Where are you currently based?
Currently in Auckland New Zealand – we were both raised here and love this city, we have an awesome music community here of so many pals.
What’s been happening recently?
We are coming up to our headline tour across New Zealand which is going to be the first time we play the album for our fans. Its been such a groovy time experimenting with the songs to make them super impactful for the shows. Big vibes! We also just got back from New York where we visiting our Times Square EQUAL billboard in person – it was absolutely huge in person which was terrifying but so so so cool – such a pleasure to be the ambassador for the month and celebrate our favourite female acts.
Your latest single ‘Tongue’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
The sound across the whole album has been influenced mostly by changing our process as opposed to listening to other artists or songs. We forced ourselves to experiment with our sound choices, and never pick the most palatable or easy sounds, but instead the more interested or unique sounds that would open our creativity up. For Tongue we focussed in on that one main hook and layered it with a lot of interesting and unfurling sounds that unravel and shift through the song.
How did you go about writing ‘Tongue’ — what was a highlight of the process for you guys??
We had just gotten back into the studio with Josh Fountain who is a producer we worked with on our first few songs – hes so so talented and amazing and such a great person to be around, so Tongue was the result of us being reunited and stoked to hang again. We just wanted to make something playful and light with a deep groove. Once we found the right pocket the song just felt so great. The main hook was something Josh had prepared before the session and the whole song really stemmed from that idea! The highlight was really just being in the room together again, such a joy.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
This was all in New Zealand with Josh Fountain – the man the myth the legend!
How did you approach the recording process, was it different to previous records?
We approached this with a lightness around the topic that we sometimes don’t have – often we will go pretty deep on the topic and have a huge chat about what were feeling – in this case the point of the song is to be light hearted, playful, and low stakes which is different for us. We had a lot of fun with the lyrics, especially around the pre chorus with some throwaway tongue and cheek moments.
What’s the NZ music scene like at the moment, what are some artists you could recommend as exciting discoveries?
NZ Music is thriving! We have so much talent especially in the pop and indie space. We have so many recommendations, and being the EQUAL ambassador has been an awesome way to share a few of those – I would recommend Molly Payton, LEISURE, alayna, Blu Brigada, and YAHYAH. There are so many others and we are so inspired by our peers.
How do you feel about being part of a wave of artists flying the flag for NZ pop?
We feel incredibly proud, especially considering the kiwi talent that has thrived before us. Benee, Lorde, Kimbra. We are ready to fly the flag every day and give it everything!
Who are you listening to at the moment?
Top of our shared playlist at the moment is Jeremy Zucker, Japanese Breakfast,, Ethel Cain, MUNA, and Tim Atlas!
What’s planned for the remainder of 2023?
We are releasing our debut album on August 25th – Crowd Pleaser. It’s honestly such a huge moment for us, we’ve always had a romantic connection to consuming music in album form. To get to see our music in this form, after so much love and care is just such a cool moment to stop and enjoy.
Favourite food and place to hangout?
I could eat dumplings every single day, and sometimes I do.
