Hopefully by now, you’ve spent some quality time with the impeccably assembled box-set reissue of the Pernice Brothers’ 1998 debut, Overcome By Happiness. (Check out our MAGNET Classics Podcast on the making of this essential album.) At the time of that 25th-anniversary reissue in May 2023, Joe Pernice was well on his way to finishing up Who Will You Believe, his first new studio album since signing with New West Records.
The eighth Pernice Brothers LP may be the most sonically, stylistically and thematically varied entry in their catalog so far. Truth be told, there’s only a trace of the original lineup on Who Will You Believe. Founding members Peyton Pinkerton and Bob Pernice contribute a bit of guitar, and longtime drummer Patrick Berkery has a substantial role. Always a signature element, Pernice’s vocals haven’t sounded this malleable since his early work with Scud Mountain Boys—though his range and timbre have grown richer with age. Throughout the album’s 12 tracks, Pernice shapes his delivery to match the mood of the moment. By way of an example, check out his surprising low-end approach on the first verse of slow-burn crooner ballad “What We Had.”
Battling spotty cell coverage, we caught up with Pernice on the road from his adopted hometown of Toronto as he powered his way through a potent spring storm in the Berkshires. His destination was New York City, where he’d make a few low-key appearances to promote the new LP. There aren’t any immediate plans for a full-scale Pernice Brothers tour, but he’s not ruling anything out.
The last time we spoke, you were in New York City for one of two amazing shows in support of the Overcome By Happiness reissue. As someone who’s always been compelled to move forward, how difficult was it to go back 25 years?
I was skeptical about the reissue at first, because, to me, it’s just an old record. I was way beyond it at that point. I hadn’t thought about that record in years. I don’t own it, and New West could’ve just made a deal with Sub Pop to license it without me ever knowing about it. But they wanted to do it in a big way or not do it—and they didn’t want to do it unless I was involved. It brought back a lot of good memories, and it was nice bit of closure. That was a really fun album to make, and the weeks leading up to recording it were really exciting.
You did have to set aside work on Who Will You Believe. Was that good or bad?
Well, it certainly made me think bigger picture about my entire catalog, which was sort of spread out all over the place. I was in the thick of making Who Will You Believe when New West first got in touch with me in early 2022 for the Overcome reissue. Some of the new songs were done, and the rest were in progress. And I don’t think we finalized any kind of licensing deal for my newer music and back catalog until maybe January 2023. It took about a year.
How would you describe the new album?
It definitely has a bunch of different things going on—it’s where I was as a songwriter at the time. But you want it to hold together as a record. For me, sometimes in the thick of making a record, I might lose sight of which songs work better than others, regardless of how I feel about them. But I think it’s a pretty good record. I just listened to it the other day.
I recall you saying once that you don’t like listening to your records once they’re finished.
It’s not like I get repulsed by it. I’m not one for those guys. [Laughs] It’s just that I don’t get anything out of it. For me, the pleasure is in making it, not listening to it. But there are a lot of different people doing extraordinary things on this record, so that’s something I enjoy. I like hearing the choir come in, and some of the horn, string and guitar parts are exemplary.
Speaking of people doing extraordinary things, tell us about your experience with Neko Case, who sings on “I Don’t Need That Anymore”?
Her vocal was the last thing recorded for the album. Everything else was mixed … Even that song was basically mixed. I was touring on the West Coast, and it just so happened that the only day she could do it was the day after I got back. So, I flew back from California on a redeye flight, slept for a bit, then drove about eight hours to her place (in Vermont). I got there late in the afternoon. The studio was set up to go, and she friggin’ nailed it right there. It was about an hour and a half, top to bottom. Then I climbed a mountain, set up a tent and stayed there for two days and rode my bike. She and I hung out some, and that was that—I drove home. Her vocal track was waiting at the engineer’s place when I got home, and we mixed it immediately. We listened to the record for a few more days, and then it went to mastering. Bang, bang.
“I Don’t Need That Anymore” has a pretty interesting backstory.
I was visiting my folks’ house at Christmas with my wife and son. My parents have been married for 67 years. My father is 91, and my mother is 88. My wife was looking at my parents’ wedding album with my mother, and she said, “Wow, you had some figure.” And my mother said, “I had it when I needed it.” I heard that from the other room and was like, “Holy shit, that has to be a country song.” But I wanted to write one of those kiss-off country songs that was a duet.
The album’s final track, “The Purple Rain,” was inspired by the 2019 deaths of two close friends—Silver Jews’ David Berman and Rhino Records founder Gary Stewart—and your cousin, Fort Apache Studios founder Joe Harvard. That’s a lot to absorb in less than a year.
To be honest with you, I’ve been thinking about death my entire life, and I feel like I’ve thought it through. I don’t like the idea of it all ending—but it’s going to. I don’t believe in God, and I don’t believe in any sort of organized religion. In my middle age, I’ve been coming to come to terms with trying to live my life as I see fit. It’s like, “Fuck it. I’m just going to the things I like and avoid all the bullshit.”
—Hobart Rowland
