“Emerging from Rockford, IL, Half Catholic stands as a captivating guitar pop ensemble. While their Spotify bio succinctly captures this essence with ‘Half Catholic is a mid-western guitar pop group,’ my intrigue deepened after immersing myself in their latest EP, ‘Art In Heaven.’ This collection boasts five exquisite tracks reminiscent of Guided By Voices’ style—a true auditory delight. Eager to unveil more layers of their artistry, I had the privilege of engaging in a conversation with John Tallman, the multifaceted talent behind vocals, guitar, and keyboards.”

How did this record come together?

We had planned to record a larger batch of songs than what we ended up with. It didn’t take long to recognize that the five we went with were stronger songs, and we’d be better off just releasing them. Our drummer, Jacob, recorded his drum parts at his house, and I recorded myself (John – guitar and vocals), Dan (bass), and Hayden (lead guitar and backing vocals) at my house little by little over the course of a few months. Eventually, we concluded that we were happy with the results, so we sent it off to Studio 601 in Austin, TX for mixing and then for mastering at Mystery Room Mastering. My twin brother, Joe Tallman, created the artwork, completing the process.

What would success look like for the new record?

We really just want people who may enjoy it to find it and hopefully become fans of our music. There’s a lot of music out there, and so much of it is really good. Just getting someone to actually listen is an accomplishment. If we can break even on CD and cassette sales, I’d consider that a success! Ideally, we’d get more people on board with what we’re doing so that by the time we follow up with another release, they’ll be ready and waiting.

Is the best song you ever wrote on this one?

I think at one point or another, I probably thought every song on the EP was the best I had written up until that point. But part of what keeps me excited about music is always trying to find something even better. It’s hard to be objective about these things, so I’ll probably have to reassess in a few years and see how I feel.

As an artist, you choose to show your emotions to the world. Is it always comfortable to do so?

Vulnerability is a big part of songwriting; you’re really putting yourself out there, even if it isn’t necessarily a personal song. I used to be self-conscious about it and deflect when asked about song meanings, but I’ve come to embrace the vulnerability. It’s important to be open to emotions and feelings while in the early writing phase and then fine-tune later on. It’s not always comfortable, but it comes with the territory.

You can’t control how people ‘hear’ your music. But if you could make them aware of certain aspects you think set your music apart, what would they be?

There’s a lot of time and detail in the arrangements and production. We work and rework parts all the way until we send songs to be mixed. With three-minute pop songs, it can be easy to overlook some of the details, but I would hope that those who appreciate that sort of thing will pick up what we’re putting down. Melody, harmony, and dynamics are what we’re all about.

The record is done, the music is out. Is the fun done now, or is it just the beginning?

We fully plan on continuing to put music out and to play shows all over the place. We’ve been enjoying the shows around the release and being able to celebrate our work. We have some music videos coming out shortly, which will be pretty cool. We’ve already got a batch of songs in various stages of writing, so I think we’ll start the process for what comes next in the new year, but who knows how long it’ll be until we’re actually ready to release something. Hopefully, sooner than later!