Inside The Bubble: Exclusive Interview With Loops & Loops

We recently caught up with indie musician Peter Bogolub who goes by the stage name Loops & Loops to talk about what he’s been up to lately. The Shoe-gaze styled artist goes into depth to explain his 2020 project Some Half Forgotten Dream and what he will be up to in the near future. This artist stands out to us because of his complex arrangements and fluid style. His latest album is an ambient river of expressive thirst quencher. We got to ask Peter about his music and career, this is what he had to say.

Bubbling Box: How did you come up with the name Loops & Loops?

Loops & Loops: A name is an important thing, especially for a band. Having made music for over the last 20 years, I have had my share of band names. I settled on the name of loops & loops for a few reasons. Making music in a New York apartment, drum beats had to be made as loops. Secondly, life can have a repetitive quality to it, so I thought the name would go well with this concept.

Bubbling Box: Can you explain your definition of Shoegaze music, what artists have influenced you in that genre?

Loops & Loops: I listened to quite a bit of shoegaze music in college. Bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, and the Swirles were on pretty heavy rotation during that time. I always loved the swirl of guitars and dreamy vocals. 

Bubbling Box: Tell us about your 2020 album ‘Some Half Forgotten Dream’, what did it mean to you?

Loops & Loops: While writing the album “Some Half Forgotten Dream”, the quarantine had been going on for several months. I had fallen into the rhythm of getting up very early and writing music. I had read that My Bloody Valentine had experimented with recording vocals upon waking (they slept in the studio for Loveless) and I began trying it out. I would wake and write the songs and lyrics as I tried to piece together fragments from my dreams. As such, the album “Some Half Forgotten Dream” was made from this process.

Bubbling Box: Retrospectively can you talk about your expectations/experiences of the project in relation to the pandemic?

Loops & Loops: The pandemic had a significant impact on the album and my drive on releasing albums again. In the past, I had relied upon record labels to release albums and promote my music. During the pandemic, I had more free time in order to research how to release my music. I found that it was pretty straightforward. With the extra time, I was able to spend more time promoting and writing the music that I was making. The pandemic was also a huge inspiration to write quite a bit of music. I was temporarily located in Vermont with relatives as New York City seemed to be too much of a risk at the time. I only had a ukulele, a microphone, and a midi keyboard to work with. The limitations allowed for quite a few songs to be written. I was writing one to two songs and created enough material for multiple albums.

Bubblingbox: You are located in New York, how are you plugged into the music scene there, do you draw creativity from where you live?

Loops & Loops: I moved to New York 20 years ago and the principal reason I moved there was for the music scene. My first band was called The Sems (a loose term from philosophy meaning anything that referred to something nostalgic). I played in quite a few excellent Venues in New York. Currently, these Venues are not open, but it looks as though it will change pretty soon! New York City has been a constant source of inspiration. From the wide variety of people, places, art, and music all of this have found its way into the music that I have made. As I travel to work on the subway, I watch people as they come in and out. Each person has their own story and I try to imagine what that would be. For example, the song “talk, talk, talk” was influenced by someone telling someone else a story they were not interested in.

Bubbling Box: How has 2020 affected your music and creativity?

Loops & Loops: This has been the best year for music for me in quite a long time. Having more free time to work on music, I wrote a song nearly every day since the pandemic began. Music became a refuge during the time of the pandemic. It was difficult to cope with the loss and fear associated with the pandemic. Writing music took my mind off all that was happening and allowed me to be productive.

Bubblingbox: What do have planned next, what are your goals for the next 2 years?

Loops & Loops: Having written so much music over the last year, I have enough material to release at least four to five more albums. I plan on releasing that material over the next two years. Roughly a new album every four to six months. I am open to playing the material live, but would need to find the right musicians in order to play live shows.

Bubblingbox: What do you want your fans to know about you?

Loops & Loops: Although some of the music I write can be a bit broody, I am a very relaxed person. I really enjoyed working with musicians/artists that are just starting out on their journey. I like helping out when I can about writing and recording music. We live in a fantastic age for making music. Anyone with the most basic tools can make wonderful music. It is not as it once was, where people needed thousands of dollars to record a single album. More than anything, I enjoy connecting with people. Music has been an excellent way to connect with people, so please feel free to reach out.

We would like to thanks Loops & Loops for answering these questions for us. Loops & Loops has an upcoming album to be released on June 7th, which harkens back to indie roots of bands such as Yo La Tengo and The Magnetic fields with a touch of modern notes from bands like Lord Huron.

Here is the link to the new album.

Below is the link to Loops & Loops album Some Half Forgotten Dream.