A Single Sit-Down: Alex Regeimbal – Idle Idle

b.liebman

April 10

I listen to a lot of music, especially in the acoustic/folk/singer-songwriter genre. So much of it that it can all start to sound the same after a while. But when I first heard Alex Regeimbal's "Idle Idle", it grabbed my attention. The soulful vocals, meditative guitar playing, and unique lyrical perspective all helped it stand above the rest.

I wanted to learn more about the origins of the track, and thankfully Regeimbal was happy to oblige and dig further into the track's recording process and meaning.

The Indy Review: What got you started in music, and what were your initial influences?

Alex Regeimbal: I can't remember a time in my life that I wasn't into music. My mom tells me stories of when I was kid and she'd push me around in the shopping cart and I'd serenade her while she grabbed groceries. Music has always felt natural. My early influences were listening to Classical Minnesota Public Radio and hearing the Wailin' Jennys on "A Prairie Home Companion". The first albums I can think of that really blew my mind were Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago and Laura Marling's Alas, I Cannot Swim. I'd listen to those on repeat in high school.

IR: How did you discover your own voice as an artist?

AR: Finding my own voice as a singer-songwriter took a lot of time, practice, and listening. I went from being a boisterous kid to being a painfully quiet and young adult. In my early 20s, I was listening to a lot of Angel Olsen and heard so much possibility in her music and lyrics. Up until that point I would write for fun, but when I started processing big, hard feelings in my writing I was finding closure. After 100 songs or so, writing music like "Idle Idle" felt like skin instead of costume.

IR: With your latest song "Idle Idle", what sparked the initial inspiration for the track?

AR: I wrote this song for my friends and family. I have a lot of sensitive and generous loved ones who want to make the world a better place, but take a lot of that burden on themselves. Quite often, I can be that way too. Sharing this song was a way I could comfort people that I live far away from right now.

IR: How long did it take you, from writing the first chords to the final mix, to complete the song?

AR: End to end- this track took 10 months to complete. I did the original guitar track, vocal track, and harmonies spring of 2023, shared it as a demo with some friends, then put it away. When I came back to it winter of 23/24 I realized the performance was really heartfelt. I played around with adding the synth. Then brought the finished tracks to get mixed and mastered at a local studio here in Denver, CO.

IR: Based on lyrics like "a gentle reminder, there's more coming down the line", it sounds like the song has a hopeful resonance to it. Was the intent to write something that would bring comfort/hope to listeners?

AR: Yes, I was totally hoping this track would comfort people. I was hoping this song would feel like a hug from a friend or a favorite quilt. There's a lot of hardship in our world and music can be a big source of solace.

IR: What do you mean when you say "bring the weight of the world from my back to my chest".

AR: I LOVE flowery lyrics (as anyone who's listening to this song can probably tell). I wanted to describe taking the weight of the world off of our shoulders in a new way. We all feel responsible for our environment to some extent, but individually we really can't fix these huge problems we're facing (like war and climate change) all by ourselves... So why put that burden there? The lyric is meant to convey, "Hey, you don't need to carry it all yourself. Cradle that feeling - hold space for it, but don't feel personally responsible to stop all wars and end hunger and fix the world." We're all doing our small parts and supporting each other on the way.

IR: Is the track a stand-alone single, or will it be part of a new EP or LP?

AR: This track is the first single off my debut EP, which is also called Idle Idle, coming out in September (exact date TBD). I'll be releasing tracks all summer 🙂

IR: What's next for you this year?

AR: This year, I'm enjoying honing my audio engineering and production skills with this EP. I'll be releasing more songs for my solo project all summer. I play in a few other indie bands in Denver that are busy recording and playing gigs. No shortage of music in my life this year which feels great!

Listen to "Idle Idle" in our A Single Sit-Down Playlist, and be on the look out for more new music to come from Alex!

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0Zx5fKZ9wYOHI793YH0rNO?si=71f28e3db040401e