Premiere: St John's Property and Illustrator Isha Watson Team Up to Release "The Isolator"

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“The Isolator” cover art by Isha Watson

There is nothing quite like a collaboration between pals, no? This is certainly the case for the uber-talented friend group of St John’s-based new-wave band Property and illustrator and animator Isha Watson. Today, the quad release “The Isolator,” an allegorical song originally about the mundane observation of tourists in St John’s, that has since taken on a new meaning in the wake of COVID-19 and under Watson’s artistic direction in the form of a gorgeous music video. Off their upcoming EP Think Electric!, Property’s single offers an honest punk undertone in both sound and intention with punchy danceability. When coupled with Watson’s pastel-laden video, “The Isolator” becomes a comforting soundtrack to get you through yet another day of pondering the meaning of life in quarantine. Check out our interview with Property and Watson below to hear their thoughts on life in St John’s, creating together, and abolishing the myth of productivity.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Property & Isha Watson! Congrats on the release of "The Isolator" and it's accompanying music video. To start, can you tell our readers about your projects and yourselves? 

Isha: I am an illustrator based in St. John’s, originally from Perth, Australia. I moved to Newfoundland three years ago and fell in love with the culture and surroundings. I made it my intention to immigrate permanently. Originally a graphic illustrator, I challenged myself to take the next step by making my illustrations come to life. I’ve been animating pretty consistently ever since.  

Property: Hi! We are a band based in St. John's. Our names are Sarah (guitar/vocals), Jack (guitar), and Liam (bass). We all grew up here and live here in a house downtown. We started this band in 2016 and have been playing in St John’s and touring Eastern Canada ever since. We play guitar driven music with a drum machine, and more recently with our friend Jacob live on drums. 

Also Cool: For Property: How did "The Isolator" come together in terms of production? Were there any particular scenarios or influences that had an impact on the sound and feel of the final product? 

Property: The song was written and arranged pretty much exactly a year ago this month. We recorded it half with our friend Jake Nicoll and half at home during the first month of quarantine. It’s a reflection on living in St. John’s for a long time and working a service job that interacts with the tourism industry. It’s like this funny thing where people come here because they saw tourism ads on TV; so, when they get here they expect to see that untouched and “authentic” image of Newfoundland that they are sold. It’s funny to be on the other side of that sometimes. In the song “The Isolator,” is a sort of tongue-in-cheek euphemism for the island. But it totally takes on a new meaning in Isha’s video. 

AC: For Property and Isha: How did you work together to conceptualize the video? I'm interested in the characters and their repetitive actions of personal business; was any of that drawn from your own experiences in insolation, or is it rather a cultural artifact of the times we are in generally?   

Property: Isha made the animation and conceptualized it pretty independently! After the initial month of lockdown in Newfoundland (which we spent together in our house watching movies every night..) we were allowed to join “bubbles” with another household, which was Isha’s household where a handful of friends live. The animations are definitely reflective of that period of time, and the characters in the animation are us and friends doing the sort of things that we did, and do, to pass the time. So in this way, the song is kind of given a new meaning with the video and the context of the times. It can become a sort of reflection on the past (pre-pandemic) and then a reckoning with the present: being unemployed and in quarantine and engaging in monotonous activities.

Isha: While the song "The Isolator" was written a year ago, I began on the animation aspect of the music video in the midst of COVID-19. The inspiration for the video was purely built on the repetitive nature of day to day life during the pandemic. Overcome with boredom the majority of the time, projects like playing video games, knitting and nail filing (as referenced in the music video) were examples of what my friends and I did to fill the time. Only being able to see eachother inevitably resulted in some artistic collaboration. 

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Property (photo provided by the band)

AC: On that note, the theme of self-care, in many forms, is really apparent in the video! I'm curious to know how both of you have been balancing that with your respective work (music and visual art) when there is so much pressure to create in the supposed "free time" offered by the pandemic? Which we all know is a sham, but still… It's sometimes hard not to compare ourselves with others.  

Isha: Before the pandemic, I always had an issue with being productive on my time off. I had to be doing something to avoid feeling aimless. I live in a house with six other people, so there were countless activities happening all the time which I incorporated into the video. Every morning I had a routine: I’d wake at 7:30am, shower, dress, drink a lot of coffee and sit at my desk for eight hours working on my animation. Treating the video like a job and pretending I was going to work helped me feel better when things felt pointless. I actually asked Property if I could make the music video for them, and from there the collaboration came together pretty seamlessly.  

Property: We’re all working in service or are in online school (or both) at the moment, so things are a little different than they were during lockdown. But over quarantine and the summer, there was this sort of haunting feeling that we should be making a bunch of new music, and finishing our almost completed EP. But we were all grieving the loss of tours and shows and festivals that we had booked for the spring summer (as well as the state of the world), and it sort of felt like there was no rush to make any new music or release anything.

To stay motivated, at the beginning of the summer we set some pretty relaxed goals about a 2020 release for our new music/videos, and we’ve been adhering to that pretty well, which feels pretty good. Now that music stuff is starting to happen again in new and innovative ways, we think 2021 will bring a fresh start and maybe (hopefully!) a proliferation of new releases and bands from friends in our beloved St John’s scene and across the country. 

 AC: What advice would both of you give to fellow artists hoping to work with each other on a multi-disciplinary collaboration while adhering to COVID-19 protocols?

Property: Since shows are few and far between, and harder to pull off with adhering to protocols, doing collaborative media work has definitely been a focus for us the past while, mostly music videos and live videos. Best advice would be to run with everyone’s ideas and trust your collaborators to do their thing! Try out new mediums and make stuff you wouldn’t usually make!

Isha: It’s obviously a really weird and hard time to release any sort of music or art knowing that opportunities to show and exhibit your work are going to be inherently different. However, it’s been nice to have more time to work on my own stuff and get better at things I was neglecting before the pandemic. Sarah has a project with Amery Sandford called “I Don’t Do Comics” that is a cool platform to make art, even if you’re not an artist, during the pandemic.

AC: Before we let you go, are there any upcoming projects that either of you are working on that you're excited about and would like to share? 

Isha: I just finished a print fair for the local music festival Lawnya Vawnya, and I’m selling some new prints at the Top Floor Art Store in St. John’s. A lot of my inspiration comes from my friends, and the supportive arts scene we all exist in. 

Property: We’re releasing our EP called Think Electric! by the end of 2020 (we don’t have an exact date set yet), and we just released the first music video from that EP last month that we’re super excited about. Thanks so much, Also Coo!

Watch “The Isolator” below

Property
Instagram | Website | Bandcamp

Isha Watson

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

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Playfulness Has No Age Limit: Rudy Shares New Track "Makeup"

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Rudy (left to right: Ruby Izatt & Rowan W-S)

Rudy is the musical brainchild of long-time pals Ruby Izatt and Rowan W-S. The project began as “an extended songwriting challenge” between the pair once they found themselves on the opposite coasts of Canada (when Ruby returned to the band’s hometown of Vancouver to go to university), and still itching to create together. Now reunited in Montreal, the duo have been hard at work: transforming their long-distance demos into master tracks, using both digital and analog techniques in their basement home-studio.

Today, Rudy premieres their first single of the year: “Makeup,” which the band says “finds inspiration in clip-on earrings, clowns and sneakers and intends to bring a bit of magic to everyday life where dancing alone in your bedroom is a whole event.”

Also Cool had the chance to catch the band before their release, and chat about how they revived this track “off the cutting-room floor,” and find inspiration in the sentiment of family heirlooms and throwback cartoons.

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Photo provided by Rudy

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Rudy! Congratulations on the release of "Makeup!" To start, can you tell our readers a little bit about yourselves and your musical project? 

Rudy: Hi Also Cool! This is so exciting for us! We are Rowan and Ruby (a Cancer and Leo, respectively), and we started writing songs together to keep in touch after Ruby left Montreal to finish her studies in Vancouver. Rowan is part of Winona Forever, and Ruby first learned how to play bass while touring from Vancouver to Montreal with the band. 

Also Cool: You two have recently reunited after being a long-distance band on the opposite coasts of Canada. How has being in the same city impacted your project, and the creative process of writing/producing "Makeup" by extension?

Rudy: Being able to talk and experiment in person has been huge for us. Though we enjoyed the surprise of listening to new demos while taking public transit to school/work and writing alone in the evenings while we were on opposite coasts, everything goes so much faster when there’s someone offering feedback right away. Plus, being in the same room means we can track live, which sounds more cohesive and lively than tracking each instrument separately. 

“Makeup” had gone through so many revisions while we were sending the track back and forth that it got to be a bit of a hot mess. Finally listening to it together for the first time was when we re-discovered that the song wasn’t complete trash and we were motivated to finish it.

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Photo provided by Rudy

AC: The song features so many experimental embellishments, from sound-effects, voice-overs from different "characters," and sounds that remind me of children's toys. Where did you draw inspiration from for these elements, and how did you get them to work together to build this track? 

Rudy: Since the song is about being in one room, we wanted to build a sonic world that felt inviting and imaginative. We have a TV/VCR player in the studio that's usually playing some movie or old cartoons while we’re working, which we often look to for reference or inspiration. We were listening to Arthur and King Princess a lot at the time, who both employ sound effects to create the world where their music resides.

When we finished the bed track for “Makeup,” Rowan was experimenting and played some slide guitar over the pickups at the end of the track. We thought sounded like twinkling stars, and worked backwards [by filling] in the gaps with experimental sounds and voiceovers.

AC: Of course, the lyrics talk about the idea of doing makeup/dressing-up just for yourself to jazz up having to stay inside during quarantine. Were there any particular looks that you put together that really struck you? What are some of your style go-tos, in terms of makeup and accessories, and why? 

Rudy (Ruby): I am definitely someone who will slap on two discordant eye makeup looks right before hopping in the shower. Honestly, the lyrics to “Makeup” were just talking about my life pre-quarantine…

When my grandfather died last year, I received his leather fanny pack and a few pieces of his late wife’s glass bead necklaces which I revere and I think kinda look sick together? I gravitate towards anything with bright colours, or an interesting story. 

AC: Before we let you go, are there any upcoming projects from you that we should look out for? What are your plans as artists in the near future?

Rudy: We have so many songs we are working on at the moment! We also have a little lyric video for “Makeup” that we are going to put out shortly.

Listen to “Makeup” out now

Keep up with Rudy

Instagram | Spotify | Bandcamp

Premiere: "I WANNA SEE WHAT DEATH IS LIKE" by Don't do it, Neil

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Self portrait

Happy Friday the 13th, Friends! What a perfect day to premiere a haunting dream pop album looking at death, mental health, and exorcising personal demons. Whew! Philadelphia-based Don’t do it, Neil, also known as Mabel Harper, is one of the original members of Grimalkin Records, the music & zine collective and record label raising money and supporting social justice & civil rights organizations. This release tackles heavy subjects and its production delivers them with a perfect balance of sparkling pop and brutal horror.

Press release:

Harper explores mental illness, grief, and denial on I WANNA SEE WHAT DEATH IS LIKE, her newest album and most candid work-to-date. Through haunting production, irresistible pop hooks, and violent contrasts, IWSWDIL broadens Don't do it, Neil's creative horizons while delving frankly into the circumstances surrounding Harper's real-life suicide attempt, and exorcises personal demons along the way.

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Digital only proceeds support Harper's future projects.

Tape proceeds got to The Okra Project. "The Okra Project is a collective that seeks to address the global crisis faced by Black Trans people by bringing home cooked, healthy, and culturally specific meals and resources to Black Trans People wherever we can reach them."

Lathe proceeds go back to Grimalkin’s label and mutual aid fund.

Watch the video shot and directed by Mabel Harper below:

Warning Flashing Images** Don't do it, Neil - Orpheus from the album I WANNA SEE WHAT DEATH IS LIKE, out November 13, 2020 on Grimalkin Records. https://do...

credits

released November 13, 2020

Produced, written, arranged, and performed by Mabel Harper as Don't do it, Neil. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Mabel Harper in a bedroom in Philadelphia, PA.
Artwork and layout by Mabel Harper. Lathe cut photograph by Richard Dunn.

Premiere: Alicia Clara Debuts Ethereal Video for "Five"

Montreal’s new favourite dream pop queen Alicia Clara debuts her video for “Five” today via Hot Tramp Records. This single follows up Alicia’s first-ever release ‘Closing Time at the Gates’ in February 2020, and is off her forthcoming EP Outsider/Unusual. For fans of Helena Deland, Weyes Blood, and TOPS, Alicia Cara might just be your new shoegaze fave.

Shimmering in a halo of light, and surrounded by lush greenery, Alicia sings to the human condition and to failed relationships. As Alicia describes, ‘it is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy about having finally forgiven past hurt, all the while still being unable to let myself feel anything out of fear of getting hurt again.’

On the topic of the stunning video by Aaliyeh Afshar, Alicia says, “I wrote Five after waking up from a strange dream during the first lockdown, and the song was written based on my state of mind at that time rather than on a narrative anecdote. To match the nature of the track, I was envisioning something simple but oneiric for the video, shot in nature. Aaliyeh then translated this into her own vision. In maybe a little bit of a sad way, I find that the solitary vibe of the video matches the current mood around the world too!”

Watch Alicia Clara’s “Five” below

Alicia Cara

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Premiere: Róisin Marie Eats Her Heart Out in Her Video For "Like That"

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Róisin Marie by Christopher Walsh

Meet Róisin Marie, a New York-based R&B newcomer who, at only 21 years old, has the voice and vision of a seasoned ballad composer. Today, Róisin shares her latest track “Like That,” with an accompanying video directed and edited by the artist herself. We had the chance to catch up with Róisin, and chat about how “Like That” transformed from a diary entry into a fully realized production that captures both the vulnerability of heartbreak and the allure of being alone. Read our interview with Róisin Marie below.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey Róisin! Thank you so much for chatting with me! To start things off, tell me about yourself and your musical background.

Róisin Marie: Hi! Thank you for having me. I am 21 years old, and from right outside New York City. Music has always been a huge part of my family, and growing up I was lucky enough to see many Broadway shows and concerts in the city. I was a theatre kid who loved to write poetry, and started writing my own music in college. 

Also Cool: What is your creative process like as a musician? Do you take inspiration from any influences? 

Róisin Marie: I work a 9-5 right now, so the biggest thing I am learning to work through is being able to clock back into music and find myself in my creative space after a long day at work. I have found that writing poetry, or journal entries as they come to me, and having a catalog of this to pull from, really helps me get my thoughts out when I do sit down to create. I am really inspired by the people I get to work with. They model consistency, accountability, and honesty. I think surrounding myself with them has made me both a better creative and a better human. 

AC: Congratulations on the release of “Like That!” Can you tell me about the evolution of this track and what it was like collaborating with RocNation signee Anwar Sawyer on its production? 

Róisin Marie: Thank you so much. This track really has evolved! It started as a ballad that Anwar sent me. I wrote to it, [and it became a] completely different song. Then like five months later, I was journaling about a relationship I wish I had explored with someone. I pulled up the ballad and started singing what I was writing until it felt right. It was my “idea of the day.” I played it when I got to Anwar’s studio […] And it was just a moment that we both felt. It all fell together after that. Anwar and I have been working with each other for about a year now. He is also my manager and best friend. Being able to create together is such a blessing.  

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Róisin Marie by Christopher Walsh

AC: “Like That” is being released with an accompanying music video, of which we’re super into. I’m curious to know: What inspired your artistic vision for the video, and how did the project come together to compliment the song’s narrative? 

Róisin Marie: It is! I am so happy you like it. The artistic vision was inspired by an incredible artist, Lee Price. Her series “Women and Food” shows women in vulnerable and intimate moments with food as a crutch, as a drug, as nourishment, etc. This just felt right to me. The song is about a heartbreak that I didn’t even get to properly feel; I am mourning a “what if.” I wanted to show myself in this intimate setting binge eating my feelings. I also wanted to add in the sexual elements of licking and eating food off of my fingers to further the feeling of loneliness, but in a somewhat awkward and uncomfortable way. 

AC: Branching off of that, how do you feel about working as an artist under the pressures of COVID-19 and quarantine, especially in NYC? How are you taking care of yourself and your craft? 

Róisin Marie: Part of me feels sad, but part of me is also super grateful for the time it has given me to get to know myself better. I haven’t gotten to perform and I don’t know when I will -that makes me sad. But in the time that I wasn’t working, I had a taste of being an artist and musician full time, and that was really nice and motivating. I am taking care of myself by being patient, going outside, calling friends, sleeping, eating, and channeling my emotions into my art. I hold myself accountable to write every single day, and I set intentions that align with my vision for the future. 

AC: Finally, we hear you’re working on your debut full-length project, which is super exciting! What has this process been like so far, and what can we expect in the coming months? 

Róisin Marie: I am! It’s been a lot of digging. I have to be super honest and real with myself and with who I am creating with. This writing and creative process over the last six months or so has really required me to strip away a lot of things I thought were defining me. I have been coming into my own skin and I think this process is definitely reflected in my writing. I can’t wait to share and see what comes of all of it. 

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Roísin Marie by Anwar Sawyer

Watch Róisin Marie’s video for “Like That” below

Credits

Director: Róisin Marie

Producer: Anwar Sawyer

Director of Photography: Andrew Greene

Editor: Róisin Marie

Colourist: Kevin Ratigan

Keep up with Róisin Marie

Instagram | Spotify | Apple Music

Photography by Christopher Walsh

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Introducing Messkina: The Montreal DJ Setting Herself Apart With Unapologetic Self-Acceptance

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

Picture yourself on a hot and unfamiliar beach, dancing to your escape from a busy routine towards an enchanting adventure. This scene describes DJ Messkina’s perfect setting to have her music pumping. 

After only a year of taking up DJing, the 21-year-old Montreal-based performer of Cameroon and Congolese descent has played in Montreal’s most popular clubs, such as Apt.200, SuWu, Datcha, Le Salon Daomé and Ti-Agrikol, to name a few. She’s even produced mixes for Moonshine and the major Brooklyn-based art collective Papi Juice, which celebrates the lives of the LGBTQ+ community.

Messkina’s unapologetic self-acceptance is what led to her DJ alias Messkina. It is the playful combination between her first name, “messy,” and the Arabic word miskeena for “unfortunate”  — a moniker she says echoes her character. 

Set apart by her contagious confidence and bold charm, Messkina’s presence behind the DJ booth encourages you to be yourself and dance to her carefully-selected house tracks influenced by the sounds of afro-fusion. 

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

Dressed in a cropped pink velour jacket coupled with matching sparkly velour flared pants, Messkina met up with me in her Saint-Henri apartment to discuss her unusual journey as an emerging talent, and her newest mix “Philantropute.”

“I started producing mixes at a really dark period in my life,” says Messkina. “It was right when I dropped out of college and got temporarily fired from the strip club where I was dancing,” she says before she pauses briefly. 

“Who knew you could get fired from a strip club?” she laughs.

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

The artist shares dealing with social anxiety starting at an early age, which kept her from staying motivated and performing academically. 

“Going to school was very demanding for me, and I smoked a lot of weed to get by,” she explains.

It was at this moment that she decided to pursue something new. 

It was shortly after that she responded to a call-out on social media looking for DJs. This led to her very first gig which was at the Mme Lee nightclub in Montreal’s Latin Quarter.

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

“It was packed. I was shaking because I was so nervous, but I did it.” she says.

Leaving school and her job as a sex worker ended up being a blessing in disguise as it pushed her to get back in touch with her creative side, and discover making music as a new-found passion.

Messkina quickly found her distinctive and diverse sound; which pulls together melancholic melodies, hip-hop, African drums and house music. 

“I make music that makes you want to dance. Not to bang your head to, but just vibe to the rhythm,” says the DJ. “Although, I still consider myself new to the scene, and I still have a long road ahead of me in terms of experimentation,” she says. 

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

Social distancing and other public health restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic have inherently changed the way DJs perform. At the beginning of the lockdown, Messkina tried live-streaming her sets and felt disappointed by the lack of connection with her audience.  

“I don’t like Zoom parties. It’s boring to me,” she says. “It’s not the same without an audience, as you don’t really know how it sounds and you miss out on instant feedback.”

“It was really nice to be able to perform again in person when bars were reopened. People were tired of being inside and wanted to go to the club. Although dancing was prohibited, they seemed to just enjoy their time out and socializing.”

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

Messkina shares that despite the mental toll the lockdown has had on her, she’s used her free time to think about the style and aesthetics she wishes to pursue in her musical career.

“I have broadened my horizons musically and discovered several musical genres that I wouldn't necessarily have appreciated a few months ago,” she explains. 

Her newest mix, “Philantropute,” is quite different from her previous mixes, featuring a higher-energy and dazzling tempo.

“It is more upbeat, hectic, and chaotic. It represents where I am mentally at the moment,” says Messkina.

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Messkina by Victoria Gravel

Listen to Messkina’s latest mix “Philantropute” out now

Keep up with Messkina

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Written by Stéphanie Ricci

Stéphanie Ricci is a Montreal-based freelance multimedia journalist. Currently completing a journalism major coupled with a sociology minor at Concordia University, she is passionate about storytelling in all forms, but is particularly invested investigative work, writing about arts and culture, and creating original content.

Twitter

Photo Credits

Photo: @victoriagravel

Hair: @iceboxhair

Nails: @jazzzynailz

MUA: @crazycattie_makeup

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Jak Lizard's "Orange Tracksuit" is a Ray of Sunshine

Via Jak Lizard

Energetic, upbeat and impossible not to dance to, Jake Lizard has released his latest track “Orange Tracksuit” off his upcoming EP “Humphrey.” It’s the kind of song you put on in the morning to help you get out of bed when you really don’t want to, and ends keeping you company while you make your coffee, get dressed for the day, and take your morning commute (whether that’s on the bus to work, or to your living room home-office).

“I love this song. When this one was completed in the studio, I remember looking at Ivan, and not saying anything, just silently acknowledging how much excitement I was feeling. Life is about balance. This song is about after you’ve taken a moment to reflect, where you go next. “Orange Tracksuit” tells the story of someone finding the larger than life joy that can come from a concrete object, like an Adidas tracksuit in your favorite color. ‘I tried it on, I swiped my card,’ and then was transcended to my happy place. It’s a “look good, feel good” track” -Jak Lizard

Listen to “Orange Tracksuit” below:

Jak Lizard

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Premiere: Night Lunch's Spooky & Sparkly Video for "Damien"

A little spooky, a little sparkly, Night Lunch’s video for “Damien” is here via Celluloid Lunch Records. Infused with glossy neon 80’s vibes, “Damien” is perfectly reminiscent of Halloween-themed high school dances. Also, we love nothing more than a killer synth solo! The track is off their latest album “Wall of Love,” which we hopes serves as the next coming-of-age horror flick soundtrack.

The members of Night Lunch have been contributing to the Montreal DIY scene for the better part of the last decade, manifesting first as Baked Goods and The Marlees. Now as Night Lunch, their sound is retro-futurist; emerging from the lo-fi mud to reveal a shimmering gem of pop immortality with the release of Wall of Love. The nostalgia of 80's synth ‘n keys are a definite inspiration for this group, but unlike many acts that seek to revive that trend, Night Lunch comes from a place of timeless pop sensibility.

Watch Night Lunch’s video for “Damien” below

MILLY Debuts Video for "Star Thistle Blossom" feat. Ketchup Jesus

Via Dangerbird Records

Ketchup Jesus debuts as a shoegaze star in MILLY's latest music video for their song Star Thistle Blossom (Dangerbird Records). 

MILLY is a four-piece shoegaze band from Los Angeles. Their slow and fuzzy sound, balanced with vocals, are led by singer/guitarist/songwriter Brendan Dyer, with Spencer Light on guitar, Yarden Erez on bass, and Zach Capitti Fenton on drums. For fans of Spencer Radcliffe, Slowdive, and Sparklehorse, MILLY is the kind of music you listen to when you're reminiscing about the summertime and missing your friends. 

In their video for Star Thistle Blossom (directed by Justice Vaughn Ott), we follow the journey of a white t-shirt that gains stardom via an accidental Jesus-shaped ketchup stain. 

On the origins of the song, Dyer says, "I wrote it back in 2017 when I was working at Whole Foods. I was stocking honey on the shelf and was intrigued by Star Thistle Blossom honey. There's a lot of health superpowers in honey, and I like the theme of tying in being healthy with feeling strong mentally. The chorus is an acknowledgment to understanding loss but having hope in something and that it always gets better. Even if that's not true, it still feels helpful."

Watch the video for Star Thistle Blossom out now.

Premiere: These Things Take Time Vol. 002 - "In My Dreams, All Night Long"

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A chaotic full moon, another lockdown, and an endless deluge of shocking news call for a much-needed break. It’s Bandcamp Friday after all, so another great opportunity to stock up on some dreamy dance tunes. Support Black artists, support your friends, support your community.

The LA-based label, These Things Take Time, is releasing their second compilation album today, featuring several track by familiar faces - Martyn Bootyspoon, Farren Laen, Unknown Mobile, and Regularfantasy. It seems like everything takes ~ a lot ~ more time these days, but as we’re all learning, you have to be patient with yourself - this album acknowledges that the time you invest pays off.

Press release below:

Title track, “Caress,” is the latest work by the talented flora resident, Sweater, from our old home in Philadelphia. Following is Vancouver's Livy Lou’s masterful “Running Around,” ideal for the escapism world we need so desperately right now. Next up fellow Canadian, Martyn Bootyspoon, comes with the highway go to, “Throw It In Reverse.” We are very happy to welcome Martyn and more Montreal greats to the label. Farren Laen is one of these greats. Running a label with Martyn in Montreal, and delivering the graceful “Sydney.” Our lovely and familiar label mate, DJ Dre continues with a new touch to his sound resume with “LVR.” Unknown Mobile stays on beat with “Tired,” a true gem waiting for the dancefloor in the future. Switching up is production duo Blue Island Ave from the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago; much more to come from them. The head, B. Hayes, and highly illusive Flourene then conclude in relaxed, downtempo energy. Thank you for listening.

“In my dreams, all night long”

THESE THINGS TAKE TIME 2020

releases October 9, 2020

Compilation: Vol. 002 by These Things Take Time / In Passing, releases 09 October 2020 1. Sweater - Caress 2. Regularfantasy - Running Around 3. Martyn Bootyspoon - Throw It In Reverse 4. Farren Laen - Sydney 5. DJ Dre - LVR 6. Unknown Mobile - Tired 7.

Check out a sneak peak of “Running Around” at this summer’s online Refraction Festival, featuring a Regularfantasy performance filmed by Ariana Molly:

Premiere: Thomas Molander's "Third Walk" is a Psychedelic Dream of the Past and Future

Via Thomas Molander

“Our faces on wet grass, our walk is ending at last…” Thomas Molander’s warm and fuzzy vocals drift with us through a psychedelic daydream of what life used to be like, while offering a silver lining vision for what tomorrow may bring.

Via Thomas Molander

Today Molander premieres the music video for his song Third Walk, off his recently released album The Walk. The video directed by Sandy Spink, Toronto-based designer and director, and was created with the video game engine Unity, the programming language Max/MSP, and the video editing software Adobe Audition.

The video’s concept hinges on the contrast between analogue and digital aesthetics, mirrored by the music’s embracing of antiquated and modern recording styles. New words and landscapes emerge cyclically, building themselves and deteriorate endlessly. Walls fall and a building rises up from the sea amidst a perspective slowly creeping and rotating.

For fans of The Kinks, 60s fuzz, and early-internet psychedelic aesthetics, this one’s for you.

Watch the video for Third Walk now

Thomas Molander

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Also Cool x POP Montreal Premiere: Eve Parker Finley's "Come With Me"

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Photo credit: Laurence Philomène

While a caterpillar enters a chrysalis before transforming into a butterfly, Eve Parker Finley’s seamless blends of classical, electronic, ambient, indie pop, and folk music create safe spaces for listeners to reconcile with their emotions - and maybe even with their own transformations. The Montreal-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, media maker, and facilitator is premiering “Come With Me” (linked at the end) off her debut album Chrysalia, which will be released on December  4th with Florafone Records and Coax Records. She is also performing at this year’s POP Montreal on the Rialto Theatre rooftop at 3pm on September 24th - tickets are still available to see her IRL! We caught up with her on the new album, making video art, TikTok, and filming a video for virtual Miss Gay Panama 2020. Indulge below:

Maya for Also Cool Mag: You're releasing a new album - what's it about?

Eve Parker Finley: I'm releasing my first full album, and the official date is now December 4th, which is super exciting. It's called Chrysalia, and it's a bunch of songs that I've written over the past year or two years. I recorded it last summer with my friend Ky Brooks and I'm super happy with it. It's called Chrysalia because there's this word, “chrysalism”, that describes that feeling of pleasure you get when you're inside during a thunderstorm. So that, mixed with chrysalis, which obviously everyone thinks is what a caterpillar goes into to be safe and calm before it turns into a butterfly.

But actually, in the chrysalis, the caterpillar turns into a pile of goo and has to reconstitute itself - and it's super messy and gross. So [a combination of] those two things, plus I wanted it to sound a little more feminine, so that's why it's Chrysalia.

MH: You made a post on Instagram where you were talking about the idea of transformation - was that tying into the theme of this album and the title itself?

I feel like I'm always trying to reinvent myself. It ties back to my experiences through life and music. When I was a kid, I was in the classical music world from age four to 17, and I learned a lot through that, but I also found the culture really restrictive.

I remember my violin teacher was even like, "No one can wear nail polish or watches, or even too much jewelry here, because it's distracting,” and we'd play these competitions where people would finish and then bow to the three people in the room - and then everyone would be like, dead silent.

It was such an uptight culture - and no wonder so many people leave and stop playing music because of that. So I fell out of love with music when I was 17 and moved to Montreal. Here I found another way to do music and fell into more of a music scene. I eventually found my way back to violin electronics in a way that I found more exciting.

I started making music on my own, changed the genre of music I was making a bunch of times, changed names a few times. Now we're here in - I don't think my final form - but here we are.

MH: So no longer Lonely Boa? Or is that still a name that you go by for certain projects?

Lonely Boa has been retired.

It was definitely a really hard decision. I spent a lot of quarantine thinking about it. It's really scary to just start releasing music by your own name. That name of Lonely Boa has been really helpful for me to have a constant stage name throughout a bunch of gender name changes. But now it's time to come into my own and just be like, "I'm this person making this music and doing all these other things and they're all me and I am all of them."

MH: Going back to the notion of goo in a cocoon - is there something about the texture of sludge that interested you?

Yeah, totally. There are a couple songs on the album that are what I would describe as sludgy. The album is a kind of mix of genres. There are a couple songs that are contemporary classical, a couple songs that are more like indie pop bangers, alternative pop bangers. And then there are a couple of drone-ey, sludgy songs.

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MH: So you're making electronic music that’s meshed with more classical sounds - and maybe you're just creating your own genre - but what influences do you have for that?

For the longest time I had trouble describing what kind of music I made, and then I was like, "Oh, why am I trying to put this into a box?" I don't think people want to listen to just one kind of music anymore. I like to say that my music floats between three points of a triangle, which are indie pop/electronica, drone-y ambient, and contemporary classical.

MH: What are you listening to? What kind of music are you into that maybe isn't even related to what you're making? What do you find cool?

If you scroll through my Spotify "liked" songs playlist, you will find a big mix of pure pop music - you have Gaga, I've been really obsessed with the pussycat dolls recently (again) -  but I also love Tame Impala, indie pop music, I love some R&B, and a lot of folk-y/new folk music. I also love some noise stuff - like ARCA.

MH: What have you been up to these past few months - I noticed you had gotten into video production and were somehow involved in Miss Gay Panama? Like... I need to know.

So, I had a bit of a life change the past half a year. Back in January, I felt burnt out at my stressful job at McGill. I left in January, and then moved into an apartment by myself for the first time - and a month later the shit hit the fan!

 [During lockdown] I really had to learn how to be by myself and how to cancel out everything I thought I was going to do - all the shows, I was going on tour in June - and just  learn how to take care of myself and cook food, do laundry, and sleep.

I wanted to see what would happen if I could really focus on music in the next couple of years. [Because] when the pandemic happened, I was like, "Oh my God, what am I supposed to do? What can I do? What do I need to do?"

I thought about something I could easily share and realized I could start making videos. It seems like all of a sudden many of us [artists] have had to become video creators in a way that we weren't necessarily before.

I helped my friend win Miss Gay Panama Virtual 2020, which was so fun. We produced four different videos for the different categories - and it was really cool that she could participate from afar. We did a scrappy DIY - just a camera, a couple of lights, a little stabilizer borrowed from a friend, and a few friends helping - and we won!

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MH: Did you also get into TikTok?

I fell deep into the TikTok hole. I'm not as deep into it as I was a month ago, but it's so weird - it's beautiful and funny and intense, but it's also clearly designed to be this addictive feed of dopamine-releasing content. As much as I find it entertaining and love the medium and the style of wacky videos that people do, I don't want to get caught up in [a fad].

MH: Just last night I watched that Netflix documentary on social media called The Social Dilemma. It's interesting because TikTok and Instagram have been such important points of communication throughout the pandemic, and while we've all binge-scrolled on those platforms and know that they're unhealthy, [during the pandemic] social media has also been really helpful for people to feel less alone.

Don't get me started on The Social Dilemma - I thought it was informative and I agreed with a lot of it, but they kept saying that there's nothing good about social media, that it's not a tool for anything. just an addiction, made for advertising, whatever. But people find community through those things, especially when they're isolated, and I think that's legitimate.

MH: I think it's also an important resource for information that we've all been learning to take advantage of, especially these past few months.

Also good to remember it's controlled by a company.

MH: You're doing music full-time time now, while also not being able to have in-person gigs and go on tour like before - how has that transition been for you?

At first it was terrifying, because I was like, "How is this possible?" The CERB has been really helpful, but I'm not in a place of making any money from music yet. I'm just investing in it now - I'll see what happens. At the beginning it was stressful, but it's also been very exciting to see this real energy to create new things.

There seems to be a new kind of economy popping up, like Bandcamp Fridays, where a hundred percent [of the proceeds] goes to the artists - and that's been super helpful. A bunch of live streaming gigs have also started to happen - I did a gig for Suoni Per Il Popolo and this thing called Arts Cast, and I got paid to do it, and felt awesome to play a show. It was my first show since the pandemic, no audience, but we took the visual of it so seriously - there were five different camera angles, we made the set, designed the colors and everything.

People always find a way to play and share music.

Check out “Come With Me” on Bandcamp

Come With Me by Eve Parker Finley, released 17 September 2020 It took a Long time to find you and fine Me. But now we are Both free. So won't you come with me. Won't you come with me? Take me to the clouds. Won't you come with me.

Violin, Vox, Electronics, Sax by Eve Parker Finley
Written by Eve Parker Finley
Recording and Mixing by Ky Brooks
Cello by Alexis Castrogiovanni
Viola by Gwendolyne Krasnicki
Mastered by Harris Newman (Greymarket Mastering)
Recorded at The Pines in Montreal, Quebec

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Premiere: GG Love - "It Could Still Be A Win"

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Photo credit: Kensey Crane

As the hot summer days come to an end, autumn’s mystery and nostalgia gently envelop us, inspiring reflections on relationships past and present. The leaves might be falling, but MTL pop group GG Love’s new video for “It Could Still Be A Win” from their upcoming album, How Do You Define Love?, channels a golden-hued optimism that may best be attained by dancing with disco balls in an enchanted forest…

Their old-time friend, Regularfantasy (who we also interviewed in January), caught up with Georgia Graham (GG) and James Player (JP) on everything from how the band got together to what their signature Pump Pump moves are (keep reading for context!).

Regularfantasy: Who are GG Love?

Georgia Graham: The project started with just me. I played one solo show in my living room in Vancouver before moving to Montreal. James and I started making music together and it grew into a band, for many years with KÌzis Cota on bass. Now the band includes James, Jane L. Kasowicz Chris Hernandez, and myself.

RF: What does the name mean? I know this was your nickname a while back (back when we used to work together at a hair salon) - how did it come about?

GG: GG are my first and last initials - and Love is my middle name. I typed it into SoundCloud when I made my very first demos without really thinking, and then it just stuck.

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When did it all begin for you, musically? What inspired you to start a band?

GG: I wrote the first GG Love song, Leave Your Car, on a keyboard I found at my mom’s house back in Victoria in 2012. Before that I was writing and performing kinda folk songs and sometimes playing in other people’s rock bands. It felt good to get the drum machines going. 

JP: Georgia and I met while we were in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Georgia played Anas, the priest, and I was the guitarist in the band. We started making music together soon after that.

What are you influenced by in your music?

JP: All of us in the band have a lot of diverse musical interests that influence how we make music together. I’m really interested in improvisation, and that’s sort of my approach to guitar playing, both in recording and performing - improvising inside a pop song structure. Lately I like Mary Halvorson a lot.

I also really like 50s pop music and doo-wop.

GG: I love collaborating and am interested in pushing the performance aspect of a live show. Earlier this year I performed as Tall GG on the shoulders of Laura Jeffery (one of the dancers from the music video) wearing a long coat. I can’t really experiment with performance in that way these days, so I’m turning to video to channel some of that energy. 

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What is “It Could Still Be A Win” about?

GG: It’s not about a specific person, but more of a reflection on relationships from my early 20’s. I wrote these lyrics about 5 years ago, so the line about being called out felt a lot more light-hearted. It’s about being skeptical or disappointed by someone, but also seeing their potential. 

Have you acquired any new COVID hobbies?

JP: I started a work out group called Pump Pump. At first it was my friend David and me. Now there are 32 people in the Instagram DM thread - which is the maximum number you can have. You can find us every other day in Jarry Park at either 10am or 6pm by the hill. 

GG: I started sewing and modifying my clothes which feels pretty classic COVID. 

What’s your signature Pump Pump move - GG how’s your knee?

JP: Frog leaps.

GG: Romanian deadlift. I’m trying to remember to do my physio exercises for my knee, thanks for asking.

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What about the vid - where was it filmed? Why frog? Why Clown?

JP: It was filmed on Mont Royal near the cemetery last fall. 

I’m pretty obsessed with Fall. I’m also sort of obsessed with frogs. I had a frog costume in the closet, so this seemed like a good chance to combine the two interests. I also really wanted to film at night and have a fire looking something like the midnight society from AYAOTD (Are You Afraid of the Dark - the 90’s horror series).

GG: A lot of it was improvised so I can’t really explain the clown - it was just the vibe of the moment.

You tend to keep yourself busy - what other projects have you been working on?

GG: I co-curate an annual photography slideshow called Magic Lantern that’s coming up soon. We also just filmed another music video (that features Pump Pump!), so I’m working on editing that. 

JP: I’m going back to school. Electroacoustics. Today’s my first day.

Check out the video for “It Could Still Be A Win” below:

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Premiere: Alpen Glow's debut single "Saturday Nite"

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Image credit: Amery Sandford

Remember that Gossip Girl meme that was circulating a few months back? There was one really relatable rendition of it - and I really miss going to gigs, girl. Please find below if you haven’t seen it, courtesy of the very niche Montreal meme page, @burymeatleritz. Alpen Glow’s debut EP Amertape 2020 threw me right back into that quintessentially ‘covidian’ mindset of reminiscing about nights out partying with friends, dance floor romances, and most notably, hugs, girl. 

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@burymeatleritz

Alpen Glow is the debut solo project of Montreal-based visual artist and musician Amery Sandford (BBQT, Born at Midnite). Inspired by new skills acquired during lockdown, Amertape 2020 and the accompanying 3D animated videos are an escape into an alternative digital dream world where your lockdown fantasies come to life. Far from being heartbreak songs, Amery’s cheeky lyrics keep the vibe lighthearted and fun, with instrumentals tastefully inspired by the corniness of 2000’s pop and reality TV. 

“The whole thing kind of happened within the time of lockdown. I wrote it all when I was deep in quarantine so that I could go somewhere else mentally - on the days when I could actually make music. I also cried a lot and watched a lot of reality TV. Quarantine was a lot of creative productivity and a lot of being really sad.” 

Admit it, we’ve all had at least one trash TV show we’ve been unusually invested in these past few months. When asked what her guilty pleasure was, Amery unhesitatingly named Real Housewives as inspiration when writing this EP, “I actually started watching reality TV in a serious way during quarantine and the songs are definitely inspired by those weird social experiments. I’ve been watching a lot of Real Housewives - a few of them have music projects and make songs that are very highly produced, but lyrically very sketchy. It’s kind of crazy. I’ve been thinking about these highly-produced, super ‘aspirational’ people who appear on Bravo TV a lot.” 

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Photo credit: Brandon Brookbank

Sketchy as it may sometimes seem, stark detachment from reality proved to be a great coping mechanism for bleak times, “I was entering these weird worlds through reality TV… I was also alone in my apartment because I don’t have any roommates… and I was thinking about going somewhere else for a minute, and about the power that creative people have to do that - the power of world building.” 

While some of us just binge-watched Too Hot to Handle, Amery saw an opportunity to integrate her visual art with her music, taking the time to learn how to play the keyboard and do 3D animation, “It was a good time to learn something new - I got really into 3D animation and taught myself how to play the keyboard - and I ended up writing all the songs on it.”

The videos are an experimentation with using a highly-technical program for the first time and freely accepting the clumsiness that comes along with it, “Visually, since I’m not very good at it yet, I would say [the videos] look like early 80’s animations - all these weird spaces that look like a video game with me on a tiny screen. It was a very lo-fi look.” Is it an Instagram filter? Are we in a Zoom club scene? Who knows? Almost too closely resembling some saved video-call screenshots on my camera roll, the aesthetic is relatable and reminiscent of the virtual reality we’ve been living in lately. 

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Image credit: Amery Sandford

“Saturday Nite” has a bar scene at the hottest new fantasy dance spot, Amerbar, “I was just thinking, ‘Oh, I'm going to make a bar,’ and then once I modeled it - it looked really sketchy! It's funny visualizing something and then trying to recreate it in a program that you're not very good at - I love that shit. I love when people use programs like that, but they aren't necessarily technical [themselves]. They make something that sounds really unique. That's always been my relationship to music. I'm a visual artist first and musician second - and [being an ‘outsider’] makes it very special.”

“A lot of people that I know just pick up music - and you just have different ideas when you're not a trained musician. You can make things where trained musicians are like, ‘what the fuck?’”

Who needs music theory when we’ve all been in need of a hug since March...

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Check out “Saturday Nite,” the first single from Alpen Glow’s Amertape 2020, below:

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Make sure to stay tuned for the release of Summer House on September 18th and the full EP on October 1st on Bandcamp. 

$2 from every sale will be donated to The Black Healing Fund, a Tio'Tia:ke / Montreal based project that exists to provide Black people in the MTL area with discretionary funding for therapy and other mental health focused resources.

Below is a playlist of songs that inspired Amertape 2020, including one Real Housewives production (!!!) called Chic, C’est La Vie - we are obsessed.

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Premiere: Freck's "Alone Again" is the Perfect End of Summer Anthem

Frecks by Allison Barr

You know that feeling? The one you get when you're biking around in August, stopping to pick wildflowers and long grass, and watching the sun go down? That feeling that makes you admit that summer is ending, but you're holding on to it anyways?

Portland-based Freck's latest release, "Alone Again," is precisely that. It’s an anthem for the end of summer, and perfect for your main character playlist.

For fans of Current Joys, and Yumi Zouma, Frecks is easily your favourite new up-and-coming artist. “Alone Again” is the first single off her upcoming bedroom pop EP, "Scorpio Sun," which is set to be released later this year. "Alone Again" explores the fear of being abandoned and the process of navigating codependent partnerships.

It's the perfect dreamy bedroom rock ballad to dance to in a field of flowers, to cry to, or maybe both at the same time.

Frecks by Allison Barr

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Premiere: Antoine93 Volume EP

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Photo credit: Jordan Weitzman

Bedroom pop has never been more true to its name - mid-lockdown, post-breakup, and trying to keep his head above water amid a global pandemic - Antoine93’s new EP on Montreal indie label Your Approval Isn’t Needed (Pascale Project) is a stark contrast from the typical lo-fi sounds associated with DIY bedroom productions. 

Taking on a polished, dancey, hyperpop aesthetic, Antoine 93’s production style gives us sparkly party vibes, while his lyrics reveal the prevailing rawness and vulnerability that we could all relate to over the last months. Looking back on the writing process, Antoine joked that what started out as love songs ended up just being about breakups. A big 2020 mood. 

As the title suggests, Volume is meant to be loud, and stands for forging your own creative platform. As an independent artist, and until recently feeling like he didn’t fit into the prevailing queer scene, Antoine embraced his own aesthetic with this album and in the spirit of his friend Pascale’s Your Approval Isn’t Needed label. Who says DIY releases can’t be glossy pop with a punk essence? 

Half of the proceeds from this release will be redistributed to Taking What We Need, a Montreal-based volunteer-run community group dedicated to helping trans women, trans-feminine (AMAB), and two spirit people get what they need through discretionary funding. 

Learn more about Taking What We Need here

Download/Listen to Volume by Antoine93

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Cover art by Samantha Blake

Songwriting, production, mixing, mastering: Antoine Lahaie

Additional songwriting by Seamus Dalton on “We Got a World” and “Speed”.

Listen to Volume on Spotify. Antoine93 · Single · 2020 · 5 songs.

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Premiere: Korea Town Acid Space Cadet

Photo by Colin Medley, album art (below) by Ashli Ahn

For her latest release, KTA (Korea Town Acid) was inspired by “conquering [the] astro universe” vibes, Jeff Mills, and the Little Prince.

The Korean born, Toronto-based artist is a DJ, producer, and live performer of mind-bending hardware sets. Her improvisational production approach generates raw, hypnotizing compositions that are like living organisms - endlessly moving, continuously evolving. Each track was written live in one take, using hardware, with no post-editing. 

With elements of both chaos and euphoria, the energy at the essence of this EP is definitely one of the core ingredients for life in space. Album artwork by Ashli Ahn.

Join KTA on an adventure across the Universe

Space Cadet by Korea Town Acid, released 04 June 2020 1. Magic Spells 2. In Your Dreams One Live Hardware Take Adventure With Korea Town Acid

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Canada's Party Capital Will Not Be Put To Rest: This Is "Pandemic Artifact"

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“Pandemic Artifact” cover by Andrew Nowacki

A group of fifteen Montreal artists are marking their city’s two month COVID-19 lockdown period with the release of “Pandemic Artifact.” The electronic compilation album is a vibrant embodiment of Montreal’s diverse musical atmosphere; featuring a sonic spectrum ranging from introspective ambient impressions to upbeat House grooves reminiscent of 90s warehouse raves.

The collective is made up of local DJ and producer Honeydrip‘s personal circle, including former classmates from Concordia’s electroacoustics program . For many of the artists involved, the launch of “Pandemic Artifact” is the first time they’re presenting their art to the general public. On the album and its creation, Honeydrip comments:

“I have always had this irrational fear of releasing music and that what I would release would never be good enough and live up to people’s and my own expectations. Quarantine put that all back into perspective. Being an artist and feeling useless in a medical pandemic, one of the few things I could do and am qualified to do is share my art.”

While the group knows that the end of COVID-19 is unforeseeable, they hope that like their uncertainty about the future, the album will become “a distant memory; an artifact of this pandemic.”

All “Pandemic Artifact” tracks, including a mix by Honeydrip herself, are being sold on a Pay-What-You-Can basis and are available for streaming and purchase here.

- - -

Press release:

If there’s one thing Montréal, Canada’s party capital, doesn’t lack, it’s bonhomie. In the winter months, we tend to gather, huddle for warmth, and drink, dance and eat until we can no longer feel the cold. However, on March 14th, the gavel slammed and suddenly, the entire province’s hospitality and entertainment industry was stalled.

Not one to accept the status quo, local DJ and producer Honeydrip reached out to her peers to set up what would become Pandemic Artifact: a screenshot of the city’s producers’ minds in a dark time. From floor-filling belters to the more cerebral and experimental, the compilation ventures into some of the best electronic music the city has to offer.

Along with the compilation there is a mix by Honeydrip, creatively blending all the genres submitted to create an energetically flowing tracklist.

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Slip Into A Daydream with Artemis' "Lay It To Rest"

Still from Lay It To Rest

Spend a sun-soaked afternoon with Vancouver to Montreal singer-songwriter Artemis and Cyrus Jordan. We're so excited to premiere the dreamy new video for Artemis' song Lay It To Rest, the first release off of her upcoming EP All My Rings, a follow-up to Glow4meplz, which came out last year.

Photo by Caitlin Bevandick, concept by Artemis

The video features a bedroom jungle of plants and pillows, with Cyrus' soft guitar leading us through Artemis' honest lyrics about letting go and coming to terms with tender feelings. "Maybe just put it away someday you'll say everything you wanted to wanted to, maybe just put it under your pillow 'til you're ready to let go."

The video was shot by Cyrus Jordan and Brayden James, edited by Artemis, and the artwork is by Ruby Izatt.

Watch Lay It To Rest below

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Musical Genes: Sisters DJ_Dave and Maddy Davis Premiere "Can't Do This Alone" Remix

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While some siblings get caught up in rivalries over mutual passions, Sarah and Maddy Davis’ combined love of music continues to bring them closer together. Though they couldn’t be any more different musically, with Sarah DJing algorave under the pseudonym DJ_Dave in NYC, and Maddy pursuing her bedroom-pop career in Los Angeles, the sisters are bound by a mutual desire to bring women to the forefront in all aspects of the music industry. Today, they showcase the power of all-female collaboration with the release of “Can’t Do This Alone - DJ_Dave Remix,” a remixed version of Maddy’s original song by her sister, DJ_Dave. Also Cool is psyched to be apart of their premiere, and below we chat with Sarah and Maddy about finding their artistic footing beyond suburbia, navigating gatekeeping in male-dominated spaces, and what it was like working as siblings first, and musicians second, to create this remix.

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Also Cool: Hi Maddy and Sarah! Thank you so much for being a part of Also Cool Mag and congratulations on the new release! To begin, can you tell us about your individual music styles and how you got your start in your respective fields? 

S/M: Thank you so much for letting us be a part of Also Cool! We’re super excited about this release and glad you are too! 

Maddy: I am a suburban-bedroom pop artist, which I’d describe more specifically as both a niche indie artist community, and a genre that bridges the gap between the artist, songwriter, and producer. I like to describe my specific style as suburban-bedroom pop because, having grown up in the most cliché suburb, I’ve found myself inspired by my own relatable experiences, which I tend to gravitate towards when writing. 

Sarah: I am an indie-techno pop artist making music within the algorave community. Algorave is a super niche movement of musicians that produce and perform music using code, who are slowly working their way into club scenes around the world. I picked up this skill about a year ago, and have been making music this way ever since. The deconstructed music production environment somehow made a lot more sense to me than a lot of the DAWs (digital audio workstations) I had tried, and it unexpectedly combined my interests in visual arts, coding and music.

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Sarah Davis a.k.a. DJ_Dave (top) and Maddy Davis (bottom), shot by Farah Idrees

AC: Both of you made the move to New York City, and now Los Angeles for Maddy, from your hometown in New Jersey: How did you both find a sense of community upon relocating, and has that had an impact on your creative process? 

M: I’ve found a sense of community in both New York and Los Angeles, which has greatly impacted my creative journey. I moved into New York right after high school, and quickly found my place in the music scene; playing shows, going to shows, collaborating with other artists, and just generally meeting and spending time with other young creatives. It was the first time in my life that I was around so many like-minded people who supported each other's art and worked so closely together.

I’ve only been in Los Angeles for a couple of months at this point, but I’m already finding that things are similar here. From these experiences, I’ve realized that learning from your peers is sometimes more valuable than learning from those who are already deeply established career-wise. I can’t express how much I’ve learned from simple conversations with people in these social circles, which has led me to further appreciate the creative environments of both cities.

S: When I moved to New York to go to college, I met most of the community I currently surround myself with through the city’s college scene. More than anywhere I’ve ever been, young people in New York have this incredible urgency to create. This resonated with me, which made finding a community easier than I anticipated. My friends, and the artists around me that I look up to, are some of the hardest workers I’ve ever met. We are always pushing each other to do more, while also acting as a support system for each other.

Living in the city and learning from the people around me has not only changed my creative process, but redefined the way I approach art and music. The arts scene is constantly changing, and being in New York is like having your finger on the pulse of society. It’s really incredible to get to live and create in New York.

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Sarah Davis a.k.a. DJ_Dave (left) and Maddy Davis (right), shot by Farah Idrees

AC: For Sarah, your work tackles the representation of femme artists in male dominated spaces, specifically in tech and rave communities. What aspects of these dynamics do you confront in your music, and how do you go about capturing your feelings on this subject? 

S: I first noticed this lack of representation when I would rarely see female DJs at my favorite clubs. Whether it was the most packed night of the week or a slow weekday, the DJs were almost always men. I was tired of seeing the same group of guys getting the spotlight, given the fact that womxn DJs are everywhere, so in my own work I collaborate exclusively with femme musicians and artists. Algorave as a community is actually very female dominated, so using this artform as my way of bringing more womxn representation into club scenes seems very appropriate. I’m surrounded by incredibly talented womxn in music, and it’s honestly just so exciting to collaborate with them and show people our work! 

AC: Branching off of that, we heard that you further combined your passion for technology and safer-space practices to develop an app. Can you tell us more about it? 

S: Yes! So when I was a sophomore in college, I conceptualized an app called Outro that acts as a safe space for women, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people of colour in nightlife. The app allows users to rate and review nightclub spaces based on safety and quality to prevent future unsafe situations from happening and promote spaces that consider safety their number one priority. Outro is available on the app store for whoever wants to check it out!

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Sarah Davis a.k.a. DJ_Dave, shot by Farah Idrees

AC: In a similar vein, Maddy, you strive to make space for womxn in not only performance spaces, but production spaces as well. How does having control over every aspect of your music, from songwriting to execution, impact your relationship with your art? 

M: I grew up with the understanding that producers were almost exclusively men.  As a result, I never considered production as something I could pursue, let alone learn. That is, until I saw iconic femme producers starting to emerge and realized that I could produce too. Fast forward five years or so, and now I’m producing all my own music, and repeatedly explaining to guys in my DMs that I don’t need them to send me beats. When I started producing, it unlocked an entire world for me to find my own sound as an artist. This allowed me to better articulate what I wanted to say with my music, and express myself as an artist entirely. 

AC: With this, what advice would you give to womxn trying to navigate gatekeeping in the music industry based on your experiences? 

M: Womxn are taught that men make more money, men are stronger, men are generally more successful, etc. … These same beliefs, unfortunately, exist even in creative industries. The advice I’d give to womxn trying to navigate the music industry, whether on the business side or the creative side, is to not feel intimidated by men. Don’t be afraid to speak up in a session or during a meeting, because your voice matters too. To this day, I still encounter imposter syndrome pretty much whenever I’m in a collaborative environment with men, but I try to always remind myself not to degrade myself and understand my worth as an artist, writer, and producer. 

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Maddy Davis, shot by Caity Krone

AC: Moving forward, the track you’re releasing today is a remix of Maddy’s song “Can’t Do This Alone.” What was it like collaborating together and what inspired you to combine your musical feats in the first place? 

S/M: We’d always written and performed music together growing up, so it was inevitable that we would eventually collaborate once we both started releasing music. One of us (Maddy) has this organic ethereal sound, while the other (DJ_Dave) uses a geometric method of music production, so we were inspired to see what the combination of our two contrasting styles would sound like. 

AC: What was the highlight of working on this track together? Did you encounter any challenges? 

M: I’d say the highlight for me was hearing the first versions of the remix. I loved that DJ_Dave was able to transform the song to fit her signature sound, while keeping some of my favourite elements from the original. I’d say the biggest challenge was deciding when the remix was actually finished between the two of us. It took a lot of different versions, but when the final was done, it was pretty obvious to both of us.  

S: “Can’t Do This Alone” is one of my favorite songs by Maddy, so the highlight for me was getting to work with the stems and combine our really different styles. I would say my biggest challenge was maintaining the message of the song, which is so strong and important, while manipulating the tracks.

AC: Before we let you go, is there anything you’d like to add? Are either of you working on any new projects at the moment?

S/M: Since being in quarantine, we’ve both been working on a ton of new music that we are super excited to share soon. Also, just a huge thank you to Also Cool for giving young emerging artists a platform and a chance to get their music heard! 

(Editor’s note: Thank you! We love hearing your music!)

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Sarah Davis a.k.a. DJ_Dave (left) and Maddy Davis (right), shot by Farah Idrees

Keep up with the sisters and their music!

DJ_Dave

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Maddy Davis

Instagram I Spotify I Apple Music

Photos by Farah Idrees and Caity Krone

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