UnCovered: ¡Ponce! and Soberana Join Us to Discuss Their Artistic Collaboration

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When it comes to ¡Ponce!, they’re just doing their own thing. And they’re not afraid of being themselves. The Connecticut band released their debut EP ¡Ponce! are…(The Wizards of Time & Infinity) last year and followed it up with a trio of singles this year. The title of their EP hints closely at the type of themes and subject matter the band gravitates towards. Within their lyrics, and really their sound, are tales of mystery, magic, and mayhem.

If you are fortunate enough to go to a ¡Ponce! show, you’ll be greeted by costumes and a friendly, welcoming environment. There’s nobody trying to play it cool, just a bunch of people coming together for a night to enjoy and share their interests. It’s quite a departure from the usual too cool for school environments of indie rock concerts. It’s within ¡Ponce!’s nature to make sure everyone is having a good time.

For ¡Ponce! are…(The Wizards of Time & Infinity) and their other single releases, ¡Ponce! has been working closely with Soberana Art. This is the artistic and creative outlet for Ana Carolina, a 2D illustrator with several years of specialization in stylized and cartoon art. Her work has been inspired heavily by the anime she immersed herself in as a child, most notably Bleach, Pokémon, and Studio Ghibli films.

Joining us today for an UnCovered interview is ¡Ponce!’s Joseph Omeluk, along with Ana Carolina, to discuss the cover artwork for the band’s various recent releases.

What was the inspiration for the album cover art?

Soberana: “For the first cover art it was Yu-Gi-Oh and the universe it takes place in. For the second one, I looked for inspiration without Attack on Titan and also references on Pinterest of what dragon skulls would look like and then decomposing after years.”

Tell us more about Soberna and how you found them.

Joseph Omeluk: “We actually found our artist via Reddit. We take pride in using actual artists and not succumbing to AI. That being said, we had tried and tried with so many artists, but they were super unreliable, and within a couple of days of our release coming out, I posted on r/HungryArtists and was blessed to have met Soberana.”

Please explain the medium(s) used to create the art. We would love to know how the art was created.

Soberana: “The art was done in Photoshop. I also used an application called PureRef to store the references used.”

How was the dynamic of the partnership? For example, was a specific look given or did Soberana have total freedom?

Soberana: “For both covers, I was given reference images, and I had to follow creatively through the base. Which is cool because, at the same time that I had artistic direction, I was free to think and make changes to both the colours and the shapes.”

Would you consider Soberana an additional member of the band or someone hired just for this piece?

Omeluk: “At this point, yes, I don’t think we will be using anybody else. They have been a godsend, truly. Everything looks fantastic,c and everything is done timely.”

Did Soberana listen to the album before? Or what kind of input did you give them?

Omeluk: “We had a good idea of what we wanted for the second song, ‘Heart of The Cards,’ but we did leave it up to Soberana to switch it up. They actually sent us one sketch that was more straightforward with a normal background, and then the one we ended up using was the one with the crazier, more artistic background. I think that’s why it’s good to let the artist breathe and bring it to life.”

Soberana: “I was able to have the pleasure of listening to the music on the first cover, so I could direct the artistic direction towards something that matches more strong and powerful sounds. Instead of something peaceful. On the other hand, I didn’t listen to the music on the second cover.”

Have you ever bought an album just because of the album art? If so, did the music match the art?

Omeluk: “I can’t say that I have, interestingly enough, because I do collect records, and I think aesthetics are pivotal for a band. Maybe in the future, I have had a lot catch my eye, but I never pulled the trigger.”

With the growing popularity of digital music, most fans see art as just pixels on a screen. Why did you feel that art was important?

Soberana: “I believe that art is important for visual identity. It may not make sense at first, but later on, whenever you see the same style repeated over and over again, you’ll understand that the cover is definitely from that artist, just like Ed Sheeran’s covers.”

Omeluk: “I totally agree with Soberana on this one. It’s the same as when people listen to you enough they’ll know it’s you after the first chord. The same goes with the art if you see it enough, it’ll click with you. It’s just a good way to connect with the listener, sort of subconsciously. They might not even know the name of your song, but they remember what that cover looks like.”

When people look at your album cover art, what do you want them to see/think?

Omeluk: “Anime, bold, fun. I think nowadays it’s hard to find artists who aren’t taking themselves too seriously this was a fun project for us with the story of getting lost in things you love. Imagine yourself as an anime character; why the fuck not?”

Do you have a favourite visual artist related to music?

Omeluk: “We are big Modest Mouse fans and I’ve always really enjoyed their artwork for covers. It’s simple yet intriguing. I also love the Algernon Cadwallader aesthetic, the cutout paper on both albums is a cool idea.”

What are your thoughts and/or the pros and cons of digital versus non-digital art?

Omeluk: “I like having something tangible, so digital art does take away from that feeling. That said, I have so much respect for people who can achieve art, especially graphics/drawings, on any platform. But the one pro of digital is it really will never be lost. You could lose an album or a CD or something, but digital is pretty hard to get rid of now that the internet has literally everything.”

What do you think are some of the best/worst cover art styles that have translated to t-shirts and other merchandise?

Omeluk: “The Cure, Disintegration.

Soberana: “Pink Floyd, The Dark Side of the Moon. Joy Division, Unknown Pleasures.”

Do you prefer to have more creative control when you receive a project or do you prefer when the band gives you a lot of input?

Soberana: “I like the input. At the same time, I don’t like being smothered by giving directions on the smallest details. If it’s important, I like to receive that input, such as hearing the music, or the outfit worn by the character drawn.”

How do you think the album art will affect the listener’s perception of your album?

Omeluk: “I think it will attract a certain kind of audience without having a stranglehold on it. Yes, it’s about anime, but even if you don’t really dig anime, you can connect with the sounds we are making. We tried to keep this EP more fun, melodic and dancey so it could appeal to other audiences easily.”

What is your favourite thing about this album cover?

Omeluk: “The themes are a lot of fun. It’s also been great working with Soberana. It’s rare to find someone who is so good at their craft. I think the best part really was learning more about their work based on these covers. Also, for the record we released covers for all three singles and then we are doing a collage of all three for the actual EP cover.”

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