Interview: Infinity Crush Discuss ‘Virtual Heaven’

Posted: 4th September, 2019 by The Editor

“Misbehaving”, the first track on Infinity Crush’s excellent new album Virtual Heaven, ends with the line (“I want eternal twilight in your quiet little room / and I don’t know what to do / but I’m falling and I’m falling and I’m falling into you.”) Most of the tracks that make up Virtual Heaven are about what it feels like to be alone, a feeling that’s further amplified by how quiet this album is. Aside from the pillowy guitars and occasional flourish of strings, songwriter Caroline White’s vocals are the driving force behind the album. White’s voice is hushed and intimate, the kind that draws you in closer, and she describes the night sky with the same reverence as she does her own isolation. I spoke with White about Virtual Heaven, how her songwriting was inspired by isolation, and whether or not the album is actually hopeful.

The Alternative: At what age did you first start making music?

Caroline White: Probably when I was around seventeen, that’s about the same time I started learning guitar and pretty much right away I was trying to make my own songs.

How did moving to North Carolina influence your songwriting?

I definitely have less of a music community here, I don’t really talk to people, like friends or people I meet about making music, which is fine, but I guess just general loneliness in music. I definitely spend a lot more time making music because obviously it’s an isolated kind of craft and it’s helpful to have hours on end that you can spend by yourself, which I think kind of rendered to a more sort of self aware product—I guess you could say the more negative framing of it could be self-centered, but more internal and reflective as a result.

Your new album does an excellent job of balancing these heavy themes of loneliness and melancholy with beautiful imagery and lush instrumentation, did you make an effort to represent both the beautiful and ugly parts of life in these songs?

I don’t think it was intentional, I think it just happened. I guess it’s sort of a cliche at this point but the beautiful parts of nature can also be violent and harmful to people—social things and manmade things are kind of like a microcosm of that. Because I was pretty isolated I guess I was able to pay more attention to the world around me and sort of figure out the dichotomy.

You reference rain a lot on ‘Virtual Heaven’, does that symbolize something important to you?

Not intentionally. Of course once an album is released into the world, anyone can have their own interpretations of lyrics or of an album—but that being said, this record is pretty devoid of abstract symbolism overall. More so it focuses on imagery and the literal. I think something like rain naturally is an aid in evoking a mood, and so it works more as part of the world building.

Do you consider yourself to be an optimistic person? I find your new record to be extremely hopeful in a strange sort of way.

I’m really glad you said that, I think I am. I have a similar attitude about the album, I definitely didn’t want it to sound bitter because I didn’t have those kinds of feelings writing the songs, and I don’t want it to feel angry or even sad. I mean I know some of the songs are sad, but at the end of the day I think there is hope in them and giving people the chance at redemption and giving myself the chance at redemption.

Are you ever hesitant of how much of yourself to reveal in your lyrics?

Yeah, I think not just for my sake because at this point I don’t care that much, but I always want to be respectful to other people if they’re involved in my songs, like I’ll use fake names if I use somebody’s name. But also, if songs are quote-unquote about people, I change it a lot so they’re more the source of inspiration for a song.

What was the last great movie you saw?

I don’t even know the last movie I saw, I honestly mostly consume the stupidest media of all time. What was the last great movie you saw?

I took my dad to go see Hobbs and Shaw, I loved it.

I don’t even know the last time I went to a movie theater. I saw [Spider-Man Into The Spider Verse], I thought that was pretty good. I’m sorry that I’m letting you down with this dud of an answer.