Bradley Sperger
Bradley Sperger has been writing and recording music since high school, creating demos of songs and handing them out to his friends.
Today, he’s come a long way from those demo days. On Friday, Sperger will release his first full-length album Modern Day Nostalgic, which he recorded entirely on his iPad.
The combination of tech and music is old hat to Sperger. He’s often referred to as a one-man band for his ability to use live-looping to build songs live all by himself, playing guitar, bass, keyboard, adding some percussions while he sings along.
His foray into the world of iOS initially started out of budget concerns. “I started getting more serious about producing my own tracks shortly after I had my 2018 EP recorded,” Sperger told City Pages. “I realized that when time is literally money when using a studio that I wasn’t able to get the results that I wanted due to budget restrictions. My pockets are not very deep you see.”
It turns out these days recording on an iPad can produce some pretty impressive results. Grammy award-winning tracks and albums have been created on iPads, and recording software for iOS is every bit as impressive and robust as those for computers. Home recording has come a long way from the days of a cheap four-track recorder in one’s basement, and with the right mics and audio interfaces, the results can be pretty impressive.
Bradley Sperger
Modern Day Nostalgic, Bradley Sperger
Modern Day Nostalgic is Sperger’s first full-length album but he recorded an EP in 2018, She’s a Cold Heart. That release has a very bluesy rock feel to it, but with Modern Day Nostalgic Sperger steers into a more pop/electronica direction. Sperger says he initially intended to have more variety on the 2018 EP but budget constraints kept it as it is; and he’s ultimately glad it stayed a blues rock album.
“That is showing my love for blues rock sounds with guitar,” Sperger says. “As for my new album I wanted to show that I’m not a one-trick pony and that even though I love the blues I wanted to make music that excites me.”
Sperger has refined his producing chops since those days. He likes to sample sounds and incorporate them into his music, whether it’s swans on a lake or a barn door.
Tracks such as the track Surface Conversations show off the sampling effect, where the samples blend in seamlessly with the music and make sense for what Sperger is trying to do with the track.
Particularly standing out is the track It will Stay the Same, which channels an Arcade Fire-like pedal tone texture building combined with an infectious hook.
Sperger was happy to be able to flex his creativity on this album. “I enjoy a wide variety of genres and have loved electronic/pop-inspired stuff for a while,” Sperger says. “I wanted to also show my Alternative/Indie influences as well. Previously I didn’t have the knowledge to make the sounds that excite me and pump me up. After learning a bit more of the craft and some techniques that go along with it I was able to do some more exploration with sound.”
Check out the album on Spotify, iTunes, Amazon and most other places you find music. Find all of the links here.
