PREMIERE: SANS MERIT DROPS NEW SINGLE 'WEATHERED MEN' OFF DEBUT LP

 

LA via Melbourne, Australia’s Sans Merit drops ‘Weathered Men’, the second single off his debut LP Early Grave, we welcome him to our city with a listen and some banter

Griffin James a.k.a. Sans Merit is a musician and DJ from Melbourne, Australia. We met last year, on 4/20, at a Tempers show and I gave him a ride home. The other night, I rekindled a flame with an ex, and afterwords I called him outside of a bar in Echo Park where he told me his complete origin story. Known to the masses across Australia, Europe, and the UK as an electronic dance music DJ, Griffin James took a tactical retreat during the pandemic, igniting his roots as a life long musician and beginning the process of writing what would become his debut LP, Early Grave.

It’s common, especially in the dance music world, for musicians to see the dollar signs, and the easier workload of being a DJ vs. a band, but James see’s it the other way - dusting off analog instruments to pave a new creative life for himself. Post-pandemic music in Los Angeles is on fire, with new acts and scenes popping up around every corner - Sans Merit’s new single and LP come in at the perfect time to make a wave. Read through our conversation below, and listen to ‘Weathered Men’ while you do it

sans merit by Renee parkhurst

SANS MERIT - where did you come from? Give us the superhero origin story. 

Hey hey! I came from Melbourne (Naarm), Australia originally...I cut my teeth and did all the fun young things there, but a hunger to see what was going on outside the very safe and predictable nest that is home has led me on a decade-long adventure, setting up a residency wherever an immigration department would allow me. Mostly across Europe, the UK and finally after a bit of a hurdle due to pandemic... back here in Los Angeles.

You’re a DJ to the masses, known in the dance music world, but a musician forever - what inspired the switch to making music in a band these days vs just spinning? 

Up until 2020, I made my entire living off being a part of the electronic dance music scene and focusing on my project Francis Inferno Orchestra. While living in Europe I DJ’d pretty much every weekend in different countries and would go on tours to different continents and did all that while producing records, remixes, my label etc etc. It was really fun and things were really fun, but I think even though things were growing and getting progressively bigger year in year out, something inside me wasn't fully in it anymore, and when the pandemic happened it was the hard stop I desperately needed.  I finally had the time (like everyone) to work on things that actually made me excited again... I was home with my friends and had a studio space above a bar where I went nuts, jamming with one of my best guys and writing all kinds of weird shit, it was pure.

This time inspired me to think about music differently and where I would like to potentially sit in that world. I still DJ, make music as FIO & run my label Superconscious Records with my pal Fantastic Man because it is still ultimately very fun, but I'm allowing more time for other parts of my mind to do its thing. Sans Merit is one of those ideas that came to fruition and I'm really excited about! 

We’re stoked on your new track “Weathered Men”, it’s the second single off your debut album Early Grave - what was your inspiration, musically and lyrically? 

Around the time I wrote the instrument parts I was listening on repeat to a compilation called Belong To The Wind my friend Sam put out through his label Foreger Records of lo-fi psychedelic gothic & folk country 45's from the 70's. I deep dived a lot of the artists from that record and loved the tone so much I tried to migrate part of it somehow into whatever was coming out of me at the time. Lyrically, it's kind of ambiguous. I'm in no way a poet, and so I'm not trying to blow minds with meaning and depth, but there's something in there... just some romantic musings & self-loathing mumbles.

The music video, we fuck with it. What made you choose the location?

As a non-American, I adore parts of the 'Americana' trope - so I took a camera and filmed some stuff at a demolition derby in the outskirts of LA as well as some footage cut from a trip up-to Santa Cruz where I went to the boardwalk arcade one evening. The eyes and mouth greenscreen thing was inspired by the album cover art, a painting by my friend Cameron Skelton.

When can we expect the album? If you had to describe it in an elevator pitch, what would you say. 

The album is titled Early Grave and it drops May 12th via Zen2000 - a little label over here run by my friends Nik & Alex, there will be a vinyl for it too which is exciting! If I had to describe it briefly I would say it sounds like Gerling meets Steve Kilby maybe…

When’s the first full band show…..

Working on it - If you wanna see Sans Merit live, drop me a line!

What drug should I take when I listen to this record, where should I be. 

Damn…I don’t know, I would like to say mushrooms but it's probably a bit too hectic and switches up too much for that...the ideal I think situation would be listening to it in a pub with your poison of choice.

 
PREMIERE, NEW MUSIC, FEATUREJames Duransans merit, griffin james, james duran, beinabandordie, be in a band or die, renee parkhurst