Dresser Shares Favourite Venues, Montreal Experiences, and Art Rock Album "Seventeen Blocks And Then Some"

Dresser by Lulu Lebowitz

There's this feeling I would get when I first moved to Montreal, where it felt like there were whole worlds of creativity around every corner, at every event, at the end of every summertime bike ride... It's a feeling of the world opening up for you and inviting you in, now that you're in the place where you're supposed to be. 

This is the feeling I get when I listen to Dresser's new album "Seventeen Blocks and Then Some." I've known the band via many DIY shows and restaurant gigs where we pushed through long shifts together. Their music is of the laid-back art rock genre, with elements of folk-punk, and has that unmistakable East Coast Canadian sound. 

I caught up with Finn to chat about the new album and our shared Montreal experiences.

Malaika for Also Cool: Hi Dresser! Let's start with the band's origin story. You mentioned that Dresser started in a now-defunct after-hours spot. Which one was it, and how have afte-rhours/DIY spaces played a part in your lives/creative endeavours?

Finn: When we first started playing together, we would rehearse and hang out in a space on Parc and Beaubien that our friends were living in. The space was in a bit of a purgatory, between having been Drones Club and before later becoming Cyberia. There were a few parties there during that time, but it was definitely more low-key on that front than in other iterations.  

We recorded our first EP there on a reel-to-reel machine that sat on the floor in the main room. I remember doing guitar takes with the sketchy electricity surging into the machine and blowing out the VU meters. Eventually, the place became too much of a hassle and too expensive, so our friends moved out.  

But that spot and others in the area like Poisson Noir were really important for me when I arrived in Montreal. I'd done my research when I was still in New Zealand, so I roughly knew that stuff I liked was happening around those there before even landing here. I wasn't able to find any of it on social media initially, so I'd just go walking around those blocks at night. Sometimes I'd come across a show or party, and other times not. The people I met were generally super nice and welcoming, which was pretty remarkable considering I was just some kid approaching strangers and intruding on conversations. It's a shame that DIY spaces like those aren't around so much at the moment. They bring a heightened community experience to live music and partying that's a bit harder to come by in bar settings. It'll be interesting to see how we could go about doing things like that again post-pandemic.

Also Cool: Was music always a part of your lives? How did you first get into the music scene here in Montreal, and how does it compare to where you're from?

Finn: I've played guitar since I was 8 and was always in bands at school, but I got increasingly invested in it in my last few years of high school. I'm from Auckland, and there was a great all-ages DIY scene for a while, so that was formative for sure. 

When I was still in high school, I would listen to Montreal bands, and I found the documentary “A City Is an Island” by Timothy George Kelly. There was a map graphic in it that they'd make a cross on every time an interviewee mentioned a venue or neighbourhood or something. So I basically obsessed over that and ended up having maps of Little Italy and the Mile End pinned to the walls of my Auckland bedroom. That gave me quite a bit to work with, so I'd just go out to shows and meet people, which led to someone passing their dishwashing job on to me. At that job, I met Chris and Kevin (bass + drums) and the other original band members, Ryan and Fawn.

In terms of getting started in the scene here, once Dresser had a set of songs, I'd just ask all the bands I'd seen and met at shows if they'd play with us. So the first show we played, I booked and promoted myself. From there, everything continued to happen pretty organically.   

I'd say I felt comfortable reaching out like that because it wasn't too dissimilar to how things would happen in Auckland when I was a teenager. I have so many good memories of great shows in various halls-for-hire around those times. But that scene seemed to fizzle out a little as all those bands got older.  

Auckland is a pretty hard place to be an artist. It's wildly expensive to live there, and from what I can still tell, there's a major lack of practice spaces and venues. But, despite that, there's still so much good music that comes out of there!  

When I arrived in Montreal, my first impressions were just that a lot was going on all the time. It was never hard to find a show to go to on any given night, and I was pretty swept up by the nightlife. The economic conditions here have just historically been more favourable to practicing art, so many people are drawn here for those reasons. It's noticeable in the scenes that I participate in at least that often a substantial portion of people aren't originally from Montreal.

Dresser by Lulu Lebowitz

AC: Speaking of the local scene, who are some bands here who you think deserve more recognition?

Finn: There are so many! Some friends of mine who are (and will be) putting out great stuff are Fraud Perry, Visibly Choked, why try, Night Lunch, Pillea, Luke Pound, Molly Drag. Other bands/acts that could always use more love are Lovelet, Kìzis, Lockimara, Sunforger, The Painters, TDA, LAPS, and Chris Hauer. Kevin is also in another band called Sick, who are crazy good. That names a few; there are probably many more that I'm forgetting.

AC: Which local venue are you looking forward to playing once shows start up again? (I'm a big Casa fan, personally.)

Finn: My favourite spot has always been La Plante, they had quite a successful fundraising campaign a little while back, so I really hope they hang in there. I think spaces like theirs are so important, and they're one of the last remaining of their kind as far as I know. Otherwise, I'm also a big fan of Casa as well as Brasserie Beaubien, who I really hope miraculously return after the pandemic, despite whisperings I've heard.

Dresser by Lulu Lebowitz

AC: Let's talk about your album, "Seventeen Blocks And Then Some." I'm interested to hear the story behind the name and the musical inspiration that went into this album.

Finn: Most lyrical content on the album deals with feelings and experiences during my first couple of years in Montreal. The title is a rough estimate of the area within which I experienced all the significant “stuff” during that time. I would wonder, "So how many blocks is it from Sherbrooke to Jarry," and thought it might be seventeen. This was probably a gross underestimation, hence the "And Then Some." I like thinking about directions, and there are a few references to things like street corners and blocks across the album, so it felt fitting.

I find it difficult to pinpoint how it manifests in the final product when it comes to musical inspiration. I tend to be into something a little different each time I decide to write a song, so I'm always drawing from different places. It all gets amalgamated once the band starts working on it. We don't tend to directly reference others very much in those stages. 

Some things I could pinpoint are that when I wrote Slowly, I was getting into Bill Callahan. The bridge in Grin probably came to be around the time when Ryan (who plays lead guitar on the album) and I would spend evenings playing Never Meant by American Football on guitar. When I wrote the verse riff for Bystand, I loved Mono No Aware by local band Sunforger.

Conceptually, this album really served to capture how Dresser sounded live at the time of recording. We played shows quite a lot and were feeling really happy with where we were performance-wise, so we wanted to translate that energy pretty directly into the recording, which is a significant factor in how it turned out.

AC: Looking forward, what does Dresser have planned for 2021?

Finn: We're planning on recording a new song very shortly that we'll put out for the summer. Then we'll be looking towards starting a new album later in the year, for which we already have much of the material.

We're desperate to start playing shows again just like everyone else, so we will be doing that ASAP. Also, with summer starting and the uncertainty around when venues will reopen, we're planning an outdoor performance very soon. So keep an eye out for that! There's a lot to look forward to.

Dresser

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Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and communications specialist currently based in Montreal.

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Hildegard (Helena Deland & Ouri) Talk Friendship, section1 & Remembering How to Fly

Hildegard by Jules Moskovtchenko

To understand the world of Hildegard is to immerse yourself in the deep waters of Helena Deland and Ouri's soul connection and friendship. Their debut record has been described as the result of merging their identities, coupled with a complete loss of ego. The result is a beautiful and experimental eight-track experience, documenting the creative bond they share.

The duo are both accomplished musicians in their own right, both having toured the world with their individual projects. They've also been longtime Montreal friends, and over the years, the three of us have gotten to know each other through many shows, nights out, and mutual friends. 

I caught up with Ouri and Helena earlier last week to talk about the album, their friendship, dreams, and their label section1. I explained right off the bat that I wanted to skip the typical PR questions and get into the more esoteric, conceptual energy and of the record. They happily agreed and took me by the hand into the world of Hildegard. 

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: I first heard the album three years ago, and it's so exciting to have watched it come to fruition so beautifully, but I guess we should start at the beginning. How did you two become friends?

Ouri: We had been gravitating around each other for a while. We initially met through a friend group when we were around 20 years old. We properly became friends when our manager suggested that we do a few studio sessions together. It was so immediately effortless, and there were no expectations. We just completely connected.

Helena Deland: The friend group where we met unintentionally revolved around a couple guys. The whole group gravitated towards certain people, and everyone acted in response to those individuals instead of each other. This became obvious when we hung out one-on-one and became friends. It was crazy that we didn't sense that before.

O: If we had never experienced that, it would've been such a loss. It was such a fundamental part of my life experience. 

Hildegard by Jules Moskovtchenko

Also Cool: It is very Montreal to exist around people until you finally connect individually one way or another after seeing each other around for so long. 

What have you learned about friendship and your creative connection with each other throughout this process?

I've seen you both out in the world together so much, and it seems like you have a really happy friendship. I specifically remember you two drawing outside of Pumpui together, and it seems so beautiful to have a friend with whom you can be your inner child.

H: It's interesting because I do feel like the way that I exist with Ouri is so unique. [She] brings out things in me that my other friends don't, which is also true about the music. 

This collaboration is more than the sum of its parts; it depends on its alchemy. We've also spent so much time one-on-one for this project that people always tell us we act like siblings. 

O: I never feel like I have to be a highly individual part of this group, I just want to blend, and I want this energy to circulate all the time. I think that this is an essential part of our friendship. I feel like since we experienced this together, we've been researching flexibility and ego, and we're trying to get back to that every time. When we're on video shoots, and we're not crossing paths all day, it feels very wrong. We need the excitement and comfort that we share together.

AC: It sounds like a really nice soulmate connection.

Both: Yeaaaaaa (blush)

AC: Your record sounds like when Durocher (an after-hours in Montreal) was at its peak: Where you could walk through all the walkways, to all the different parties alone; knowing you would find your friends or make new ones along the way. At the same time, the album also feels very vulnerable and without ego. 

Going into it making the album, did you intend to make it a dance record, or did you want to just try and see what happened?

H: It was very unintentional. We usually resume it by describing the first day in the studio, where we were super excited and eased into the atmosphere. We had a drink in the evening, and it was kind of a party atmosphere. So the tone kind of has to do with how we broke the ice.

AC: If the record is a late night out with a friend, what would your morning routine look like? Would you make breakfast? Would you not talk? Would you lie down in the park to try and get over the hangover?

O: I think we would do a yoga session in the morning and then let each other choose what we wanted to eat, and then we would stare at a fire.

H: Haha yeah, we would make a fire and take our time with that. We also love discussing and unpacking the night before. 

We would definitely have a time without each other too, maybe on separate walks, and then we would come back to each other. We know this by experience, really. (laughs)

O: We were together for two weeks the last time. We would party and then try to come back to life.

Hildegard by Jetro Emilcar

AC: The tone for Jour 1 has been described as "Processing by partying." Both of you have travelled all over the place. You have experienced all kinds of different things, so I'm wondering what your most transformative party experience has been. 

H: There are so many, but there's this feeling that I sometimes get that's interesting. It feels like a "life drive," but at the same time, it comes when you're out, not sleeping, drinking and so on, so there's also this death drive to it, too. 

It's the feeling of time passing, and I just want it to stop, and every time I look at the clock, it's scandalizing that it's gotten so late. I just love those nights where it feels like if you could stop time or if you could exchange a little of the future for more of this, you'd do it. It's a very present moment feeling.

O: The beginning of summer in Montreal, maybe Durocher, maybe Moonshine. It's 5am, the sun is starting to maybe come out a bit. I would stop time to always live in this. We've also experienced this feeling together after doing the album. This was just a crazy night.

H: The one where we ended up on the soccer pitch?

O: No, the one with the mic at Durocher. (laughs)

H: There was also the one where we played Piknic.

O: Oh yes! We had lost Helena in the crowd, and she reappeared at the most epic moment of the set. There were hundreds of people everywhere. But also that experience of losing your friend at a party and then finding them again is very special.

AC: Well, I was going to ask, what would a perfect Montreal summer night be for you? 

H: I think the unexpectedness of nights in Montreal is one of its best qualities. It's small geographically, and you don't know where you'll run into someone. Everyone lives a 30-minute walk away from each other, and so you can end up on anybody's roof. Like that night, you played Piknic, and we walked home.

O: We played games and explored all the different metro stations and all the parks.

H: It's nice to think that this is almost possible again for the first time in a year now.

AC: Hildegard seems very much like a world. Can you describe this world as if it were a dream?

O: It's a castle.

H: An H-shaped castle.

O: We can run between towers and different rooms.

H: There's beautiful nature, but there's also something a little eerie. We wrote a really cool story to go with a playlist, and every step was following Hildegard's day. It was very community-oriented, but there were lonesome moments, but also sensuality and self-care.

O: That's also a mystical experience, to share with a community. 

H: But the dream, it would be a pretty lucid dream. 

AC: Do you have a favourite dream?

O: Since I was a kid, whenever I feel trapped, I think about flying before going to sleep. In my dream, I just run and fly, and I go everywhere. I feel free. This is something that I love to do.

H: Wow, so you're a good lucid dreamer! 

AC: I do the same! I always knew I could fly in my dreams, and I knew that I just had to remember how to do it. It's amazing

H: It's the closest we'll come to flying in this life. 

Hildegard by Jetro Emilcar

AC: Helena, your most recent album profiles the emotional fallout of when two people put their lives in each others' hands. Hildegard feels like the healed, higher-self from this experience. How does it feel different to put your life in Ouri's hands?

H: Aww, it's amazing, honestly. It is a big part of what's so joyful on the record; there's this intense fusional energy and abandonment of others and gradual attunement to how to make the other feel good. The reward is the music we make together, and the company, and the moments we share. 

It feels so liberating and like we understand each other in ways that are not always given in heterosexual relationships, even though we're just friends. I personally haven't really experienced this kind of closeness with a collaborator and friend. Having those things meshed together, it's eye-opening to all of what's possible in terms of proximity. But it's also this whole learning process; we're constantly adjusting and growing together. 

AC: You've worked with a lot of different people for the visuals of the project. Can you tell me more about your collaborators and that process?

O: We started working with Melissa Matos, who built the conceptual visual world of Hildegard. She had a whole team of people doing graphic design, 3d work, photos, etc.

AC: Yeah, your website feels like a portal into that world you're describing. 

H: Every element of the website is from our texts, our conversations, our emails, our sounds… But it's also designed to really include the interaction, and whoever wants to use it can explore with it, which is true of the music. 

It acts more as a space to project things onto and into. Melissa has been so helpful in designing an intentional world.

Hildegard album art

AC: How's it been working with section1? You're their first release and their introduction to the world of what section1 is. You've also been involved in the music industry for quite a while, and I'm wondering what this experience has been like?

H: It's been super exciting. I sent our songs to Brontë because I wanted her to help place it in this industry. I trust her and her taste, and I thought she would be a good person to understand what we were trying to do. So when she responded by telling us that she wanted to release it, we were elated. 

It's been so nice to develop the world of Hildegard as they develop the world of section1 and be proud of one another's projects.

O: Being introduced to their network has been really amazing. It feels like it's alive and not a stiff uni-dimensional thing. It's one of the first times I feel like the team received our work, and we're so excited about it. 

H: I remember when Brontë told me she was going to start a label. She told me she had a secret, and I thought it was about who she was dating. Instead, she told me she was going to launch a record label, and I started crying.

I think part of the label works into the mythology of Hildegard at this point because it was so organic and unsought after, which is also the case with section1.

AC: What does the future of the project hold?

O: We have dreams, we want to travel together to places we've never been before

H: This is working so well for me so far, where Hildegard is this project that I can put in all my attention for very focused amounts of time. I want to keep doing that; it nourishes everything else in a really lovely way. We have the backbone of the next record ready as well, which is exciting.

We want to make music elsewhere and keep exploring how environments influence the creative flow. The last two times we were together for a long time were in March, and that seems to have a specific vibe.

It's kind of like the third character, the place that we make music in. The studio we made this record in was so important to us, and it no longer exists, so it's a very nostalgic mind space.

Listen to Hildegard below

Hildegard

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Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and communications specialist currently based in Montreal.

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Berlin Duo Das Beat Fuses New-Wave Grit and Italo Disco Fervor on Debut "Identität"

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Identität album art by Andie Riekstina

Berlin duo Das Beat are the most recent addition to Montreal’s Arbutus Records with the release of their debut EP Identität. Comprised of theatre actress and vocalist Eddie Rabenberger and musician Agor of local act Blue Hawaii, the German-Canadian pair are emerging from lockdown seemingly unscathed. In four flawless tracks outfitted with celestial atmospheres and pulsating undercurrents, Identität offers a dioramic perspective of the couple’s intimate creative dynamics, backdropped with the essence of Berlin’s esoteric nightlife. Between their take on New-Wave meets Italo Disco are moments of tongue-in-cheek commentary, brought to life by Rabenberger’s playful (and sometimes lamenting) character-driven lyrics.

With a conceptual allure as captivating as their sound, Das Beat is a group you’ll want to keep on your radar. We got the chance to connect with Das Beat and learn more about how their pandemic boredom-buster turned ode to community-collaboration in our conversation below.

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Agor (left) and Eddie Rabenberger (right) by Andie Riekstina

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Eddie and Agor, thank you so much for chatting with me! To start, can you tell me about the origins of Das Beat?

Das Beat: Hey, thank you for inviting us! We have been seeing each other over three years now, and are apart of an amazing scene here in Berlin. At the beginning, Eddie was very busy with her studies and Agor was travelling and touring a lot. It actually took the lockdown for things to come together musically; being forced to spend lots and lots of time together. It was challenging in the beginning, but then we found a way to channel our creativity and have an outlet for all the energy. In a sense, it was also a way to communicate.  

AC: How did you muster up the energy and creativity to conceive your EP in the tense atmosphere of the lockdown? 

DB: To be fair, we had a hard time at the beginning of the lockdown. It was a relief when we  found this way to be creative together and bring a new energy to our dynamic. We  started out by jamming together over beers, but then pulled things together when Arbutus said they wanted to release [our EP]!

Also Cool: I know you’re both artists in your own right, and I’d love to learn more about how your respective practices come into play with this project. For Eddie, how has your background in acting informed your role as a vocalist? And for Agor, how does your approach to music production in Das Beat differ from your other musical endeavours like Blue Hawaii?  

Eddie: I was actually super surprised when we jammed the first time. I was like, “Wow, okay, so that doesn’t sound too bad!” At first I was more shy and did more speaking rather than singing. This helped me to feel comfortable and to express myself. Also, I like to write lyrics from the perspective of someone else, which is what inspired our songs “Ariadne” and “Jackie.” 

Agor: I suppose I’m more free to do things and go places I wouldn’t with Blue Hawaii.  For example, picking up the guitar again or doing a really 80s gated reverb snare. It’s fun to go back and make music as a reflection of a feeling, a lifestyle… Like how one would when they first discover their own tastes, rather than being too analytical about things.

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Das Beat by Andie Riekstina

AC: Along with your sound, your project also has a very strong and distinctive visual  presence through your music videos. Do your videos' subjects bring any of the songs'  subject matter to life? What made you drawn to the aesthetic elements that make-up the  visual identity of Das Beat?  

E: The visual elements kinda all just came together after time. We wanted to represent us and the creative scene we’re apart of in a light hearted way. We had friends help us with the music video for “Bubble,” where the subject of the song comes to life. I wrote the song about sex and how it can be important to kick your partner out of a comfortable bubble and tell them what you need in order to be happy... So, having Agor as my call boy is a little hint in the video. 

 A: For “Identität,” we managed to do the whole thing ourselves. We had an earlier version  of the video that was all black and white. It felt a bit pretentious, so we reshot the whole thing the weekend before it was supposed to come out. We were doing a flat-swap with our friends in another neighbourhood, in east Berlin. So it was cool to walk around those big buildings, dance a bit and make the magic all happen with some clever editing and some help from an old 00s flip camera Eddie bought second hand.  

AC: What is the music community that you're a part of like in Berlin, and did your scene's environment have an influence on the conceptualization of Das Beat and your EP?

 DB: Our environment definitely helped shape the concept of Das Beat, and we have so many amazing friends who helped us do the photos, logo and videos. Without them, it would have definitely been harder and a lot less fun. Their influences are diverse as we have friends doing everything from hard-style dancefloor Gabber to soft crooning ballads, and designers creating really cool graphics, clothes, tattoos… Basically art of all kinds.  

AC: In the same vein, do you have any aspirations for how your project might exist in a live context once nightlife is revived?  

DB: We are very excited for live shows again and are already preparing. It looks like we are going to have our first show at the end of July for an outdoor festival here in Germany. We’re hoping to get more opportunities in the summer! 

AC: Finally, how do you plan to celebrate your release, and how can we best support you going forward? 

DB: We’re already celebrating every song a little bit in Eddies flat-share, haha! Now that the whole EP is out, we are also hoping to celebrate with shows and performances for people. Of course, we’ll have to see what’s possible. Later this month we are planning to DJ a friend’s live fitness class from Toronto… Should be pretty neat… Really, listening to our songs is the best support you can give us!

Das Beat · Identität EP

Das Beat

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Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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YNDI (FKA Dream Koala) Will Leave Audiences Transfixed with Debut "Noir Brésil"

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YNDI, shot by François Quillacq

What’s in a stage-name? For Paris-based singer, songwriter, composer and producer Yndi Ferreira Da Silva, retiring her former moniker Dream Koala allowed her to reconnect with her ancestry and creative intuition through realizing a new musical venture.

Beginning her career in 2012 as Dream Koala, the multidisciplinary artist released three electronic-pop EPs, Odyssey (2013), Earth. Home. Destroyed. (2014), and Exodus (2015), which received praise from the likes of NPR Music and Vogue. You may know Yndi from her performances on the popular music platform and Youtube channel COLORS, or her internationally renowned single “We Can’t Be Friends,” which gained over 30 million streams on Spotify alone.  

Since remerging proudly as YNDI, the singer has been co-producing her debut record Noir Brésil, which is set to release May 28th, 2021 via Paris’ Grand Musique Management.

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YNDI, shot by François Quillacq

Opening my interview with Yndi, I ask her about the decision to use her first name rather than Dream Koala, to which she responds: “Everything about the process of making this album was so intimate; singing in French and Portuguese, playing Afro-Brazilian percussion, imagining the visuals… I didn’t want to hide behind an alias. I wanted to share this project under my real name, the one my family and friends call me!”

Through marrying the poetry of her two maternal languages (French and Portuguese) with Afro-Brazilian percussion, Noir Brésil houses a range of exquisite soundscapes celebrating Yndi’s heritage. Yndi says the album’s overall eclecticism developed from a desire for each track to be “its own little world.”

Emotionally, Yndi harnessed memories linked to her spirituality to guide her songwriting, as well as “childhood bliss, depression and pure escapism” in the conceptualization and production of Noir Brésil. The result is Yndi’s honeyed voice elegantly draped over thirteen dynamic tracks. Adorned with ambitious instrumentation, featuring electrifying percussion performed by the Brazilian band Zalindê, Noir Brésil drifts, waltzes and somersaults through a paradisal universe unique to Yndi’s remarkable artistry. Though her work’s foundation and sustenance is incredibly personal, she tells me that she wants her music to be “a place where listeners can explore their own emotions, and not necessarily feel [hers]”.

Yndi notes Timbaland and Clara Nunes as significant musical influences and remarks that Carlinhos Brown’s “Afagamabetizado” has shaped the way she perceives music to this day. She mentions that her craft is equally impacted by video games, anime and cinema, which is evident in her vibrant and captivating music videos. On the music video for her song “Nuit,” the singer comments:

“It is a love letter to the video games that affected me during my life. It was an opportunity to imagine a Zelda or Shadow of Colossus set-up in Brazilian folklore. I wanted to use these games’ aesthetics to tell a story inspired by Brazilian ‘Congado,’  a religious celebration that symbolizes the coronation of African kings and queens.”

Yndi shares that working on Noir Brésil brought along some welcomed challenges and lessons. “I learned to trust myself, to believe in my creativity and defend my ideas,” she details. “I have also learned that if you are true to yourself, you will always create something new because we’re all unique and ever-changing.”

Though working independently comes naturally for Yndi, she indicates that staying grounded and connected to her creative vision was facilitated by collaborating with others. “When you work alone, you overthink so much! It’s difficult to get the drive you need without collaborating with other artists. My friend Superpoze co-produced the album, and Noir Brésil wouldn’t be the same without the amazing work of Zalindê! Nothing matches the feeling of creating something new with someone else. Everyone around me has been so committed to the album — I am so lucky!”

Going forward, Yndi is eager to continue producing music videos for Noir Brésil, as she wants her album to be both a visual and musical experience. She plans to tour with her band, promising to present an unparalleled performance when live music becomes possible once again.

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YNDI, shot by François Quillacq

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NOIR BRÉSIL

Out May 28, 2021 via Grand Musique Management

1. Noir Brésil

2. Amazona

3. Novo Mundo

4. Nuit

5. Illusão

6. Exil

7. O Cantos Das Ondas

8. Reliques

9. Eternel

10. Saudade

11. Dia De Carnaval

12. Eden

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YNDI

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Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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L'Impératrice Explore the Cause and Cure For Heartbreak On Dazzling Return "Tako Tsubo"

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L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

Paris’ grooviest export L’Impératrice are back in full-force with the release of their latest record, Tako Tsubo. The band has kept us (patiently!) on the edge of our seats for a full-length project since their 2019 debut Matahari; building anticipation touring around the world with their bubbling basslines, hypnotic melodies and irresistible danceability.

After three years of internal growth, the band’s return has proven to be worth the wait. Indeed, L’Impératrice’s latest venture is a shimmering think-piece on life’s ever-perplexing phenomenon of broken-heart syndrome, which derived the name Tako Tsubo (meaning “octopus trap” in Japanese).

In thirteen impeccably mastered tracks (graced with the touch of the legendary Neal Pogue, who has worked with the likes of Outkast, Stevie Wonder and Tyler the Creator), L’Impératrice tackles this affliction and it’s many symptoms, from euphoria to emotional burnout and ennui. Impressively, this album offers both a diagnosis and a cure, with full-bodied funk, twinkling vintage accents and a playfulness that dissolves the bitterness of heartbreak’s ache. Read our conversation with L’Impératrice below to get a glimpse into the world of Tako Tsubo, which the band has announced they will take on tour in 2022!

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Tako Tsubo (2021) album cover by Ugo Bienvenu

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hello L'Impératrice! Thank you so much taking the time to chat with me. Congratulations on the release of Tako Tsubo! To start, let's talk about your evolution as a group since your last release, Matahari. What elements of your creative process have solidified or changed over the last three years, and how have these developments in your dynamic influenced this record? 

L’Impératrice: We’ve spent most of our time touring in France and abroad over the last three years, which has really impacted our dynamic as a band. First of all, we’ve grown closer to each other; we really grew up as a family. We also got to connect with new cultures and audiences; new waves of receiving our music, and it was very enriching. This time touring made us want to produce music in a different way, without making any compromises… Something more sincere and more close to what we feel we really are.

Also Cool: When comparing your two albums, you could say that Tako Tsubo comes across as more critical than Matahari, which emotionally taps into the lightness of a new romance. What led to the band deciding to tackle the phenomenon of heartbreak in its many forms, and was that enhanced by creating during the pandemic? 

L’Impératrice: The album was 90% recorded when the COVID-19 hit, so the pandemic didn’t influence it in a huge way. But, we did write “Submarine” from scratch during lockdown; a love breakup song. 

Nothing was really planned while we wrote the album, and we discovered after recording everything that all the songs were about marginality in various forms. The idea of being alienated from society; different from the others, and accepting it, or having a hard time accepting it, in some cases. The album’s title Tako Tsubo, or “broken heart syndrome,” represents this breach in the system, this sudden rupture in the course of things when an emotion is suddenly too intense to be handled. The album really is all about intense emotions. 

AC: At the same time, it seems as though Tako Tsubo looks at defying, and also rejecting, societal expectations. How did you incorporate this concept into the sound and feel of your album?  

L: The concept can be felt in the lyrics of the songs of course, but also in the sound and the production. Most of the songs have a lot of breaks, brutal key changes and sudden rhythm changes. We always wanted to surprise the listeners and even our own ears, but still keep a coherence in the sound. The idea was that one can never know where the song will go. We made no compromise for this record, so it might sound weird and unusual, but it’s really faithful to what we wanted to express.

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L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

AC: Speaking of sound, can you tell me more about the production journey of this album and what it was like working with your right hand Renaud Létang along with the legendary Neal Pogue? 

L: Renaud really pushed us to bring the songs somewhere else and to create all these breaks within the songs. He’s always focusing on emotions and groove, which are crucial in this record. 

Neal was the key person in this new sound we wanted to create. Besides being a living legend, he’s got this very Californian vibe that we’re fascinated with. He’s got this knowledge of low-end production down to a science, which French producers just don’t have. He really brought this physical intensity to the album. You can feel the bass-lines in your belly! 

AC: Branching off of that, this album is accompanied by so many amazing visual projects. Satire has played such a big part in illustrating the messages from this album, in the videos for "Peur de filles" and "Fou" especially. How did these hilarious scenes come to life to enhance the lyrical content of their soundtracks? 

L: It’s a new field we really wanted to explore with this album, using lyrics and also imagery. We’re really inspired by Michael Franks and his ironic song lyrics. We’ve never appeared in our own videos before, so we decided that it could be funny in a “self-mocking” way to try it out. We can’t appear seriously in a clip lip-syncing and wind in our hair, in a cabriolet… It’s just not the way we are! And that’s not the image we want to show.

AC: I’m also curious to know more about the album cover! What is the story behind the artwork created by Ugo Bienvenu? 

L: Ugo is a true genius and we were so excited to have him draw the cover. It’s the first time that an artist has made us an album cover from scratch — we’re so proud! We told him everything about the Tako Tsubo concept and he went further; exploring the myth of the moires, these three divinities holding the strings of humans’ lives, and how this pair of scissors can, in one move, change the course of things... 

AC: To end things off, what are your plans for the future and how do you plan to present Tako Tsubo live once it's possible to tour once again? 

L: Now that the album is out, we’re doing everything we can to promote it. We’re doing a lot of live sessions from our studio in Paris, meeting our fans every Wednesday night on an Instagram live to talk about one song a week, where we play it and then we show old demos, talk about the writing process, and have some guests that worked on the song with us. We are of course more than ready for the next tour… One thing is for sure: 2022 will be a huge touring year full of live music and love! 

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L’Impératrice, by Gabrielle Riouah

L’Impératrice

Website | Instagram | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Yndling Takes Responsibility For Her Happiness with Dream-Pop Delight "Cotton Candy Skies"

Silje Espevik of Yndling, photo courtesy of Celina Morken

As we emerge from the contemplative fuzz of another spring between four walls, we may find ourselves grappling with repressed emotions and different conclusions. New seasons offer new beginnings, and the chance to tie up loose ends from moments passed. Pairing perfectly with this ordeal is “Cotton Candy Skies,” the second single fresh from the mind of Yndling – also known as Silje Espevik, a Norwegian dream-pop artist and songwriter.

Through intoxicating breathiness and playful synth motifs, “Cotton Candy Skies” gives a pastel-coloured peek into Yndling’s psyche. This track comes from a place of heartbreak, straddling the line between overindulgence in self-pity and motivations for tomorrow. “Cotton Candy Skies” sketches a musically-immersive atmosphere, skating through influences of sultry lounge and shimmering indie-pop. The musings that Yndling expresses shift between coyness and nerve, offering a satisfying demonstration of transformative vulnerability: “Cotton candy skies / My pride is running high / I think my life is leaking / I miss the sound of you breathing…”

This track serves as the follow-up to “Childish Fear,” Yndling’s debut released this past February. “Cotton Candy Skies” reaffirms Yndling’s mission to be honest and true in her craft, offering what the artist calls a “kaleidoscope of imagination and feeling” through her music. She explains that she is guided by “...letting a feeling or experience be all-consuming, just for a little while…”

I had the pleasure of chatting with Yndling, where we dove into the intentions behind this new project and the emotional and physical influences that inspire her dreamy work. Read on, and drift along with “Cotton Candy Skies” – out now.

Cover art for “Cotton Candy Skies”, credit to Aleta Ramirez

Rebecca L. Judd for Also Cool: Hi there Silje! Thank you for chatting with Also Cool today. Congratulations on the release! 

 “Cotton Candy Skies” marks only your second release as Yndling – describe your musical background and how you came to form this project.

Yndling: I’ve been writing music for years, and [have previously] been involved with some projects that didn’t go anywhere for different reasons. With Yndling, I wanted to be in control of my music and have something of my own. I started self-recording and producing at home, and after dabbling with what would be my first single (“Childish Fear”) for a while, I thought I might have something and wanted to take the project a step further by bringing in a producer. 

I contacted Adrian Einestor Sandberg, who is an Oslo-based producer and musician, after attending a concert with his band MARBLES. This was pre-pandemic – it feels like a lifetime ago (laughs). I liked their sound, and figured whoever produced them could be a great fit for me as well. Through working with him, the project really came to life, and we found the sound that now defines Yndling. I am super excited about it, and have a lot of music coming that I can’t wait to share.

Also Cool: You’ve mentioned that your influences include Beach House, Mazzy Star, and Montreal’s very own TOPS. What role have these artists played in the formulation of your own sound, and what do they mean to you as a person?

Yndling: Beach House was my first real introduction to dream-pop, and led me to find Mazzy Star as well as other dream-pop and shoegaze bands. For me, that kind of music has always been perfect for a bit of everyday escapism, and allows me to just be with my own thoughts for a while. I wanted to create that same feeling with my music, and bands like that have been important in figuring out my own sound. 

I take influence through music I love, so music that is important to me as a person will also be a formative factor. As I’ve gotten more into the production part of making music, I often use a specific song or album to kind of get a vibe going and think how they have layered their elements in order to obtain their sound. I try to think of that as I make my own music. For my next single, I’ve used TOPS a lot for that purpose actually, as I really love their sound.

Silje Espevik of Yndling, photo courtesy of Celina Morken

AC: What I love about “Cotton Candy Skies” is its pensive nature. The authenticity of the freefall truly shines through – for a young artist, your work comes across as very introspective and seasoned. How does music play a role in sorting through your own emotions and personal reflections?

Y: Thank you! That is really nice of you to say. I write about my life and personal experiences, and “Cotton Candy Skies” is a song I wrote to myself more than about myself, in a way. I was going through a bit of a shitty time, and had kind of gotten to the point where I wasn’t even trying to do anything to shake out of it and feel better. 

That’s where the song came from, it’s basically me telling myself to take some responsibility for my own happiness. Writing music is a big help for me to sort through my emotions, and writing helps me to sort through things in a way that really works for me. 

AC: With the muted observations of the verses and the vibrance of the chorus, “Cotton Candy Skies” offers a strong sense of duality. Can you elaborate on the intentions with this production?

Y: The production is meant to back the lyrics, really. [As] I mentioned, I was going through a bit of a shitty time and let heartbreak slide into a kind of emotional apathy where I wasn’t even trying to be happy. Staying sad can be comforting in a way, because if you’re really in it, it sometimes feels easier to just stay there because at least it’s familiar and you’re not exposing yourself to something that could make you feel even worse. At least, that is a tendency that I have (laughs).  

Lyrically, I’ve used the verses to sum up how I was feeling at the time. For me it’s important to recognise my feelings in order for them not to be all-consuming. If I don’t do that, I tend to kind of romanticise being sad. In the chorus, I’m telling myself to try to shake out of it and accept that, you know, life can’t be good all the time, but that doesn’t mean that I should isolate myself and expect it to get better without any effort. 

I wanted that sort of duality in the production as well, with a mellow and thoughtful feeling in the verses and a bright “shake out of it” - vibe with the chorus, so that is definitely something we thought about in the production. It’s really cool to hear that it shines through in the way we intended! 

AC: It’s a strange time to be an emerging artist – how has the past year treated you? How have you and your creativity navigated these “unprecedented times”?

Y: It is really weird, and Yndling is actually a project that came to life under the pandemic. I think I started working with Adrian just a month before everything closed down in Norway in March last year. 

Because of that, I’ve never been able to take Yndling to a live setting, and I am really looking forward to being able to do that. That said, we’ve had a year of really being able to find Yndling’s sound, writing a lot of music and preparing for when things start to open again, so all in all I feel super lucky in comparison to so many other people to have had something inspiring to work on in these isolated times. 

AC: Thank you so much for your time, Silje. Really looking forward to following your artistic journey. What can we next expect from Yndling?

Y: Thank you so much for having me! I have a video for “Cotton Candy Skies” coming in a few weeks’ time, and another single in a couple of months or so that I am also super excited about. I have a string of singles coming this fall as well, and as the world is slowly opening up I am excited to play live with Yndling, hopefully in not too long! So stay tuned for that…

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“Cotton Candy Skies”

Out May 14th, 2021 via Kerry on the Cake

Written by Silje Espevik (music, lyrics and arrangement) and Adrian Einestor Sandberg (arrangement)

Produced by Adrian Einestor Sandberg

Artwork by Aleta Ramirez

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Yndling

Soundcloud | Spotify | Apple Music

Instagram | Facebook | YouTube

Rebecca L. Judd (she/they) is the features editor of Also Cool Mag. She writes and creates out of her studio apartment in Ottawa, kept company by vivid dreams and a cuddly grey kitty named Dora.

This interview was conducted over email, and has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Nature Is Healing, Change Is Imminent: YlangYlang Releases New Album "Cycles & Decay"

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Image credit: Thomas Boucher

Imagine laying on a densely-covered forest floor, soft moss cushioning your head, enveloping your hands as you push into it, sinking deeper, becoming one with the foliage. A cool morning dew wets your clothes and you take a satisfying little stretch as you think, “I am but a small frog in an opportunity-filled pond.”

Or maybe you’re just cold, or too distracted by the loons crying on the lake. Either way, this small ritual of participating in the natural cycles of your surroundings strikes a chord - it’s comforting.

Catherine Debard’s new release, “Cycles & Decay,” on Montreal label Everyday Ago, is a reflection on the healing cycles found in nature - growth, decay, erosion, renewal. Debard is a prominent figure in Montréal’s electronic music scene, both in the underground as well as in the academic setting. Her experimental solo project, YlangYlang, spans over a decade of deep-rooted involvement through performances and releases featuring an elegant layering of field recordings over ambient drones, noise, spoken word poetry, and live instrumentals from collaborators.

Releasing on international labels including Crash Symbols (USA), Phinery (DK), Fluere Tapes (SE) and ΠΑΝΘΕΟΝ (RU), YlangYlang has also graced the line-ups at festivals including Suoni Per Il Popolo, Mutek Montréal, Electric Eclectics, Strangewaves, and Tone Deaf. Debard participated in a residency at Red Bull Music Academy at Calgary's National Music Center and in a workshop hosted by Suzanne Ciani.

Lose yourself in the deeply intimate organic soundscapes of “Cycles & Decay” - or in YlangYlang’s words in the, “decomposed sound matter,” “rotten music,” or “compost music” that sets its own parameters, flowing non-linearly towards healing - and check out the equally intimate interview below to be taken on a journey of slowing down, recalibrating, and taking inspiration from nature’s controlled chaos and unyielding cycles of creation and destruction.

Maya Hassa for Also Cool: What was the landscape you were in when making these recordings (either the field recordings or other parts as well) and what were you feeling while being there?

Catherine Debard: I began working on Cedar St. the day media were reporting about the Amazon forest wildfires, in August of 2019. I remember watching footage in awe, while recording cassette loops through distortion pedals. It felt pretty surreal, and heavy I guess. The song was actually called 'Cendres' (Ashes) until earlier this year. The four songs have an end-of-Summer-early-Fall vibe to them, so I'd say earthy landscapes, grey skies, crisp air, burnt orange, russet, crimson, amber, olive, and disintegrated fragments of nature scattered in lovely ways. I regularly roamed the back alleys from my house to Jarry Park back then - I usually walk when I need to ponder and clear my head. 

I listened to the rough versions of the tracks, trying to find possible structures for them, unlocking the mysteries within. These walks were very contemplative. I felt deeply attuned to nature's slow decay, zooming my attention to dehydrated fruits, shrivelled delicate leaves, scattered strange shrubs, patches of moss, the smell of damp earth.

Also Cool: Maybe it’s because I’m in a forest while I write this, but Cedar St. and Waning Now sound like laying on the forest floor while being consumed by the moss and lichen surrounding you, maybe even decomposing with it. How would you describe the idea of decay in sound - in the composition of a piece, the sound manipulation, or the possibility of decaying music in its physical recorded state? 

CD: While isolated at home last year, I became interested in trying to re-grow leaves from the cores of vegetables. On our kitchen table, I grew little leafy ecosystems, miniature islands in glass bowls. Leaves would grow to a certain point, then they'd wilt, and their entire appearance would start to shift. The greens would either fade or veer into yellows, browns, or peach tints, strange furs would appear as mold and slime began to spread. It was pretty captivating. Around the same time, I was contemplating the idea of 'shadow self', or in a very simplistic way, the subterraneous, dark counterpart of the conscious self that contains the ugly repressed stuff. I've oftentimes tried to bridge this disconnect between my mental activity (mostly rational and mundane), and the raw, unexplored potential underneath, which I can't access. I’ve wondered about the possibility of 'eroding the mind' metaphorically, using these decay processes I was witnessing in nature.

I've decided to apply this idea to music and composition. It led me to develop, within each song, a kind of relational system in which the sounds would interact with each other. I'd imagine various strategies in order for them to affect one another through various causal reactions, either in 'cooperative' or disruptive ways: 

'What if, every time this sound erupts, it generates little patches of sound fur onto that layer of synth? What would happen to the synth?' 

'What if the static quality of this recording was influenced by the dynamics of this bass movement as if it were pushed by the wind?' 

'How can a piano emerge out of this rumble of sounds and evaporate into thin air?' 

'Can the song flicker in a subtle way, like the sunlight seeping through the leaves of a tree?' 

The more abstract, the better. It forced me to seek new mixing & assembling techniques that would concretize these conceptual ideas.

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AC: The second track feels like sitting on a dock in the rain, glass bottles washing up on the shore, reminiscing. What is the meaning of the lyrics on Penumbra? 

CD: That sounds really good, I wish I were there! Penumbra is a love song written just before the dawn of a relationship. Now that I think about it, it's the only love song I've ever written in a profuse catalogue of songs about relationships! It's telling - I've given a lot of thought on the subject, read countless books, and experienced various iterations of disappointment, frustration and doubt throughout the years. Then, in 2019, a new perspective emerged. Nothing new, really, but the difference was that instead of intellectualizing my way through it, I saw a concrete path. 

The first step was to jump out of my head and dive inwards to investigate the darkened, the uncomfortable, the dim, the vague, the penumbral. What is in there?!! Then, I needed to foster a kinder relationship with my inner self, gather together all the pieces hidden in the corners, not just the flattering parts. Right around that time, I met someone I could imagine being this truer version of myself with, someone with whom I could explore and fabricate a new kind of relationship, something truly good. It felt dizzying, like being on the edge of a cliff and taking a leap into the unknown. That's what the song is about; the decision to make oneself vulnerable again, carefully, by removing the protective barriers - and also being intrigued by the unknown. It can even be a love song towards a renewed connection to oneself as well.

AC: There’s a sense of controlled chaos throughout the tracks - sounds cycle between harshness and what seems like the exaggerated or over-amplified sound of rushing water or wind, and lush, bright moments of renewal. The music has a natural, nonlinear behaviour, but also a sense of a journey towards healing, flowing between good and bad moments. Is this state of healing what the album title, “Cycles & Decay”, is also alluding to? 

CD: Yes, totally! Change is imminent, it permeates everything, so I'm trying to make friends with it, to jam with it. I've had a good amount of highs and lows, I've struggled with my mental health, with my physical health, I've experienced losses, some harder to recover from than others, I am aware that I will suffer in the future too. With time, I started noticing the cyclic feel of my own life, the reoccurring waves, ever shifting, yet familiar. I thought that in order to avoid sourness, I should cooperate with the cycles instead of fighting against them. For me, that means being malleable, listening to myself more, trying to stay vulnerable and open (and not turn into ice), and exploring ways to heal and learn out of hardships, while developing tools that help me navigate the inevitable. Things will get rough again, but it's not a reason to reject happiness when it's available - or to cling to the good times. I want to be a positive force, not one that drags down.

As for chaos and non-linearity, I feel that it's what keeps me alert and challenges me in a good way. It would be easy to slip into stubbornness, despair or denial. We wake up every day and live in a society that isn't good for the majority of human beings - it's important to remember that again and again. 

Whitesupremacy-colonialism-capitalism-racism-oppressivesystems-pillageanddestructionoftheEarth

Not only that, we also have to reckon with the toxic stuff we've inherited from them, some nasty things like the notion, for example, that if I don't have a respectable career, I am considered a failure. That's ugly, right? It makes absolutely no sense to me; my value system rejects this idea, and yet I struggle with it often!

There are so many things to deal with, all at the same time, and chaos wakes me up - it makes me pay attention! Noticing times like the other day, when I did something that went against my values, becoming aware of when I contradict myself, listening to other perspectives and genuinely trying to get them, being gracefully present during an afternoon by the railroad tracks, obsessing about the future and then, after a few days, feeling at peace with it. Being proud of a friend's achievement, while acknowledging a tinge of envy, saying ‘fuck off’ to the idea of perfection, being able to articulate a complicated idea out loud for the first time... 

Working on music connects me with myself, eases the anxiety and helps me deal with unpredictability by creating my own unpredictable, chaotic musical landscapes and then, problem-solving / finding new ideas to make them sound good. I separate myself into two parts - a creative force and a destructive one. The destructive side is rambunctious, reckless, angry, sabotaging, it takes pleasure in making a mess, but it does so while trusting that the other side will come and harmonize everything. It's pretty therapeutic!

AC: Is there a story of a naturally occurring cycle or historical experience you would want to share? One that could provide some context to the cycles of sonic decay and rebirth you described? 

CD: The first cycle I became aware of was the cycle of the Moon. As I became more cognizant of the external influences I bathed in, I grew better at handling my mood swings & energy fluctuations. I felt I could better cooperate with the intangible forces. Paying attention to my menstrual cycle gave me some precious insight, too! Instead of forcing things, I try to better respect my body and its rhythms. Seasons form an important cycle too. I realized recently that I often create sound material during the Summer, assemble it into songs during the Fall, and mix and master music during Winter. In the Spring I feel too scattered to do anything. 

There are also larger life cycles, ones where you feel like you are tackling a big 'theme' in your life. I'll end by giving an example of one. A few years ago, I saw three snakes in the span of a month. The day before I caught sight of the first snake, I had a conversation with a friend about the concept of 'Mono No Aware' while sitting in the passenger seat of his car. As he pulled the definition and read it to me, I felt seen, as if something deep inside was acknowledged, followed by the realization I wasn't alone feeling this way. The first snake was a beautiful, golden and white snake in the middle of a dirt road in New Mexico, the second one was a lean black one with a red line on his back, and the third one, a smaller brownish grass-snake on a mountain in Hamilton, ON. I had always been afraid of snakes, as a symbol and in real life, and I had never seen any before. From then on, I associate a snake with the ouroboros symbol, and seeing one signals a new start for me.

AC: I can’t help but ask what your workshop with Suzanne Ciani was about?

CD: Suzanne Ciani is so inspiring. As legendary as she is, she emanates realness - and that's truly refreshing. She mostly talked to us about her relationship with the Buchla synthesizer, showed us her way around it, how to set it up, how to build a sequence. I'd never even dreamed of playing with one myself, so it was great to get to learn about the electrical pathways and how it modulates within the machine. It gave me ideas about composition - that's what financial constraint does, it motivates you to find alternative ways to create results, I'm getting quite good at it! Suzanne also shared stories from her early days in the experimental electronic music scene, and how she built  a pretty inspiring career for herself by staying bold and determined. I hope I soaked up some of her energy! 

Listen to “Cylces & Decay” below

YlangYlang

Bandcamp I Instagram I Soundcloud I Spotify

Composed & Produced by Catherine Debard

Recorded between 'my apartment in Montréal'
& Fort Rose, Hamilton in 2019

Catherine Debard: Piano, Synthesizers, Field Recordings, Noises & Textures, Vocals

Connor Bennett: Saxophone & Effects on Track 2 & 4

Evelyn Charlotte Joe: Acoustic Guitar & Effects on Track 2
Upright Bass & Toy Piano on Track 4

Video for Cedar St. by Charline Daily

Mastered by Amar Lal
Artwork by Catherine Debard

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Toronto's PACKS Share a Slice of Upcoming Debut "Take the Cake"

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Madeline Link of PACKS, photo courtesy of the artist

Toronto’s PACKS are filling an indie-rock void with their sound that is equal parts laid-back and jangly, while also sophisticatedly pensive and bright. Before the pandemic hit, they were stirring a buzz with a collection of charming lo-fi singles, of which caught the attention of hometown label Royal Mountain Records, as well as Brooklyn’s Fire Talk Records.

With the enlisted backup of close friends from the band Lovers Touch, lead songwriter Madeline Link has taken her solo songwriting project to the next level. The now four-piece have announced the release of their debut full-length, Take the Cake, out this coming Friday, May 21st, 2021.

On Take the Cake, Link comments:

“The album is a meeting of old and new. Old songs from a year ago where I'm having really horrifyingly awful days at work, getting doored while biking in Toronto and flying into the middle of the street, or going on dates with guys who I'm either instantly in love with, or who end up creeping me out a bit. Those songs are more packed with that feeling of hurtling-through-time-and-space-at-breakneck-speed, manic energy. The newer songs are infused with a foggier, slower-paced disillusionment, and deal with the strangeness of a reality morphing before my eyes every day. I still try to be optimistic obviously, but these songs are really glorified coping mechanisms.”

Read our interview with Link on how her debut was realized despite a long-distance relationship with her band, as well as her thoughts on unexpected musical comparisons and figuring out label-signing for the first time.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: So, let’s start with some bigger obvious questions: How have you been doing and what has it been like working on an album throughout the ongoing uncertainty of the last year or so? What are your thoughts on creating during such a time?

Madeline Link: Well, other than working on the album at a distance with my band by sending them demos to build on, my music writing process hasn’t been disturbed by the pandemic much. The creation of [this album] was the least hard part, honestly. It was more so the conceptualizing of it that was tough because the whole process lacked so many physical experiences. I have never released an album of this scale before, so I feel like if it wasn’t a pandemic it would be a completely different experience. I would be having in-person meetings, maybe even going to New York to meet with one of my labels, planning shows and going on tour.

Also Cool: Absolutely, music-making right now is definitely unconventional to say the least. What it was like realizing these songs in a band format instead of working alone? From what I know, some of the tracks on Take the Cake are older than others and come from a more personal project, so I’d love to know more about how you reworked them on this release.

Madeline Link: I’d never bounced these songs off of anyone before, so it was interesting! I felt comfortable sharing them with these guys specifically because I trusted them a lot, as we were friends before we worked together on this album. They make up the band Lovers Touch, so I really trusted their musical ability and knew how talented they were. I really like the symbiosis we have going. With every song that I bring to them, they always send something back that totally surprises me.

AC: What else impacted your ability to be so open-minded with making PACKS into a more collaborative project?

ML: I’ve always used my songs as a way of exploring creatively and have never held them very close. Basically, my creative process is that I’ll record myself playing the song once I’ve figured out the guitar part and vocals and send it off to the band without really thinking twice about it. Since I never hold my songs near and dear, there are a lot of tracks currently in our shared folder that are just sitting there festering… ‘Cause you know, I like to have some shit songs and some good songs (laughs).

AC: I think that’s really cool. I guess there’s something to be said for being purposefully un-purposeful (laughs).

ML: Yeah, that’s exactly it! If I think a song isn’t going to get better, I’ll quit toying around with it. I pretty much spend an hour to two hours recording my parts in my free time and send them off to the band.

AC: I know you said that you’ve never held your work close, but has working with some of these songs in a new light changed the relationship you have with them? Or maybe the way you think about your songwriting at all?

ML: I really liked taking the songs and meshing them together; both old and new. I didn’t have any huge revelations about my songwriting, but I do feel as though I’ve really landed on a sound that lines-up with my identity. At the same time, I do think I’m keeping people guessing with what exactly a PACKS song sounds like. For example, when “Hangman” came out at first, I saw it on a Spotify “Americana” playlist, and I was getting labeled as “indie-folk” (laughs). But then “Silvertongue” came out and it was on all these punk playlists online.

AC: How do you feel about being segmented into these different genres? I’ve seen your stuff coming up on different publications where people have compared you everything from Sonic Youth to Sebadoh. Are there any particular influences that you draw from that people aren’t necessarily picking up on?

ML: Well, I remember thinking that Best Coast was a strange comparison that one writer made because I personally don’t hear it at all. I remember reading that and I thinking to myself, “Are you just saying this because I’m a lady?” (laughs). No offense to Best Coast or anything, but I really don’t hear any similarities.

 ML: In terms of influences… This is going to sound so obvious, but every Radiohead album has probably weaseled its way into a PACKS song. Hmm… do you know Autolux?

AC: No. I’ve never heard of them!

ML: They’re this band from the early 2000s that I’m really into. They have this one particular album, Future Perfect, that really grabbed me. They’ve got this really hard guitar sound contrasting with the singer’s quiet falsetto voice and I love that. What else? I do find I can be influenced by country as well. I grew up in Calgary and we always had so many different genres playing in the house. I find myself always going back to the basic chord structures that make up country and blues songs when I start writing. I want to follow certain tenants of that genre, you know?

AC: Definitely. So, it’s safe to say that these questions of who influences you have come from you signing to two well-known labels and stirring up some excitement around Take the Cake. How are you finding this transition in your career so far?  

ML: Deciding whether or not to sign to a label was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made; not even exaggerating! On one hand, you have a lot of people encouraging you take on a new opportunity, and on the other, people warning you of what might happen if things don’t turn out like you’d expected. That being said, when I did announce that I had signed to these labels, nobody was like, “You freaking sell-out!” (laughs) To be honest, I have really enjoyed having the support from these labels and all of their great ideas. But you know, I don’t give away my power very easily (laughs). This might sound cheesy, but thankfully both the labels I’m working with have the artist as their number one priority. I still have control over everything I post online, music videos… stuff like that.

AC: What kind of advice would you give to young musicians to help them navigate the process of working with a label for the first time? I feel like getting this kind of insider information is really important for people just starting out, and the kind of thing that can be gatekept, you know?

ML: Yeah, definitely. Well, I don’t really like giving advice (laughs) but okay. So, the fist label I ever worked with was, and still is to this day, the number one label in the entire world. They’re called Art of the Uncarved Block. They’re based in Toronto and run by twin brothers Robin and Pete. I didn’t sign a single contract while working with them, we just met up in a coffee shop after they asked [my other band Triples] if we wanted to release a tape with them. I also released a PACKS tape with them, and it was like, the dreamiest label experience you could have.

So, I’d say if you’re just starting out and doing a DIY thing, I would suggest not running into a contract straight away and working with a smaller label. If music is something you’re doing just for fun, don’t submit your stuff to huge labels. If you’re enjoying yourself and just trying to get your music out into your local scene or whatever, [labels] will notice that, and they will approach you. Treating it like a job application and not getting responses after making a bunch of submissions makes you feel like shit! (laughs)

AC: I think that’s good advice, personally. The Canadian music world seems so untouchable on the surface, when at the end of the day it’s like the same 10 people emailing each other back and forth.

ML: Exactly. You really just have to trust the process in a way. I ran into Pete from Uncarved Block when I was trying to decide about label stuff, and he encouraged me to go for it… It was kind of like a sign from the universe.

AC: To end things off, what are your plans to celebrate this release?

ML: When I was going to bed the other night, I had this idea for a wild Instagram video… I’m picturing a gigantic cake in front of me that’s full of candles. Like, 200 candles or something. And yeah… I want to do something that’s kind of unreal. Maybe I’ll post it? Maybe I’ll keep it for my personal archives? You’ll just have to wait and see.

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TAKE THE CAKE

Out May 21, 2021 via Royal Mountain Records and Fire Talk

1. Divine Giggling
2. Clingfilm
3. Two Hands
4. New TV
5. Hangman
6. My Dream
7. Hold My Hand
8. Holy Water
9. Silvertongue
10. Blown By The Wind
11. U Can Wish All U Want

All songs by Madeline Link
Mastered by Sarah Register

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PACKS

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Out Today: Dorothea Paas Curbs Expectation with Debut LP "Anything Can’t Happen"

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Dorothea Paas, shot by Miriam Paas

To some, pursuing creativity is at best, money-making, and at worst, awkward and a best-kept secret. In either case, some kind of sacrifice is needed to “make it make sense” — you either sell out (gasp!), or give up on your dreams entirely to please others; maybe even yourself. We’ve all seen some iteration of this scenario:

“You’re going to be an artist? Have fun with that,” or; “You’re going to be an artist? How dare you try make a name for yourself!” (assuming your endeavors “work out” in some capacity)

The latter is especially rife within DIY circles, where settling for second-best has become the norm when push comes to shove, seeing as comfort is far too often associated with complacency in the art world, sigh.

Amidst all of this artistic turmoil, there is the “in-between” (which, by the way, isn’t any more or less secure). More often than not, this in-between looks like side-gigging your passions to make ends meet, because at the end of the day, bills have to be paid. That being said, there are some artists who navigate and wade in this liminality with grace and use it as a means of figuring out life’s many curveballs with a certain finesse; often times to their creative advantage.

Toronto singer-songwriter Dorothea Paas molds the perfect example of what achievements can come with taking things slow, especially in an industry that can wring you dry. On her new LP Anything Can’t Happen — out today via Telephone Explosion Records — Paas illuminates how she came to define success as encountering and reconciling self-discovery through her work, all while establishing growth on her own terms. The result is a folk-rock chrysalis composed of nine introspections on the self that have bloomed with Paas over the years.

Charmingly, Paas labels herself as an emerging artist, even though she really is anything-but. Over the last decade, she has lent her talents as a vocalist and guitarist to notable acts like Jennifer Castle and U.S. Girls, amid refining her solo skills in songwriting, recording and performing. In my conversation with Paas, she explains that her humility towards her work has been informed by the necessary embrace of the aforementioned “in-between”:

“I’ve never placed severe creative expectations on myself. I’ve always worked other jobs, and I feel like I will continue to work other jobs,” shares Paas in our Zoom call.  “Even though my work now feels a bit more polished, allowing things to grow organically has taken some of the pressure off my writing and performances. Maybe it’s avoidant of me, but imagining music as my main source of income doesn’t feel sustainable. Maybe I need to think more about where I want this to go, or how to become a star? But for now, I like not being pulled by the concept of fame or being known for the sake of being known.”

Paas’ modest approach to musicianship has allowed her songs to take on many forms, from lo-fi cassette-deck hums to electrified folk whirlpools; filling both grapevine-invited house shows and downtown hotspots. This makes Anything Can’t Happen more mature than a classic debut, and has allowed Paas to develop a unique and intimate relationship with her craft.

“Not being a prolific songwriter lets me revisit old songs and slowly accumulate my repertoire. I like that I get to reevaluate their meanings as I grow; while listening to new music and getting new inspirations and thinking about how I want to channel my songwriting instincts.”

Being in this ongoing state of reflection and transformation has allowed Paas’ music to equally inform her personal life while processing and healing from “years of ruminating on loneliness, anxiety, sadness, love and relationships.”

“I don't think writing lyrics is my strong suit, but sometimes I channel literal pages of my journal to write a song. I’ve always been very intellectually in-touch with my feelings, and I feel like it isn't until I take a journal entry and turn it into a song that I realize how deeply affected I am by a situation I’m going through. Over time, I’ve gotten a better insight on my past, and I understand more how an audience or a listener might be hit by a sentiment.”

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Dorothea Paas, shot by Miriam Paas

Knowing that having my journal read to an audience would be my own personal hell, I ask Paas how she incorporates this level of vulnerability into her songwriting.

“In a generic sense, I feel like there has been a weird double-bind when it comes to diaristic writing for women songwriters. I feel like there is both a stereotype that women are expected to ‘write this way,’ but also for us to not write about diaristic things and challenge expectations? I don't know how to explain it, really, but I’ve just felt this weird external pressure to change the way I write to be more abstract. That being said, I think there is something very powerful about writing your own experiences really plainly. I do think that it is a strength of my work in many ways.”

Coupled with her intention to balance improvisation and construction in her songwriting, Paas’ candid lyricism extends a level of intimacy to the listener that she says conjures “a very specific feeling.”

“I don't think [my lyrics] are vulnerable in the sense that I'm like, sharing my most embarrassing thoughts. That's what Twitter is for. Actually, I feel deeply humiliated by my Twitter and I'm actively trying to stop writing embarrassing things on there,” Paas laughs. “My lyrics are more like diamonds that have been forged through years of therapy and introspection and conversations with my friends… the final by-products of condensing thought. If they’re communicated clearly, they can heighten the sonic elements of what music can do, which is create a shared sense of euphoria and connection.”

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Dorothea Paas, shot by Miriam Paas

Towards the end of our conversation, Paas notes that she feels honoured to write songs that can connect to audiences and actualize the viscerality of the difficult emotions we all experience. “There’s something about being the writer and the vessel for [these feelings] that inspires me. I click into another mode and it’s very uplifting.”

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Anything Can’t Happen is out on Telephone Explosion Records today, May 7th, 2021.  Paas will be performing at this year’s Megaphono festival and showcase, taking place virtually from May 25-26th, 2021. For more information, visit Megaphono’s website here.

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ANYTHING CAN’T HAPPEN

Out May 7, 2021 via Telephone Explosion Records

1. One
2. Anything Can't Happen
3. Container
4. Closer to Mine
5. Interlude
6. Waves Rising
7. Perfect Love
8. Frozen Window
9. Running Under My Life

Mixed by Maximilian “Twig” Turnbull, Steve Chahley
Mastered by Heather Kirby, Dreamlands Mastering
All art and lettering by Vida Beyer
Design and layout by Steve Sidoli, Dorothea Paas

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Dorothea Paas

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Halifax Escape Artists Century Egg Talk Embracing Change on New EP "Little Piece of Hair"

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Halifax four-piece Century Egg are putting Atlantic Canada on the map with their beaming fusion of garage rock and mandopop. The band recently announced signing to hometown label Forward Music Group in anticipation of their EP Little Piece of Hair , out this coming Friday, May 7th, 2021. Just like their namesake, Little Piece of Hair is long-awaited, with the promise to delight and leave a lasting impression. Opening with blitzing pop-punk shaker “Do You Want To Dance?”, Little Piece of Hair reminisces shoulder-to-shoulder bopping at your favourite venue on a Saturday night.

Coming hot on the heels of their recent collaboration with Debaser's Mood Ring ("The world’s tiniest and most introspective music recommendation engine") and the We Can Play EP, Little Piece of Hair is the band’s loudest, clearest mission statement to date, marking another exciting addition to Forward Music's recent run of releases alongside Wolf Castle and Paper Beat Scissors. Boasting a new rhythm section of bassist, Matty Grace (she/they) and Meg Yoshida (she/her) on drums, Century Egg is a band reborn whilst still incorporating the dance-punk bliss of previous Egg outings, only bolder, brighter, and harder-hitting.

We got the chance to connect with Century Egg on the importance of creative outlets, managing band dynamics while writing songs over email, and their plans following the release of Little Piece of Hair. Read our full interview below!

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Century Egg! Thank you so much for chatting with Also Cool. To start, you've been described as escape artists: How do you achieve this way of being through your creative outlook and how did this come into play when producing Little Piece of Hair? 

Century Egg: We’re four individuals with full-time obligations, and the band is just one of our creative outlets. Our band gives us a chance to temporarily take a break from reality, but also reflect on it and bring something back to it. We are all artists in our own right, and the band is a way to collaborate and express our appreciation for each others’ art. 

Also Cool: In that vein, escaping isn't always about running away, right? It can also describe setting oneself free, or embracing change. On Little Piece of Hair, you've commented that the songs are about "finding yourself." What inspired that concept for this album, and how did it come together? 

Century Egg: When the songs arrived, they just spilled out. They can be coping mechanisms, they can be power fantasies, or else just about processing what’s going on right now.

AC: On that note of embracing change, you’ve introduced a new rhythm section in your latest lineup — during a pandemic no less! How have these additions impacted the project?  

CE: Different people bring different experiences to the band, and it is a much more collaborative process now. Each person brings something to the table that may not have previously been introduced due to our varied influences. Specifically our song “无路可退” (“Cornered”) was created over email. Matty (she/they) wrote the bassline first, before Megumi (she/her) added her drum parts, before Robert (he/him) and Shane (she/her) finalized the arrangement. This was done totally over email during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, and brought about a newer darker sound that may not have come forth if the circumstances were different.

Century Egg, photo courtesy of the band

AC: Something I’m always curious to ask about is how artists are influenced by their physical environment and surrounding community. Has Halifax and it's music scene had any particular impressions on this album specifically? 

CE: Maybe not necessarily Halifax, but the global landscape and the state of the world have definitely had an impact on Century Egg as a band, and it has come through in our writing. Ultimately the Halifax music scene has been predominantly white, cis and straight. We are not that. We embrace our diversities and look to encourage this growth within our scene.

AC: To end off, how are you planning to celebrate this release, and what can we expect from Century Egg in the coming months? 

CE: For starters, we have two upcoming music videos that will be released in the coming months for “Do You Want to Dance?” and “Little Piece of Hair.” Sadly, we had planned a bit of a record release show — as we were invited to play Flourish Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick — but now will be attending remotely via a pre-recorded live set, as our corner of the world has collapsed on itself a little bit. We are looking forward to playing shows the moment we can, but for the time being, we have to embrace and navigate our restrictions and look to plan for the future. This includes trying to reach new audiences via the internet and working on a full length LP that will hopefully see the light of day in 2022. Change was going to come one way or another anyway.

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LITTLE PIECE OF HAIR

Out via Forward Music Group May 7, 2021

1. Do You Want To Dance?
2. I Will Make Up A Method
3. Ring A Bell
4. Little Piece of Hair
5. Riddle To Place
6. Cornered

Written by Century Egg:
Shane Keyu Song (she/her), Robert Drisdelle (he/him), Matty Grace (she/they) and Meg Yoshida (she/her)

Recorded by Franc Lopes at Ocean Floor
Mixed by Robert Drisdelle
Mastered by Dave Williams at Eight Floors Above

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Century Egg

Instagram | Facebook | Bandcamp

Preorder Little Piece of Hair here

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Mitch Davis Writes Breakup Songs That Sound Happy On New EP "Bear The Cold"

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There is something to be said for the way an artist’s debut is sometimes less about finding their voice, and more about setting it free. Such is the case for Montreal-bound songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist and DIY-enthusiast Mitch Davis, who shared the two first singles from his to-be-released full-length on Arbutus Records earlier this spring.

Davis has bounced from coast to coast across Canada throughout his musical career and has been involved with reputable acts like Faith Healer and Elle Barbara’s Black Space. While his interest in music was fostered at a young age, it has grown into way of finding community and exercising his passion for a unique craft that can be simply described as gear tinkering — but surely anyone involved in the world of sound production would tell you it is more than that. For Davis, it has been a means of bolstering his self-confidence as an artist to go solo with songs he’s kept in his back pocket since he relocated to Montreal from Edmonton a few years ago. 

With analog recording and production being something completely outside my comfort-zone, one of the first questions I asked Davis was about how he first picked up (what some consider to be) such a niche pastime in the age of digital mixing and mastering.

“I first got into learning about analog equipment when my own gear would break and I didn’t have the money to fix it,” Davis shares with a smile over our video call. “Getting to know my gear inside and out has been a great way of saving money, and the knowledge I have has been so important in terms of accessibility. For example, you can buy kits to make replicas of really expensive gear. I made a clone of a TR-808 for seven-hundred bucks, when it normally retails for five to six thousand.”

At the same time, Davis’ knowledge came in handy when moving to Montreal as a source of income, as someone who doesn’t speak much French.

When the pandemic hit, Davis found himself spending more time in his at-home recording studio — located in one of the many warehouses in Montreal’s abandoned textile district off of highway 40. Like many of us, Davis was confronted by self-reflection in isolation, which lit a creative spark in a new vein. 

“At one point, I had written this bassline, and I knew I wanted to make into something eventually, but it wasn’t until last March that I finally decided to figure it out and appropriate it into a song.”

After some one-on-one time with said bassline, Davis produced Bear the Cold, a bright EP that acts as a teaser for his debut record of exclusively “breakup songs that sound happy,” set to release later this year.

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Mitch Davis shot by Kensey Crane

Seeing as Bear the Cold marks Davis’ first musical endeavour in a number of years, I wanted to hear his feelings on starting a new project based on something coming to an end (i.e. a relationship).

“It feels pretty strange. I guess I just hit a moment where I was ready to make music again, and that happened to be what I was feeling at the time. I think I was subconsciously cheering myself up with the music itself, as opposed to the lyrics. I felt rewarded, to a small extent, by being vulnerable. [Vulnerability] is something I appreciate in people, and I wanted to try and represent that for myself. As far as I can tell, a wide variety of people are responding well to it — which kind of surprised me!” Davis grins. “Something I personally struggle with is reading something I wrote in a very vulnerable state and then wondering if it’s too vulnerable. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference between lyrics that are just like, pure, raw and emotional and lyrics that are just way too… overly simple and personal? Even though this can be a challenge, I’ve really learned to trust the past version of myself and following my instincts with this record, both in lyrics and sound.”

Before moving to Montreal, Davis was in Edmonton for quite some time and involved in completely different musical projects, whose influences can be picked up on Bear the Cold. As a former rapper and producer who also played “in indie rock bands forever,” Davis EP harnesses sunny rhythms and grooves with a funky punch. Reminiscing the jack of all trades’ legacy of some of his favourite artists, such as Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, Sly Stone, and Paul McCartney, Davis gives us a glimpse into the magic of being involved in every step of your record’s conception from start to finish — especially without a band to bounce ideas off-of IRL.

In closing our conversation, Davis branches off of this notion of solitude and remarks, “It has been so weird [being separated] from the music community. I miss the feeling of going to a show and seeing someone come off-stage completely energized, and the feeling of playing shows and being able to try-out a half-written song live. That’s why I’ve been posting clips and things online; to gauge reactions. But I do miss trying out songs live where they exist for that night, and that night only,” he laughs.

Though Davis remarks that he imagined himself “becoming a hermit in a loft with a studio or something” upon moving to Montreal, he’s excited to reintroduce himself to the music scene with Bear the Cold. Check out Davis’ 7”, along with a recently released music video for the title track, directed by Jordan "Dr. Cool" Minkoff.

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Mitch Davis

Instagram | Twitter | Bandcamp

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Hold Tighter for Days Brighter: Skinnybones releases "SKB04"

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Photo: Vincent Castonguay for Éditions 8888

Make-up: Ashley Diabo for TEAMM Agency
©Vincent Castonguay
©Éditions 8888

Emerging from what seems like one of the most universally difficult winters, the feeling of warm sun beaming on your cheeks as you walk down snowless pavements, seeing people making cheery smalltalk on the corner, the sparkling sound of birds chirping in the branches above, it’s hard not to have a little spring in your step. A bit of jazz in your strut. Heck, maybe you even divert from your designated path when you go on today’s silly little walk. The swinging electro percussion of SKB04, the latest album from Montreal producer and DJ, Skinnybones, is the soundscape for that glitter in your eye, that pep in your walk, in hopes of brighter days ahead.

Working under the alias of Skinnybones, Léon Lo (he/him) has been involved in the city’s underground music scene since the early 2000’s, releasing numerous electronic projects on his label, Skitracks, and many others, including Well Rounded Records, the Dimseniya compilation by Friends for Friends, and on La Rama Dubs with YlangYlang. Skinnybones also hosts monthly radio shows on La Face B and n10.as and notably boasts two MUTEK performances (in 2011 & 2018), among many other local events.

SKB04 is a delightfully bubbling selection of hardware jams compiled over the past four years, referencing classic techno and electro sounds, tinged with a sunny swing. We talked Bell Biv DeVoe snares, the Rave as a living organism, and how to keep the dance music community alive through Pandemic Part II in the interview below.

In the words of the artist himself: World-wide raving folx, hold tighter for days brighter.

Maya Hassa for Also Cool: The smooth brightness of the opening track of SKB04 feels like emerging for that first sunny walk in March, when spring is in the air and in your step, and you have the sudden urge to buy flowers and smile at everyone you see. You mention optimism, hope, and rebirth amid round two of “pandemonium” spring - what was your mood going into writing these jams?

Skinnybones: The tracks on SKB04 are quite old already, and predate the pandemic. I’ve tracked a lot over the years and accumulated a large backlog of recordings, from which I sequenced this release. I was meaning to put out a follow-up to my last cassette for some time, but things kept getting in the way. Then the pandemic sent all the rigid structures around me into free-fall, which opened me up to reevaluating my priorities, making time for things that were important to me, and spending time inhabiting my inner-world.

While I feel like that was a really valuable gift, I’m burnt-out like everyone else in town - and the thought of us having to sacrifice another summer is gut-wrenching. I wanted to assemble an album that wouldn’t play into despair, but wouldn’t be completely delusional in its optimism, either. I hope it can lift people’s spirits, while still acknowledging the challenges of the times.

Pre-order of SKB04. You get 1 track now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it's released. Purchasable with gift card Pre-order Digital Album $5 CAD or more Send as Gift High-bias 44 minute cassette tape with Riso-printed 4-panel j-card.

MH: It's noticeable throughout the album, but especially in the second half, that the electro patterns groove with a unique swing. Even when an acid bass-line comes in on “Cold Snap,” the track has a jazzy quality to it. You called it “skewed jack swing.” How would you describe your musical inspiration for this album?

SKB: Skewed jack swing happened when I hurried to the studio to tap out a Bell Biv DeVoe snare roll, playfully recorded it, got over the novelty, and started world-building around it in earnest. I’m a very big fan of free jazz music, and though the similarities between it and dance music may seem few, the way musical motifs are combined outside the constraints of rhythm and harmony in free jazz informs a lot of my music. In a way, this is also reflective of skewed jack swing, taking a familiar setup that could easily fall into pastiche and bending it so that it becomes something unintended, unexpected, and true to itself.

MH: What is your creative process when making a track — do you tend to improvise?

SKB: I almost always have one starting point in mind, be it a drum pattern, a melody or a sample I’d like to use. I’ll lay that down first, then start building up elements around it until I have enough blocks to play with. That will usually be within the first hour. Then I’ll spend a considerably longer time just vibing the hell out. I have a hardware setup, so it’s me improvising, twiddling knobs and pushing buttons, probably making pamplemousse faces and breathing really hard the whole time. When I’ve gotten that out of my system, I have a good idea of the elements that work and the ones that are clutter, so I cut the fat and streamline it. I then work out an outline of the song structure, which usually leaves ample room for noodling, then record one take of a controlled jam, which I later trim down.

MH: “Namur” makes me miss emerging from a dark tunnel at 7am with amen breaks still ringing in my ears. In what ways have you been staying hopeful for the return of the dance music scene (if at all) throughout the past year's lockdowns?

SKB: I actually wrote a Medium piece a little while ago about how I miss going out dancing. I think if we allow ourselves to accept that raving may not come back as the romanticized image that we have of it in our minds, there is more room for hope. To me, raving isn’t only about dancing in a club, rubbing sweaty shoulders with strangers to loud music—though that sounds about as close to paradise as anything right now—it’s about being part of a larger living organism.

What can constitute a living organism is actually quite varied and we don’t necessarily have to stick to a venue + sound system + DJ + dancers formula. There might be countless other ways for the rave to exist which may or may not include physical proximity. I’m keeping fingers crossed for “may include,” and hope it’s soon, but if that’s not the case, I’m still totally down to put my body, my mind, and my time to contribute to keeping the rave going in a larger sense.

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Photo: Vincent Castonguay for Éditions 8888

Make-up: Ashley Diabo for TEAMM Agency

MH: Could you elaborate on what being part of a “living organism” means to you? Is it the experience of a unified community, the sense of solidarity brought upon by a shared emotional experience, maybe even the physical sense of interconnection or anonymity brought upon by dancing together? A combination of it all?

SKB: Apart from music, people, venues, and lighting, a rave is also made up of less readily-identifiable things like frequencies, bodies, pressure systems, secretions, intelligence, chemicals, trajectories, impulses, breath, blood, emotions, energy. All of these things are variable, and every one of them acts on and influences every thing else. If a tune I love comes on and I start dancing my heart out, that will definitely affect how the person next to me, who's never heard it before, receives it. All that goes back to the DJ and acts on what they do next, and how they do it.

At the same time, if I had a terrible meal before going out and that same tune comes on when I get to the rave, but this time I feel miserable and just want to crawl into a corner and be left alone, I will act on the rave in a completely different manner, and the experience might end up going in another direction entirely. So, because every little thing is tied together, I consider the rave to truly be a living organism.

MH: That response makes me want to capitalize the word “Rave,” so I’ll do it here. Do you have anything specific in mind when you mention alternative ways for the Rave to live on?

SKB: If we see how easily things from what we consider outside the rave can have an impact on what happens inside it, like the bad meal example I gave, we can also start to see how things from what we consider within the rave can impact things outside of it. An easy image is the low thumping pulse you can hear when crossing the street to get to the venue, and the rush of excitement it can provoke in you while you're technically not even there yet — or how that same sound is perceived by the people living down the block. Bearing all that in mind, inside and outside start to not be such important distinctions anymore, and what we think of as the rave's boundaries start to get blurry. So maybe I don't need to physically see the DJ in order to be part of the rave. Maybe I don't need to have my head in the bassbin of a speaker. Maybe it's my speaker at home, or a set of headphones in the forest, or VR goggles, or butterflies in my stomach when thinking of a song, a place, or someone.

MH: You have a vast discography, going back to your first self-release in 2017, spanning a longtime involvement in Montreal's music scene, which includes two live MUTEK performances and multiple festivals and party series. What has your experience been like as an independent artist — do you prefer to self-release versus working with a label?

SKB: To be honest, my self-promotion game has nothing on my artistic output. I’m not a very outgoing person, so I haven’t always secured the good connections. Because of that, and because I’m not very real-world goal-oriented when it comes to my music, I’m much more comfortable in self-initiated frameworks, be they releases or parties. I should also acknowledge that I’ve been surrounded by talented and gifted people throughout my music-making years, and that I’ve ridden on a lot of coattails, and benefitted from a lot of energy outside of my own. Nothing I’ve done has been self-initiated in the strictest sense.

I have also had the good fortune to have people from the world at large show an interest in my endeavors, and they’ve only been good experiences up to now. I’m always up for more! However, I have a day job and a small family, so I really prefer going at my own pace.

MH: Where can our readers find you (if you're hosting any streams, live shows, online performances, etc)?

SKB: I don’t have any shows lined up right now, but I host a monthly radio show, Sober Ravers Union, which airs every fourth Wednesday on La Face B . I mix records for an hour or two, and usually have mixes from guests of the non cis-white-het-dude-DJ persuasion. I also co-host another monthly radio show with my partner YlangYlang, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, which airs every fourth Saturday on n10.as. That show focuses on experimental music, found sounds and field recordings. Also, I used to put out a free download bootleg every month on my Bandcamp page. I may get around to doing that again, so that might be a good place to look!

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Spaceface and KWKA Bring Escapist Psych-Rock to the Masses

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“Experiments In Escapist Infinities” cover

Jake Ingalls is a creative soul who makes psychedelic masterpieces with his bands Spaceface and The Flaming Lips. Both groups are known for creating unique, unparalleled stage sets,  light shows and performances. If you’re lucky enough to attend one of their concerts, it will be  an experience you’ll likely never forget. If The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, CAN and the  grooviest bass lines ever had a lovechild, it would be Spaceface.  

Spaceface is a retro-futurist dream-rock band that was formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 2011. Currently, Ingalls is based in Los Angeles. They have released some phenomenal feel-good psychedelic albums and singles such as “Sun Kids” and “Panoramic View.” The band just dropped  a new single on April 1st titled, "Experiments In Escapist Infinities” with Mike Fridmann AKA KWKA. Their forthcoming album is on its way as well. Expect amazing influences on this record, like Nina Simone and Superorganism. Spaceface’s latest offering will be paired with kaleidoscopic visuals and new music videos to create a sublime musical experience.   

We got the chance to connect with Ingalls and Fridmann to discuss their thoughts on collaboration, creative processes, and the theatrics of their live performances.

Sierra Kaylen for Also Cool: Jake and Mike, thank you for taking the time to talk to us today. Can you tell us a bit about who you are and what you love? 

Jake Ingalls: My name is Jake Ingalls, I'm the frontman/bandleader of Spaceface. I also play guitar and keyboard in The Flaming Lips. That's usually  where people know me from but lately, we've been getting more and more folks just finding  Spaceface on their own, which is exciting. I always feel a little grotesque dropping the Lips' name when we're talking about this project, but they were my favorite band from 6th grade to college… and now I get to play with them, which is still kind of mind blowing to me.  

I've also recently embraced being a nonbinary person. I'm from Memphis and I've lived in L.A. for about five years now? I love cooking, rollerblading, and collaborating with new artists. I love a fresh new notebook to scribble ideas/drawings/ tasks and lists in. The list of things I love could go on forever. It'd be easier to list things I don't like… for instance, when you can hear someone eating on the other end of the phone.

Mike Fridmann: I’m Mike, I make music under the name KWKA, run a tiny record label called Nonexistant Records and work as an assistant engineer at Tarbox Road Studios. I’ll name-drop the Flaming Lips too, because Dave Fridmann is my dad… So, I’ve known the Lips my entire life and that’s where I know Jake from! Unsurprisingly, I love to work on music and that’s kind of what I do all the time. In the last year I’ve played a lot of  video games and taken a lot of walks too. And I got a cat, I love cats. 

Also Cool: Your band Spaceface, meshes retro psych and modern pop together creating  unique and magic sounds. Could you tell us a bit about the creative process that went  into the new single?  

Jake Ingalls: Well that's a great compliment! There are usually four of us that write what I'd call “the core” of most of the tunes; so there's almost always a big push and pull or tug-of-war vibe when it comes to where the song should "go.” A lot of times, we'll sit and discuss what scene a new song would be setting in a movie, and try to approach the arrangement cinematically; talking about camera angles that shift focus with the entrance of new parts and what feeling we want to evoke.

I then take the new full-band demo into the studio and tear it apart and re-record almost everything. It started simply out of necessity that I'm the guy who goes into the studio with an engineer/producer to fix it all up and get a good mix going, but now it's just an understood part of the process. Jake, when are you gonna take this one into the studio? I'd love to hear what it's gonna become and wanna make sure you don't ditch my favorite part here. 

I'm lucky that my band trusts me to take what we've worked so hard to create and mess with it to great lengths. There's truly a freeing feeling having the full song done so you can reference anything you particularly loved about the original. But, going into the actual recording process completely unattached to what the song can become, adding new rhythms, instruments, and samples that can completely change the feel of the entire tune.

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Jake Ingalls of Spaceface by Blake Studdard

AC: I’ve noticed that your band often pairs music with trippy visuals. Your stage production features light shows that match your song’s themes and overall vibe. What kind of  experience are you trying to give your audience when performing live?  

JI: Firstly, we're aware that most folks that are coming to a Spaceface show likely don't know our music. With that in mind, we've always felt like the "show" element is a nice added treat for fans, and a little reward for people who took the risk, who got out of their warm apartments, and paid $5 to come to check us out. So when we started the band, I immediately went out and bought a fog machine, cheap lasers, and Christmas lights.

I was about 16 when I realized that not everyone sees vivid colors or visuals when they hear music, and always craved adding some sort of obvious queue for people. At first, you can only afford or find easy things like glow-in-the-dark bubbles, fog machines, or work lights with different colored bulbs in them... But it's gotten easier to find ways to incorporate better and more impressive elements into the show that set the mood we're trying to provide. 

Growing up, we'd drive miles and miles to see bands like Of Montreal, Man or Astro Man, and Octopus Project because they made cool music and their shows were fresh and different. I remember we fell in love with this group from Nashville called The Protomen. They wrote and performed rock operas based on the stories within the Megaman video game series. I was just enamored with the idea that you could sneak into a dive bar and have this grimy place be transformed: just because folks took the time to make costumes, coordinate visuals, and get their goofy friends to hop on stage and play along. We want people to leave feeling as happy and joyous as we get to feel playing for them.

AC: What was the process like collaborating together for this single? Do you think collaboration furthers the artistic process or stunts it?  

JI: I'm a firm believer in collaborating as a form of growth. I like to look at myself as the opposite  of Shel Silverstein's story, The Missing Piece. Each new idea is a giant ball of malleable clay  that's rolling down a hill and every person you work with on it gets to chip and chisel away until  it's a fully formed marble statue. Plus, everyone works differently and sometimes your circumstances dictate the process, forcing you to discover new ways of creating. Working on this project with Mikey was a particularly new, delightful and fun experience.

MF: We started working on this sitting in the room together then finished it over the internet. I think at the time I wasn’t too experienced working long-distance on music, so it was a good experience to have. I think we both just wanted to have some fun and try to make something that sounded fun!

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Mike Fridmann AKA KWKA by Jonathon Graves

AC: Was it difficult for you both to find your sound, did it come naturally to you? Or, do  you think your sound is always evolving with time?  

JI: At first, we wanted to be a surfy psych-punk band. Each tune was noisy, fast and we relished being out of control. I think we still like getting loud and raucous, but our tastes are constantly changing and evolving. I find my only regrets are when I make choices that are avoiding what comes naturally for each tune. It might be slow, but you gotta let it grow. For this song in particular, we set very few limitations and really tried not to question what was coming out, just to go with it.

MF: I don’t really focus on cultivating any sound in particular, I just usually make what I want to  hear in the moment. If I’m working on one project there’ll be common threads because I was in a particular headspace at the time. 

AC: What are some of your favourite albums? Have any of them influenced the current music you’re making?  

JI: Talk about always changing! I'll go with my current vinyl rotations: Petit Prince's Les plus beaux matins, Superorganism's self-titled album, The Avalanches We Will Always Love You, Charli XCX's how I'm feeling now, Elbow's Little Fictions and Nina Simone's To Love Somebody. I can't say anything but Nina, Elbow, and Superorganism influenced the upcoming record since the album is done and those are the only ones we all had before we finished it.

MF: Honestly, most of my listening for the last few years has just been whatever I’m working on or whatever we’re doing at Tarbox. As far as just listening for fun, Gazing Globe by Outer Spaces is one of my favourites. Before that, my obsession was Sweatbox Dynasty by Tobacco. Those are some extremely different sounding records, but I think they’re both really emotionally transporting, which is something I aspire to. 

AC: Speaking of albums, what was a project you worked on that had the biggest impact  on your life?  

JI: I mean, I'd say getting to work on any of the Lips’ stuff early on had a big impact on how I  looked at the arrangement of a song. The Lips' ability to be unprecious about stuff is… sometimes frustrating but ultimately creatively inspiring. 

MF: I’d say pretty much the same thing, ha! 

AC: Tell us about your plans for 2021! Are you excited?  

JI: Plans for 2021 include: putting out a new single and video once a month leading up to our record release February 2022! I actually really enjoyed some of the down time in 2020, it gave me the space and time to grow, learn and figure out the best ways to make videos and art for the new record.

AC: How can we (and your fans) best support you in your future endeavors?  

JI: Keep your eyes on our page, sign up for our text community, and be prepared! Like I said, new Spaceface every month all year! New record coming soon! Thank you so much.

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Jake Ingalls of Spaceface by Blake Studdard

Spaceface

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

KWKA

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Sierra Kaylen

Instagram

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

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Finding Freedom Within Limitation: Chicago's Pansy Shares Self-Titled Debut

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Vivian McCall, photo courtesy of the artist

Spring has sprung, and this week we’ve got the brightest bloom in the bunch on repeat. Meet Pansy, the solo project of Chicago-based musician Vivian McCall. Today, McCall releases her self-titled debut album on Earth Libraries: a nine-track collection of impressions inspired by her experiences as a trans woman. Through Pansy, McCall shares how she reconnected with herself throughout her transition, and parses the highs and lows of embracing her vulnerability. Before creating under the name Pansy, McCall established herself in the Chicago indie scene with her band Jungle Green. As an analog admirer, McCall realized Pansy using the same lo-fi equipment that captured Jungle Green’s recordings over the years. The result is a candid, sunny debut that reminisces 90s college-rock as a backdrop for McCall’s frank lyrics. We connected with McCall leading up to her release to chat about her musical beginnings, rejecting confessional songwriting and leveraging musical imperfections and limitations to make an honest record.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Vivian! Thank you so much for chatting with Also Cool. First thing's first - congratulations on your debut record! To get things started, how does it feel to have realized such a work and to have had so much buzz and excitement surrounding its release so far?

Vivian McCall: Well, to be honest, it really caught me off guard. I always wanted people to like and connect with my music, but never expected all this interest. This is such a cliche... but I made this record for me and hoped it would resonate with other trans people, too. I thought it was so specific to my experience that people wouldn't care about it, or worse they'd tokenize it. I'm relieved that people aren't doing that or projecting weird trans stereotypes onto me. I think the specificity is exactly what people enjoy. They've been able to connect their own troubles to it — troubles that have nothing to do with being trans. That's been beautiful to hear about. I'm happy that something so me is finding an audience.

Also Cool: Knowing that you’ve been playing in your band Jungle Green over the years, when did you find yourself wanting to explore a solo musical endeavor, and where did this project find its beginnings?

VM: I've been writing songs since I was 14, but this is the first time I've wanted to put anything out. You can't really write songs you care about when you're out of touch with yourself. The point of Pansy — before it was anything or even had a name — was to write songs quickly from a really honest place. I didn't want to play a character and I didn't want to embellish any parts of myself, because that was literally my entire life up to that point.

It's hard to explain to people who aren't trans, but before I went on hormones, I could intellectualize what I felt, but I couldn't express it, couldn't talk about it. Everything felt grey, and I don't I mean nuanced, I mean indistinguishable. I used to think there was something really wrong with me, like I was missing some essential part of my soul. So, yeah, I could write songs, but they were totally meaningless! They didn't even feel like a part of me.

These songs did. That's the difference; what I'd always been waiting for. I could write honest songs because I was recognizing my needs and the actual pain I'd been experiencing. It's just trauma and learning how to process it and dig yourself out. So when you listen to the album, know that some songs came before this big tectonic shift in my life… and everything else came during the midst of it.

The whole process was like that scene in The Wizard of Oz when Dorothy walks from the interior of her grey house to the colorful magical land of Oz, only to be ambushed by the Wicked Witch of the West. In my case, the Witch was me and everything I'd ever buried.

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Vivian McCall, photo courtesy of the artist

AC: Thank you so much for sharing your experience and opening up about the evolution of your music. Staying in this vein of thought: You've spoken about realizing that you matter on your own terms, rather than from the approval of others — which I think is really powerful. How did you maintain that mindset while creating such an intimate and vulnerable work?

VM: I had to if I wanted to feel okay about what I was making; I had some concerns. For one, this record is not a diary and that's purposeful. I didn't want my songs to be read as confessionals or emotional pornography for liberals. I was really not okay for a long time and these songs were my way of finding meaning. Every song encapsulates some big emotion I'd wrestle with for months. The conclusions are ... ambiguous, because that's how I felt, and still feel, about womanhood.

I didn't stop and ask myself if the music was "good" as often as I normally do. I was really focused on asking, Okay this line... is this totally, one hundred percent, true to how I feel. Seriously, I did that like I was interrogating myself, which is so, so ridiculous.

I truly hope this doesn't sound self-serious because really, some of these songs came out fully formed and I didn't want to think that critically about them because I was afraid of altering the meaning along the way. I was so deathly afraid of using my music to manipulate my own emotions because it's such a powerful thing when you're vulnerable. At that time, that could have been really dangerous!

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Vivian McCall, photo courtesy of the artist

AC: To touch on the sound of this record: You’ve spoken about your affinity for analog recording. What about analog production first moved you as a musician, and how has your relationship with it impacted your creative process?

VM: Recording music uses such a different part of my brain than writing it,and that's why I love it. Classic head and heart, right brain/left brain sort of thing. If I've laid my emotions out in a song, I can start asking how to make those feelings come across clear in a musical sense, or how to make the song catchier if that's what I'm going for.

Analog recording is so limiting, and yet those limitations are freeing. I have to get the right takes. I have to commit to the sounds I'm making. I have to live mix the stereo mixes, making the recordings you hear a kind of performance, too. It can be really frustrating, but I'm not tempted to endlessly tinker with my recordings. They are what they are and I love that.

That's a huge part of the process for me, really pushing whatever I'm doing to new places that I didn't expect. I don't like going into a song knowing what I'm going to do, because that kills the fun and keeps me from exploring. I'm not a master technician or anything, but I'm creative — partially because I don't totally know what I'm doing — but I know what I like. Sometimes that means precision (take after take), sometimes that means making it sound really fucked or sloppy; embracing whatever imperfections and limitations I have as a musician.

AC: To end thing's off, what most excites you about the future of your music career? Where do you hope to find yourself once live music is possible once again?

VM: Well, I'm excited that every song I've written since finishing this record isn’t explicitly about the transition. [My] new songs aren't about transness, but are written from that perspective I guess, just because it's me. I'm excited to be back on a stage again and start figuring out what I want to do next, musically.

Just being a trans woman puts you in some unique emotional situations — some good, some bad — and for the first time in my life, I'm present enough to actually experience my feelings. That's still really crazy to me. I feel like such an alien sometimes, being like, Wow isn't it crazy to be a person? It's so corny. But that's more or less the truth of how I feel. Out in the world, I don't feel as aggressive about my identity anymore.

I wrote a lot of aggressive rock stuff during this huge power-pop phase right before the pandemic hit. I liked the idea of writing lesbian love songs in the language of this super beta-male, cartoonishly sexist genre that I do… love. Then I got my heart really banged up and wrote a bunch of sweet acoustic music. There's a lot, a lot more than I'm used to sitting on at once.

AC: Before we let you go, how is the best way that we can support you as an artist and what are you future plans?

VM: Well, I really need a band! So I guess if you like the record, just write me on Instagram. Maybe we'll get along!

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PANSY

Out via Earth Libraries on April 2, 2021

1. Who Will Love Me Enough?

2. Anybody Help Me

3. Tomorrow, When I’m Even Better

4. Trash

5. Shoes

6. Turn Ur Back

7. Woman of Ur Dreams

8. Mommi Housi

9. Me In Mine

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Pansy

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Tommy Newport Combines the Quirks of Saturday Morning Cartoons with Broadway Glamour in New EP "Ultra Mango"

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Ultra Mango album artwork by Ruby Snell

Midway through February, Kansas singer, songwriter and producer Tommy Newport dropped his psychedelic new EP, Ultra Mango. Throughout his latest offering, Newport guides his listeners into a  hazy funk on songs like “Sweetener,” but also allows himself to become contagiously excitable in more upbeat moments, including the dance track “Ultra Mango” and the catchy synth-pop anthem “Marigold.” The result is an auditory journey that transitions from  sweet and syrupy to rotten within instants; Ultra Mango encapsulates the brightest moments from a young adult life, as well as the darkest ones.

We had a chance to chat with Tommy Newport about the ideas, emotions, and nostalgic experiences which ultimately led to the creation of Ultra Mango. Throughout both its restless moments and its languid ones, Tommy Newport reminds us with Ultra Mango of all the growing up we’ve done, and all the growing up that’s still left to do.

Spencer Nafekh for Also Cool: Ultra Mango is a very different kind of EP because it never sticks to one vibe, and like all your projects, you like to keep your listeners guessing. What kind of music did you listen to growing up? Also, would you describe your listening habits as consistently eclectic, or do you go through phases with what you like to hear?

Tommy Newport: Growing up, I listened to indie rock from the 2000’s and the 2010’s, with a healthy dose of 70’s and 80’s legends: The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, The Beatles, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Killers, Dan Auerbach, The Black Keys, Alex Turner, and Morrissey, to name a few. Those are just the core, though… There's so much more than the mainstream sort of iconic names that I consistently listened to. I loved early 2000’s & 90’s rap, R&B, and pop music, too. I have go-to artists that will never change, but I’m always finding new things. 

AC: Your eclectic taste is definitely reflected in your own music, and it seems to me that from beginning to end, Ultra Mango is an exploration of that shaky transition we all have to go through from our teenage lives to our adult ones. Are there any life-shaping experiences from your childhood that really set the tone and inspired the making of this EP? Is Ultra Mango based off of one single experience from youth, or multiple?

TN: I was lucky to have amazing parents that let me live my childhood and teenage life with no hassle and not many rules. This had its ups and downs: I started my career at sixteen, and I was a naive kid. I still am to a degree, but being naive is bliss until you become self-aware. Lots of lessons, and lots to write about. Even if the lyrics to some of my songs are telling the story of a relationship, the underlying story usually uses love songs as a parallel to a real story. Ultra Mango is the story of yin and yang in youth. There’s so much around to influence you at that age—you are just on autopilot. It takes getting older to really assess your youth. 

AC: I’m not sure why, but when I listen to Ultra Mango I feel as though I am transported into the world of an early 2000’s cartoon TV show. What’s your favourite animated series? If your new EP was a cartoon, which one would it be?

TN: I mean, Ultra Mango is definitely Invader Zim. The parallels are perfect. My favourite series was probably Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends or Dexter though.

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Tommy Newport, image courtesy of the artist

AC: The artwork for Ultra Mango is equal parts surreal and touching, in its own bizarre way. Same with the title: I never thought I’d see the word “ultra” placed beside the word “mango,” and yet the combination feels strangely fitting for your work. Could you elaborate a little more on the meaning behind Ultra Mango’s title, as well as the weird and wonderful artwork that accompanies it?

TN: The EP artwork was inspired by thought processes resembling fruit, in that they can be very colorful, or they can be rotten. Those kinds of contrasting ideas and the rate of time in which thoughts can quickly go from vibrant and colorful to spoiled was a great metaphor for the human mind, youth and growing up.

AC: How do you harness your musical creativity on days where you’re feeling productive? Whether you’re singing, songwriting, or producing your music, are there any specific rituals that you like to partake in before you hit the studio?

TN: I don't have any rituals. I was a very superstitious kid with terrible OCD, so I am surprised now that you ask whether I have any rituals. Then again, making music was the only relief from that, it's like when you fall asleep on a road trip and wake up and you're there. Time spent making music flies by.

AC: Based on the online videos of your passionate live sessions—including your appearance in the internationally renowned YouTube series COLORS—it seems as though performing might be just as important to you as your music; would you say this is true?

TN: Performing is a huge part of it. I think that if you're not an artist and just the average listener, all you see of your favorite artists is them performing. So my idea of being a popular musician as a kid was being on stage or at a festival and performing like it’s Broadway. I'm thinking of Live Aid 1985, those types of things my parents used to show me.

Since we’re on the subject of performance, I just wanted to mention how much I enjoyed seeing you play a bone-chilling Dr. Frankenstein (and his monster) in the recently-released music video for “Shooting Star.” Can you see yourself acting in quirky roles like this for future music videos? I really hope so! 

TN: Yeah definitely, I love videos like that; just so ridiculous. I want to get deeply in touch with my love for films and make some really cool videos in the future. 

AC: It seems as though we’ll have lots to look forward to from you in that case, music and otherwise. Ultra Mango might be the first bit of work you’ve released in the new year, but will it be the last? What else do you have in the works for 2021, music and otherwise?

TN: 2021 will be great…  Grammy nom coming next season.

Tommy Newport

Instagram | Facebook | Spotify

Spencer Nafekh is a tireless reader, writer, editor, and advocate for the written word. With an undergraduate degree in Concordia's English and Creative Writing program imminent, he plans to pursue a Master's specialization in journalism so that he can fully realize his career path. When Spencer is not working away, he is probably listening to experimental music while lost in the world of a science fiction novel.

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Enter La Femme's Neo-Maximalist Nightclub "Paradigmes"

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Paradigmes album artwork by Polygon

Paris-based psyche rockers La Femme are keeping listeners on their toes in anticipation of their forthcoming record Paradigmes, out next week on April 2nd via Disque Pointu and IDOL. The LP marks a milestone for the band, being their first release after five years of touring extensively, adding several musical accolades to their trophy shelf (including the coveted Victoires de la Musique award and Gold certifications in France for their first two releases), as well as playing major international music festivals, from Austin Psych Fest to Glastonbury. Formed in 2010 by Sacha Got and Marlon Magnée, La Femme has seen a rise in success comparable to the greats, but remain humbled by the everlasting centrality of their DIY roots. 

The band has already given us a glimpse into the sultry and psychedelic smoking-lounge that is Paradigmes, through teaser tracks “Paradigme,” “Cool Colorado,” “Disconnexion,” “Foutre le bordel,” “Le Jardin,” and most recently “Le sang de mon prochain.” From what we’ve heard so far, we’re intrigued by their clever use of horn sections, DEVO-esque wind-up rhythms, and a sprinkle of cool, laissez-faire nostalgia à la Serge Gainsbourg to present a sound best described as Neo-Maximalist. 

As the title of the album implies, Paradigmes’ narrative is as complex as its grandiose musical arrangements. While the lyrics throughout unpack the many anxieties and frustrations with cultural norms and expectations within Western culture at large, it equally tackles personal afflictions within the human experience — like love and heartbreak, sexual and gendered exasperations and general feelings of depression and nihilism. The band explains that they managed to touch on both existential and intimate themes by tapping into their intuitions, noting: “Maybe it’s easier to write when you are sad or plagued with negativity? The record took on a life of its own when reflecting on our own experiences.” 

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La Femme by Oriane Robaldo

Speaking on how the record fell into place, La Femme says that the development and production of Paradigmes was a culmination of experiments, rather than a deliberate realization of a heady think-piece from start to finish. “After we toured Mystère in 2017, the band took break from music. We reunited in 2019 with the hopes of finishing a record, and brought together a bunch of material collected in our hard-drives and chose 15 songs to build Paradigmes. It’s taken a lot of time for us to finish because we are picky on the details.” 

Knowing the band gained popularity by exclusively touring North America before they were picked up by European audiences, I was curious to know if their experiences of the United States informed the cultural critiques within Paradigmes. “Really, we just toured and traveled throughout the US a lot — so yes, the influences and experiences from those memories are definitely present throughout Paradigmes. We specifically commemorate places we’ve visited like Colorado, New Orleans and Los Angeles. But the album also features influences from other countries like Spain and Turkey, as well as three different languages (French, English and Spanish) — so, it’s a world music record in that way. We like the folklore of places and what comes out of them.” 

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La Femme by Oriane Robaldo

The ambition of the Paradigmes project is topped with a particular aesthetic crafted by the band. Of the six singles they’ve put out so far, three are accompanied by a music video that takes place in the futuristic “Paradigmes” nightclub. Frequented by a collection of eclectic regulars, such as go-go dancers, cyborg songstresses and intellectuals with an uncanny resemblance to Michel Foucault, you get the sense that Paradigmes is a hang-out where all are welcome. The band expresses that the album’s title track and their song “Disconnexion” were the inspiration behind their fictitious venue. “The song ‘Paradigme’ sounds like a generic, 70s TV show and ‘Disconnexion’ like an intellectual radio show. Combined, these concepts created the set of a fake TV show where all the video clips are connected. At the end, when you watch them all together, it’s going to be a full-length film.” 

At the end of our interview, La Femme lets me in on how they plan to celebrate their release in the most fittingly over-the-top way possible. “We’re going to have the biggest digital party and eat popcorn in front of our computers! The best way our fans can support us is by dropping out, tuning into our record and movie and starting an orgy.” Ça marche, La Femme! 

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PARADIGMES

Out via Disques Pointu and IDOL on April 2, 2021

1. Paradigme
2. Le sang de mon prochain
3. Cool Colorado
4. Foutre le bordel
5. Nouvelle-Orléans
6. Pasadena
7. Lacher de chevaux
8. Disconnexion
9. Foreigner
10. Force & respect
11. Divine creature
12. Mon ami
13. Le jardin
14. Va
15. Tu t’en lasses

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La Femme

Instagram | Facebook | Website

Spotify | Apple Music | Youtube

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Beat-Making, Animal Crossing & More: Loop Sessions Celebrates One Year in Quarantine

Pitbull has competition for his title as Mr. Worldwide, and it's Loop Sessions. The beat-making project has 19 chapters, including Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Windsor, Edmonton, Londrina, Bauru, Diadema, Paris, Toulouse, Brussels, Brisbane, Detroit, Milan, and Istanbul, to name a few. 

Founded in 2016 by The Loop Pilots and Artbeat Montreal, the project ranges from pre-pandemic in-person events to their recent online expansion with their #StayHome events on Instagram Live and Twitch. IRL activities center around vinyl records, where participants have five minutes to sample their material, which they must use in the evening's production. 

March 24th 2021, marks one year of their online event series, and they're celebrating their #PannyAnni with a month-long Animal Crossing-themed visual collaboration with Mags (aka one of our favourite artists). They're also doing a giveaway with the record store Aux 33 Tours, which features one of our Also Cool tote bags! 

We got to chat with the Loop crew about their event series, community, and worldwide presence below. 

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: How did Loop Sessions get started, and how has it expanded since?

Mags: It all started with a trip to Brazil. Montreal producer and DJ Dr. MaD and his mentor and former high school English teacher, Lou Piensa (of Nomadic Massive), form the duo The Loop Pilots. They were on a sort of tour, where they discovered a weekly event, Beats Brasilis, which would serve as the inspiration for Loop Sessions, powered by Artbeat Montreal.

Magnanimous: They contacted us (Artbeat Montreal) and asked if we would be down to start a recurring beat-making gathering, and the rest is history. It has expanded very organically since, either from people who participated in Montreal and brought it back to their hometowns or people from abroad who reached out to us. We now have almost 20 chapters.

shmings: After the first ten or so editions, Mad was busy with law school, Lou was in the middle of moving to Brazil, and ABMTL co-founder SevDee was getting ready to be a father. I stepped in on the administrative side so Mark wouldn't have to carry the operation on his own.

In the time we've been putting on the event, we've expanded to almost 20 cities. The growth has been exponential, and we have more chapters preparing to join the fold.

Also Cool Mag: The Animal Crossing graphics are emblematic of this past year in quarantine. How has Loop Sessions allowed you to stay connected? Tell us about one of your favourite memories from this past year.

shmings: The concept came about when I was brainstorming with Mags, who I credit with coining the term #PannyAnni. As a way to commemorate the trying year we've all had, to reinterpret our flyer mascots as Animal Crossing characters is peak zeitgeist. Don't be surprised to see them go up as NFTs in the near future.  

That we were able to continue gathering with our fellow creatives twice a month during confinement, albeit online, helped keep many people sane, myself included. I've only recently started submitting my own beats at Loop Sessions. I've been notoriously reluctant to share my amateur musical sketches, so to be able to do so among my extremely talented peers has contributed to pulling me out of my shell.

We have an amazing community, one that's supportive and celebrates people from all walks of life. It's beautiful.

Magnanimous: Our online editions have been an interesting way to get to know our community better. We get to have one-on-one conversations that were not as common in the IRL event format. One of my favourite Loop Sessions memories of the last year was when I decided to host with my hair down and sunglasses, which caused the participants to get really creative with their outfits.

Mags: Loop Sessions was very instrumental for me in staying connected to the beat-making scene, as well as the friends I made through it all those years ago (namely 2013). Because of my arduous immigration journey, I had only been back to Montreal from the US a handful of times, and only one of those times coincided with a Loop Session. I used to attend in person pretty regularly, having missed a few in the beginning. But then my LS contribution skipped from session 16 to session 31 in August 2019. When they announced they'd be going online, there was no way I was missing my chance.

I'd say my favourite memory has ironically been wiped from the web due to an aggy algorithm: it was at LS #48 for Halloween and I was the crate provider. This session saw the birth of a new alias for our then-host Magnanimous, who is now affectionately referred to as Spicy Mark. Now one of many new in-jokes, the spice emoji has become emblematic for the online Montreal sessions!

Spicy Mark

AC: Loop Sessions is seriously coming for Pitbull's place as Mr. Worldwide. How has the project grown to be so global?

Mags: Word of mouth typically. Most of the global chapters were founded before the pandemic, so lots of folks from other places had attended at least one session and asked to bring it back to their hometowns. Loop Sessions DMV is one of, if not the first chapters to be founded during the pandemic and debut online. 

shmings: Loop Sessions was international from the get-go. One participant took it to Brussels; another brought it to Vancouver, and so forth. Before we knew it, we had chapters across four continents. 

To me, the most important move we made internationally was having Beat Brasilis rebrand their event as Loop Sessions São Paulo. It was important for that association to be cemented because we've always credited the original source. By adopting the name, they acknowledged us. 

I'm still holding on to the hopes we'll be able to tour this global circuit we've assembled. Fingers crossed!

AC: Can you tell us about the newest chapter, Loop Sessions DMV. What are the differences between the two?

Mags: The main difference I've observed is that, because Montreal is already so small, many of the participants, even from the beginning, knew each other or had at least heard of each other. The online version allowed for a more one-on-one focus (over the IG sessions) with the chat serving as an amicable peanut gallery. It's allowed us to get to know one another on a more personal level, not just artistic. Whereas with the DMV chapter, it's almost all new to everyone! Many of the participants had not experimented in sample-based production before, which allowed them to step out of their comfort zone.

On top of that, many of the artists don't know each other at all! So this is allowing us to bridge a few gaps in the underground music community of the DMV, which is something of a tri-state metropolitan area, so it's a pretty wide net we've cast. Our host B. who is also new to Loop Sessions does a great job of encouraging folks and really enjoying all the different beats. It's been really wholesome so far, and you're all invited to the next session on April 2nd!

AC: What are some of the ways that Loop Sessions keeps the scene connected?

Magnanimous: Since 2020, we are doing two online events each month, which provides the space for the community to exchange and interact, both musically and personally. We also have a Discord where people can connect between events.

Mags: With the online editions proving to be somewhat more intimate, people have been less shy about striking up collaborative partnerships and even friendships through the web. A few recent examples of this are the new song and video released by MC Kayiri, produced by Sabrina Sabotage. The original beat was created at LS 50 and selected to be part of a cypher at the Hip Hop You Don't Stop festival in late November 2020, of which Kayiri was on the bill. More recently, a beat produced at LS 48 by Rekha made its way to Télé-Quebec just a few weeks ago on the new music competition La Fin des Faibles.

AC: Tell us about some of the artists you've worked with for the project.

shmings: The most crucial addition to the Loop Sessions team has to be Shogo. He's responsible for our wholesome visual style. I can give him a theme, a colourway and a silly reference, and he'll turn in this vibrant, playful artwork that's really a lot of fun. Working with him is a pleasure.

Magnanimous: The list is very long, about 40 to 60 beatmakers from here and abroad that submit beats each edition. Salute to every one of them!

Each second event of the month, we have a guest crate provider, and in the last year, we had the pleasure of having people like DJ Kemo from the Rascalz, Scott C and Urban Science.

Mags: As the founder of Loop Sessions DMV, I enlisted the help of my dear friend S. Sweet, bandleader and bassist of DC-based band Black Folks Don't Swim?, as well as Richmond-based collective Grimalkin Records (of which Backxwash is a former member). Sweet is the one who pointed me in the direction of Bliberation (B. for short), a producer, DJ, and craftsman. I went with my gut feeling: out of three or four names I was given, I chose B. simply because they had Hua Li as a mutual, the only one with a Montreal connection, however small. It was a sign I couldn't ignore, and I'm so glad I didn't because everyone loves him!

AC: How could someone get involved with the project?

Magnanimous: Check our Instagram and Facebook pages for the next event, sign up and get involved! Follow us on Twitch @loopsessions, where our events are now being broadcasted.

Mags: Follow your respective chapters on Instagram (the one platform each chapter is presently on), come participate or sit in on a session, and if you're so inclined, hit us up if you have a cool idea for a crate! If there isn't a chapter near you, everyone is welcome to attend any of the chapters; it's a global community after all, and the pandemic has only emphasized that by virtue of the online events.

shmings: Loop Sessions are open to the public. Whether you make experimental electronic music or '90s boom-bap, all styles are welcome. 

The aim is to have as many people experience the joy of making music and sharing their work in a communal, non-competitive atmosphere. We all have to start somewhere, and for many, Loop Sessions was the first time they manipulated vinyl records or sampled. Some even made their first-ever beats at a Loop Sessions event. The online iteration of the event makes it that much more accessible. No matter your skill level, our community will receive you with open arms. 

AC: What's the best way to support Loop right now?

Magnanimous: The best way to support is to participate and tune in to our broadcasts. Follow us on social media and spread the word!

Mags: Follow us in the DMV on all our socials at linktr.ee/loopsessionsdmv, we're also currently accepting donations to support our SoundCloud at streamlabs.com/loopsessionsdmv 

shmings: Check out our #StayHome playlists on SoundCloud (https://soundcloud.com/loop_sessions), where we've amassed over 1200 productions for the Montreal chapter alone. Share the music you love with the people you love, and when you're ready, come make a beat with us. 

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Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media specialist, currently based in Montreal.

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In Conversation: Carlyn Bezic Talks Taking Up Space On and Offline with New Project Jane Inc

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Jane Inc by Andrew McGill

What role do you play in today’s social media rat-race? Are you an observer (always monitoring, never posting); a creator (sharing content related to you and your interests); a critic (engaging with and commenting on said content), or; a luddite, in the sense that you’re disenchanted altogether and logged off (and out) forever? Whatever your involvement in whichever form of feed Discourse™, one’s stance on social media translates as a fraction of the self — sometimes, in more ways than one — across online spaces. These curated extensions of the self are of particular interest to Toronto musician Carlyn Bezic, and are given centre-stage in her new solo project, Jane Inc. 

Known for her involvement in acts like Ice Cream, Darlene Shrugg and as a touring member of US Girls, Bezic realizes years worth of side-gigged musical experimentation as Jane Inc. Building off samples, break-beats and Ableton tutorials, Jane Inc’s debut Number One is out on Telephone Explosion Records March 19th, and serves as a reminder that Bezic is no one-trick-pony. 

What started as layering bass, guitar, synth, and vocals on top of drum breaks and samples has now transformed into the dance-machine that is Jane Inc, with Bezic as its ring-leader. With the help of recruited support from Toronto recording engineer and stalwart Steve Chahley (Badge Epoque Ensemble, US Girls, Ben Stevenson) to coproduce, the duo recorded live drums performed by Evan J. Cartwright (US Girls, Tasseomancy), saxophone by Nick Dourado (BUDi Band, Aquakultre, Fiver) and wurlitzer by Scott Harwood (Scott Hardware) to marry Bezic’s hypnotic, cyber reveries and glittering grooves.

Leading up to her release, I got the chance to chat with Bezic on taking the reins with her latest musical venture, and how she dissects the tensions between the self and the ills of today’s digital climate on her anticipated release Number One.

To open our conversation, Bezic tells me about the origin of Jane Inc, which she explains was inspired by stringing together a myriad of concepts. “The name was born out of a few things. My middle name is Jane, so it’s kind of about me in a way. But, I also liked Jane as in, Jane Doe… Someone who is a blank ‘woman’ figure. ‘Inc’ also plays on my approach to the writing and recording process, where I thought of [the project] as my own little company where I’m playing a bunch of different roles, you know?” 

Bezic elaborates on the shapeshifting quality of Jane Inc, asserting that it’s personified more as an artistic mindset, rather than a traditional alter-ego. “[Jane Inc] is like a mental trick. It was helpful for me to view, say, a baseline as something other than a direct reflection of me — Carlyn, as a human being — that supposedly expresses to you exactly who I am. This framework was informed by an explicit exploration of how what you do online creates a new being removed from reality — which can be both liberating and also terrifying.” 

From here, our conversation shifts onto the topic of how artists in particular struggle to exist, both in relation to survival and relevancy, without having some kind of online presence. Noticing Bezic comments on this in her songwriting, I ask her how she navigates the difficult position of wanting to be critical of this phenomenon, while also having to be complicit in it. 

Sighing in a way that feels relatable, despite the lag of our Zoom call, Bezic states: “I mean, I find it to be a real mind-fuck.” 

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Jane Inc by Andrew McGill

“The way I personally engage with the Internet isn’t very healthy, I think. I’m 100% addicted to the Internet, even though I know it’s really insidious. I’ve been experimenting with posting more and showing myself, which feels strange and disingenuous because our engagement habits are so intrinsic to our perceived empowerment. When this is tied to the thing you’re creating… it becomes even more complicated. [My music] isn’t then just an extension of who I am as a person, but also a product, and I become its advertisement — even though I’m just a human being. It’s inescapable because it is so essential for my job, and I’d rather have some control over how I am perceived by handling my social media presence myself.” Continuing on this notion of how she remains purposeful in navigating the maze of social media, Bezic comments: 

“Intentionally taking up online space represents a growth for me. I’m trying to be more comfortable sharing [my music] and being myself, and it feels similar to what it would be like in real life and during a performance. That being said, when I think about it deeply, this comes at the expense of commodifying myself and the art that I’m making. So, like I said, it really is a necessary beast.” 

Through listening to her teaser tracks from Number One, I noticed Bezic’s lyrics air her frustrations with the physical world in parallel with her commentary on social media. Her single “Steel” struck me as an observation on how identity is manufactured by our physical surroundings; through mundane, daily activities. I was curious to know if the sentiment I was picking up on was informed by Bezic’s experiences with the fast-paced rhythm of Toronto.

“Toronto is a city that hates creative people. We are also seeing in a really real and horrifying way how it also hates low-income people, unhoused people and racialized people. [‘Steel’] was born out of a very complicated relationship I have with Toronto, as I grew up here and have lived here the majority of my life. Though Toronto has a very strong [arts] community and is full of creative people, its bureaucratic, big city energy doesn’t allow for any sustainability. It hates itself. Even before the pandemic, I felt like I had no energy. The city was never giving me energy. Everyone is working to live, or living to work, the places [we] love are closing down and rents are skyrocketing. You know, the same old story as everywhere else. The opportunity keeps on getting smaller and smaller,” Bezic laments. 

Bezic’s outlook took an upward turn towards the end of our interview, where she told me about looking ahead and her plans for the future. 

“Though I complain that Toronto sucks, there are a lot of musicians here who really inspire me and push me forward. I am excited, and feel lucky to have collaborated with them [on this record]. I’m looking forward to eventually having a band at some point and figuring out a nice little setup for doing livestreams or something lowkey. Other than that, I’m already writing the next album, which I’m hoping to release in the next year.” 

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Jane Inc by Andrew McGill

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NUMBER ONE

Out via Telephone Explosion Records on March 19, 2021

1. Gem
2. Steel
3. Faceless, Bodiless
4. Dirt and The Earth
5. Bloom Becomes Me
6. My Oldest Friend
7. His, Mine
8. Obliterated

All songs written and performed by Carlyn Bezic

Drums and Vermona by Evan J. Cartwright
Saxophone on "Bloom Becomes Me" by Nick Dourado
Wurlitzer on "Faceless, Bodiless" by Scott Hardware
Mixed by Steve Chahley and Anthony Nemet
Produced by Steve Chahley and Carlyn Bezic
Toronto, 2020

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Jane Inc

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

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Premiere: Sisi Superstar Reclaims Emo Culture with "Demon Tales"

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Photo credit: Ariana Molly

Reject modernity, embrace tradition. Sisi Superstar is queering emo music with her poppy, goth, 2000’s alt-rock-infused debut EP, Demon Tales. From co-founding the queer party series, Unikorn Parties, to her popstar debut, dive into Montreal’s glamorous underground drag scene with Miss Spooky 2021, the queen who creates her own reality, building her own spaces when gatekeepers try to stop her.

The scene kids are coming to take their music back. We talk our favourite early 2000’s melodramatic rock bands, the challenges of writing your first album, owning our skinny jean-wearing high school looks, call-out the high school bullies who turned emo for aesthetics, and analyzed the science behind social media’s ever-present based-cringe ratio in the all-revealing interview below.

Maya Hassa for Also Cool: Let's start with the story behind Demon Tales.  How did the album come to be?

Sisi Superstar: I first met my producer at a party I was hosting over a year ago.  At that time, I was trying to start a band with my friend Awwful - we started working on a few songs, but it was sounding very raw to me.  I had never really sung before - and I didn't know much about music production either. I always want to put the right amount of effort into the work I put out – and that project just felt rushed. I was worried it would become "that one drag single" I release - I didn't want that to end up happening.

Right before the pandemic, I met Pierre Crube at Muy Muy, which is a Mexican party series that we also host in Montreal. It’s funny, I didn’t recognize him at first, but he was in a band that I used to listen to as a teenager called Numéro#. They were really popular in the French music scene - I even had photos of them in my locker and went to a lot of their shows in high school. I was obviously wired when I realized who he was. It was 6:00 AM, I was in a look, talking a lot, but not making much sense - there's a certain point during the night when you start making insane plans with people, knowing that in reality it’s totally not going to happen.

We started talking about music, and he was just like, “Yeah, you should pass by my studio, we can record something, test the waters.” At this point I’m thinking, “Okay – we’re not really friends yet, we just met at this party.” It was super intimidating to go there, especially since it was my first experience making music with a stranger. Afterwards, he sent me some beats and I started writing lyrics for a song that ended up on this EP.

“Icy Tears” is the most lyrically complex song I wrote - it was my first single, so I had a lot to say. In my experience, when you start a new medium, you just have so many ideas. I had so many things to recount about my experiences, since I first moved to Montreal at 17, to now - over ten years later. The title, Demon Tales, is just a play on words – the songs are tales of demons past.

AC: This album is giving me Lady Gaga, a little bit of synth pop, a little bit of early 2000’s goth vibes – what sounds were you channeling for this release?

SS: I have two sides of me - I really like experimental and hardcore electronic music, and I also like rock and alternative. Since this is my first EP, I didn’t want to get too distracted by my music taste, and instead, work on finding my voice and deciding what sounds good. A lot of people don't necessarily produce the kind of music they listen to on the daily - expressing whatever is inside of you matters most.

Demon Tales is a mix of early 2000’s rock moments like Linkin Park, Avril Lavigne, and melodramatic alt-rock bands like Sum 41 and Billy talent, mixed with electronic music, new wave, and a bit of goth in the style of Crystal Castles. If you mashed all of those up and turned them into a pop song, that’s the sound I’m going for. I would call it emo pop.

My aim was also to reclaim emo music. With this new trend of people jumping on the emo and scene aesthetic bandwagon, it often seems like they aren’t genuinely part of the culture. If you were an emo or scene kid in my generation, you would have had to endure a lot of judgement for looking that way. It’s great to see so many people appreciating it now, but this has consistently been my lifestyle for years. People used to bully me for wearing skinny jeans, acting feminine, and wearing nail polish – now it’s considered “aesthetic.” I'm fucking reclaiming emo music – but I’m making it really poppy and queer at the same time.

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Photo credit: Ariana Molly

 AC: You're a visual artist, a DJ, a drag artist, and a makeup transformation legend. How did the start of your career as an artist look like – and how did you end up getting into the club scene?

 SS: My medium has always been a mix of illustration and painting, but when I started going out a lot, I was consistently throwing looks. I’d wear colorful contact lenses and makeup, but I wasn’t necessarily going for the full drag moment - yet. I was experimenting with fashion - and then I think it just grew on me. One day I was like, “wait, let me try on that wig.”

The first time I did drag was about five or six years ago, when I went to the Dita Von Teese show in Montreal. I tried dressing more feminine and burlesque, took a glamorous cab ride with a friend, and realized I really felt in the moment – I loved being femme-presenting. 

It all came together when I started throwing my own events. I was already so involved in the party scene, I thought maybe I should learn how CDJs work, so I decided to give it a try. I was experimenting with drag around that time too, but not necessarily performing – I didn't feel like I had a place at the bars in the Village to actually perform there.

 That didn’t stop me, though - if I didn’t have a seat at the table, I had to build my own. That's what happened with Unikorn parties. Awwful was already DJing and throwing Glitter Bomb, so they showed me the ropes - and that’s how Unikorn Parties was started.

Coincidentally, Ariana Molly invited me to her studio for a shoot one day, and someone was reading tarot cards there. Without telling them much about what was going on in my life, they told me I was juggling way too many things – and they were right. I was DJing, doing drag, making art, throwing parties - doing everything at once.  

They told me that I was going to find a mentor who would help bring all of that together. At the time I couldn’t really imagine how all the different things I was doing would end up working out, but after meeting Pierre, I realized this was it. I could perform in drag and express my creativity through music and visuals. Sisi Superstar became my pop persona. It took time, but now I realize it’s all aligning.

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Photo credit: Ariana Molly

 AC: You said you wrote “Icy Tears” when you were feeling inspired in Mexico City – what was special about being there?

SS: I was there for a festival called Backdoor - a queer party series that happens in Vancouver, Toronto, LA, and Mexico City. My friend Sam Blake introduced me to the organizers when they came to Montreal, and I ended up flying out to Mexico for their next event. I loved it - being in a new place gives such a boost to your confidence. People in Montreal are used to seeing me around the nightlife scene. It’s a small city, so we're like a big family here – but in Mexico it was really popping. People get excited when they see a fresh face – they’re not jaded. That energy was very inspiring.

AC: The first single you released, “Purest Evil,” was recently remixed by D v D, a DJ/producer in the Montreal party scene. How did you end up collaborating?

SS: I first knew D v D’s music through Soundcloud. He came to a Unikorn party once – and I just knew I had to go talk to this person. I ended up going to a few of the events he was DJing – parties in the basement of La Sala Rossa – and I just thought he was a really good DJ and producer.

Our music tastes are very similar – we both love a hyper pop moment, EDM, hard dance, all that. I wanted him to do a remix because Demon Tales isn’t very dance-y, it’s more introspective headphone music for when you’re taking the metro and you’re “having the feels”. I wanted to make a remix that was closer to what I would actually play in a DJ set next time I do my goth night.

@bubblebadbitch

 AC: You’re also a TikTok star. How is that working for you as a platform to promote your art?

SS: I haven't gone viral or anything, I'm just enjoying TikTok more than other social media platforms at the moment. I actually got put in “TikTok jail” recently - I got flagged for wearing a bikini with my breast plate. It was just too sexy, but it also felt deliberate, because I’m a drag queen and the algorithm is very selective. It's less welcoming to queer bodies and marginalized identities - especially targeting sex workers. When an influencer posts suggestive content, their posts are treated differently. A similar thing happens on Instagram – if you have a blue Verified check, your posts are less likely to get reported. I'm basically reported on all social media, so I’d rather just focus on whatever platform makes me the happiest.

The TikTok community is very cringe sometimes, but it’s also a lot more authentic. It’s not about presenting an image for people; it’s about posting the stupid shit showing who you really are. Rawness is valued over curated content – you won’t spend hours modifying your appearance before posting it on there – it’s meant to be a live moment. More importantly, it's usually meant to be a joke. Social media can get pretty dark sometimes, so it’s nice to have this constant source of comedy. I can spend an hour on Instagram and not laugh, but if I'm on TikTok, I'm going to laugh – like, a lot.

AC: The based-cringe ratio is so real - I’m obsessed with testing how far I can go before crossing the line. Navigating the algorithm is especially difficult for artists, because you have to master a lot of different platforms, including Soundcloud and Spotify, to get the views that you deserve.  

SS: It’s hard – I keep them all. I can’t put all my eggs in one basket.

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Support Sisi Superstar on Bandcamp and listen to Demon Tales on Spotify below:

Produced by @pierrecrube
Mix/Master by @lebeaudet
Photos by @arianamolly
Graphic by @casketnap

Listen to Demon Tales on Spotify. Sisi Superstar · Single · 2021 · 6 songs.

Wanna Be My Daddy? Mystic Peach Talks Sexuality, Creative Process & More

Via Mystic Peach

Heavy-hitting and spellbinding, Mystic Peach's track "Wanna Be My Daddy" is a grunge-rock reminder to not give a fuck about what others think of your sexuality.

It's an anthem for every small-town kid who wants to feel comfortable and confident with their identity, despite the judgements of others. We got the chance to chat with the band about the track below.

via Mystic Peach

Malaika for Also Cool: Hi! Hope you're all holding up the best you can. How would you describe yourselves to those who don't know you?

Curtis for Mystic Peach: I don't think we've ever sat down to think about it, but here's a list we've gathered in the past few years- Melodic Pop, Psych Pop, Psych Rock, Space Rock, Noise Rock, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Grunge and some others. So take your pick, but, at our last show, the sound engineer called us Psych-Punk, which we like.

Also Cool: Let's get into your origin story. How did you all become friends and get into music? 

Mystic Peach: Curtis and Joe went to the same school and had worked on a few projects together throughout the years. We went through many phases that were all enjoyable, but looking back, it was all very confusing. One minute we were recording loud droney stoner music, and then the next week, we'll be recording Mac DeMarco-Esque guitar pop. I don't think either of us knew what we wanted. 

I just felt like we were going nowhere, and I wanted to actually find the strengths in my voice and guitar playing. I vanished for a while, and not many people could get hold of me unless they actually came to my house. 

Shortly after the vanishing trick, Jimi and I met down at the pub through mutual friends and started talking about music and bands. I was astonished that Jimi wasn't in a band. We both knew of each other through previous bands, so it was a chance to woo him with my songs and get things going. After two years of not really speaking, I got in contact with Joe to ask if he wanted to give this project a go. To my surprise and with little reluctance, he said yes. 

Now we're all friends doing some pretty cool stuff and playing music that we like. We're very lucky that we actually like each other.

AC: What's the local music scene like where you're from, and what role did it play in getting you into music-making? Were there any venues or spaces in particular that made you want to be a part of the scene?

MP: I would say it's healthy, there's plenty of interest, and locals are willing to give bands a listen. I wouldn't particularly say there was a specific local scene we wanted to be part of; perhaps we just wanted to shake the whole thing up a bit. I think as long as you get on with fellow bands and those in the music community making things happen in the city, that's all that matters, really. 

We have venues like Joiners, Heartbreakers and The 1865 in Southampton, and Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth. We wanted to play them after seeing some of our favourite bands perform there. The promoters are always looking for new music, which keeps the city's music scene in a good state.

AC: I've noticed during the quarantine that people seem to be more and more comfortable with their sexuality and sense of self. You've mentioned that the track tackles the discomfort that others can feel because of your sexuality. How did you come to terms with your personal identities and find confidence in that part of yourselves?

MP: I never really thought I was doing anything that grown adults would need to comment on. It seems that some people bring that 'school kid mentality' into adulthood. But at the end of the day, who cares? You do you. If someone has a problem with whatever it is about you, let them simmer in their own discontent. We all have a very honest set of friends that like each other because we connect... Not because we have a mutual hobby of being a dick head.

AC: How do you find inspiration for your music? Who and what are you inspired by?

MP: We've all put our two pence in on our sound through individual influences. Anything from shoegaze (My Bloody Valentine, DIIV, Slowdive) to punk (Sex Pistols, Black Flag) and 60's garage to 70's rock. More recent influencers are the likes of Yak, FIDLAR and Peace. 

As for subjects, it seems to be based around mental state and social commentary. Sometimes it comes from personal experiences, what we've read, or sometimes just people-watching. Cult films (The Warriors, Pulp Fiction, Clock Work Orange) are a big part of this band too!

AC: Delving into some pre-pandemic nostalgia real quick, what's your favourite memory from playing live/being on tour?

MP: Our most recent and last pre-pandemic memory was our tour with Temples in France in March. It got cut short after three shows, but we all loved it. It was the most fun we had, and we savoured every moment. Playing in Paris to 1,000 people was a highlight and definitely something that brought us closer together because we're cute like that. 

But all in all, just being able to rehearse when we want. Going to the pub, going away to random places together, and getting drunk in hot tubs or in the middle of a field. We miss each other, and I'm sure that's the case for most bands.

AC: Who are some local artists or creative friends who you think deserve more hype?

MP: Defcon Lawless. Unreal talent, fantastic lyricist and incredible music taste. We could talk to him for hours about music and life. Originally from America, but he's ours now; they can't have him back.

Also, our long-term friend and talented artist, James Digweed. He's done art for our last two singles and for our upcoming EP. A true weirdo, a visionary, and we truly love him. 

AC: What are you looking forward to this year? Any upcoming projects?

MP: We're looking forward to releasing our EP this year and having more than just singles out there. We're unsure of timing due to the pandemic, but we're making plans as we speak. We're crossing our fingers for before summer, but we also know that it might happen later than that. 

If the virus starts settling down here, it looks like autumn could be a pretty busy time with shows and rescheduled releases. Intense but exciting for us. An act at our level relies on live shows so much for engaging with new & existing fans. No better feeling. Can't wait to get on that stage again!

AC: Closing out here, is there anything you want to shout out or promote? 

MP: Be safe, be kind to each other, don't shit on each other's opinions and respect people's views even though they may be different from yours. Marmite is better than Vegemite, and if you disagree, then you are wrong.

Thanks for speaking with us, and we're over at @mysticpeachh on all socials. 

Watch Wanna Be My Daddy? below

Malaika Astorga is the co-founder of Also Cool. She is a Mexican-Canadian visual artist, writer, and social media specialist, currently based in Montreal.

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