I don’t know the rubric for “making it”, it’s something that surely depends on the goals one sets up. When I started writing, I knew people who only wanted to use music reviewing as a way to “work their way in” and push their own music. Others were chancers with no clear artistic intent, only wanting a career on gatekeeping. BNP supporters too.

Then there were the people who only wrote about music/film/arts because they needed to write. To find a way to express themselves and through their words, soothe their nerves, release some anger/excess energy, or simply to feel they’ve accomplished something meaningful (for themselves).

I started writing about music in 2002, but never bothered trying to publish, it was something for myself only. Then I saw people on my immediate circle getting published -and paid- and I thought I wanted in. Never had any luck in Mexico, at all. When I moved to Sheffield, not a week had passed and I was in for Forge Press, usually for their Fuse supplement. Then the405 also took me in. Then Now Then, Toast, Counterfeit. I think the experiences of those places to start Sloucher with Pippa, a good friend who also wrote for Forge.

Finding promos and contacting labels took a major part of the first year. It’s weird how easier to communicate with UK labels and bands was than with Mexican ones. It felt like my own co-nationals made you jump through hoops, whereas UK labels were mostly friendly. Such was the case with FatCat records, who pretty much opened the vault and always sent good stuff.

When the opportunity arose to interview The Twilight Sad during Tramlines 2010, I felt I’ve “made it”. It was a big band, I was a fan, and we had a great conversation. They even recorded a quick video promo that I was planning to use to the never-started Sloucher Youtube channel.

The Wrong Car was released on September 2010, and it was one of the first vinyls I got by mail. I usually bought at stores only, but the UK post was mostly okay on my postcode. The EP had a download code to get a digital copy of all four tracks, two new and two remixes. Both the title track and the reflection of the television remix by Errors were the highlights of the EP.

The Wrong Car is driven by longing. There’s always this urban fairy tale magic swirling on their songs, especially on Forget the night ahead and No One can ever know. Since this EP was stuck between both releases, you get the last traces of the louder, fierce version of The Twilight Sad, and the first stems of the digital aberration that was the next step of The Twilight Sad. The Public Image Ltd. influence started to pop and I for one was keen on what they were aiming for.

I love The Twilight Sad. Like Esben & The Witch, they are a band that loves change. Otherworldly sounds crash down to earth through heartfelt, disturbing lyrical work. A lot of bad memories washed aways like flotsam and jetsam, while listening to them. The Wrong Car was with me at a point in my life where my PhD was going nowhere, I was too close to fall into a homelessness situation, and emotionally, I was a wreck. It was maybe a prelude to a couple of weird and terrible years, the harbinger of what was to come.

-Sam J. Valdés López