It’s been half a decade since we were treated to an LP from San Francisco’s Skygreen Leopards. Having taken some time earlier this year to collaborate with Ben Chasney (Six Organs of Admittance) as New Bums, longtime collaborators Donovan Quinn and Glenn Donaldson have revitalized their brand of bucolic, jangle-pop via Family Crimes, their first effort for Brooklyn-based label Woodsist. Despite a lengthy intermission, the duo returns effortlessly to a project that seems entirely unyielding to any standard cyclical pressures created by the music industry. It is not often you find a group so grounded and determined, yet equally blithe and untroubled.
Ahead of their eighth full-length under the SGL moniker, we spoke briefly with Donovan and Quinn about keeping this band afloat, returning to work with Papercuts’ Jason Quever, and sticking to a formula.
Aquarium Drunkard: Hey Donovan/Glenn. How’s it going and where are you writing us from?
Glenn: San Francisco (while I should be working).
Donovan: Everything is great. About to play at Vera Club in Groningen. Cool place.
AD: You guys are set to release your first LP since 2009. What sparked the writing and recording process again?
Glenn: It's our goal to outlast every other band and trend. No. Basically, every now and then it's fun to be creative around the concept of Skygreen Leopards and hang out; other times we get sick of ourselves and put it on hold for a while.
Donovan: We usually have about a year of harmonious beautiful music making togetherness before we start screaming at each other and making death threats. That's when it's time to take a break and rush back to our respective therapists.
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