Poliça’s Channy Leaneagh discusses the inspirations behind new album ‘Madness’

Poliça‘s new album Madness is out today, and it’s a little different for the Minneapolis group. For it, Channy Leaneagh, producer Ryan Olson, bassist Chris Bierden and drummers Ben Ivascu and Drew Christopherson incorporated into their sonic arsenal an “anthropomorphic production tool” called “AllOvers(c),” which was designed by Olson and producer / sound-artist Seth Rosetter. It helped give them a more lush, atmospheric and alluring version of their synthy-yet-very-human sound, and you can stream the whole album below.

For more about the album, we asked Channy to tell us about some of the inspirations behind it, and she gave us a list of 10 songs, many with very specific examples of how they relate to Madness. It includes songs by The Microphones, Busta Rhymes, Sun Ray, Caetano Veloso, John Carpenter soundtracks and more. Read it below.

Poliça will be on tour starting next week, including a show in Brooklyn at Elsewhere on June 16. All dates are listed below.

POLIÇA – TEN INSPIRATIONS BEHIND MADNESS

1. “Smoking in Silence” (DUSTIN ZAHN) from Gain of Function (2021).
Dustin Zahn co-produced Poliça’s first single off the Madness record: “Alive.” “Alive” combines Ryan Olson’s production and Zahn’s. “Smoking in Silence” and “Alive” both use a vocal sample which is hard to not want to do always because it’s fun but happens rarely in both Zahn and Olson’s production.

2. De Palavra Em Palavra: Caetano Veloso
My Dad passed away in 2021, and his passing was during the writing period of Madness (but not the subject of the record). My Dad did have a huge musical influence on me throughout my life, including an introduction into Brazilian masters like Caetano Veloso. Veloso was a fearless artist and he makes music outside of a single genre. This song does not give a fuck but also isn’t angry. The sincerity of sharing one’s vision makes music timeless to me.

3. “Think About the Children”: Fanny (From Fanny Hill 1972)
This song is speaking a bit to some of the ideas I was writing about on our track “Blood.” Reaching higher than the self: seeking something besides your own self interest. The first line of this song is: “Are you ready to think about the future? To think of somebody else?”

4. “Losar”: Joep Beving
Since Poliça played the Berlin PEOPLE festival with Joep Beving we have all become huge fans of his piano compositions. I have been listening to this song weekly for a few years now. It is sad and beautiful. Only the necessary notes, with feelings layed very strongly but never over-explained.

5. “I’ll Not Contain You”: The Microphones (The Glow Pt. 2)
Poliça sounds like we recorded our music in a busted up, crud filled studio because we did. We are a bit rough around the edges and that comes off in our sound. I hear a similar thread in the music of The Microphones: a comfort with an unpolished sound. The Microphones produce a rejection of anything pop-leaning but he is not sloppy; exploratory and honest. And of course with the Microphones and Mount Eerie you get a comfort with the brutality of being human.

6. “Nuclear War”: Sun Ra and His Arkestra (from A Fireside Chat with Lucifer)
Dealing with the current while being timeless. The artist as an observer and generator of feelings about what they see and a discussion maker! Commentator in their creativity. A reflection pool of the cesspool.

7. “Diya Hai” (feat. Badi Assad): Arooj Aftab
This is my most favorite voice to listen to at the moment. Quiet and intensely emotive and powerfully pointed melodies. The voice as a violin; the voice as a spirit speaking along with the interplay of vocal music and a classical accompaniment. I am anxiously awaiting seeing Arooj live in Minneapolis.

8. “Theme from the Fog”: John Carpenter
This is our home’s “house music”. Most of John Carpenter’s discog has been on throughout the last three years; it’s music everyone in our family enjoys and raises our anxiety level just enough to get our bodies in the correct mindset for this horrific grind.

9.. “Best I Can”: Busta Rhymes (feat. Rapsody)
Like many songs on Madness, this song is offering an uncommon narrative. The world doesn’t necessarily need more perspectives; perhaps we have too many via the internet. And perhaps the world doesn’t need more negative narratives about mothers. But this song is lauded by me because first and foremost Busta and Rapsody are lyrical and delivery masters. Also this song illustrates a change of heart, honesty with oneself, and the bravery to apologize.

10. “Try, Try, Try”: Peder Mannerfelt
A Poliça favorite. On this one the beats are poignant without the pop wash: hitting but not completely clean. It is techno with punk sensibilities.

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Poliça – 2022 North American Tour dates
06-09 Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall
06-10 Detroit, MI – Marble Bar
06-11 Toronto, Ontario – Horseshoe Tavern
06-12 Montreal, Quebec – Bar le Ritz
06-13 Boston, MA – Brighton Music Hall
06-16 Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
06-17 Philadelphia, PA – The Foundry
06-18 Washington, D.C. – The Black Cat
06-19 Columbus, OH – The Basement
07-02 Superior, WI – Earth Rider Brewery
07-06 Spokane, WA – Lucky You Lounge
07-07 Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre
07-08 Vancouver, British Columbia – Fortune Sound Club
07-09 Portland, OR – Doug Fir
07-11 San Francisco, CA – Independent
07-12 Los Angeles, CA – Teragram Ballroom
07-14 San Diego, CA – Casbah
07-15 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
07-16 Santa Fe, NM – Meow Wolf
07-17 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theatre
07-19 Davenport, IA – The Raccoon Motel
08-26 Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall