THE
RADICAL
ROONEY
THE
RADICAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF April Salud ASSOCIATE EDITORS Lilian Min Rochelle Shipman CREATIVE DIRECTOR Courtney Farrell WEB DEVELOPER Robert Jackson PHOTOGRAPHERS Macey J. Foronda Flore Diamant John Furth Sam Keeler Youka Nagase Jermaine Ulinwa
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The Radical
Overcoats
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Written by Lilian Min, photographed by Jermaine Ulinwa.
Rationale
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Written by April Salud, photographed by Flore Diamant.
THREE1989
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Written by April Salud, photographed and translated by Youka Nagase.
Habibi
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Written by Lilian Min, photographed by Sam Keeler.
Rooney
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Written by April Salud, photographed by Macey J. Foronda.
Broods
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Written by April Salud, photographed by Macey J. Foronda.
Donna Missal
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Written by Lilian Min, photographed by John Furth.
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F A S H I O N
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O V E R C O A T S
Overcoats Music doesn’t always have to tell a specific story; songs can invoke moods as much as memories. But electro-folk duo Overcoats makes music that insists on taking the listener on a narrative journey. We’re lucky they do.
P H O T O G R A P H Y W O R D S
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J E R M A I N E U L I N WA LILIAN MIN
“We’re colleagues, we’re sisters now. It’s an evolving and somewhat confusing relationship, but it’s all good nonetheless.” - JJ Mitchell
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It’s only days after Halloween when Overcoats takes
members insist that they’re not inherently conflating
the stage at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater. But for
femininity with vulnerability. Some of the current
band members JJ Mitchell and Hana Elion, they never
Overcoats merch bears the slogan “WOMEN RULE,” to
needed the excuse of a holiday to don a costume. The
which Elion succinctly underlines, “Women do rule.” And in
duo is buoyant and rippling in their performance uniform
the act of performing these vulnerabilities for an audience
of slouchy suits, moving in charming asynchronicity to a
that doesn’t know the particular details, Mitchell describes
body of work whose content might belie their jubilant live
a metamorphosis, both of themselves and the experiences
presence.
that have shaped the songs: “At the beginning of touring,
Overcoats — a moniker inspired by a print by Austrian
the songs, all of them felt very poignant, because we had
painter Egon Schiele — began as a tight-knit collaboration
so recently experienced what we were singing about. It
between the two, who met and formed the group at
was actually kind of helpful to sing through them every
Wesleyan College. Over the course of two releases, 2015’s
night, and to use that time to think and process and heal.”
Overcoats EP and their 2017 debut album YOUNG, the
“More recently, we have the same exact emotions that we
band’s sound has grown and ripened into an expansive
were feeling at the time, but they take on new meaning
electro-folk amalgam that somehow still manages to
that, in a way, sometimes describes more recent and
sound lovingly worn in. Their music centers on intricately
sometimes very different events. But the lyrics are vague
and oftentimes hair-raisingly precise harmonies. When
enough that they can be applied to different [things]. It’s
I first listen through YOUNG, I’m reminded of the idea of
nice to use them as a tool to heal every night.”
Greek choruses of old, though Overcoats’ version of this
It helps that despite the pain and uncertainty threaded
kind of meta-narration covers decidedly modern subject
through songs like “The Fog” and “Smaller Than My
matter.
Mother,” Overcoats knows how to perform. Both Mitchell
Over the phone, Mitchell, who appears to be the more
and Elion partake in other artistic mediums, namely visual
animated conversationalist of the two, divulges more of
art, and they clearly care about fashion as a way to make
their narrative process, confirming, “We’re very conscious
a visual and aesthetic statement. But they have a sense
of the storytelling aspect of music.” Overcoats crafted
of play that comes alive when they’re on stage. When
YOUNG with an explicit journey in mind “about how we
I ask them if they did anything for Halloween, Mitchell
each relate to our families and others and who we wanna
deadpans, “We played a show in celebration,” before
be in the world, and how we wanna be women in society.”
adding laughingly, “We tried to wear costumes. We made
It’s a coming of age tale that begins with the familiar
it through like, two songs before we had to take our wigs
archetype of “daddy’s girls” on the track “Father,” but
off … Any time Hana and I looked at each other while
which concludes with an understanding of their mothers’
singing, we would start hysterically laughing because of
devotions on the track named, well, “Mother.”
[them].”
Part of the reason Mitchell and Elion landed on the name
During their Warfield set, they are positively ebullient,
Overcoats was because of its androgynous coding. Their
smiling and dancing along and, even during a cover of
performance suits are another interpretation of the band
“Imagine,” seemingly beaming radiance into the audience,
name, as Mitchell explains, “The suits act as a protective
but also between each other. Their harmonies are so
layer in the same way that Overcoats as a name does. So
interwoven that I have no idea if/when they switch vocal
we can sing this vulnerable music.”
lines, outside of watching the movement of their mouths.
Though Elion adds, “A lot of our music deals with
They play through two new songs toward the end of the
relationships and being a woman in relationships,” both
set; one of them evokes Arcade Fire, and I marvel at how
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much range, sonically and stylistically, the two of them are
voices sound so different because we developed so much
able to evoke in their music.
and have gotten more ambitious about writing.”
Their camaraderie is easily the most important
That ambition doesn’t come without a learning curve
relationship in all of Overcoats. When I ask them how
though. Mitchell shares, “There’ve been moments on tour
their friendship has changed through the years, Mitchell’s
previously where one of us has lost our voice, badly.” But
kneejerk response is, “We are still friends.” But she
now the duo knows “to split up the high notes so that we’re
elaborates, “We’ve had to figure out new dynamics and
able to share the burden of the screaming cat parts.”
hats to wear. We’re business owners together, of Overcoats
“At this point, we know the songs well enough where we
LLC. We’re colleagues, we’re sisters now. It’s an evolving
can just swap, which has been kind of fun. There’s a lot of
and somewhat confusing relationship, but it’s all good
room to accommodate each other.”
nonetheless.”
So much of YOUNG’s allure lies simply in the deceptively
Both women look out for their most important
simple one-ness of Elion and Mitchell’s timbres. It is
performing tools: Their voices. So much of their singing has
difficult, both during our interview and on the record, to
a tiny margin of error; Elion jokes, “We’ll write songs and be
pick them apart for sure. Perhaps it’s that certainty, obvious
like, ‘We can’t sing this.’ We have to learn how to sing it.”
even through a recording, that they’re stronger together
But their technical ability too has evolved. For YOUNG, they
that makes even the saddest songs on the record sound
enlisted outside producers like Arthur Ashin, who performs
hopeful. And when you watch them on stage, you get the
as Autre Ne Veut, and Elion reflects that Overcoats’ sound
feeling that no matter what comes their way, they’ll find a
is likely to keep growing: “Our writing has pushed our
way to laugh and dance through it.
vocal abilities a lot. When we listen to older recordings, our
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Rationale P H O T O G R A P H Y W O R D S
FLORE DIAMANT
APRIL SALUD
Four years ago, Rationale came into view and with his first single “Fast Lane,” it seemed like that’s exactly how his career was going to go. However, after releasing two EPs, his debut album, and selling out his own headline tour as well as supporting some of the biggest British acts of the moment, Rationale somewhat disappeared. And maybe that was a little bit intentional. Now he’s returned with his new EP High Hopes and while it might be interpreted as a new direction for the singer-songwriter-producer, the results of the shimmery and bright production is just another facet of the multi-dimensional artist that he just hasn’t shown the world yet. THE RAD was the first outlet to interview him back in 2014 and four years is a long time to let people grow but also remain the same. On a Sunday back in October, before the release of High Hopes, Rationale hopped on the phone to talk about his creative process but also to simply catch up with an old friend.
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Do you normally get depressed on Sundays because
R A T I O N A L E
Yup, that’s me.
the week’s about to start?
[laughs] STOP IT! That’s not good, that’s like therapy.
I think I’m just depressed most of the time [laughs]. There
Which, I do that by the way [go to therapy].
are waves of happiness — my job is based on things that come into my head and there’s no way of telling it’s going
You’re always a dangerous one to talk to.
well until you’re miserable. So everything’s great! I’m super,
Because we end up talking about feelings?
super fun to talk to right now [laughs]. No! Because...well you just did it. You told me I Ok great, so nothing’s changed since I last talked to
sounded super confident compared to the first time
you.
we first spoke and I was thinking about how the first
Hey! Hey!
time we spoke was in this type of situation where we had never met [but talked on the phone]. And that was
We haven’t talked in a couple years and right off the
like...four years ago?
bat it’s basically, “I’m really depressed. Things are
Yeah!
going terribly.” This is who I am! This is what it is! No, no. I’m alright
Which is a….really long time when you think about it.
actually. How are you?
Well I guess it depends how you’re quantifying it, right? Are we talking about album cycles or…
Well, I’m….you know. Ha! Should we put off the interview and just talk about
I think that’s just a long time to know someone...as an
how depressed we both are?
adult? Yeah, that’s true.
I mean we could do that. I assumed we’d have two separate conversations. The one where I ask you the
Four years when you’re in school is something that
questions I’m supposed to and you answer the way
just happens. You end up knowing people for decades
you’re supposed to, and then the real talk conversation
because of your environment. But as an adult, despite
about how we’re really doing because it has been
our location, we find a way to come back to each other
awhile since we’ve spoken.
because of our group of friends and the industry we’re
One thing that is interesting though is that you sound
in. We could’ve never spoken again.
more sure of yourself now than back in the day [when
But that is also quite indicative to who I am, in terms of
we first met]. You sound super confident. Nowadays
never talking to people again but now I’m trying to talk to
when people are doing well in life they’ve got this — not
them at some point in time. I’ve become quite accepting of
pompous but you’re not nervous in the slightest. I love
my ways and I’ll probably end up very lonely.
people; I love people’s personalities. Because I spend time Why do you think you do that?
on my own I’m probably more impressed than I should be.
I think I’ve learnt now that I’m so obsessive with what it Well I’m glad I sound like I’m doing something right.
is that I do that I become quite involved in it and I also
I also love those personalities that come off extremely
become quite reclusive in that sense. But I think [not
confident but are secretly crying themselves to sleep at
talking to people] is something I am addressing in life
night.
because I’ve realized — starting a conversation and never
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“When you’re older you start to realize what real friendship is and what love is and that’s an interesting place to be.”
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finishing it but knowing throughout life that conversation
I had to change my routine because the routine from the
was really, really good. Or starting a movie that was really,
last record wouldn’t work. I couldn’t sit there in a room by
really great and the climax was really, really got good but
myself and create stuff. So I started reaching out to my
now I’m just going to go to the loo for a minute but never
friends and realized, oh shit. I haven’t been around for two
finish the movie but knowing for a fact you couldn’t just
years [laughs].
press play on that again. My excuse has always been that I have to go off and be creative but...I probably just feel
You need to live life to make music.
too much. I get too involved with people’s personalities.
Yeah, dude! It’s such an obvious thing. Not that I wasn’t
I almost [stop talking to people] so I don’t end up
having experiences on tour.
disappointed. I’d almost rather take a snapshot of where I was in that time then go back to the studio. The funny
That’s not real life though.
thing about that is in a four year period, for example with
It isn’t. I started thinking to myself, I’d really like have a
you, at my age, the amount of special people in my life
year off and not release music. Unfortunately, the machine
and the people I really care about are probably dwindling.
doesn’t work like that nowadays, at least at the place I was
When you’re older you start to realize what real friendship
at in my career. I kept writing but started writing in a way
is and what love is and that’s an interesting place to be.
that I was happy with what I was doing but not obsessive and do 12 hour days. That’s bullshit. I got really mad into
To answer your question about why I do that or why I
fitness to make me think about something else and make
did that with relationships with people. I don’t know. I’ve
myself feel good. I started a podcast because I realized me
always been obsessive with what I want to get out of
and my friends have amazing conversations and because I
music. It’s actually quite unhealthy.
felt like I wanted to express myself differently and see how the people who followed me felt about that. And through
It is!
all that I realized, it’s not bad to work with other people. It’s
I was speaking to Dan [Smith of Bastille] about it the
not bad to reach out.
other day — about the new single and music in general. I’ve watched him over the last four years dealing with
I say this generally, if you’re in this phase in your career
his stardom and his success and chasing the next thing
— everyone wants a hit, right? No matter what you say,
after you’ve just done an arena tour. But my complex is a
whichever act you are, everyone wants that massive,
bit different. What comes next after you’ve done well but
gargantuan hit on their own merits and it’s not contrived.
didn’t smash the back wall like everyone wanted you to? I
Labels want to put you with every person who has a hit in
think I’m in a really great place. I just wanted to write new
the last five minutes and try to see if something happens
music and stop singing the same songs over and over.
but I had been through that road before. I didn’t want to do it again. I wanted to reach out to people that I want
What has the writing process been like after going on
to work with and because I’ve asked for that relationship
tour and having your debut album?
to happen. That’s what I set out to do with this EP. I just
The writing process this time around has been different
wanted to have to some fun and not worry about what
because I’m not the new kid on the block anymore. So
it was supposed to do. I had to get through that by
that made my writing process very, very difficult because
rediscovering living. To be honest, if I’m really honest, I’m
it’s a lonely business when you’re pressing a bunch of tiny
still learning. I’m still getting those experiences up and
buttons trying to get the right emotion out of a song. I
trying to write more based on life rather than fictional
remember about two months into it I was like, “I’m not
accounts.
doing so great, this isn’t fun right now.” That’s when I knew
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Are you still trying to dissect people and get music
I was just in media for so long and this election just
that way?
killed my brain and I couldn’t do it anymore. So I
Yeaaaah. That’s still kinda my thing.
transitioned into music fully and now do marketing. That’s insane! I feel like you’re a different person now.
That’s why you’re dangerous to talk to! I always feel like I have to be careful of what I say or I’m going to
It’s insane how my brain has changed. Hearing you
end up as a song.
talk about playlisting — it really sucks that a lot of new
I think I’ll always do that, to be fair. When I first came out
artists are D.O.A. now. If you get 10,000 in your first
I was pretty much smashing the new music playlists and
week, I don’t know what to do with that. And it sucks!
landing in the top spots. It’s not like that anymore. First off,
Yeah! Yeah! Because we’re such a numbers driven society
that’s the game now. Streaming is the game. Music has
now, I know that culture messes with creativity and how
changed. Some artists can do a pop tune one day and a
people view music. Because what makes people excited
reggae tune another day and it’s basically chasing playlist
about music isn’t numbers. The simple, everyday person
love. In the four years alone since I last released music...it’s
doesn’t give a shit about how many followers you have on
so hard to sift through and find quality like Future Islands
some app or what playlists you’re on. If that song is special
or early Tame Impala. It almost feels like that doesn’t exist
and makes someone feel a certain way, that’s the wave.
anymore or it doesn’t have a loud enough voice anymore.
Music will always be about what is good, what is great, what is different. Music’s just got to be honest. That’s all it
It’s definitely like that. Since I last spoke to you, it’s
is.
weird for me now doing these interviews and talking directly to artists and being friends with artists because now I’m on the label side. It’s so interesting how my brain has changed. What’s your deal now?
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THREE1989 P H O T O G R A P H Y
&
T R A N S L A T I O N
W O R D S
YOU K A NAGA SE
APRIL SALUD
THREE1989 garnered international attention quickly due to lead singer Shohey Uemura’s appearance on the Netflix acquired reality show, Terrace House. With their catchy jazz-infused pop tunes, the trio are only getting better.
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a vocalist, I’d want to mimic Kubota Toshinobu’s career.
How did you guys meet and when did you know that
He was a pioneer of his genre and spread its popularity
you wanted to form the band together?
throughout all of Japan. I’d hope to do the same and
Datch: We’re all from different places around Japan, but
spread our music nationally.
we went to the same music school and were in the same year. Right around graduation I approached Shimo and
Which other artists’ careers would you like to mimic?
Shohey and asked if they wanted to start a band with the
Shimo: I’d say I want to mimic Sakamoto Ryuichi’s career.
hopes of playing at a festival one day. We weren’t able to
His music is very different from THREE1989’s music, but
play a festival that year, but we got to perform at our first
I really respect him. He does a lot of experimental and
festival called Ringo Festival in September [of this year].
modern music. I admire how he’s able to create pop music
Shohey: Our dream finally came true! In the future, we’d
out of non-pop music.
want to play bigger festivals like Summer Sonic, Fuji Rock, Datch: International artist wise I’d say someone like Dr.
and Greenroom Festival.
Dre. He makes his own songs and creates his own remixes, How has being in the band affected your relationships
and I really enjoy doing that as well. I think it’s great
with each other?
how he’s able to produce music while making his own
Shohey: We were friends to begin with, so nothing has
simultaneously.
really changed. Shohey: I think all three of us would want to take that kind Shimo: We weren’t working together at the time, so it’s
of path in the future. Not only make music as THREE1989,
a little bit of a different dynamic when we’re working
but produce music and such independently. We all
together — the roles and stability we have.
compose and write lyrics for the band so have experience in that area.
Shohey: We treat each other like a family, and we’ve stayed How has the impact of Terrace House changed the way
good friends this entire time.
you write music and also the band’s fanbase? Who are your biggest musical influences growing up?
Shohey: The fanbase has definitely changed. Our audience
Shimo: I originally started listening to punk, and
used to be predominantly older people who were into
transitioned into rock music. Currently I listen to a lot of
classic soul and R&B, but since we’ve been on the show,
jazz music like Chick Corea, jazz piano music. Every single
we’ve had people who’ve never stepped foot into a
person in my family plays an instrument so I grew up in an
livehouse. We’re glad that we helped people to experience
environment where we only talked about music. Our family
what live music is like and discover what Japanese music is
played as a band. You can find a home video of me playing
all about. We’ve get a lot of younger people showing up at
the castanet with the family band when I was around 2 or
our shows now.
3. Datch: We’ve also been getting a lot of listeners from Shohey: Our genre is Jazz, City Pop, Dance music, so we
abroad! Foreigners would visit Tokyo and send messages
get inspiration from musicians like Bruno Mars, as well as
to Shohey through social media, asking if we are
many acid jazz musicians like Jamiroquai and Brand New
performing during certain weeks.
Heavies. We take qualities from different genres like black music, jazz music, 80’s disco, and soul music. For me, as
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“After being on Terrace House I started to focus on writing more about my own experiences and interactions with people I meet in real life.� - Shohey
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Shohey: As for our songwriting, we used to get some
Datch: We were also saying we’d want to play at the
inspiration from movies or books, but after being on
Olympics (laughs). But on a more serious note, we would
Terrace House I started to focus on writing more about my
definitely want to tour internationally someday. Our
own experiences and interactions with people I meet in
international audience is growing so much.
real life. Shohey: Definitely. Playing around East Asia would be cool, Datch: Shohey would usually start writing lyrics, and we
but surprisingly a lot of the messages we receive are from
would create a track to accommodate the lyrics. But while
Europe, especially Paris, so we’d love to play there next year
he was at Terrace House, Shimo and I had a lot of time
or next next year.
with just the two of us so we would start making tracks and send them Shohey, which then he would create lyrics
Are there any other Japanese artists you think other
to. We’ve had the opportunity to approach songwriting in
people should be more aware of?
different ways.
Shimo and Shohey: Sukisha!
What do you think is your biggest accomplishment as
Shohey: Chelmico as well. It’s two female rappers.
a band? Datch: The reason we started this band was to perform
What would you like people to take away from your
at a festival and we finally got to do that this year at Ringo
music?
Festival in Nagoya. It was such a big accomplishment
Shohey: I just want people to listen to our songs while
because we worked hard and auditioned for a spot. It
walking in a nice scenic area, with a feel-good and relaxed
wasn’t handed to us on a silver platter. We‘re really happy
attitude. I think our songs really set the mood wherever
about it.
you are. I’d want someone to listen to “High Times” when walking from the station to back home, and think about
What are your goals with the band?
someone they love. Listening alone is key. We want people
Shohey: Our ultimate goal is to be on Kohaku. It’s an
to listen to our songs properly and focus on the lyrics, and
annual tv show broadcasted live on New Year’s Eve where
hopefully relate it to their own lives.
popular artists of that year go on to perform. It’s a show that everyone watches so it would be honorable to get a spot on there.
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Habibi P H O T O G R A P H Y W O R D S
SAM KEELER
LILIAN MIN
Even if you didn’t know that “Habibi” literally meant “my love” in Arabic, you — a casual observer, a listener — would come back to the word. It’s the kind of endearment that can be instantly IDed across cultures, in the same way that you feel the warmth of nuna (Korean for older sister) or lola (tagalog for grandmother). It’s not a surprise, then, that the Brooklyn-by-way-of-Detroit band Habibi has a following that coalesces around this feeling of warmth. When the band played Oakland’s Starline Social Club this past October, it wasn’t the frisson of chill fall air that brought the room’s occupants closer into each other. Over the course of the decade, Habibi the band has slinked its way into listeners’ ears with a potent mix of just shy of lo-fi production and uncomplicated lyricism. I personally never receive more “Who is this?” asks than when I play the band’s self-titled album (from 2014) or its latest EP (Cardamom Garden, from 2018) in my communal workplace. It’s not as though the band is pioneering new lyrical topics — “Bad News,” a song from their upcoming sophomore album, is about a man who’s bad news — but Habibi sounds like it’s time traveled from decades past to not warn, but warm modern listeners up to these everlasting follies of love. Over the phone, The RAD talked to drummer Karen Isabel (who also played in the Habibi-adjacent band PMS & the Mood Swings) about returning to Habibi after a three-year hiatus, songwriting in New York, and cats.
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Habibi was on hiatus for a little bit. How has it been,
on her guitar, and she’ll text it to us. “Oh, I have this great
coming back to this project and being on the road
idea.” Everyone mulls it over in their head and then we go
representing it again?
to practice. Rahill [Jamalifard] will write lyrics and she’ll say,
We didn’t really switch it off. We were on this tour all
“I want it to go on this rhythm.” Somebody comes up with a
summer... We’ve been spending most of our time recording
thing and they show it to everybody.
music and working on our new music. We played Lincoln
It’s different in New York; in New York, you don’t really have
Center and MoMA. Even when we’re not playing shows, we’re
the space per se. You have to pay hourly. We pay hourly, so
recording, which is taking a few months. It’s worth it.
we only go there if we have something in mind. There’s not a lot of time for just jamming, and we’re not big jammers
You’re recording a new album on the heels of your EP
anyway.
Cardamom Garden (released in March 2018). If it has,
It’s wild that we’ve been classified as psychedelic. We’re
how has your songwriting process changed even over
like, “Really though?” I have a completely different idea in my
the course of the year?
head about the music we make.
We’re more patient. We’ve gotten older; we have a bigger idea of what we wanna do musically. We’re not just trying to
How would you classify or fit your music in with other
push anything out anymore. It’s a burden of love for us. We
genre archetypes?
try to put as much time into it as possible. Whereas before,
To be honest, it is what it is. I have no idea. Any time
it was like, we’re gonna record this and call it a day. Go out
someone asks me that, I’m like, “Uhhhh.”
and do some other things. Now we’re like, no, we have ideas
Our biggest influences are the ‘70s. There’s the psych
we wanna see through. Almost like, Phil Spector it. More
element in that, but a lot of our songs are all so different from
production.
each other. We’re practicing with Alana [Amram], our go-to other member for a while now. This new song we’re playing,
Habibi as a project in the public eye has evolved too.
from the new album, we’re playing it on tour and she’s like,
When you reflect on that time, what was it like to
“This one sounds like a New Order song! That sounds like
suddenly be launched into this national spotlight from
early ‘80s new wave!”
the very first thing you’d worked on together?
We’re all so different from each other, so when one of us
It doesn’t feel too much different. We still go to work; we
has an idea, it just goes in that direction. It’s literally a hodge
still do our things. It’s still like, we’re all just best buddies
podge of insanity.
having fun, playing music together. We do it ‘cause we love to do it. We love hanging out with each other. I don’t see that
I dug into some of the playlists that the individual band
aspect of it at all.
members have put together, and yeah, you’re pulling from some very different influences. I also dug into your
Maybe part of that has to do with the almost
Instagram. Your cats are adorable.
psychedelic, jam session-y sound of your work together.
We were on a plane yesterday, and Lenny cracked me up.
Going with the flow of the music; or at least my
There was a cat on the plane, and it got me thinking, “That
conception of your music. Do you tend to riff off of each
would be the life. Being able to take my cats on tour with
other and refine from there, or do you start with a set
me.” So this cat, for six hours, was meowing along. Finally we
structure and tease it apart?
land. Lenny was like, “Release the cat! Release him!”
Mostly [the latter]. Lenny [née Lenaya Lynch] will come up with something; she’ll record it in her apartment, fiddling
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tweaking your show or experimenting with new
For people who don’t understand the realities of touring, the idea of traveling all over the country, the
songs on the road?
world, is really seductive in this way that’s like, it’s
It depends on the mood. It’s pretty natural; however
still your job. You still have to care about maintaining
we’re feeling that day. We have a bajillion songs right
your health; all these little things. How have you
now, so right now, we’re more focused on playing the
personally dealt with the stress that travel can bring
Cardamom Garden songs.
on? How do you maintain your dyed hair on the
Honestly, we just try to do whatever on a daily basis,
road?
what we think is best. Whatever we’re happy with, is
I was talking with some friends here about touring a
what we go with. What the crowd would be happy with.
lot. People always assume like, oh, we did this world tour this year, that’s amazing! You went to all these countries!
Do you find a different reception to your songs, to
Technically, it could’ve been the same town over and
your live shows, from coast to coast? You’re based
over again. You literally step off a plane, see the inside of
in New York now, so what’s it like playing the west
the hotel room, go to the venue, play the show. Go back
coast?
to the hotel or get in the van and go to the next place.
I love the west coast! The west coast is the bee’s knees.
It’s the first time I’ve left the country in my entire
People come out and they’re super hype. We have our
life, and it’s like, okay, I went to China, but I didn’t see
Burger [Records] brothers out here, and they come
anything. As far as like, keeping it together... We all have
through and it’s an automatic party time.
our different means. I don’t dye my hair on the road
I wish we were able to do this more often, but we’re all
because if I screw it up, I have to wait until the next city.
so busy in New York and everything. The audience out
I might as well shave my head. We try to eat as healthy
here is super receptive and chill.
as possible? I can’t say we’re that good at that game. We I feel like Habibi’s music actually fits better with the
just try to take care of ourselves.
west coast aesthetic. When I found out you were You mentioned you’ve done a couple one-off
based in Brooklyn, I was like, “Oh, I don’t know if I’ve
performances, like the MoMA show. For those kinds
ever met a New Yorker who sounds this relaxed.”
of showcases versus “regular tour shows,” is your preparation any different? Do you have more time to
Rahill and Lenny are from Motown. Me, I’m Puerto
prepare, more freedom in your visual presentation or
Rican, so we have that drum aspect. We’re gonna sound
your sets?
beachy. We have Rockaway Beach! And the Ramones.
We think about our audience and what they wanna
But on the west coast, you can actually go into the water.
hear. We’re not gonna put a slow jam on in a situation where like, these people wanna get hype.
We’re playing Tijuana after this show. Right now we’re
We always have different people doing visuals. Rahill
thinking about going to the Madonna Inn; we’re trying
always looks up, or Lenny looks up stuff online. A movie
to treat this as a vacation because we’re on the west
or a TV show they remember seeing. Every time it’s
coast for ten days. We’re trying to go to Legoland in San
different; you can’t do the same thing twice. People
Diego. This is the first time we’re doing a tour where it
become stagnant and bored.
feels like we can go on adventures. Then we’ll be in LA for a minute. And I’m gonna try to go to Disneyland; I’ve
Even when you’re touring something specific,
never been.
for yourselves, how much leeway do you have for
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ROONEY Rooney have always been that cool band that was the soundtrack to your teenage years and Robert Schwartzman was the ultimate frontman of your dreams. After taking a long hiatus, the band returned in 2016 fully recharged as ever. The pure charm of Rooney is that, unlike their peers, they fully embrace their nostalgia brand and by doing so, they’re able to thrive in a world that would’ve normally put an expiration date on them.
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You guys took a long hiatus and then came back a couple of years ago. Ever since then, I feel like it’s been nonstop. What has made you want to keep going instead of it being a one-off return and retreating back again? In taking time off, I just had a new appreciation for Rooney as a project. I felt excited that this thing existed and that I could pick up where I left off. I felt really lucky to have a band like Rooney. There’s so many bands out there just trying to get on the path in some way and it’s so hard to do and there was a lot of time put into this project so it feels nice to have a home base to come back to. It’s easy to take things for granted and after doing it for so many years back then, I think taking a break was really necessary. After leaving I feel almost excited and recharged to be back where I am.
Which I think is a good philosophy to work with. Going off of that, the music industry has evolved and changed so much. So much. Especially since we started — like night and day and that’s no surprise. When we first start, Napster had just come out. Oh my god, you’re right. That’s exactly when it happened. Right when it happened! Before we got signed, these Limewire, file sharing sites started popping up but Interscope still signed us and gave us a good record deal because they believed in the band. So we were able to navigate a little better during that time. But yeah, you used to ship CDs out and you would try to do pre-orders with maybe Best Buy and they’d tell you, “We shipped X amount of CDs.” We’d do in-stores at CD stores but that was a whole ‘nother time. Music has always been music. What we’re doing tonight is no different than it was 18 years ago.
How do you think you’ve evolved as a band? Maybe this is just my theory, for some bands, the word “evolve” is thrown around a lot because people want to evolve as artists and a lot of the time people like artists who have done a lot of different stuff in their music. Throughout history, there are a lot of people who have changed — maybe sometimes for the best and maybe sometimes for the worst — but I also love artists who do their thing and you know kinda what you’re going to get, and that’s okay. I’ve come to appreciate that type of evolution, like this is who I am and this who I need to be to survive in this climate. In some ways, I’ve done that with Rooney. I always try to stay true to what I think the Rooney project is. I just don’t want to abandon what I’ve done in the past. I don’t want to avoid what people want to hear.
It’s just the way it’s being serviced that’s different. Every band used to play live. Technology has changed so you can do different things on stage. The biggest difference is that CDs went away which means albums went away. CDs were created to store a lot of information — it’s like a hard drive. Today a lot of stuff is in the cloud. The need for space has gone away because you have access to everything all the time through good connection. Music is just following technology. Were there ways to prevent this? I don’t know. For someone who has been in the game for so long, left but then wanted to come back to it and now has stayed in it, where do you see Rooney going now? When the band was on hiatus, there wasn’t really a dialogue with fans — the socials were basically frozen. It’s like leaving a car out in a field and it gets rusted and it might not start anymore. Like you get into the car and the engine doesn’t work anymore.
And you want to celebrate that. Totally. I think the trick there is wanting people to be accepting of us to be able to evolve. Because sometimes fans don’t want bands to change; they want you to remain the thing that they started liking you for. A lot of the time, I see people on social media wanting to relive that day in high school or 18-year-old them at a show — and that’s fine. Whatever makes people happy is all that matters but from my perspective, we’re not just here to make the 18-year-old version of you happy. We want to make you happy now.
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Whatever makes people happ from my perspective, we’re n 18-year-old version of you hap happy now.
py is all that matters but not just here to make the ppy. We want to make you - Robert Schwartzman
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so to speak. To headline and play the venues I want to play and really be in charge of the messaging. I think that’s the new version of Rooney and taking a project that was from the major label world — it did start off independent actually and got signed to a major but we operated as an indie within a major. But I wanted to bring it back to full independent and here we are being fully DIY. It’s really challenging but rewarding
That’s really sad. Yeah it sucks! But I hope we were able to start it again and give it a good wash and it’s still in good shape. When we did this whole Rooney re-release in 2016 with Washed Away, it was sort like a reboot. Did it feel like a debut album? Kind of. It was a new batch of music for people. We didn’t re-record an old Rooney record, you know? I’m constantly trying to figure out what to do next with Rooney. Times have changed and I’ve always tried new things like right now I’m directing movies and I get to write music for those movies but it takes time away from being a full-timed band person. There were times where I felt a little burnt out on Rooney and it started to not be fun. I didn’t understand what it meant. Sometimes you just have ask yourself why? Why am I still putting time and energy into this thing? It took me a minute to come back to and see the parts that I do love about it and embrace those parts. I just want to put music out so I’m not sitting on it, which I what I was doing for years. To tour frequently, on my own terms
. Is there anything else you’d like to accomplish? I’ve directed a new movie coming out in February and I want to shoot another movie straight away. I’d love to a Rooney LP. I really want to do a Rooney cover album. That would be SO GREAT. I think your fans would love that. I would love to hear the Rooney spin on so many tracks. The cool thing about covers is that you can take something that people know but expose them to parts of it that they might not have noticed. I’d love to do that.
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Broods
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B R O O D S
Broods is back and they’re different, yet again. The
You guys started so young. Do you feel — even
brother-sister duo consisting of Georgia and Caleb Nott
though they are so different from each other — like
have gone through the ringer together over the last few
these albums do serve as some sort of trilogy of who
years since their debut album Evergreen in 2014. From
you were and who you’ve become?
several sound changes over the course of the short but strong tenure, this time around they even went from a
Caleb: No, I think because we’re still going. We’re only
major label to an indie one, where they now feel like they
growing more into it. We want to be changing all the
are fully free to be who they’ve become. We sat down
time.
with Georgia and Caleb right before they set off to open
Georgia: I do think when you are in your early twenties
for Taylor Swift to talk about their growing pains and
or just general twenties, there’s so much dense growth.
how they’ve found strength in each other over the years.
You get shit on so many times and turn into so many different people.
We’ve talked several times over the course of your
Caleb: Yeah, you think you’ve totally figured it out and
career; from the first album to the change in your
then one day you’re like, “Fuck, who am I?”
second album so I feel very involved.
Georgia: [The first album] was a good representation
Georgia: You’ve watched us grow up!
of who we were then and the second album a good representation of what we were going through at that
I have! And with the new music, it’s obviously very
point. I think with this one though, because we did it all
different from the previous two projects. So what
by ourselves, it does feel a bit more genuine. My cousin,
has it been like going from album one to album two
when she first watched the video [for “Peach”], she told
to where you are now?
me she almost cried. Not because she was sad but
Georgia: I think this was particularly different because
because she felt we were finally showing our real selves
we had the whole label change as well. We pretty much
for the first time.
wrote the whole album while we were independent. Caleb: We had no one that said we were doing it wrong
Was there any particular sound you were trying to
or that we should do it a certain way. We really made the
strive for?
album that we wanted to make. And at the end, it was
Caleb: I actually think we were inspired by stuff we used
like, “Okay who wants to jump on board with us?”
to listen to more on this record. Georgia: I love listening to stuff before I was even alive.
Was that freeing?
It’s almost like I’m reliving my past life [laughs].
Both: Yeah! But it was scary. Georgia: It was strange because it was about a full year
And now you guys call LA your home base.
of being independent and it was like...oh no is this going
Georgia: Yeah, we’ve been here for three years now and
to work out? It was cool though because it made us
it’s completely changed how we see things. It’s like an
really depend on ourselves and made us make stuff that
echo chamber. We’ve definitely been exposed to so
we enjoyed playing and that means something to us. We
much more diverse people.
didn’t have to meet any expectations with this album.
Caleb: Everyone can be what they want.
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Do you feel like you can be yourself here more?
And how do you feel your relationship has changed
Georgia: Ourself right now, yes.
with each other over the course of all this? Georgia: Because we’ve changed so much, anything
You guys are so open to change. Do you have a fear
we’ve had to face — from changing labels to wondering
of alienating the audiences you’ve built on the first
whether or not we were still going to do this.
two albums?
Caleb: We’re very good about changing in the same
Georgia: That was something we had to be really careful
direction, musically and as a people.
with. Especially when putting together the new live
Georgia: Because we’ve been away from home together
show. We would’ve loved to take off all the old stuff and
and in LA for three years. We’ve experienced the really
only play the new stuff. But we do have to respect our
high highs and the low lows together. Everything has
past selves and our past albums and what they did for us
been so intense, it’s been important that we rely on each
and the fans they’ve got us.
other.
Caleb: My favorite bands are the ones that sound It is like a survival tactic.
different every time. I respect that they’re on this trajectory of how they feel they should go and I’m just
George: Yeah and it’s important that we have someone
there for the ride.
to be vulnerable with it. I know I can fall off the edge and As a person too, your listening habits change
have someone to catch me. But it’s also a lot of fun to
constantly. What you want to listen to in the
look over to the person next to you and go, “Fuck yeah,
morning isn’t what you want to listen to at night.
this is awesome.”
Georgia: Exactly! It changes hour to hour. What do you ultimately want people to get out of the new music? Georgia: Honestly, just excitement. Everything is very in your face. There are so many different songs on the album but it is very straight to the point of this is what I want to do, this is how I want to feel. People can relate to that I think.
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Donna Missal P H O T O G R A P H Y W O R D S
JOH N F U RT H
LILIAN MIN
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Donna Missal’s voice hits you like a
at a vocational school.) She grew
buckshot. It’s gravelly and bracing,
up with five siblings close in age;
and she stretches it into visceral
her 18-year-old brother is actually
almost-howls to chilling effect. This
a member of her touring band,
much was obvious on “Keep Lying,”
a fact that “touches me! It’s part
the demo that appeared (read: it
of how I’ve always wanted to run
“I approach songwriting in a theatrical way, and I think about the way it’ll play live.”
was leaked) on the
this business.” She’s effusive in her
internet in 2015.
obvious affection for the support and
And on her debut
foundation her family’s offered her:
album This Time,
“My parents have always been really
which dropped on
supportive of our creativity and our
September 7, Missal
strangeness. They insulated us with a
keeps the fire from
lot of acceptance.”
that choice cut
Missal’s grandmother was a
burning throughout.
songwriter, and her son (Missal’s dad)
That isn’t surprising,
was an industry multi-hyphenate
but the wickedly delicious part is
who ran a studio and encouraged
how well she’s been able to cut that
all of his children to pursue their
fire with cool tenderness, and how
creative dreams. For Missal, that
both elements work together to
originally meant writing songs for
present the depth of Missal’s range
other people. Collaborators include
as a singer-songwriter.
Macklemore and Rudimental, but
“I approach songwriting in a
part of the original reason she leaked
theatrical way, and I think about the
“Keep Lying” is so that she could hold
way it’ll play live. A lot of this album
onto the song before it was, as per
came together with that in mind,”
the industry, snapped up by another
Missal shares over the phone. She’s
interested artist.
just wrapped an opener run for
Missal is thoughtful about the
Bishop Briggs, and she’s in Baltimore
nuts and bolts of musicianship in
preparing for the first night of her
the modern age: “The way that the
opener run with Joywave and Sir
industry churns out new artists is,
Sly. Though Missal’s been steeped
if you don’t have a body of work
in music almost her entire life — her
behind you, you make an EP and on
dad began recording her singing
that EP, you have the single. That
when she was 4 — the live touring
single gets pushed to radio, and you
aspect is still somewhat new.
circulate your EP on Spotify, and then
Missal was homeschooled in
turn that EP into an album maybe
Marlton, New Jersey for most of
a year later, after doing a couple big
her childhood. (In high school,
features. That’s how it seems to be,
she attended a theater program
the process for a lot of artists coming
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up in the digital age of music. You
on presenting “myself in a way that
wanna give the audience something
was realistic and natural and true to
digestible.”
form. The reasons for those images
But while she’d steadily been
was to say like, this is my real body.
releasing music, covers and original
This is what I look like; this is who I
tracks and singles, for years, Missal always had her sights set on a full-fledged album, declaring, “I wanted a body of work. So instead of going the route of releasing an EP, I thought it’d be cool to instead start leaking songs that I knew would be on the album. That way it made you feel like you were, every time a song came out, getting a step closer to the inevitable, which was the album.” Part of her vision of This Time, whose name arises out of Missal’s observation that “the concept of time was stringing all of [the songs] together and creating the narrative of the record,” included a visual/ video element. The album’s cover is the capstone of a meta-narrative threaded throughout her music videos, of a woman coming to terms of who she is; what she wants; and the forces, outside and interior, working against her. She arrives on the cover of This Time resplendent and powerful and whole, which to Missal meant “standing really firmly and solidly, in a power suit. Here I am!” As for the self-admittedly “voyeuristic” images that make up
am. I’m flawed, I’m imperfect, and
the single artwork for “Girl,” “Driving,”
I’m accepting of that.”
and “Thrills,” Missal meant for them
That mission statement neatly
to come from a single photoshoot,
dovetails into the themes on the
with their genesis in her insistence
album, which pulls from her years
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of songwriting experience but really came together in
‘Transformer Pen’ … ‘Jupiter’ is the name of the synth that
the past year, during weeks-long studio stretches in
was used to create that line that runs through the song.
San Francisco and Los Angeles with producers Nate
No ethereal ties; it’s not about constellations or planets.
Merceneau and Tim Anderson. Missal sums up the
Not about space, no aliens. Just my bad habits.”
album’s themes loosely as “self-discovery and self-ac-
Missal admits to favoring “classical” pop structures,
ceptance and self-love and self-understanding.” Though
but her different levels of delivery give her range
songs like “Keep Lying,” “Thrills,” and “Transformer” come
— emotional, vocal, and performative. Much of the
off as torch songs, “Driving,” “Skyline,” and title track
feedback about Missal’s live shows online is that of
“This Time” are much gentler vignettes. All of her songs
shock: That the songs are so fucking good, and that she
feel propelled toward a Big Finish; the difference is that
performs them with an intensity that can’t help but turn
some tracks deliver on that, while others shy away from
heads, even from notorious jading opening crowds.
such an obvious resolution.
And though Missal’s already dealing with some
Missal credits her songwriting style to growing up
social media negativity, she emphasizes that her rising
listening to the canonical greats — Fleetwood Mac and
profile can’t be anything but a boon, a way to foster
Aretha Franklin, among others — but also the wealth
connectivity with both those fans who’ve been following
of ‘90s R&B from her childhood; artists like Destiny’s
her for years and people just discovering her music at
Child, Alicia Keys, 3LW, and TLC. You can hear shades of
shows. These direct channels, which can evolve into
Rihanna-voice on “Skyline.” A less immediately obvious
sources of stress, for the time being “[make] me breathe
influence on This Time is the similarly introspective
a little easier. It’s not all for nothing… like, ‘I just wanna let
and incendiary Sharon Van Etten. Several songs on the
you know that your album really helped me out.’”
album are joint efforts between the two, including the
The next thing Missal has her eye on is a full-fledged
standouts “Jupiter” and “This Time.”
headlining tour of her own, tentatively coming together
Though the album’s tracks all have evocative titles,
for early next year. Her name at the top of the bill and
Missal admits that they’re often completely unrelated
“the stage design, things that I’ve always wanted to
to whatever moment or mood she’s writing about: “The
do but never had the opportunity.” This Time came
song ‘Transformer,’ the first time I wrote those lyrics
together as a record, in both senses, of Missal’s creative
was using a pen that I borrowed from the studio that
emergence, so it’s understandable that her main goal
was a Transformer pen. Like, the robots. When I used
now is seeing it through. The rest of us will wait with
it to write, the robot guy moved. So I named the song
bated breath to hear what comes next.
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