, we always try and fit in a little time to mess around in the studio and make something.

We used to end up arguing over what tones and textures to use so we’ve developed a non-verbal system of music making where one of us throws sounds at the other and records any good ideas. Discussion is good after the fact, but in the moment it tends to slow things down. We’ve got so many little nuggets stored away from these sessions, and most of them will never see the light of day but it’s always a delight when you revisit one you completely forgot about, have a sudden burst of clarity then find yourself engaging with the idea with renewed vigour. Some of our best songs have been birthed in this manner, and the key for us is to keep things focused yet casual in those crucial early stages. Morning coffee is the essential catalyst for these processes to happen.

Southern Shores’ New World EP is out 02 Oct on Cascine.