Body Delivers An Outstanding, Intoxicating, And Unforgettable Musical World With "I'm Still Alive"
- 🌟 Miles Carter
- Jun 1
- 5 min read
By: Miles Carter
We got together with Body for a conversation about the latest release, I'm Still Alive.”
The Cage: Hello Body, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more intrigued to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.
We are honestly super impressed with “I'm Still Alive.” This track has the power to grab even the most passive listener through its euphoric, mind-bending intro. The early distortion and plucked strings create this almost bizarro-world image of what the song eventually transforms into. Then the beats arrive with such a resonant vibration, almost like you fused the rhythm directly into the guitar strums and created an entirely new instrument. Outstanding is really the best word for it. The long-held, echoed vocals slowly shifting into a more defined delivery make the whole experience absolutely intoxicating. We could not get enough of this track. As listeners who have heard thousands of songs, “I'm Still Alive” truly gave us something new, different, and unforgettable.
/// Wow that’s real nice, thank you. I hadn’t thought of it that way myself. If I get joy & you get joy, that’s a good deal.
Q. The meaning of “I'm Still Alive” seems to be described as a very ordinary place, a parking lot, errands, heat, kids in the backseat, and tired bodies moving through the day. The essence of “I’m Still Alive” however, does feel very impactful and important to the storyline. Why did you choose “I'm Still Alive” as the title? What experiences pulled you toward that kind of everyday scene as the world where this song begins?
A. “I’m Still Alive” is no more complicated than a reminder to myself. A gratitude reminder. I’m tempted to re-read the lyrics but probably I won’t \\\
Q. It is hard to overlook the way “I'm Still Alive” moves from frenzied, chaotic instrumentation into abrupt stops and those almost unending, taunting background sounds. What kind of experience did you want listeners to have while moving through those shifts?
A. ::: To be totally honest I was not thinking about listeners. If there’s a sense of a journey, that’s cool, but unintended. Sometimes these things take me along for a ride, sometimes it’s more joyous labour. “I’m Still Alive” was the former. Whatever outcome occurs is out of my control. I live for the tiny joyous moments when I feel like it’s all working & I am amusing myself
Q. Musically, “I'm Still Alive” feels like a revelation. We do not hear an easy “for fans of” reference, because the instrumentation and vocal delivery are not really like anything we have come across before, while still being infectious and incredibly impressive. Can you share some of the influences behind this sound, whether they came from other musicians, your own personal feelings, or something else entirely?
A. I like to construct & then deconstruct the songs. Maybe that’s evident in this song or maybe not? Strip it down to its constituent parts. Ultimately, why something will or won’t work out is an elusive thing. What draws me back to creation again & again is the finishing-puzzle-like satisfaction when these pieces start to feel like a whole \\\
Q. The distortion, momentary dropouts, and shifting vocal textures all seem very intentional, but there is also a cough near the end, almost intentionally buried in the song, followed by the slightly spoken emphasis of “I'm still alive.” Did those details carry a deeper meaning within the storyline of the song?
A. Not as such. There’s room in this music for fun & spontaneity. These songs are meaningful to me ::: maybe that comes across or maybe not.
Q. How do your ideas usually begin? Do the lyrics lead the way, does the music set the emotional tone first, or does everything arrive together in a more instinctive way?
A. /// Mostly it’s a simple idea or lyric. Something to build on. There are many starts & loose ends. These beginnings & loose ends battle in my psyche & the one that wins is the one that glimmers brightest to me. From there ideas get teased into something more substantive, like a song. There’s much building & breaking & editing.
Q. How has Canada influenced your music, whether through place, culture, weather, community, or the creative environment around you?
A. I feel gratitude to be from & live in Canada. I go out, look around in the world. I come back to Canada. I grew up in a remote place before the internet, so perhaps my imagination was fired by my physical boundaries? :::
Q. Do you have plans to tour behind “I'm Still Alive,” or is this release part of a larger chapter you are still building toward?
A. I harbor secret ambitions to bring Body to the stage. I feel these songs would be really fun to play live. At the moment, it’s purely a recording project. It feels appropriate, for me at this time, that it’s a recording project ]]]
Q. With such a distinct new musical world in your possession, how do you want listeners to understand Body as an artist? What do you hope they walk away with after hearing “I'm Still Alive”?
A. ::: I appreciate you saying “musical world”. I like to think of it that way. In my mind, it’s a definite space & place. I truly believe that human creation is an amazing, marvelous & wonderous thing.
Q. After hearing something this original, we are extremely curious about where you go next. Do you already know the direction your future music will take, or are you letting the sound continue to reveal itself as you create?
A. === I know where it’s going in the short term. I’ve been releasing music on the first of every month & plan to continue to do so. My July release is called “Did You Just Ask Me If I Would? Hold The Bag”. I’d love for Body to get to a place where it could pay for itself. That’s my ambition.
The Cage: Body, thank you so much! We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us.
Thank you ::: Greetings from BC CanadaÂ
End Interview
We’re happy to have shared Body’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.
Tap in below and experience it for yourself.
