As part of the release of Digcast X, the third installment of my NYC music series, I'm posting on each band in the podcast. Today we continue with Hey Anna.
Follow the link above to listen to members Erin, Andrew, and Matt discuss "Tiny Kiss," hot air balloons, and some things they dig about NYC.
Also, come check out Hey Anna this Friday at our next TWD Presents showcase!
Hey Anna is a five piece band of sisters Erin, Anna, and Katie Rauch-Sasseen and their friends Andrew Smolin and Matthew Langner, who have a closeness similar to brothers. I only got to meet three out of the five members – Erin, Andrew, and Matt – but if the music on their eponymous EP is any indication, when you mix them all together and you get very tight-knit bunch. A family. I mentioned recently in the first of these Digcast X posts on Beat Radio that I sometimes lose sight of what really matters as a blogger and music fan. I'm trying to keep that in mind and convey it more. With Hey Anna, they provide a vivid example of one of my favorite parts of collaborative creation: the endless fascination of group dynamics. I just can't get enough of how people come together, add their unique contributions, and by working together, produce something bigger than any one of them.
The band only has five songs available, but as you'll learn more are coming. Plus I've had the chance to catch them live and hear some others. However, no one should be dissatisfied with the EP out now. It's a lovely and powerful debut. The easy starting point is the vocals of and harmonic interplay between the sisters. All three take turns in the lead vocal slot, and while their voices are obviously very complementary, Anna, Katie, and Erin all bring something a bit different to the table. Musically, Katie holds it down on bass and Erin & Anna trade-off between guitar and keyboards – though they all can play any of those three. But let's not ignore the contributions of Andrew and Matt either. Both have an uncontainable energy that meshes perfectly with the beautiful textures provided by the sisters. The groove, the rhythm, and the effects all breathe a life into the songs, making them even more complex and multi-faceted. It gives the band an incredible versatility. As I learned, they aren't concerned with fitting a particular sound but rather serving the song however is necessary. The thrill of this discovery and coalescence of multiple elements is intoxicating.
I suppose you could say this is an indie band, but that's way too limited. It's general but they are simply a band finding its way and trying a lot of things and I think there is much excitement in this journey. The music can get incredibly cinematic, verging on post-rock in "Light," but that comes in a passage after a much more subdued finger-picked acoustic guitar opening. "Love Love Baby" is a delightful pop song with an engrossing ska / reggae vibe. It's by no means a full on punk song, but something about the way the cymbals crash and the chorus speeds up in "Once Again," makes that it at least clear that genre has imprinted itself on the members. Then you have horn effects, so maybe I'm totally wrong? Or maybe it just keeps proving how Hey Anna defies easy categorization and is gifted at making their own sound from a bunch they love. No lyrical slouches, either. "Blackout" is a stunning opening that packs a powerful message you may miss in its joyous rush. And digcast track "Tiny Kiss" does something I always love which is start with a specific, detailed, personal moment and then expand outwards into the universal and human. This is a talented band for sure and I can't wait to hear where they go next.
You can get the self-titled debut EP on bandcamp – free! You can follow Hey Anna on Facebook and Twitter. You should come see them play our next TWD showcase Friday at Muchmore's in Williamsburg. Here's their website once again and you can listen to "Tiny Kiss" once more below, too. Oh, and go check out their session on BreakThru Radio.
And now, the interview. I spent a few hours in Erin's Brooklyn apartment, along with Andrew, Matt, and quite a few of their friends. This was a really enjoyable conversation that went in a lot of different directions (one even led to a theremin!) and as much as I wish I could give you the full account, I'm human and simply couldn't transcribe every single moment. I do think, though, you'll get a great sense of the special relationship that exists among the band members and find it as interesting and funny as I did. They are thoughtful and humorous, often simultaneously, and the infectious energy and enthusiasm in person is also reflected in their music. Hope you dig this talk that includes music they love, the meanings in their songs, the inner workings of the band, and much, much more.
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Before we start, there was some discussion about how Andrew hadn't eaten since 11AM so he needed to order food, which he does. This will be important later.
Steve: I saw that BreakThru Radio video session and it mentioned you were in the seminary.
Mark: Yeah, he was in the thick of it for a little bit.
Andrew: I was studying to be a priest. I wanted to be a missionary.
S: That's cool. What made you change your mind?
A: Hey Anna (laughs). Just kidding. It's a long story, it's crazy. I just realized it was for the wrong reasons I was there. Not that I think it's a bad lifestyle, but it wasn't for me. Basically, my personality was incompatible with that lifestyle. I was unhappy, I was anxious and obsessive and compulsive and neurotic.
S: Wow. And all that's just gone now? (laughter) No, but it's good that you could make the change, though, if you weren't happy.
M: That's the biggest part, right.
S: It's not always easy to do that.
A: No. For a month or two I was really anxious. All the anxiety I was repressing erupted into my subconscious. Quote me on that. "Erupted into my subconscious" (laughter). I mean, no, I'm sorry about that! All the anxiety that was IN my subconscious erupted into my consciousness (laughter). I got goosebumps all over, I was so anxious. Then I said "Wait a second. I can be happy here in the present moment." And I called Katie and Anna.
M: The twins.
A: And I said, "Let's be in a band. Let's do it for real."
We soon find ourselves on the first of many enjoyable tangents. At this point, we were mainly discussing the size of our families – Andrew has 47 first cousins – and then our education backgrounds. When they learn my hometown is Erie, PA, Andrew reveals he's into Pennsylvania girls and then we talk about regional accents. There is talk of city planning. Then, the band apologies for the digression, after noting how saying "I digress" usually kills the digression.
M: Our actual catch phrase for the band is "I'm sorry."
A: (laughs) Yeah.
Erin: We just apologize to each other all the time.
S: How long has the band been a band?
E: Anna, Katie, and I started playing shows fall 2010. I would say in February is when you started talking to Anna and Katie?
A: I called them in January, probably didn't play until February.
E: 2011.
A: I played with them before I played with you.
E: And then his friend Brian joined and the five of us, we all played together and we started messing around. When was our first show, May?
A: Yeah, it was late May, the beach thing.
E: So then we started playing more shows. November 2011 is when we started recording the EP. It was literally around Thanksgiving.
A: We started doing the drum tracks, yeah.
E: Then in July Brian left us and then Matt joined us. They had gone to high school together. Our first show with Matt was in August.
S: So you didn't play on the EP?
M: No.
A: But we're recording for more songs and we're going to be done soon. It's sounding really good.
M: We are recording with Jesse Cannon.
A: Yeah, he's like a punk rock legend. Catch 22.
M: Less Than Jake, all that stuff. He's been doing all these records and then he took on kids with a chance.
A: That sounds like it's already a band.
M: Oh, that was my high school band name!
A: You know, we got together and we played one day in Jersey, in the suburbs. And it was like "Whoa! This is sounding pretty good." But I never thought it would evolve to even this far two years later. We're recording again, we're playing shows, we're getting blog reviews and all that. And it's continuing.
M: It's moving.
A: I'm wearing skinny jeans! (laughter) I never thought that that would happen, I swear! People call me a hipster at my job.
S: What's your job?
A: I'm an admissions counselor.
M: For a no name university.
A: Seton Hall University.
S: I know where that is.
A: He knows where it is, see? It's not no name.
S: And what are your jobs?
M: I work at Saks Fifth Avenue as a merchandise manager and deal with clothes.
E: I work for this company that does travel for museum and alumni groups. So basically retired, high end, travel for people who want to go on trips with curators from museums or Harvard lecturers. They're really nice trips, I've gone on a couple.
M: She went to Cuba, which I would fucking love.
E: It was awesome. We went to lots of artist studios and it was really amazing. Cuba in general is awesome. Over the summer I went on this Baltic cruise which was really cool. Went to St. Petersburg and Stockholm. The work part of it isn't great, but when you have an hour to yourself in these cities and you're not paying for it…
S: That's a nice perk.
E: It's pretty cool.
S: How do you balance the band with the jobs?
M: Well, I haven't slept for 48 hours, so…
E: He doesn't sleep because he has to go to work at 5AM. We all get out at like 5, 6, 7, so he's been up for like 84 hours by the time we have practice or a show or something. I don't know, Red Bull, I guess?
M: Hey Anna, Red Bull, sponsored by!
E: I would say Katie, me, and Andrew have the most 9 to 5 type jobs. Anna, she teaches lab classes at Brookdale Community College. Anatomy right now. Sometimes she has a morning schedule, but sometimes she works into the night. There are certain days where we can't get together.
M: But we try to get together at least once or twice a week.
E: Yeah.
M: Right now it's been a lot of recording and creating new music and playing shows.
E: Oh and Katie does graphic design. She probably has the most creative job.
S: So, they are twins. Which one plays the bass more?
E: Katie. She strictly plays bass, not that she can't play other instruments.
M: All the sisters can play all the instruments.
A: Katie can tear it up, man.
E: Anna and I switch off between guitar and keyboards. It's typically Anna and I that are singing lead, too.
M: Right, most of the record is Erin and Anna. Katie has a song.
E: Actually, Katie is singing two songs on the EP. She sings "Love Love Baby" and "Once Again."
M: Oh, right.
E: But this new one is mostly Anna and I.
S: And it's going to be four tracks?
M: Four tracks, and it's going to be a little less lo-fi and more clean.
A: Well, we are recording in a studio.
E: As opposed to here.
A: The other one we did in this apartment, in my apartment, in the twins apartment.
S: Wow, it sounds good.
A: We did it all by ourselves.
M: They did it all in Logic. It took like a year.
A: On our Macbooks. But we did get a guy to mix it who did an incredible job.
M: Don Godwin.
E: Yeah, he put it through all this analog stuff.
M: He really helped us out.
E: He's amazing.
S: Do you have a collaborative writing process or does it usually start with one person?
M: I think it starts at the top and trickle down economics (laughs).
E: That's a good question because I would say in the past it would definitely be one of us, either I, or Anna, or Katie would have a song that we wrote on our own, huddled up in a room kind of a thing. Then we brought that to the band, "let's play around with it." Some of our new songs we definitely created together. All five of us made it happen.
A: We did that for a long time where they would take a song and bring it to practice and we would listen to it and play it together and then tweak it a little bit. We would come up with our riffs or beats and come up with a different groove or whatever. But recently a couple songs we would jam together first. "Pia" is when we were jamming together. There was a riff that would evolve, a groove would evolve, and then the vocals would come about.
E: For the words and everything, I get very self-conscious making up words on the spot with the group. There will be the initial whatever I let come out and am comfortable with, but then I have to come back here by myself and write actual lyrics. Then we come back and try it again and I'm like "These are real words we can use."
M: What's awesome is the turnaround is so quick as well. We have one practice one week and then they come back with all this stuff. It starts solidifying and it's awesome. It's really cool.
It's time for a drink break. We talk a little about college sports and college towns. And then Andrew begins to eat the food he ordered at the beginning of our talk. Eventually he has sour cream all over his face, and since his hands are covered too, Erin wipes it off. This launches us into a long bit about how this moment will play in the interview. They try to convince me to open everything with "And the lead singer wipes his face"…but said by Andrew! It's probably a "you had to be there" joke, but I figured I'd give it a shot. When I remark how I probably won't use everything they say in the interest of space, they say I can use whatever, setting up the following humorous exchange. Matt – You can use it all / Erin – We like it raw / Matt – (without missing a beat – he's a drummer, people!) Except for that.
S: I'm curious if you all have different tastes and maybe bring different things to the songwriting. It's a cohesive sound but maybe there's a few different elements coming together. I'm curious to trace it back to each person.
M: Alright, let's go top band that you're listening to, the three of us.
E: Right now? That's tough.
A: That's hard. But yeah, I think you're right. It's funny, I was thinking about that same thing today, how we all listen to different music. When we got to the studio, the producer/engineer was like, "Let's talk sounds." I'm thinking we all have different sounds. But that's how it works, it all comes together. Erin's listening to a lot of Daughter. It's very atmospheric.
M: First Aid Kit.
A: A lot of ambience.
M: Pretty stuff.
A: I'm listening to Less Than Jake (laughter). That's not true.
M: Vampire Weekend, Ra Ra Riot.
A: Yeah, I'm listening to a lot of Ra Ra Riot. Or Skrillex. I'm listening to a lot of Skrillex these days.
M: Really?
A: Yeah, can't deny it.
M: I'm listening to a lot of State Champion and Wavves.
A: He's listening to a lot of lo-fi stuff, I'm listening to a lot of well produced stuff.
M: It's a difference and it works out.
E: The twins, constant Motown.
M: Which is where the songwriting is so foundational and so entrenched with grooves with good melodies. I think on some level, we're doing that, but we're also listening to what's current, what's happening. You're consuming what's around you and trying to back it into the world without the same stigma it came in with. You're like, "I heard this, I like that." All this stuff, you get hit in the face with all these new bands that are happening and you pick and choose how to make a difference between it. We consume it and try to put something we're proud of back into the world. Hopefully people will be into it.
A: One of the good, cool things is we don't say "What are we going for?" We're all putting in our two cents with our own history and with whatever we're feeling at the moment and making it work. Everybody's trying to make it better, coming from our own perspective. We all have a vision but…
M: We'll lay down if someone else has a better idea.
E: We're very song-oriented as opposed to "This is our sound. Let's write within that sound." For example, the 60s surfer rock sound is in, and you listen to all these songs within a certain genre the artists are making their own. We try and look at each song as its own entity.
M: And each moment and how can we make it better.
E: As opposed to how we can put things in this sound.
A: And every song has its own personality and its own groove. Whatever we're feeling for that song, we try to push toward that.
M: It's also five people going towards one goal, so there can be a lot of conflict.
A: I've learned a lot about life from being in a band. You have your own will and four other people have their own vision. It's trust.
M: I trust in the other four people, absolutely.
A: You're right. My ideas might not be the best ideas. Let's face it, a lot of people think their ideas are the best. I used to think that. Still do sometimes.
M: Checks and balances.
E: (laughs)
A: Yeah, checks and balances, man.
M: I think that's the only thing that will keep us going forward.
A: You have to compromise.
E: I feel like sometimes people are like "Who's the band the leader? Who takes control?" And I think none of us do.
M: We're so passive-aggressive, it's ridiculous (laughter).
A: I probably have the tendency to try and take control. If I do, though, it's just not going to happen.
E: I think we all do. Last week I was screaming because I was so frustrated (laughs).
M: We'll scream out "Typical!" We all have personalities and they're all very strong. But feeling passionate about the art you're creating will move it forward. I've been playing with bands since the age of 18.
A: We were in a band together. But yeah, you put five artists in a room together…
M: What's the joke?
A: No, I'm just saying you learn a lot about life.
S: It seems like you're all very close.
M: This guy has no idea what hurricane came with that.
A: We are close. We do love each other.
S: That's good.
A brief aside on touring and general compliments, before we get back to it.
M: Put us in a different vector, my man.
S: What about being in a relationship with your sisters, how does that work? What's great about that, what's hard about that?
E: Ok good (laughs). Back in the day [Erin is the youngest], when making the songs all began, probably in middle school, we were all taking music lessons. Anna and Katie definitely had these musical compositions and I had songs. I played guitar. They both played the piano. You would walk in and Anna and Katie would have these ridiculous piano sonatas happening. And they would play together. The two of them would sit and play and make these beautiful pieces. I would lock myself in my room and write these stupid little songs. In high school I was doing more of that.
Later, Anna lived in Hawaii for a year, she was researching these endangered birds. While she was there, she taught herself to play guitar. And this is her story, I'm not making this up, but she missed us so much that by writing all these songs on guitar, that was how she was connecting to Katie and I. When she came back, she had all these songs. And Katie had actually started writing more songs. So we would sit and play and sing them together. We were always singing together, but now there were songs we each had written. When we decided we wanted to start performing, we'd do a mixture. Anna and Katie lived together, they were making them together, they were joint projects. Whereas songs I wrote, were me and I brought them to the table. At first, when they would suggest changes here or there, it was hard to take at first. But they were always for the better.
Playing with other people is where it really all started changing. On one hand, everyone is giving their suggestions and first you want to be loyal to your song and what you created. Then it's like "Oh these are my sisters and what they have to say is important." But sometimes you might agree more with Andrew or Matt. So it's this strange balance of what's best for the song, what am I being selfish about in terms of what I want to keep or not change, and then in the end, do I want my sisters to be mad at me? But we'll always forgive each other.
M: The sibling dynamic must be really weird to get over. Me and Andrew grew up together from the age of 13. We were in my basement doing records. We were not necessarily the cool kids going out every weekend.
A: Well, we were trying to be cool.
M: We were the cool kids in the basement sneaking beer from some guy downtown.
E: Oh were definitely not even that cool (laughs). And this is the first time we had played with other people.
M: They had these nice pretty songs and we would be like "That's great, you do that on top and we're just going to kill it on the bottom." That's kind of how the sound works. Still, consistently. He knows what I'm doing, I know what he's doing. They're on top being extremely pretty and talented. It's awesome.
E: The way Anna and Katie and I can communicate is one level. And they can communicate with each other on a similar level of having played music with each other and just being friends and guys.
M: And going through girlfriends and all that weird shit and learning to drink, sharing a warm beer at 13. Growing up together is organic for these two segments to mesh.
E: It all depends on the person. The way Matt communicates with us is different they way Andrew communicates with us. I don't know where I'm going with this but I think we just like each other so much.
S: What were some of your gateway bands or songs that made music another thing besides something to just listen to? Something that made you realize "This means more to me than my friends who just listen to the radio?"
E: This might be cliche but our mom played for us all the time when we were little. From the time we were infants, music wasn't something that you listened to and put away, it was always a part of who we were. You had a person who created these songs and this music and was giving them to you. That connection was there so early for us. For me, I always knew I wanted to do that, too. As a four year old, having your mom singing to, that was it.
A: Green Day, Less Than Jake, my friends, Paul Simon. And everything in between that. Even the new bands, I'm deeply influenced by Ra Ra Riot right now. Or Vampire Weekend.
M: Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys. Then things like "Lola" by the Stills or the arc of Dr. Dog, seeing them go from Kung Fu Necktie in Philadelphia to Terminal 5. That inspires me. And R&B like Otis Redding and Sam Cooke.
E: I think Anna and Katie would agree, we listened to a lot of jazz standards when we were little. The idea that something made so long ago we were so attached to and loved – we would go in the garage and sing the stuff – can be loved by anyone at any time, brought it to another level for us.
M: The vocals of this band really solidify it. With three sisters that can harmonize so well and write so tightly, I think that's something special. It's poppy and accessible and entrenched in these timeless values. And then me and Andrew just come and bang away (laughter).
A: What's the song that goes (sings) "Well I don't mind stealing bread from the mouths of decadence?"
S: "Hunger Strike."
A: That is the fucking best song ever, man (sings it for awhile).
From here we discuss grunge bands – Matt loved Pearl Jam 20 – and then television. Big ups to Freaks & Geeks, Roswell, and Seinfeld.
M: We don't really take ourselves too seriously. We think we our caricatures of ourselves on some level.
E: Matt is definitely a caricature of himself (laughs).
M: But something very untouchable is music, the art form.
S: Let's talk about some songs on the EP. The song "Light" I think is pretty cool.
A: That is a nasty piece.
S: It gets very atmospheric and goes in another direction. It's your biggest song kind of, in terms of space, but it still all fits in the vibe that you have already. It's a cool dimension.
E: Anna wrote "Light" initially. I was asking her about it today and it's a life-death allegory. Finding someone or people to share your life and go through it, and a lot of times you don't realize that's what you want at first, then it's all about getting there, then at the end, sort of as the sun is setting, you're wanting to hold on to every last bit. "Tie your shadows to your feet," is that sort of thing. This is funny, I always thought the song starts "the loveliest light," but it's "the loveliest lie."
A: Oh, I didn't know that.
E: Because…oh god, what did she say? I forget, but maybe it's the sense you think it will always be there. The sun rises and you're like, "Look at all this time I have." But it does come to an end eventually. And then, when we all came together and made the song what it is, the sonic/musical/instrumental buildup is that death. But by bringing it back to the soft and the light singing is not knowing what comes after. You can't ever really know where it leads you. I don't know, I wish Anna was here to talk about it.
S: It's very emotional, it's kind of cinematic.
E: Yeah. It's one of those things where I listen to it now and I get emotional.
What happens next is probably our craziest digression yet, but in a cool way. We are treated to a performance on theremin by Erin's roommate Inbar. Her repertoire includes the Home Alone theme, which was pretty amazing to hear. A friend Doug who's been hanging out learns to play, at one point prompting Andrew to freestyle rap over it. We get in a long bit about New Jersey and all the musicians from there – a mutual love of Ted Leo is discovered! – plus some of the famous alumni of Matt & Andrew high school (Max Weinberg, Lauryn Hill, Zach Braff) and Erin's (Jack Nicholson). Erin also reveals that her family had moved around quite a bit prior to settling in New Jersey, including stops in Kansas City and Holland.
A: Hold on, I'm sorry. I like a lot of reggae music too. Bob Marley is serious for me.
S: That's a good segue. "Love Love Baby" has a reggae or ska vibe. That song is very catchy.
E: Yes.
M: People love that song.
S: That's the one that gets stuck in my head the most, like even a day or two later.
M: That's a crowd pleaser.
A: We play it every show.
M: We play it in the middle of the set. It's sort of our resting song, we know it's going to be solid.
E: Katie wrote it. I think the three of us came up with the initial concept of the song together, but Katie definitely made it into a song. Then the boys made it something else.
A: Yeah. That was the big thing for me in joining Hey Anna. Katie and Anna sent me a bunch of their songs, including some of Erin's but I didn't talk to Erin because I didn't know her too well. I went to college with Katie and Anna. Anyways, the "Love Love Baby" that they recorded was to a sample of Bob Marley, a dub sample. Which was just the reggae shit.
E: Oh that's right!
A: I was like "Whaaaat the fuuuuccckk!!?" I was like, "This is some reggae shit! I'm gonna eat this up!" I love it, I love the reggae stuff. I was like, I have to be involved with this. Here I'm thinking, I'm going to join a reggae band with these ladies, I'm going to be going to the Carribbean, going to Jamaica, all my favorite countries. Trinidad, Puerto Rico, La Republica Dominicana, Haiti (in accents).
E: But then we weren't a reggae band.
A: That's the story of "Love Love Baby." We incorporated all the stuff, it's eclectic.
M: We didn't shy away from anything because of thinking "We're this indie band, we can't do that." No, it was "This song is great, we're going to go with it." It was awesome. That's the main point. If it's a good song and good songwriting, we're going to follow through with it. That's all it.
S: What's interesting about listening to it is how it's sort of about trying to get out of this situation, but it sounds like you want it. You're saying you don't, but the music isn't. "You're bad for me, but…"
M: Right, like this one night stand but it's happy. I'm over it but I'm into it.
E: That's a little creepier, but definitely coming from Katie, it's about having fun, nothing too serious. I wish Katie was here, I don't know what she was thinking (laughs).
M: I think it's, you meet someone, you're having a great time, there's no awkwardness over it, it's this best time.
E: I feel a lot of times the songwriting may start somewhere else but we may shape it with whatever personal experience to something that works in the song. Maybe what she's singing about isn't necessarily like "I have another guy on the side," but more like "I have all this other shit going on in my life."
M: "That was fun, but we'll deal with it later?"
E: No, I don't know. More like the other person in the song that this person is already committed to may not be necessarily a love interest. Maybe it's other issues, I'm not sure.
S: Right, people take whatever hits them. In "Blackout" what's interesting to me is it feels like that song is about this moment where you're just becoming empowered about something. It's talking when you're sick of this situation, but the music makes it sound like it's finally stopping to affect you. That's what I was taking from it. You could have wrote that in one way that would be real mopey, like "This person is not treating me well." But I feel like with the energy and it starting the EP, it feels like it's this moment where it's turning.
E: That's absolutely spot on. The circumstances that brought that song into being were absolutely like experiencing the world where everything was new, and as a girl. You're having these experiences but not really knowing what they are or what they mean, or who you are or what you're doing. For me, it was starting to see these things where I really felt something and wanted more. Like, "Oh, this is what this is, this makes me want to have something real out of this." And then nothing coming from that. I am going to take that feeling and go and find something real that I want.
M: It's a euphoric moment of being able to control what you're doing, but you're not necessarily aware of what's going on.
E: No, but I finally was aware. That's the point. I was aware and it was so real. You want something to work, like with a person, but it doesn't. But then you are so aware of how something makes you feel, the emotions, and then wanting to go into the world and find that. I think that's what that is for me.
M: You wrote the song (laughs).
S: Yeah, that's what I was thinking about. A blackout takes all the light away, maybe you're going to shine your own light or something. Musically, it seems like a good introduction to everything because it starts with the guitar and there's vocalizing right at the beginning. It's energetic but it's also in another world. It's a good intro track.
A: I never even think about what the songs mean to them, but they wrote it. I just think "This is what it means."
S: What does it mean for you?
A: Well, she already explained it and I'm very simple, but for me, the lyrics meant she was hooking up with this dude (laughter). I'm serious. She was hooking up with a dude, she was into him, and he was just drinking, and he was having a good time. He wasn't really getting emotionally attached to her because he was being a dude – let's face it, we're into that type of stuff. He was drinking, he was drunk, he barely even remembered it. But she was all about him! She was all attached to him and everything.
E: It's the truth (laughter)
A: "I'm into him, I'm into him. That was such a good kiss. Oh my god, such a good kisser." Next day, he's like [all mumbly and inarticulate]. That's what it meant to me, straight up. Oh and then the song is her reaction to it. "I don't need that, I don't need you being blacked out kissing me. Fuck that."
M: She knew her moment and this is not the guy but she knew what she wanted to chase.
S: It's a big moment when you're the one that's being screwed over and you're the one that has to make the change.
M: Yeah, you felt this and doesn't have to be with that person but it has to be with something.
A: Interesting.
E: Yes, exactly. You're going to feel how you're going to feel and anyone can make you feel a certain way, but you have to find who can reciprocate.
A: But, some people would probably just take that feeling and repress it for the rest of their lives.
E: Repress it?
A: It can happen.
M: Like, "I'll never get that moment with that person with anyone else?"
A: Or like "This was me being used, let me just forget about that whole part of me." Stuff it down in there.
M: If you hear "Blackout," then we have this song on the new record called "Super Glue." We gotta play it for you. Let's put it on.
E: This is a pre-mix. We just recorded it last Sunday.
We take a break to listen to the new track. Even with it being in the early stages of existence, it sounds really good to me. I couldn't hear much of the words and I turned off my recorder while it played, but I'm confident fans of the current EP will like it a lot. The playing was tight, the voices were strong, and it just felt good to hear. I'm sure I'll write about it in more detail when it officially comes out, but they did talk more about it to at least give you a thematic idea of it.
E: "Super Glue" is in that next stage after "Blackout," of already knowing who you are, knowing what you want and how to get it. Then you meet this person and you're actually starting something with someone. But it's new, so you're losing yourself in it a bit.
S: Do you ever have a hard time expressing personal things in your writing? Or do you remove yourself? Some people are very veiled, some people are like "This is me, this is it."
E: Oh, it's me. For me that is how it gets worked out. Right. I would say as kids in terms of Anna, Katie, and I, I was definitely more of the sharer and in touch with my feelings and could talk about them. But strangely I found as I got older it was almost harder for me to talk about what I was feeling. Or share with people and that sort of thing. Songwriting is how I can find the words to articulate what I'm thinking and what's going on. Writing a song can resolve it for me in my head instead of having to communicate with a person.
A: So sexy.
E: You're such a turd.
A: I always knew that about Erin. That's how I got to know her.
S: Through song.
A: We never actually talked.
M: She just sang to you.
A: But yeah "Super Glue" is after the hook up.
E: "Super Glue" is a couple months in.
A: This isn't the guy who's black out drunk and forgot about you. This guy, they're in there. There's something going on, at least a little something. They've at least made out when one of them wasnt' blacked out (laughter).
M: They had a nice brunch in Brooklyn.
A: They were hanging out in the daylight.
M: They were at Egg in Williamsburg.
A: They were playing videogames at noon time or something.
S: The sun was somewhere.
E: Taking walks on the Brooklyn Bridge.
A: But it's clear there are issues, it's in "Super Glue." There are issues. You'll see.
Hopefully soon!