Tiny Ghosts are a dynamic-duo from the east coast whose music blends the lines between dream pop and indie. These lifelong buds collaborate almost virtually, as Eric Morgan, guitarist of Tiny Ghosts, resides in Charlotte, NC while singer Dayan Marquina resides in Brooklyn, NY. The band’s latest single and music video, “What For?” marked one of the first times the duo was able to collaborate face-to-face, and is just a glimpse into what’s to come for Tiny Ghosts in 2023.
Read the full interview below.
What was the inspiration behind the cover art for “What For?”?
Eric: Originally for this song we wanted to try using a photo from the shoot since we were actually together for once. However, they came out kinda too serious and cold to match the vibe of the song. Dayan creates a lot of cool illustrations on her art account, and I remember seeing this piece and thinking, “this captures ‘What For?’” so well and how some days you want to just melt away. So I pitched the idea of doing something in this melty style to her for the cover, and she ran with the idea and drew this really cool piece. I love it, and it represents the song perfectly.
If listeners took one piece of advice from this track, what would it be?
Dayan: There is nothing wrong with being a loner, there is nothing wrong with not going with the flow or staying on your side and not getting involved with things you may not feel comfortable with. You will know when your time comes to climb up and emerge in whatever it is you’re doing in life, but if you fail or fold or break down it’s totally fine, we all go through this, we are all seeking something that makes us feel whole. You’re not alone!
How did it feel getting to work with Foreign Air’s Jesse Clasen?
Eric: It was a great experience. We’ve known Jesse for a long time through the local music scene and having our old bands playing shows together in the past. He’s a great musical mind and has a fantastic songwriting sense which helped polish the track and cut out a lot of the extra clutter I tend to go overboard with in pre-pro.
His guidance in vocal tracking and getting a ton of layers and harmonies elevated the track into that more dreamy sound we had envisioned. And even working on some of the post-production together, it was a great learning experience for me to see how he’d approach similar ideas and has helped improve my own songwriting workflow.
Since Tiny Ghosts is usually a long distance project, what was it like getting to film the “What For?” music video in person?
Dayan: It was great, I felt like it was basically just us having a good time and hanging out on camera. The overall meaning of the song and video are not related but you can definitely see our happiness of finally being together IRL for the video.
What has been the most rewarding moment/experience since Tiny Ghosts’ formation?
Dayan: The most rewarding experience is when people message us on socials and tell us how much they are enjoying our music. This feels incredible, it’s my first time being in a band making music so knowing that others enjoy the tunes just as much as we do is very gratifying.
Can you give an insight into what’s to come for Tiny Ghosts in the new year?
Eric: We’ve got a healthy batch of in-progress songs that we’ll continue to put out next year. Maybe even one we’ll get to sneak in before the end of this year. Started to work out the live songs with my old drummer from Brigades, Jacob Wright, so might have some cool things happening there too..
Quick! Records you’ve been into recently:
Dayan: “You’re better” the new record by FAYE (our friends from Charlotte, NC), The Mirrors (band I just discovered), Foreign Air’s new album “Hello Sunshine”, and the new Shadowgraph’s album (our friend from Portland!)
Eric: The new Dayseeker album Dark Sun and Goblin Hours from Bilmuri are both on repeat for me at the moment. I just found Sjowgren and have fallen in love with her win’20 EP. Also, shout out to Slow Pulp for their incredible “In Too Deep” Sum 41 cover.
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