Tonight: BACKXWASH Invites Us to Celebrate New Album "I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses" at Suoni Il Per Popolo

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BACKXWASH by Chachi Revah

It’s suffice to say that that most exciting day of the month (of 2021 in its entirety?!) has finally arrived. This is not a drill: underground princess BACKXWASH has just shared her brand new self-released album I Lie Here Buried With My Rings and My Dresses. Following her 2020 Polaris Prize winning album God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It, I Lie Here “features BACKXWASH as an empress of chaos on a path of self-destruction,” complete with her signature industrial-hip-hop-meets-thrash backdrop, introspective bars and candid narratives; all in their most confrontational and unapologetic form yet. With I Lie Here, BACKXWASH claims her title as contemporary hip-hop’s greatest force to be reckoned with, and we are celebrating her reign.

Tonight, BACKXWASH headlines Suoni Per Il Popolo - Day 18, performing I Lie Here from start to finish via the festival’s livestream at 9:30 PM EST. BACKXWASH was kind enough to make time for us to chat about her upcoming premiere and give us the inside scoop on everything from what she’s spinning to stay in the right headspace, to a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her I Lie Here performance. Read our conversation with our hero, BACKXWASH, below.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hi Ashanti! Thank you endlessly for making time to chat with Also Cool during such a whirlwind of a week! How are you leading up to your album launch show on Suoni Per Il Popolo?

BACKXWASH: Thank you so much! We’ve been busy preparing everything we are very stoked to show everyone what we have planned!

Rebecca L. Judd for Also Cool: If you can give us some insight into tonight’s program — where will you be leading us?

B: Sunday will be a performance piece for the album. It was directed by Mechant and shot by the Suoni team. It looks very beautiful to me and I hope everyone likes it! We will be diving into the album from front to back.

All behind-the-scenes shots by Cameron Mitchell

R - AC: We feel like a huge part of preparing for a big event is getting in the right headspace. You’re no stranger to providing song recs on Twitter — and we can’t get enough!  What are you spinning these days to stay inspired, or maybe grounded, while managing all of the anticipation surrounding your release? 

B: These days I am mostly into Godflesh, Nine Inch Nails, Censored Dialogue, who just had an album drop, and some Rural Internet! All very, very solid releases.

R - AC: Among your collaborators on I Lie Here is the incomparable Sad13, of noise-pop outfit Speedy Ortiz. Seeing your friendship blossom has been such a treat. 

How did this come about, and how was your experience collaborating together? 

It was great! Sadie is extremely talented and I was very honored to have her as one of the features on this album. Working together has been an amazing experience.

Z - AC: On the topic of music releases: we saw that the Polaris Long List dropped this week, and were instantly reminded of your win last year… Which still feels like it was yesterday? I Lie Here continues your streak of vulnerability that you paved with your previous releases in many ways. How do you preserve your wellbeing when sharing these emotions with a growing audience? 

B: There is nothing else I can do aside from be authentic. If I want to speak to truth on record, I should not be bothered by the growing audience. I am happy that people are listening - it still trips me out incredibly!

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BACKXWASH by Chachi Revah

Z - AC: Have there been any particular takeaways or realizations on reckoning with these raw feelings on I Lie Here?

B: My main takeaway is just based on the creation of music itself. A lot of insight into layering and just making songs more fuller. I am ecstatic!

Z - AC: With that being said, these experiences have nonetheless culminated into the realization of I Lie Here. How are you planning to celebrate this latest venture, and what does the future hold for you, Ashanti?

B: I am planning to celebrate with Mechant! They have helped me a lot through this and they are just generally amazing as a collaborator and friend. We will be hanging and watching the livestream. We are excited to see how it is going to turn out!

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Elle Barbara Shares Suoni TV Special, Stories of Community-Building, Learning to Rest & More

Elle Barbara is known in many circles, whether it be in Montreal or internationally, as a creator of worlds. Constantly carving out space for herself and other queer Black artists and individuals, her reach has pushed the community to evolve through self-reflection and acceptance. 

Elle's efforts not only revolve around her creative practice but also LGBTQ+ community organizing. This includes Taking What We Need (a grassroots group whose mission is to grant discretionary funds to low-income trans women) and Montreal's nascent ballroom scene.

She is the Mother of the House of Barbara, and her musical output alternately combines elements of soul, sophisti-pop, psychedelia, glam, and underground. Elle once again invites us into her world with Elle Barbara's TV Special, an experimental variety show set to air tonight, June 17, 2021, at 8 PM EST on Suoni TV.

To speak with Elle was an absolute privilege. We covered her upcoming special, the community building she's done over the years, and so much more.

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: How do you like to be described as an artist?

Elle Barbara: I think of myself as a singer-songwriter, as a performance artist, multidisciplinary artist, something of a pinup, definitely a thinker, director, a mother, and an intervention worker. 

I came on the scene first as a singer, and my musical practice has always veered on the holistic approach of fashion, drama, interviews and performance. I used to care more about my standing in the world, on the scene, and that sort of changed. It took on a different form as I grew as an artist and a person as I moved into my transgender power.

Also Cool: What was the scene like when you first came into it?

Elle: Well, I found the scene to my liking was very racist. I would give it all the "ists" compared to what it is today. 

It's easier to have a grounding for, say, Black queers looking to do something artistic and can't find their footing in the Village scene, to try out the Plateau-Mile End creative scene. It's easier to get a footing now. You get a sense of other people being there and the broader community wanting to hear from voices that we historically have not heard from.  Whereas, when I first came on the scene, hardly anyone was Black, let alone queer and Black. 

I found the culture to be very matter of fact about its whiteness and its cis hereto-ness. So, it wasn't easy to carve out space and perform. I've been turned down when trying to book shows in popular venues. It's not to say that it was the same people running those spaces today, but it was impossible for me to even book a show at a regular venue. I had to resort to afterhours spots and to ask for 20-40$ to do a performance. 

Elle Barbara by Fatine-Violette Sabiri & Anna Arrobas

AC: What has it been like to create your own spaces over the years? 

E: There's definitely been a shift in people's level of openness. It was very hard initially, and although it may be buzzwordy, a lot of it stemmed from intersectionality. 

I came from a place of wanting to express myself artistically. However, I feared that I would be met with antagonism in the broader Black cishet-leaning community and the more mainstream gay community. On the other hand, I felt like the pseudo-radical leftist progressive Plateau-Mile End community was an oasis of open-mindedness and hope. Little did I know, I was not prepared for the rude awakening I got when entering certain spaces. I realized that there was an intrinsic whiteness attached to it, which I guess wasn't ready for me to participate. 

That's not to say that the experience was entirely negative because clearly, that's where my roots are. I was grateful to come across many people who wanted to help me and collaborate with me. 

As far as how different it feels today, I would say that I have to celebrate myself and the work of other people who were active in their respective scenes. For example, those who spearheaded the Black Lives Matter movement pushed for conversations that benefited people who lived at the intersection of multiple oppressions to be heard and included. 

It's definitely created a socio-cultural landscape that benefited me and benefited people who are coming up on the scene and want to be heard and want a platform. Obviously, all the work isn't done, but it feels, from my perspective — coming from ten years ago — like a better place now. 

AC: I agree. Although we've clearly come such a long way, it's still essential to acknowledge the different privileges we hold. Even though we may be oppressed in some ways, we have to hold ourselves accountable in others, especially when it comes to whiteness. The work is ongoing.

When you're someone who's constantly paving the way and making your own spaces, it's hard to rest, especially when it might feel like, "If you don't do it, then who will?” So I'm wondering how you've learned to rest and ask for and accept help from others. 

E: It can be hard; coming from a place of not being used to external help and showing vulnerability. I grew up understanding that I would be left to my own devices. I don't come from a family of open-minded bougie bohemian types. I grew up understanding that the world is incredibly and outwardly antagonizing towards me. It was not okay to be myself or confide in people, be vulnerable to people, and ask for help. 

So it's kind of inevitable that I'll resort to certain defence mechanisms when it comes to allowing myself to rest, breathe, and take care of myself. These are things that I've been working on, thanks to very good friends of mine, therapy, and my sons and daughters. So, I allow myself to do those things a bit more now. 

It's not a question that you can answer easily. On the one end, there is a feeling that very few people can do the work that I started doing. But on the other end, at this point, being myself and being public is an act of activism. It encourages people to live their own Black queer truth, perhaps. I see a will in my daughters to be out in the world and do things, and I feel much more confident that I'm not the only person to undertake what I've done. So now, if a ball should be thrown, or someone should be looked after, I can look to my sisters and daughters and ask them to take it on.

AC: It is hard to say no to things, especially after you haven't been included for so long.

E: It is. Coming from a scarcity mindset, feeling like you're not going to have enough food tomorrow. I say that both literally and figuratively. Coming from a place of insecurity can push you to say yes to everything.

It's what I went through coming back from a year in Paris and feeling tremendously dejected right at the tail end of 2014. I spent most of 2015 pretty depressed and with no sense of trajectory as to where my life was going. 

Then I decided to transition, and it just clicked. I tried it out, knowing that the things that I needed to purchase in the context of that transition were so expensive. I hustled six days a week for years on end without ever taking vacation time. I'm proud of how I went about it, but I also realize that it's not a healthy place to be in for an extended period of time. 

Even if it's achieving a certain level of recognition, I saw other people who weren't more this or that than me. But, still, the attention they got was indicative of a zeitgeist that rewards normativity that I did not have. 

Looking back, I'm not bitter at all. On the contrary, I'm proud of the new music I have coming out and this special. Still, it's clear that if I had had a more conventional and coded presentation, my story would've been very different. 

AC: For sure, and at least from my perspective, it seems that many people respect and appreciate you for the path you took and appreciate you for being yourself.

E: I am proud. I'm proud of my daughters and my community and how we are growing collectively and individually. 

AC: Coming out of the pandemic, it seems like life is beginning to spark again within the creative scene. What is your most hopeful vision for the community coming out of this?

E: Creatively, I hope that people have been able to reimagine ways to communicate or disseminate their art to an audience. I don't know if that will happen, but it's definitely a process I've undertaken myself. Not to replace IRL forms of artistic presentation, those are always fun because they make for such beautiful ways in which humans get to come together and socialize. 

I hope that it will have pushed people to move into creative mental spaces, unlike how we were doing things before the pandemic. I would also hope for people to take human touch and interaction for granted. I think that, if anything, and not just from an artistic standpoint. It's going to be one of the takeaways; it really feels nice to do a show or be in a room with many people, enjoying the fruit of one's artistic labour.

AC: Let's talk about your special. It really seems like you've created yet another world, and I'd like to learn more about it. 

E: The special is going to be so much fun! I had so much fun watching the different segments and everything.

Suoni has decided to do their programming online this year and asked me to come up with content. There's only so much that can be communicated with a filmed musical performance, and I really wanted to push the envelope and make it a variety show.

I know that the idea is not very rock and roll or whatever; it's not the cool thing to do. But, it harks back to American Bandstand, those 60s/70s variety shows where there were sketches and music. I really wanted to go there. It was an opportunity for me as a curator to dream up with the help of collaborators one hour of "television" programming. It's set in a parallel universe, where everything is related to Elle or the House of Barbara. There are interviews; Tranna Wintour, my favourite comedian in Montreal, will interview me very Barbara Walters-style. There are musical performances, music videos, and commercials made explicitly for that hour of entertainment. 

AC: A sentiment I've heard from many people is that making these online events exactly like real life doesn't quite work like we hoped it would. Instead, people are taking this new medium and pushing it like you are. 

I'm also a big believer in the power of the Internet. I say this as someone who works in social media and is exhausted by it, but loves it because of the friendships and connections it has brought into my life. So for specials like this, there will always be someone who has that experience of inspiration and connection. 

E: For sure. Many people in my house are connected because of social media; otherwise, we'd be scattered all over. The beauty of doing the special is that we're simultaneously launching new music. It's not limited by the confines of the cities and venues; it can reach so many people beyond that.  

It has its pros and cons, but I definitely do not knock the Internet. We talked about social justice, and it (the Internet) definitely helped me understand the mechanisms of oppression affecting me. It informed the people who were oblivious to the oppressions they were perpetuating. That is all because of the Internet. 

AC: Even reflecting on the crowdsourcing and fundraising purely through Instagram, for example, it's been incredible. It's more important than ever to use these tools to continue to support each other and share information. I hope that it's something that we bring into this next era beyond the pandemic. 

E: The Internet has this viral nature where it's easier to influence as an individual with a standing that isn't solidified by powerful media. You can be a mini influencer, and therein lies the power to influence people to donate and do the right thing. 

You can watch Elle Barbara's TV Special on June 17, 2021, at 8PM EST on Suoni TV. 

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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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NYC's koleżanka Releases Video for "In A Meeting" & Shares Stories of Phoenix, Polka Clubs & Favourite Memories

koleżanka by Michael Fuller

How do you find a sense of home in a new city? To leave an old life behind and begin a new one is an anxiety-inducing and transformative process that Phoenix-born and NYC-based singer koleżanka has mastered.

Today she shares her new video for In A Meeting off of her upcoming LP Place Is, which is set to be released via Bar/None on July 30th. The track deals with the all too familiar feeling of what to do when your social anxiety becomes your inner monologue.

We spoke with koleżanka about the many places she’s called home, her favourite memories and dreams, and more.

Malaika Astorga for Also Cool: Hi Kristina, it's nice to e-meet you. Can you tell us a bit about the place you currently call home and what you love most about it?

Kristina: Nice to e-meet you! I currently live in Brooklyn and have been here for about three years now. I love New York City as a home for the reasons why I think many people do - good food everywhere and so many places to go see. The things I love most about it are its opposites to where I grew up in Arizona. While AZ is landlocked, here, I am surrounded by rivers and the ocean. There are four distinct seasons, each with its own unique smells and sites and feelings conjured upon their arrival. I prefer to travel on foot rather than drive to each destination. It helps me slow down (though I am actually an impossibly fast walker) and makes me feel like an actual fixture in space. 

Also Cool: How did music enter your life? What kind of music did you listen to growing up, and how did that transform into your own music-making?

K: Neither of my parents were musical though my mom is an excellent dancer. But my mom's dad and his whole family are very musically and artistically inclined. When I was about five, we lived with him for a short time. When he'd babysit us, he would have my brother and I sing on his karaoke machine. I think things just evolved from there. I ended up singing "Frosty the Snowman" that year for his Polka club's Christmas party, and my mom eventually signed me up for piano lessons. 

I picked up his grandfather's accordion right after high school and taught myself how to play. A lot of the 3/4 waltz-time signatures employed by Polka and by the stylings of learning the accordion that way informed my writing and still does today.

I started getting into punk around the end of middle school and into high school. It was important for me to see women in my favourite bands like The Cramps, Bikini Kill, and Vice Squad. Even Gwen Stefani in early No Doubt revealed the possibilities of power to me and how I could harness my own. 

AC: I'm always interested in local music / creative scenes. Was there a scene in the different places you lived? What was it like?

K: I started playing some shows and busking in a folk-punk band in Phoenix when I was 19, then moved to Omaha for about a year. When I returned, the music scene in Phoenix felt electrified. I was living in Tempe going to college at the time, and there were house shows abound and dance parties in backyards. Unfortunately, there weren't many medium-sized venues to play, so most things centred around DIY spaces downtown, makeshift house venues or strange bars throughout the metropolitan area. 

We would spend every weekend at Long Wong's in Tempe for whatever friend had a monthly residency. The Trunk Space was the apex of the arts community in Phoenix, a haven for all. For the most part, I felt the scene was supportive, not very competitive throughout the years. It was rare to me that you'd see a band trying to "be" anything. A lot of folks just came as they were, and in my opinion, some of the best bands I've ever seen were Phoenix bands. Being surrounded by the desolation of heat, endless space, and depressing track home developments only encourages a thriving community of wonderfully weird and innovative makers. They are all trying to reinvent their space out of necessity and find safety in their expression. 

AC: I love how you describe your memories. I really relate to having an in-between existence, and I also hold on to vivid memories after struggling with PTSD-related disassociation. One of my favourite things is to think of special moments, similar to how you described 7th ave, Darlings and Barton Springs. Can you tell us a bit more about each one of those memories and why you chose to focus on those moments in particular?

K: Thank you for sharing! I think it's so important to develop those tools for grounding. 

I wrote the lyrics while back in Phoenix the last Christmas before the pandemic hit. I was walking from 7th st to 7th ave on Roosevelt, home to an essential and transformative Phoenix arts community that has slowly been displaced to foreign-invested luxury development. I was walking and thinking about all the times I had walked or driven through there for the past fifteen years. It felt familiar even though so much had changed. I started thinking about "place" and "home," and the other two memories mentioned felt most determining in parcelling out definitions. 

I have a memory of going to Darlings after getting off work serving in Tribeca. I had just settled into the first few months of really living in NYC without touring and visiting Phoenix and found myself overwhelmed by the brevity of time and all the places I had been that past year. Without even thinking, I found myself fully sprinting home, this new home, like it was the only way to expel that energy. 

The other memory of Barton Springs was this beautiful day on tour, serendipitously running into another band we had previously toured with and going down to the water together. A rope was tied to the top of a tree, and people were trying to see how high they could climb before swinging back into the water. I have gone to the springs almost every time I am in Austin on tour, and therefore it feels constant to me during those periods of constantly moving. 

AC: How have you been able to find a sense of home throughout all of the different places and spaces you've experienced?

K: My instinct is to say "time and familiarity," but I don't necessarily think that's always true. There are many unfamiliarities while travelling that I find exciting and even comforting, and that feel like a home place. There is a discovery of home in people I feel safe with and establishing a home within myself. This has been the most important place for me recently. Maybe that is how I find a sense of home elsewhere if that makes sense. 

AC: Who are you listening to right now? Any local artists or friends who you think deserve more recognition?

K: So a thing about me…I don't actually listen to music that often. I know it sounds silly, but I feel really easily overwhelmed by music sometimes. I can be too stimulating, emotionally or otherwise. I used to listen a lot while driving or on the train, but now I don't travel like that as much. I tend to enjoy the sounds of the city while walking. I like when you can hear overtones and harmonies between dissonant or ambiguous city sounds. 

BUT there are a ton of artists I wish one million people could hear; I really don't know where to begin! My bandmate Ark is a wild multi-instrumentalist and plays as Like Diamonds. They write about sci-fi, technology, and time and are so exciting to see live. Herbert Walker's Francis Bartolomeo is one of the best writers I think I have ever heard; that band is a true gem. Alassane creates compositions that will blow your mind; I don't know how he does it. Gabi Jr. is a favourite. They just put out a song a month or two ago that I listened to incessantly as I was driving around Phoenix during my first visit back since being vaccinated. I think it captures so much of the sentiment of cruising around when it first starts getting warm after spring. They are also a sometimes member of the koleżanka live band in Phx. Anna See also makes appearances as the koleżanka bassist. They are one of my favourite guitar players (and bassists); I truly cannot wait to see what they make next. There are new bands/artists out of Phoenix now that are so cool, like Glixen and Veronica Everheart. Also not an AZ or NYC local, but I do listen to RNIE quite often. Lamont makes music I can comfortably do just about anything (or nothing at all) to and feels both moving and soothing.

AC: Tell us a bit about your upcoming album and what you have planned for 2021.

K: When I started this iteration of solo work in 2016, a lot of writing was centred around personal musings and catharsis, or deep and sometimes painful exploration of parts of self as a genesis for music. I was also exploring creatively what I wanted and enjoyed about instruments that were fairly new to me, like guitar and drum machines. 

I started writing some of the earliest material for this new record in December 2018 after coming off a tour. Ark and I finished almost everything for it in March of 2020, right before the pandemic hit. This record is a divergence in that I was feeling more confident as a musician and ready to truly just have some fun and push myself into more sonic exploration.

I'm just so excited for the record to live in the world after all this time! But, I'm not sure what the rest of 2021 will hold. It was so amazing to tour again. I absolutely love touring, but that still feels like such a difficult thing to navigate. After last year, a part of me wants to wait to allow things to happen rather than forcing the hand. 

AC: Last but not least, can you share one of your favourite memories or dreams with us?

K: There was a dream I had some years ago that I can still remember vividly. There was a channel of water running underneath a canopy of trees that arched over it. There were houses with gardens that faced the water on one side of the channel, and an ocean sat on the other side. I was soaring over the channel and underneath the canopy, slowly shifting downward to touch the water, then floating back up again. I suppose I felt like a bird, but I don't remember anything about my body in the dream, or maybe my body was never actualized. All I remember was feeling wholly calm. I thought of nothing, just repeating the motion of touching the water and rising again, and the world around me felt very serene. It is one of my favourite dreams.

Watch “In A Meeting” below

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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.

C-Pop Duo Chinese American Bear Celebrates Mixed Cultures, DIY Music & Dumplings

Via Chinese American Bear

If you grew up mixed, you probably know the feeling of always being "in-between," or never enough of one culture or the other. I'm Mexican and Polish and grew up constantly looking for other people like me, trying my best to navigate my complicated and ever-evolving relationship with my identity. That's why when I found Chinese American Bear, I was so excited to not only love their bright and upbeat music but also to relate to the shared experience of being proud of all aspects of a mixed identity. 

Their name speaks for itself. Chinese American Bear is a bubbly C-Pop duo (Bryce and Anne) creating Chinese / English tunes that bring together their cultural experiences and backgrounds. It also turns out that Bryce is half-Mexican as well! The power of the Internet continues to amaze me. 

Anyways, I had the chance to interview the iconic duo about their music, their lovely origin story, and more!

Malaika for Also Cool: Let's start with the band's origin story. You two are married, so I'm interested to know how you met and when you decided to start making music together.

Anne: Yeah - happy to start at the very beginning. We actually met in high school in Spokane, WA! I was a senior, and he was a junior, and we were both in jazz band at the time. His best childhood friend Bryan was my neighbour, and he would come to pick me up in the mornings for jazz band. Bryan eventually introduced me to Bryce, and we've been inseparable ever since. Bryce actually grew up on a llama farm in Spokane, and our first date was petting and feeding the llamas. (laughs)

Bryce: Yeah, that was a real winner date. I think I used the llamas to get her to like me (laughs). As for the band's origin, the idea of the band came at a more tumultuous time in our life.

We were living in a small apartment in Brooklyn, NY and I was generally feeling boxed in by my music pursuits at the time. I wanted a new outlet of expression that was less serious because I was starting to focus too much on perfection and processes, which caused some of my creativity to feel stale. We were also getting ready to move to Chicago because Anne was about to pursue her MBA at UChicago Booth Business School -- so I knew my past 10 years in New York were coming to an end. That was very difficult to swallow.

On top of that, Anne was teaching me Mandarin, and she had always told me that "Chinese is a tonal language, so speak it like you're singing," so the language was on my mind. We were (mostly me) going a little crazy with all the transition and changes going on, and I kind of snapped. I had a bit of a "fuck it" moment and started to break down a lot of the creative walls I built up around myself. The walls that tell you that you need to do things this way or that way. I started to experiment with new sounds, ideas and wrote a song in Chinese. I showed Anne one of the songs (Xiao Xiong). I told her I had this crazy idea for this pop duo band where we'd write really fun, unadulterated, positive music using Chinese and English. She loved it, and we just started riffing back and forth about ridiculous song ideas, wearing wigs, outfits, lyric ideas, we'd beatbox in the apartment, etc. It was one of the most creatively explosive times for me. We were kids again. No limits, no filters. Magic!

AT: Yeah, it's been so much fun. I remember him playing Xiao Xiong for the first time, and we were dancing all around the apartment. I think we were taking videos of each other dancing too, pretending we were shooting a music video. (laughs)

BB: And it's still like that, which is crazy. And I don't know if this would have happened if it wasn't for all the uncertainty and chaos going on at the time. So it's a good reminder about all the positive things that can come from these negative experiences. 

AT: Indeed. And the band name came from us always calling each other bears (or Xiong in Chinese) as cute pet names. So Chinese American Bear felt fitting. 

Also Cool: How did the band in its current form come about, and how has your music changed over time?

BB: It hasn't evolved much, honestly, other than finding where we want this first record to live musically. We developed a philosophy for this project which I touched on before, and we're still living by it. We feel like children when working on this project, and I think people can feel that. We like fart jokes, and we want to write songs about dumplings!

AC: Your project celebrates your cultural backgrounds, which I'm sure has been influenced by your experience being an interracial couple. Can you tell us a bit more about this aspect of the project and how it's affected your creative process?

AT: Yeah, absolutely. My parents are Chinese immigrants, and I experienced a pretty typical Chinese American upbringing, a home environment that incorporated both cultures. One of Bryce's grandmothers was an immigrant from Mexico, so he's had some cultural exposure to our neighbour down south, but for the most part, Bryce has had a very all-American upbringing. So our cultural differences have been a huge part of our relationship. We've had conflicts from our different communication styles, comedic moments from differences in assumptions and expectations. 

Still, most of all, it's brought us very close together as we learn from and grow with each other. One funny bit is how Bryce was accustomed to a home environment with more sugar coating, daily pleasantries, and sensitivity to everyone's feelings. In contrast, my parents have a typical Chinese directness with how they communicate with family members. So when we first started going out, I'd tell Bryce something like, "your shirt is ugly," and it'd just rip him in half emotionally. 

BB: Yeah, that really crushed me. Haha. I'm an emotional man. It was such a stark difference to how I communicated, and it took a while to get used to. I had to stop thinking that I was being maliciously attacked or something.

AT: Also, because of our cultural differences, my parents were very unaccepting of Bryce initially. Being the conservative Chinese immigrants that they are, they were really hoping for a future son-in-law who was an Asian American doctor from an Ivy League school. Instead, what they got was a white musician who went to art school. They had a very difficult time accepting Bryce in the beginning, and it went on for years. In the end, they saw Bryce's true heart, actions, and intentions, and it stopped mattering what his career choice was or what he looked like on the outside. He's also very ambitious and works extremely hard, which my parents have come to appreciate.

BB: Yeah, it was tough. It's amazing how much we've learned from each other because of it. I've come to understand why her parents felt that way, their experience immigrating to the US, their struggles, and it quickly became understandable and well-intentioned. I feel so lucky to have learned this new perspective in my lifetime. 

AT: Yeah. And today, my parents love him as their own son. So I'm very grateful for that. And also grateful to get to navigate an interracial relationship with Bryce. As for our creative process, the music we create is meant to reflect the unique dynamic we've found as an interracial couple. We're both very silly by nature and have had so much fun incorporating our cultural backgrounds into our music, like making Dumplings with Bryce for the first time. 

AC: What are your musical backgrounds? What was the creative scene like where you're from?

AT: I grew up studying classical music. When I was six years old, I started playing the violin - quickly learned that wasn't my thing (much to the relief of my parent's ears) and switched to the piano when I was seven. I performed in concerts and competitions throughout my childhood and adolescent years and eventually minored in piano performance in college. After graduation, I moved to NYC and joined an amateur classical music organization and continued playing in small recitals with friends. I still try and play whenever I'm around a piano.

BB: I grew up studying classical and jazz piano, though not to the extent of Anne's training. Then switched to guitar around age 12. Played the saxophone as well. I started forming bands and recording on my little Mbox around then. I got my first pair of crappy monitors when I was 17 and became obsessed. I feel like that was when I got completely engulfed in songwriting and recording, and it hasn't changed. I moved to New York when I was 18 and played in a few bands, made some records, went on a few small tours, and collected more instruments and recording gear. I took some engineering lessons from an engineer I really admire (Greg Giorgio from Tarquin Studios). After that, I just watched every producer and engineer I worked with like a hawk. 

AC: What's it been like being 100% DIY? Do you have any advice for other artists who are just starting out?

BB: Being 100% DIY is incredible and freeing, and very fulfilling. It's a ton of work, though (laughs). That being said, there's a lot of value in working with and hiring professionals or going into a studio. 

My advice would be to just buy a little interface and mic and make as much music as possible (DM us if you need suggestions!). Then, spend 10% of your time watching videos and learning, and the rest actually doing it. On top of that, save some money for studio time, or work with people with more experience. Watch them closely, and ask them questions. Look for a mentor. But yeah, number one is to just do it every day and slowly build your skills and confidence. 

Find your voice, find the magic of recording music, and don't follow all the rules. If you don't enjoy recording music, and you only like songwriting, that's ok! Get involved in the community and find people to complement your skills. Also, for music videos - grab your iPhone, and learn an editing program! We've recorded all our videos using an iPhone.

AT: Bryce's mom and dad helped shoot our first music video. In one of the scenes, we're walking down an empty road near Bryce's llama farm, and it was shot with Bryce's dad holding an iPhone while sitting on the back of a pickup truck with Bryce's mom driving the truck. (laughs)

Still from CHINESE AMERICAN BEAR - 好吗 (Hao Ma) [Official Music Video]

AC: Tell us about your vinyl postcards for 好吗 (Hao Ma). Can we play them on a record player? Send them in the mail to a loved one? All of the above?

AT: Yup - our vinyl postcards are meant to be a fun memento to collect. They're literally in the shape of a rectangular postcard, but you can play it on your record player, and it has our single Hao Ma on it. You can order it online and send it to yourself or to someone else as a gift. We also include a personalized note that's written by one of us! Shout out to Josh from Vinyl Post. 

AC: Are you involved in any other creative projects? If so, can you tell us a bit about them?

BB: I have my debut solo record coming out early next year under the moniker Milk Jennings. One of my favourite artists Sam Cohen, produced it, and I'm super excited about it! I have some crazy music videos in the works for it. I'm also an animator and have animated some stuff for Ashe recently. Big fan of hers!

Still from CHINESE AMERICAN BEAR - 好吗 (Hao Ma) [Official Music Video]

AC: Who are some musicians/artists in your scene who you think deserve more recognition?

BB: There are a lot of amazing artists from Taiwan/China that we've discovered. Some already have a pretty big following around Asia, but not as much appreciation in thie states. Bands like The Fur., Huan Huan, deca joins, Wayne's so Sad, and The Chairs. All so incredible. Also, Tommy Pixel is a good friend who is really pushing new ground both musically and visually. He's one of the best. 

AC: Finally, what's the best way to support Chinese American Bear right now?

AT: The best way to support us is to listen to our music on YouTube or Spotify! We'd also appreciate you subscribing to any of our channels and/or following us on Instagram to keep updated on new music. Our vinyl is available on Bandcamp. Links below!

BB: Tell your friends and family. We have a full-length record we're almost finished with as well, so stay tuned. Oh, and we have free stickers that we ship worldwide. DM us!

Chinese American Bear

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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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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

Instagram | Facebook | 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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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.”

 - - -

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

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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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