Beyond The Stage Magazine - June 2022 by Beyond the Stage Magazine

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BEYOND THE STAGE

BEYOND the stage

STAFF

ADDIE WHELAN

EDITOR IN CHIEF

GINA SCARPINO MANAGING EDITOR

JOE HERNANDEZ DEPUTY EDITOR

MARISSA SANDOVAL

PROJECT MANAGER

ABHIGYAAN BARARIA COPY EDITOR

AMANDA RESTAINO

DEPUTY EDITOR + INTERN DIRECTOR

CHELSEA GRESH PHOTO EDITOR

SENIOR CONTRIBUTORS

Beyond The Stage is a digital music magazine based in the United States. You can read Beyond The Stage online for free or visit our website to buy a hard copy. Previous issues are always available to read online or order in print. For Feature & Show Inquiries: awhelan@beyondthestagemagazine.com For advertising inquiries: ads@beyondthestagemagazine.com

Read the latest news at: BTS 2 WWW.BEYONDTHESTAGEMAGAZINE.COM

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Buy a print copy of ANY issue at: https://btsmag.co/PrintBTS

Ari Battis Blake Charles Chelsea Gresh Gina Scarpino Joe Hernandez Loren Toney Marissa Kaye Quinn Beaupre Sarah Rodriguez

WRITERS

Revisit our previous issues at: https://btsmag.co/Issues

Alyssa Buzzello Dana Jacobs Marlowe Teichman Paulina Levitan

Addie Whelan Amanda Restaino Ari Battis Joe Hernandez

@BTSMAG

TABLE OF

CONTENTS ON THE COVER

GALLERIES

FEATURES

22 THE BAND CAMINO

08 Bahari 16 Set It Off 30 Mansionair 38 Crawlers

04 dodie 05 Bleachers 06 Magdalena Bay 07 Clairo 12 LIGHTS 13 Sigrid 14 Hippo Campus 15 Aly & AJ 20 girl in red 21 Ashe 28 Cavetown 29 GAYLE 34 Wolf Alice 35 Easy Life 36 Nilufer Yanya 37 badflower 42 Passenger 43 Suki Waterhouse THE BAND CAMINO ON THE COVER

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DODIE

DANA JACOBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MARCH 2022

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BLEACHERS

ALYSSA BUZZELLO - BOSTON, MA - MARCH 2022

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MAGDALENA BAY BLAKE CHARLES - PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 2022

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CLAIRO

DANA JACOBS - OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 2022

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BAHARI:

BANDMATES AND BEST FRIENDS PHOTOS BY MARLOWE TEICHMAN | WORDS BY PAULINA LEVITAN BTS

Natalia Panzarella and Ruby Carr first met at age 15, and thus began their beautiful bond over their shared love of pop music.

would often listen to unknown artists from Europe as well and began playing the piano once she started school.

“It’s kind of crazy because we really didn’t grow up together,” Carr said. “It’s kind of like we’re sisters by choice.”

“The rest was history,” Carr said.

She feels they constantly inspire each other with life experiences and stories, and root for each whether on or off the stage. The crossing of their paths at 15 is the reason we are blessed today with Bahari. Before blossoming into the friends and bandmates they are today, the two experienced their separate musical childhoods. Panzarella was raised in Nashville, surrounded by music, especially by her own mother who was a country artist. She would watch her mom during sessions and while playing live and think to herself, “Oh my gosh, I want to do this so badly.” Carr describes being “obsessed with music” when she was a kid as well. She would constantly listen to artists such as Fleetwood Mac, The Beatles and Tupac. She

After years of making music in their usual recording studio, the two moved in together during COVID-19 due to the studio shutting down. This was a pivotal time given the duo began making music from their own home. They would “write music every day, record coverage for TikTok and have a lot of fun” all from their own living room home studio, Panzarella said. Bahari’s latest single “Hot Mess” involved a fun and spontaneous process that the two enjoyed, working alongside singer/ songwriter Yoshi Flower. They began with a solid bassline and took turns freestyling over the track. This differed from their usual writing style which made the process that much more exciting. Panzarella came up with the verse and Carr followed with the chorus creation. To find a mutual lyrical topic, they turned to Flower and tried relating events in one another’s lives. This conversation resulted in the

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overarching theme of “glamifying a hot mess.” The duo works with Flower quite often and find themselves comfortable doing so. They always end up satisfied when writing with him and Carr revealed that “Hot Mess” was “one of our favorite songs in a long time and one of the fastest songs we’ve written.” A music video was released for the single with Carr and Panzarella being the masterminds behind it. “Normally, we come up with an elaborate storyline or an ‘action-type’ music video because that’s just what she and I love to do,” Panzarella said. “And this one, we wanted to do something that really fit and empowered the song.” They came up with a color concept, displaying Flower in green, Panzarella in blue and Carr in red, all inside an abandoned home with each star having their own moment. Panzarella revealed they pulled inspiration from the early 2000s.

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“Hot Mess” follows the band’s 2021 EP, Forget You. Carr shared that most of the writing for the EP was done during quarantine, reflecting a difficult time in their lives. The EP was more emotional but with “Hot Mess,” we experience more fun. Bahari has collaborated with quite a few notable artists including BIA and ILLENIUM. When asked about their dream collaborations, they told us they would love to work with Tove Lo or James Blake. Carr said they are huge fans of Blake’s music. The band has also been seen touring with artists like Selena Gomez and Birdy. Panzarella explained they’ve never had time to put together their own show, however, they look to headline their own tour soon. They are working with their high school friend, Nate Mohler, on the visuals and lighting to create the perfect show. “The visual aspects are so important for the songs,” Carr said. “Not only, like, the different live rendition of it, but the lighting and the visuals and everything. Just how we look at music videos, we want to represent the story of the song.”

While fans idolize Bahari, the two idolize artists of their own. Currently, Panzarella has Lennon Stella and BENEE on repeat, and Carr explained she is loving Afrobeat artist Omah Lay. “We’ve been listening to this one song that he has with Justin Bieber called ‘Attention’ over and over again,” Carr said. “It’s so good!” Something the bandmates want to share with fans and listeners is to always speak your truth. “Ruby and I have gone through a lot together and that’s the one thing we’ve stuck to, and I think that’s why we’re still here together, doing it today,” Panzarella said. “Because people gravitate toward other people’s truths — and you can’t reject somebody’s truth.” The duo is very excited to keep making and releasing new music. They are currently working on a new project and can’t wait for the world to hear it. There is no denying big things are ahead for killer duo Bahari, as they continue to make their 15-year-old selves proud.

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LIGHTS

BLAKE CHARLES - PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 2022

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SIGRID

SARAH RODRIGUEZ - BROOKLYN, NY - APRIL 2022

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HIPPO CAMPUS

GINA SCARPINO - OAKLAND, OR - APRIL 2022

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ALY & AJ

BLAKE CHARLES - PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 2022

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SET IT OFF:

BLURRING BOUNDARIES AND EMBRACING THE SUCK BTS

PHOTOS BY CHELSEA GRESH | WORDS BY AMANDA RESTAINO

Embracing not fitting into a particular space — that’s what Set It Off is doing. Sparked by their latest album Elsewhere, the band consisting of Cody Carson, Maxx Danziger and Zach DeWall recognized that people aren’t sure where to place them in the musical realm, and that’s not a bad thing!

When I started having these breakthroughs, I felt everything - all of the good, all of the bad all at the same time. I was navigating through my mind trying to unravel what this was. So, all of these bright colors mixed with kind of this dark imagery is kind of what was going on.”

The vibes of their pre-pandemic album Midnight are quite different compared to their March release Elsewhere, which can be seen right off the bat with the album covers.

At the tail end of the album cycle of Midnight, their fourth studio album and first under Fearless Records, the trio thought it was time to build and release a new album. Then, the pandemic began. Using almost the entirety of 2020 and 2021 — the height of the pandemic epoch — to concoct Elsewhere, they saw the timing as opportune.

The pandemic era played a large role in not just the making of the album, but the style of the album art as well. Transitioning from the moody, glum, blue color palette of their previous three albums to the intense, neon palette with the juxtaposing eccentric graphic of Elsewhere was no coincidence and represents more than meets the eye. “We were just coming out of the pandemic and everything was so dark, sad and horrible, and I feel like that’s the last thing people wanted,” drummer Danziger said. “It was also kind of indicative of during that time. I wasn’t doing so great mental health-wise and started going to therapy. It helped open things up in a way that I wasn’t expecting. The reason I started going to therapy in the first place was that I felt nothing, so it almost felt kind of like walking through a dream similar to our music videos on the last [album].

“We were very fortunate the way we see it,” said Set It Off. “So, we took the time, and it was kind of weird. There’s a lot of people that gave up on songwriting because they couldn’t be in person, but the new thing soon happened. Then they created some plugins that allow you to hear high-fidelity audio live. So, we just kept working, kept writing, put together 40 songs, [and] narrowed them down to 16.” Leaving them with around 20 songs that didn’t make the official cut, Set It Off had content for days, which encouraged them to start a fan club. There they could share some of the unreleased songs with their biggest admirers, including those who show support by seeing them live.

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Amid the mostly sold-out The Blame Canada Tour with Simple Plan and Sum 41, Set It Off has experienced its fair share of blessings, but also hiccups. At the House of Blues Cleveland show — three postponed shows and one last-minute show later — the band reflected on the touring experience thus far with us. “We had one little hiccup where we had like three shows postponed, but in the interim period of that, we booked our own last-minute show in New Jersey,” Set It Off said. “It turned out great. We did our podcast live and had a lot of fun, minus the weather. It was the worst weather. It’s kind of a blessing in disguise that that New Jersey show happened. It was an outdoor show, and it would have been a nightmare. But, the tour overall has been great - playing for a lot of people every night. Tonight sold out. Most of the shows are sold out.” Set It Off has no plans of slowing down anytime soon either. Back in November 2021, they announced they are officially going back to the U.K. and Europe for a leg, which they have been waiting to do since 2018 — when they were originally preparing for their tour. “We might hold the record for the longest postponed tour that people still held on to their tickets for because 2019 is when the tour was supposed to happen,” the band joked. One year after the announcement, they’ll kick off their eight-stop United Kingdom stretch in Norwich on Nov. 5, followed by 11 tour dates across Europe, but not before having graced the U.K. festival scene. Having taken place on June 3 in Leeds and June 4 in Hatfield, the Slam Dunk Festival occurred toward the end of the first run of their supporting tour, which took place across the United States. Before heading across the pond in the fall, they will take the stage on the Saturday of the Four Chord Music Festival in Pittsburgh. Accompanied by acts like The Maine, BTS

Jimmy Eat World, Bad Religion and All Time Low, Sept. 9 and 10 is destined to be the perfect weekend for alt lovers and artists alike. Set It Off couldn’t be more thrilled for life on the road. “We announced we’re playing Four Chord Music Festival, which is exciting,” the band said. “We’re about to do one festival at the end of this run, and then on top of that, we’re currently routing another tour. Can’t say where or what the details are now, but [we’re] staying on the road. Never gonna be home.” Despite the changes Set It Off experienced in the past with switching record labels and even losing band members early on, they have truly found their stride. Since the three of them joined together in 2010 — 2 years after Carson started the band in Tampa, Fla. — they have learned a lot worth sharing with others considering a similar path. The most notable advice they have to offer is to research! Find out your favorite songs and look up the song credits. Look for more songs by the person who wrote the music you enjoy and watch interviews with that person. Lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Carson talked about honing in on your skills while using your influences to define your sound. “Get an acoustic guitar. Take lessons and get really good at your craft,” he said. “ If I could change one thing about my upbringing, I would have tried to learn more piano. The songs I know on the piano are our songs and that’s it, so I’ve had to reteach myself. I think you can become a stronger writer if you have a really firm foundation in piano. As far as being an artist, find out who you are and stick to your influences. Make sure you’re not copying a sound. Try to find every influence that you’ve ever liked and put it into one, and that’ll be the closest to you.” Guitarist, bassist, and backing vocalist DeWall added, “Just finish songs, too. It’s not going to be amazing, but just finish it and then move on to your next project.” If you’re looking to get into this world, Set It Off has a truckload of experiences and tips to share. One that carries some weight is, as they like to put it, “embrace the suck!” Not only that, but also embrace not fitting in one box. Embrace being you and making music you like with some really cool people. That’s what they do, and it works! Be like Set It Off and learn to not fit in.

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GIRL IN RED

DANA JACOBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 2022

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ASHE

MARLOWE TEICHMAN - LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 2022

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MUSIC AS A FORM OF ART AND THERAPY WITH

THE BAND CAMINO PHOTOS AND WORDS BY JOE HERNANDEZ

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Four students at the University of Memphis got together and formed a band back in 2015. Now, years later, they have released three EPs and an eponymous debut album that came out in 2021. They are fresh off a tour with Dan+Shay and are now headlining their tour, playing sold-out show after sold-out show. It has been an incredible journey for The Band CAMINO in becoming one of indie rock’s biggest names. The Band CAMINO now consists of Jeffery Jordan on vocals and guitar; Spencer Stewart also on vocals and

guitar; and Garrison Burgess on drums and bass. The group gets placed in the indie rock and electropop genre, but they have a very unique sound separating themselves from other artists. The band draws a lot of its inspiration from multiple genres and artists, similar to how people consume music in today’s world. In one playlist you can have EDM, alternative rock, rap, country and so on all within 20 minutes of each other; and The Band CAMINO draws from that kind of variety. It becomes a melting BTS

pot of the trio’s interests, but there are certain types of artists the group is inspired by, like Coldplay, The Killers and The 1975. Or “band’s bands” as they describe them. “I think it’s interesting because no matter what influences the song or what sound comes out, somehow all three of us can like hear it and be like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s a Band CAMINO song,’” the band said. “It doesn’t necessarily matter where we got the idea from; it’s either a CAMINO song or it’s not. Like it’s very apparent and that’s kind of what makes our sound very eclectic. It’s because there’s something in there we can’t really explain. It’s not really a super-defined thing. It’s more like, ‘That sounds like us.’ I don’t know why it does?” The band went on to say that that’s exactly what art is. Art is about expressing something one resonates with, whether it’s all one genre or not. Songwriting comes from wanting to feel understood and other people to also feel understood, the band said. People are drawn to music for this, as an escape from a feeling or into this shared feeling. It’s judgment-free and a space where any and all emotions can be expressed. That feeling and love for music are universal, and why The Band CAMINO was perfect to join the Dan+Shay tour and win over an arena full of country fans. The tour was the first in two years the band had played, and to make it more challenging they were revisiting the early days of what it was like to be the support act. They described it as an amazing experience to play such big arena shows and a huge opportunity to make new fans. “It was really good for us to try to win over a room that

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large of people. Most of them have never heard of us, so it was a good muscle to stretch,” the band said. “It was fun, we got to do almost 40 dates… After doing that and trying to intentionally win over every single person in the room, we’re now stepping into a room of people that we’ve already won over. They’re at our show, they know all the songs. It’s like, holy sh*t, this is just so fun.” The Band CAMINO headline tour has been a highenergy show, with both the band and fans giving it their absolute all every single night. Standouts from the tour have been the group’s collab with the Swedish duo NOTD “Never A Good Time,” as well as new tracks like “I Think I Like You,” “Roses,” “Song About You” and the song the group says was the hardest to write — “Know It All.” The songs “Know It All” and “Song About You” show songwriting from two opposite sides of the spectrum. Where on “Know It All” the band had the structure of the song but couldn’t find the right rhyme in the chorus, which sometime later finally became the line ending with “chemical.” The band said that the entire process of the song — from its inception to finally figuring everything out — took about eight months.

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On the other hand, speaking of “Song About You,” The Band CAMINO said that “that one pretty much wrote itself.” All in all, it took only about two hours to finish the track, according to the band. “So, you know, to really put it in perspective, [the songwriting process] is very broad,” the band said. The group also worked with Sam Hollander on the track “Roses,” which ended up being a perfect pairing. The band described Sam as someone who wants to get to know you at the root of your core, and really understand your heart and what you’re trying to say. For a group that writes songs from such a personal and emotional place, from romantic relationships to familial trauma, it’s important to properly convey the message and feelings behind a song. Jordan talked to us about writing a song very personal to him called “Sorry Mom”: “The song for me is very straightforward. My mom and I’s relationship has been interesting as the band’s grown. She’s conservative Christian and she cares for me so much, but her like world view is very different than mine. So it’s just been something we’ve had to navigate and figure out over the years,” he said. “And I kinda figured out what I believe for myself. I think for any mother, especially if you’re [a] conservative Christian, the music industry is a very terrifying place for your child to go. So I think at the end of the day, it was important for my mom to hear this. We had a good conversation afterward. Tears were shed, all those things. It was good.” Playing songs like this night after night is therapeutic. It may be a little cliche when bands say that, but The Band CAMINO swears by this. It’s what art and music are all about. Going up on stage and playing a sad song, fully immersing yourself in the experience and going to that place. Being sad and upset, letting out all your emotions. This is what concerts are all about, and what The Band CAMINO hopes their fans feel as they listen to their songs.

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CAVETOWN

DANA JACOBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 2022

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GAYLE

BLAKE CHARLES - PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 2022

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MANSIONAIR ENSURES HAPPINESS, GUARANTEED PHOTOS BY ARI BATTIS | WORDS BY ADDIE WHELAN

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For three-piece Australian band Mansionair, pinpointing their exact musical inspirations is almost overwhelming. The idea of determining an exact artist or musician that influenced their sound seems like a tall order, considering it spans several genres like ambient, electronic, indie, rock and more. Mansionair, the Glassnote Records signed group, is comprised of Jack Froggatt, Lachlan Bostock and Alex Nicholls, who hail from Sydney, Australia. Amassing several Australian Recording Industry Association certifications for “Astronaut - Something About Your Love” and “Easier,” the band has more than 1.5 million Spotify monthly listeners and continues to rise in the music scene, especially in the United States. Chatting with the band before their show at Chicago’s Wicker Park-based music venue Subterranean, Beyond The Stage sat down with Froggatt and Nicholls to learn about Mansionair, their plans for 2022 and so much more. Bostock was not present in our interview as he had just returned on a flight from Australia and was still catching up with timezones. Jumping directly into conversations about their latest album Happiness, Guaranteed, Froggatt and Nicholls admit that the album isn’t directly inspired by anything, although it pulls references from plenty of artists that they constantly are absorbing and learning about. “I think I’d mainly say like, for this record during 2019 [before we started writing this record], we were all super into The 1975. And I feel like that really informed maybe a lot of decisions we were making, like how the record was sounding and like, I don’t know, maybe even how the lyrics were formed,” Froggatt said. “At the time we were writing the record that was like a huge influence. I’ve recently gotten into this artist called Common Sense, which is literally like, the other end of genres to what our music sounds like, but I’ve just been like, rinsing all that music and finding a lot of inspiration so that’d probably be where I’m at now.” Froggatt continued by saying that the kind of music he generally listens to doesn’t translate to the music Mansionair makes as directly as The 1975, where one can see the obvious connection. “But I think maybe my listening to music has just been a bit wider than it used to be,” he said. “And the first album was kind of like I was listening to more music that sounded like us, but it just kind of opened the gates to me, like, I don’t know dancing around all over the place with the music I listen to which is nice.”

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Mansionair’s latest album, that was released in late April, showcases all of those inspirations and pulls those influences into their live performances. Tracks like “Guillotine” and “Strangers,” both of which are collaborations, each have more than 5 million Spotify listens in just two months. Described as reserved and a bit introverted by Nicholls, Mansionair’s Happiness, Guaranteed is the band’s second studio album and boasts two “discs,” with a total of fifteen tracks. Throughout the album, the band reflects on feelings of gratitude, personal evaluation and the things they can and cannot control, all while maintaining the electronic and dance elements of their signature sound. For fans of electronic sound, Happiness, Guaranteed shows the progression of Mansionair’s sound and is anthemic and danceable, but seeks more meaning than the traditional music in the genre. The first track, “MORE” belongs on the stage where Mansionair can engage with the crowd and encourage them to sing along. “I feel like with this record we kind of learned a lot of lessons from our first record about self-confidence and we really evolved who we wanted to be and who we were at the time,” Froggatt said. “I think that record really echoed that sentiment. Like sonically, it’s like a lot more intense and louder and driven, whereas I think maybe in the past our music’s been more like, foot off the gas pedal.” However, the “foot off the gas pedal” is quite different than in past years for Mansionair. 2021 lent itself to a nomination for the GRAMMYs, where the trio was in the running for “Best Dance Recording” alongside ODESZA and WYNNE for the track “Line of Sight.” While the nomination was huge for the band, it was also midpandemic, which hindered the idea of performing live for their fans. “This is the first long tour we’ve done for ages. We had a few shows in Australia, [and then] basically came straight here,” Nicholls said. “So yeah, getting back into the swing of it is kinda where we’re at in the moment.”

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Having not played a tour in three years, Froggatt said that the band’s current string of shows feels all the more surreal — in a good way. The band spent the pandemic figuring out ways to build connections with the fans and were still in the phase of creating music and wanting to interact with their supporters. It felt like the band was climbing this “never-ending wall,” he said. “When you’re in a room with people that are responding to your music, it just feels amazing, it just makes sense, like ‘Oh, this is why I do this,’” Froggatt said. “This tour I think has cemented that. I think I’ve spent more time on stage taking everything in rather than just focusing on trying to finish the set and I think that’s definitely a change in mindset from past tours.” “Rapture” is what Nicholls currently considers his favorite song to perform live, mainly for the way it takes some of the pace and energy off the entire Mansionair set. “It’s probably like the first time we kind of go down for a second, because the show’s you know, quite high energy now and that’s the first time we kind of like, take a little break and just jam for a bit,” he said. “And then it builds up again.” Froggatt agreed with his bandmate and said that the trio had a particular vision of how to perform the song live and that it filled a gap in their set. Now, the band’s priority for the rest of 2022 is to continue to write more music and complete their current tour, which concludes by the end of June. When asked, Froggatt and Nicholls both agreed that writing was definitely next on their minds. ”I’m pretty excited to get into making more new music, it’s been a minute since we’ve written new songs as a band and we’ll have finished the tour and fed off what worked and what people have responded to,” Froggatt said. “I’ve got like a pretty clear vision on like what music I wanna make next for this band so I feel like that’s pretty much day one as soon as this tour finishes, it’s straight into that, Froggatt said. After a GRAMMY nomination, a practically soldout U.S. tour and an album that continues to gain new listeners, Mansionair is ready for whatever next might come their way in 2022. BTS

WOLF ALICE

MARISSA KAYE - AUSTIN, TX - APRIL 2022

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EASY LIFE

LOREN TONEY - CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 2022

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NILUFER YANYA

DANA JACOBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 2022

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BADFLOWER

CHELSEA GRESH - CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 2022

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CRAWLERS: FROM ONLINE VIRAL CONTENT TO MULTI-COUNTRY TOURS BTS

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY ARI BATTIS

A testament to the rapid, ongoing growth and success of U.K. rock band Crawlers is the audience and community they’ve built in such a short amount of time. Formed in 2018, the Liverpool-based group rose out of obscurity upon the release of their debut EP, paired with their song “Come Over (Again)” going viral. Since then, they’ve amassed over 600,000 followers on TikTok, 86,000 followers on Instagram, 28 million streams on Spotify, and are currently on their firstever U.S. tour. With the introduction of the internet came hundreds of new ways to connect and discover new music, making it a somewhat difficult task for smaller artists to connect and reach their potential audience. Battling oversaturation and busy social media channels, Crawlers found a way to create an experience in rock that feels both authentically new, and all their own. The band consists of Holly Minto on lead vocals, Amy Woodall on lead guitar, Harry Breen on drums and Liv Kettle on bass guitar. They described how

their eclectic styles, interests and music tastes blend together as a “collective pool of influences and different cultural moments” to create Crawlers. “I’m really inspired by drag queens, their performances…I think we’re all inspired by different music and that’s why our music sounds like it does,” Minto said. “Liv’s into heavy music like prog, Harry’s more into punk, Amy’s into like Charli XCX and Abba, and I’m very into like Holly Humberstone, The Strokes and stuff like that.” They went on to add that it’s given them a lot of creative freedom to experiment and try different styles and put their own twist on it — a collaborative process that is definitely reflected in their songwriting process. Whether it’s just jamming in a room, starting with a couple of Minto’s lyrics, or bits from Woodall or Kettle, they described their songwriting process as a very flexible and evolving process. One where it’s nice to have “different ways of doing it and not feeling too pressured to write a certain way,” Minto said. BTS

The eclectic influences can be seen across the alt-rock band’s eponymous EP and various singles. “Monroe” off their debut EP seems to pull more from punk and prog influences, while tracks like “I Can’t Drive” are a little more like your classic indie/alt-rock anthems that are perfect for car rides, ironically. Perhaps you can see this progression, experimentation and growth most clearly in their most recent single, “Fuck Me (I Didn’t Know How to Say),” that released at the end of May. “I think we really played around with different genres, like the bass and drums are very hip-hop inspired, like a lot of music we’ve liked but really haven’t delved into, while still kind of sticking to the grungier roots that we have,” Minto said. “Lyrically I think I’ve progressed just in terms of writing lyrics, and having a nice balance of metaphors and storytelling.” Although the Crawlers may be a testament to the success of how platforms such as TikTok can help smaller bands reach a wider audience, it’s the solid base that they’ve built around it that speaks volumes. Minto expressed how much it meant to them that “Come Over (Again)” ended up resonating so deeply with people, especially their trans audience, having expressed before how important it was to them that they created a safe space with their music. The group has always taken a very open and honest approach to their music, lyrics, sound, and experiences, including Minto speaking on their struggles with mental health as well as discussing the political themes their debut EP addressed. Political expression specifically has always been an important part of the rock scene, and in their lyrics, they don’t shy away from important discussions like the corruption of the American police system, institutionalized racism, and how the rise of social media has continued to push unrealistic and Eurocentric beauty standards, for everyone but especially for women in media. Given that their rise to popularity occurred after going viral in 2021 in a pandemic world also perhaps marks an even greater need for the existence of artists and people with platforms to continue discussing these incredibly important socio-political events as well as the current state of society. The loyal fanbase they’ve built in cities around the world may still be smaller in size but certainly not in spirit, perfectly illustrated by the group’s recent BTS

Chicago show as a part of their first U.S. tour. Fans queued outside for hours before doors opened, passing out a card to sign as well as party hats for Woodall’s birthday. Even the tornado warning and sudden storm forcing everyone indoors to wait did not deter any spirits. Though it was almost everyone in the crowd’s first Crawlers show, the night flew by in as much of a whirlwind as if it was the hundredth time they’d taken the stage there to the cheering of the crowd. A couple of viral moments on TikTok aren’t the only milestone Crawlers have hit this year, though. At the

end of May, they also got the chance to open for My Chemical Romance at their Warrington show, the hometown of Woodall and Kettle. “It was amazing, we got so many more fans,” Minto said. “We also got to watch and they played my favorite song ‘Ghost of You’ so I was absolutely buzzing.” Crawlers’ aspirations don’t just stop there, though. They also have their sights set on playing Brixton Academy, Alexandra Palace, Coachella and Download

Fest one day, and from the looks of it, they are well on their way. With half the year left to go, Crawlers have a lot left in store for 2022. The rest of their U.S. tour, their U.K. tour, a couple of shows elsewhere like Canada and Switzerland, and a couple of American festivals mark a busy year ahead, with the promise of new music somewhere on the horizon as well. If looking back at their current timeline of growth, progression, and talent offers any indication of what’s next, it’s that Crawlers is definitely one to keep your eye on, and definitely one you don’t want to miss live. BTS

PASSENGER

DANA JACOBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 2022

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SUKI WATERHOUSE DANA JACOBS - SAN FRANCISCO, CA - MAY 2022

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HIPPO CAMPUS | PHOTO BY QUINN BEAUPRE

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