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Chicago scene vets, the members of A Lull have steadily kept at it since last year’s Ice Cream Bones EP. A debut collection of dreamlike, almost out of reach indie pop, that found bandmates Nigel Dennis, Todd Miller, and Mike Brown trying to solidify the subtle hooks they willingly stumbled upon.

The labor exerted since can be heard on both “Weapons For War” and “Spread It All Around,” two tracks etched into a 7” that saw release back in May. The former is the band’s lead-in single off their forthcoming full-length, Confetti. Heavily layered and cloaked in percussion, “Weapons For War” has A Lull fleshing out the eclectic sounds they brushed up against on their debut. It’s a song that is both dense and atmospheric, not to mention slightly chaotic. But chaotic only in the way a mid-summer downpour catches one off guard while the sun still shines. The latter, a revolving B-side with texture for days, is a looping gem. No official word whether or not “Spread It All Around” has a spot on the forthcoming LP, but let’s hope it’s at least penciled in.

If either of the two tracks are indicative of what’s to be expected from the rest of Confetti, then A Lull’s coming year should be pure ticker tape. Mike Brown recently was kind enough to answer a few questions from us.  Also if you’re around, try to catch the band on a mini tour they’re about to embark on. Find the short Q/A along with dates below.

Where do you pull your inspiration from?

(Mike Brown) We are super inspired by musicians who can really find it in themselves to write something that is unique and in a sense completely their own. We strive to be musicians like that.

Has your music changed since the band’s inception?

(MB) Yes, constantly.

What is your proudest moment as a group?

(MB) As of right now, playing SXSW was really awesome for us, but I feel like when we finally finish this record that will be the proudest moment.

What are a few of your favorite cities/ venues to play?

(MB) Chicago, IL, Brooklyn, NY, and Austin, TX. My favorite venue is Schubas in Chicago. We always have a blast there, all the people who work there are all awesome, and the sound is always spot on.

If you could collaborate with one person, who would it be and why?

(MB) Fela Kuti, circa 1975. I just feel like we could write some crazy shit with that dude.

What is your best or worst tour story?

(MB) We left in January this year for a nationl tour. The plan was to play in Tallahassee, Birmingham, Mobile and then spend that Sunday in New Orleans for the Super Bowl before heading to Texas. In Tallahassee, the brakes started to smoke on our van. No problem. We had some money and some time so we replaced the two front brake pads and calipers. We played at The Engine Room, slept in Florida, woke up and drove four hours to Montgomery, AL. In Montgomery, a woman pointed out to us that our front driver’s side wheel looked like it was about to fall off. We pulled over at a service center to have it looked at, hoping that the wheel had just been put back on wrong in Tallahassee. Upon further inspection, we learned that the problem was much bigger than we imagined. In the end basically, among other things our entire front axle was broken. The cost would have been near two thousand dollars and it would have taken ten days to fix it. We decided not to fix it and that we would find another solution. The mechanics advised that we not even drive down the block to a motel, let alone two more hours to Birmingham. We drove it cautiously to a Days Inn down the street. While we’ve been waiting, along with large amounts of beer, Domino’s pizza and HBO movies; we’ve done something so crazy, we can’t really believe it ourselves. We bought a new van. We drove the new van to Texas, and when we were 40 miles east of Austin, a clogged radiator totaled the motor. Pistons shot through the engine, destroying it, and leaving us stranded again, this time in Texas instead of Alabama. We couldn’t believe that this was happening again. There was a lot of towing and maneuvering, and in the end, we made it to Austin to play the show. Then the next day some of us came back to Chicago in a rental car and some of us stayed in Austin until the engine is replaced in the van. The only thing worse than totaling two vans in one week would have been actually totaling them in accidents and injuring our bodies along with the vans. In spite of all that’s happened, we’re thankful that everyone is safe and that we’re talking about mechanics and engine transplants rather than doctors and organ transplants.

A Lull upcoming tour dates:

7.24.10 @ Underground Music Showcase (Share The Mic Stage), Denver, CO
8.2.10 @ Now That’s Class!, Cleveland, OH
8.3.10 @ Frankies Inner City, Toledo, OH
8.4.10 @ Thunderbird Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
8.7.10 @ Pianos, New York, NY

Also be sure to check out the aforementioned songs, both of which can be downloaded for free at A Lull’s website (or purchased via vinyl).