Pale Houses’ Aaron Robinson On The New “Songs Of The Isolation” EP, Vinyl & Life As A Parent

Formed out of the ashes of the Murfeesboro-based band Imaginary Baseball League, the Nashville quartet known as Pale Houses debuted in 2013 with its self-titled EP. Things went quiet for singer/guitarist Aaron Robinson and crew shortly after as five children were soon born between he and his bandmates. In early 2017, Pale Houses went back into the studio with producer J. Brandon Owens to make a followup effort, and Songs Of The Isolation is the byproduct of those sessions. “The Ocean Bed” was the first song released from those sessions, which hit Spotify on March 13th.

Pale Houses — which also includes drummer Ryan Rayborn, guitarist Joshua Hood and bassist Aaron Yung — will release the Songs Of The Isolation EP on March 30th. I had the pleasure of speaking with Aaron Robinson for The Hype Magazine. More on Pale Houses can be found on its Bandcamp page.

How long did you spend recording the new Pale Houses EP?

Aaron Robinson: We nailed down a good bit of the basic tracks last winter, but we kept working on the record through the end of 2017 as we found the time. Our producer/engineer Brandon is in pretty high demand, and we are pretty notoriously slow, so that combination of things dragged things out a bit. It turned out to be a good thing to have the extra time to obsess and discover new things about the songs.

Which song was written first for Songs Of The Isolation?

Aaron Robinson: Well, this is hilariously a three-part answer. The oldest song is “Ring Around The Moon.” That song dates back many years to an old demo I did when I was at the tail end of a solo run. Ryan, our drummer, always liked it and insisted we record it for the first EP, but we called a last-minute audible and did a different song instead. It hung around and I’m glad it did. It touches on a lot of sentiments that still ring very true to me. The first song actually written for the EP was “Hideaway,” but it wasn’t until “The Ocean Bed” came to be that I think we figured out the direction of the overall sound and vibe. The older songs evolved a bit after that.

Was it always the plan to make it an EP?

Aaron Robinson: We had a couple of older songs and a few half-finished ideas in our back pocket, so the option to expand to a full-length was always there. We even entertained remixing the first two tracks of our first EP due to the fact that it fell pretty beneath the radar due to it never getting a proper PR push. Ultimately, we felt strong about the six songs we had and didn’t want to still be working on this recording in the middle of 2018. As a bonus though, folks who opt to pick up the limited 12″ vinyl version will essentially get an LP. It includes remastered versions of those two tracks from the old EP plus a beautiful remix of one of the new songs by Imaginary Towers.

Do you have a favorite song on the EP?

Aaron Robinson: I love all these songs, but I’d say my favorite is probably “Who Will I Be For You.” Most of us became parents for the first time since the first EP. This song is the predictable low-hanging fruit that comes from all that. And despite the joy that parenthood brings, this song focuses on the fears and the reality of how ill-prepared most of us feel when that kind of a life change comes along. I think the old Philip Larkin poem “This Be The Verse” that I memorized in my college creative writing class really stuck with me. “They f**k you up, your mum and dad, They may not mean to but they do.” That’s maybe the truest statement ever made.

But the song is written, played, and sung with love and purpose, and I love that about it. Also, I discovered that Rosie Thomas — formerly of SubPop — was one of my neighbors and we randomly met and became great pals while we were working on this EP. I casually asked her to come to the studio one evening and just hang out and do some choir-style vocals on a couple songs, and she ended up tracking this great harmony vocal that took an otherwise finished song to another level.

“What A Waste Recordings” holds the copyright on the EP. Where did that name come from?

Aaron Robinson: It’s a funny and brief story. Maybe 15 years ago, mine and Ryan’s old band Imaginary Baseball League was about to put out an EP and we didn’t know if we should essentially invent a record label as bands often did back then. I remember at the very end of the process, someone in the band asked “What would we call it?” Without hesitation, our bassist Ben said “what a waste!” with a sort of condescending smirk on his face. I still have no idea where it came from or what it meant to him, but we’ve put it on every release since.

Is there another EP planned for the band? Have you already started writing more material?

Aaron Robinson: I’ve got a bunch of half-baked demos and ideas, but we really need to hole ourselves up in a room with the goal of writing and arranging after we get a little further into 2018, once the dust settles a bit from the EP release. I tend to get a good bit of the way finished on my own with some songs, but others really come together in rehearsals. We’ve focused a lot on wrapping this release up, so we have a long way to go for a follow-up. Hopefully it won’t take so long this time.

For you personally, what needs to happen in order for “Songs Of The Isolation” to feel like it was a successful release?

Aaron Robinson: We all love it and are really proud of it, so I think that means it’s already a success. It’s fun to ride out the process of releasing a record, and this is the first time any of us will have something out on vinyl, so we’re excited about that. Anything else that comes from it would just be a bonus.

When not busy with Pale Houses, how do you like to spend your free time?

Aaron Robinson: Well, I’m a dad which is all-encompassing and wonderful. Between that and music and working my ass off to pay the bills, there is no such thing as free time!

What was the last live show you attended for fun?

Aaron Robinson: I saw Alvvays and Father John Misty — twice — in a couple week period toward the end of last year. They were great!

Finally, Aaron, any last words for the kids?

Aaron Robinson: If you like the singles or the EP once it comes out, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter because we have some remixes and videos and other good stuff to come in 2018. We are not going dark anytime soon. Thanks for the chat, Darren!

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Tags: Aaron Robinson, Alvvays, Father John Misty, Imaginary Baseball League, Imaginary Towers, Tennessee

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."