Alternative dream pop outfit Blonde Redhead are gearing up to headline Asian concert series Hostess Club Weekender, which arrives in Singapore on June 14 (we have our tickets; do you have yours?). Ahead of their long haul flight, we chatted on the phone with lead guitarist Amadeo Pace about the band's first new album in four years and the tour setlist. 

Who are some current influences on your music?

I don’t know if anyone’s influenced our music, because when we make the album, we focus on fun things we want to try. If we try to be influenced by someone, then it never really works out for us. I do listen to a lot of music and it’s fun to do so, but it’s mostly about when we work together and how we react to each other.

So then how is a song made?

It’s a really long process. We just come together and sometimes I bring ideas of guitar parts that I like and come up with just by fooling around. It’s almost like the more unconsciously you do things, the more ideas come to you. Sometimes it’s a mistake, sometimes it’s playing together. I play something, Kazu responds to it, Simone comes with the drums. It’s always different. Sometimes we work on a song for months and don’t succeed.

You just finished your first album since 2010. Tell us about it.

It’s really different from Penny Sparkle. Some songs are really simple, some are more complicated in their arrangements. We tried to use more acoustic instruments this time. One song is almost 8 minutes long, one song is just a few seconds. We sing together on a couple of songs. I sing two songs, and Kazu sings the rest. It’s called Barragan, after a Mexican architect. Kazu saw his house when visiting in Mexico City. We use the mellotron, the chamberlin and harpsichord. It’s hard to talk about. You always want it to be perfect, but you have to just stop and accept that it’s done.

Have you done the set list for Hostess Weekender yet?

We might play two or three new songs. There are so many songs we do want to play, but we’re not the kind of band that can remember everything. We tend to forget! We have to go back and figure things out and relearn.

Do you guys have any weird hobbies?

Kazu rides horses close to every day and goes in the morning comes back in the afternoon. Simone has his motorcycles that he fixes. He loves to spend time in his garage, fixing other people’s motorcycles. I got an apartment, so I destroyed my apartment and am rebuilding it, which has been a crazy time. I’ve been learning to do everything, electrical, plumbing, tiles and floors. Now I’m in the middle of it, and I can’t stop.

To get you in the mood, here's one of our favorite songs by them, off their album 23.