On “Reign of Terror” — last year’s sophomore sledgehammer from New York noise-pop duo Sleigh Bells — composer and multi-instrumentalist Derek Miller was reeling from the shock of two tragedies: the sudden death of his father and his mother’s cancer diagnosis. The album revealed the despair. But last week, he and vocalist partner Alexis Krauss returned with the rapid follow-up “Bitter Rivals,” which feels sunny and optimistic — relatively speaking. Buttressed by handclap percussion, dog-bark samples and acoustic guitars amped past 11, songs such as “Sugarcane,” “Tiger Kit” and the jubilant “Young Legends” still split skulls. But they apply a comfy Band-Aid afterwards.
How is your mom? She’s great. She’s been in remission for over two years now. I mean, she’ll never fully be in the clear. But everybody back home in Florida is happy and healthy, and everything is just exponentially better than it ever has been. So I’m thrilled — I could not be happier, to be honest.
Dealing with death seems to flip a switch on creativity. You realize that we don’t have forever, right? Exactly. I’m more interested in talking about LP 4, and this record’s [just] out. I know that sounds obnoxious, but that’s just the rate at which I work. I just don’t waste time, and I don’t do anything else. I live and breathe this band. And it’s getting more and more intense for me — it’s not slowing down, the output. And the more Alexis and I work together, the more comfortable we get. We just finished this record, and you’re supposed to feel taxed and wrung out when you finish a record. But I feel totally refreshed.
You predicted “Bitter Rivals” the last time we talked. You said you were planning on putting Alexis upfront in the mix. I was totally hands-off this time around. I let Alexis handle all the vocal duties, and it’s sort of like — for the first time — we have very, very real chemistry. We don’t really second-guess ourselves — we just plow forward. So really, this record is the story of me coming out of that black hole that I fell into after my dad died and my mom fell ill. I just finally dealt with it. It took almost four years, but I did it.
What tools did you employ? Honestly — and it changed my life — I started boxing. I started training to box last February, and I’ve been going four days a week ever since. Progress is very slow, and you barely notice it, but every three or four months, you realize you’ve taken a step. It feels like when I learned how to play guitar at just 10 or 11!
IF YOU GO
Treasure Island Music Festival
When: Noon to 10:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday
Tickets: $85 to $275, $40-$70 for parking only
Contact: www.treasureislandfestival.com, www.ticketmaster.com
Note: Free shuttles from the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St., S.F., begin at 11 a.m. both days; a limited number of passes for parking on the island may be purchased online
THE LINEUP
SATURDAY
Bridge Stage
Atoms for Peace, 9:25 p.m.
Little Dragon, 7:40 p.m.
Major Lazer, 5:55 p.m.
Disclosure, 4:20 p.m.
Danny Brown, 2:45 p.m.
Adult., 1:15 p.m.
Giraffage, noon
Tunnel Stage
Phantogram, 8:35 p.m.
Holy Ghost!, 6:50 p.m.
DJ Falcon, 5:10 p.m.
Poolside, 3:35 p.m.
Robert DeLong, 2 p.m.
Antwon, 12:40 p.m.
Silent Frisco
Vin Sol, 9 p.m.
Motion Potion, 7 p.m.
DJ Dials, 5 p.m.
Matt Haze, 2:30 p.m.
Shouts!, noon
SUNDAY
Bridge Stage
Beck, 9:20 p.m.
Animal Collective, 7:40 p.m.
James Blake, 6 p.m.
STRFKR, 4:20
Lord Huron, 2:50 p.m.
Palma Violets, 1:25 p.m.
Deep Sea Diver, noon
Tunnel Stage
Sleigh Bells, 8:30 p.m.
Japandroids, 6:50 p.m.
Real Estate, 5:10 p.m.
HAIM, 3:35 p.m.
Cayucas, 2:05 p.m.
IO Echo, 12:40 p.m.
Silent Frisco
Lukeino, 8 p.m.
Mancub, 6 p.m.
8Ball, 4 p.m.
NonStop Bhangra, 2 p.m.
Steffi Graff, noon
