ADAM DOOLING - GOSPEL - Interview

Gospel is a Screamo formed out of Brooklyn, NY, which has substantially impacted the screamo genre. As of 06/04/2022, their 2005 release, 'The Moon Is a Dead World,' is the second highest-rated screamo album on Rate My Music (out of 7,062 entries) & garnered critic/audience praise. Since the 2005 release of 'The Moon Is a Dead World,' the band had not released a full-length follow-up album; however, in May, the band dropped a follow-up record over 17 years after the initial release of 'The Moon Is a Dead World' titled, 'The Loser' (2022).We had the privilege of asking vocalist Adam Dooling a few questions about the most recent release.

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ETHEREAL.PRESS

Congratulations on releasing your 2nd full-length album following a significant hiatus since your 2005 full-length release titled, 'The Moon is a Dead World.' After almost a 17-year gap in full-length projects, what was the motivation behind the latest release?

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ADAM DOOLING

Thanks! It has been a long time, and our thought was, we shouldn't have left you, our fans, without a dope beat to step to (step to, step to, step-step step to). Plus we're all having midlife crises and doing this was cheaper than buying a Miata or getting TRT therapy.

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ETHEREAL.PRESS

Given the success/influence of 'The Moon Is A Dead World' on the Scremo genre, did it make crafting a follow-up increasingly difficult?

ADAM DOOLING

No, not really. I mean, the bar was pretty low. Though, I do find it increasingly difficult to function anymore--even simple tasks. So yes, in that sense it was very difficult.

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ETHEREAL.PRESS

Can you describe the inspiration behind the album art?

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ADAM DOOLING

We wanted something iconic that would match the lyrical tone of the record. Originally we were going to use this photograph of a 7-Eleven storefront we found on the internet.

It's the most beautiful image we have ever seen.

It was shot somewhere around here (New York City) by a photographer named Ajay Suresh. I'm not sure if it was Ajay's intention but the photo is framed like an old master's painting. In the photo it's dusk and raining and only the light is coming from the store sign save for some street lights. There are some people off to both sides holding umbrellas, and on the left a woman lights a cigarette. At the center of the photograph is the back of a man entering the store. You can just tell he is a piece of shit. A modern pastoral, I think, it's on Wikipedia.

I still don't know why we didn't use it instead of some torn cardboard we found in the trash, drew on with a marker, and then took an Iphone photo of like some dime-store Rauschenberg.At least we didn't go with some comic book illustration garbage.

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ETHEREAL.PRESS

Thematically what are the main distinctions between 'The Loser' and 'The Moon is a Dead World'?

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ADAM DOOLING

17 years. One is the natural endgame of the other.

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ETHEREAL.PRESS

What's next for Gospel?

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ADAM DOOLING

We're going to release an emordnilap 12" LP about a fued between a mime and a goat, and then quietly sneak out the back door.

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ARTIST LINKS: YOUTUBE - INSTAGRAM