Where are you currently based?
Rochester, NY
Please tell us about what’s been happening recently?
We just put out a brand new music video for our single “Planet Bitch,” which is the second single we’ve released from our upcoming EP, also titled Planet Bitch. 🙂 We’ve also been touring pretty extensively and have more dates coming up in the Northeast in November and December!
What influenced or inspired your latest single “Planet Bitch”
When I came up with the concept of “Planet Bitch” I just knew we needed to do a title track for it. So basically the concept led to the single and I knew I wanted to work with our long-time producer (Daniel Armbruster of Joywave) on it as well. We always have good chemistry on tongue-in-cheek tracks like this one.
How did you go about writing this single?
The concept led to the creation which isn’t something that always happens. We started with a track and I wrote a lot of the lyrics/melodys on my own, then we reconvened to edit everything down and record. That’s actually my preferred way to write as I like to have some time alone with a track instead of writing everything in-studio, though I’ve done it both ways.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
The song was written and recorded in Rochester, NY at Daniel Armbruster’s studio (He also produced the track.) It was mixed by Nick Radovanovic and mastered by Joe Laporta.
How did you approach the recording process?
Because our catalog is pretty extensive, we’ve recorded a lot and record mostly the same way for every track. The song structure etc. need to be completed before other instruments or vocals are recorded for the most part, but many of the digital parts of the track will have been laid down prior to finishing writing, then once vocals and any real instruments being used are recorded, much more production polishing happens to actually complete the track. Then there are typically rounds of edits for mixing as well.
You made a VFX music video, how did this come about and how was it working with Josiah Moore?
All the credit goes to Josiah on the VFX! Josiah was incredibly easy to work with, I think our visions were aligned from the first call we had and the process of shooting only took one day. After that the heavy lifting was done by Josiah who created “Planet Bitch” and all of the visuals. I was so amazed when I saw the first edits- really just blown away. I hope new and old fans enjoy this as much as we do!
How did the concept for the music video come about?
I think for this it was only natural for us to want to create the actual planet we keep talking about in the music and show the audience a little barbarella fantasy moment. Because our live shows are choreographed, I knew I wanted that to be a part of things too!
What does this music video mean to you?
It’s one of our most visually flashy videos but also a video that is just supposed to be a snapshot in time of “Planet Bitch,” so it’s less like our other videos, many of which have more of a concept to figure out. This one is more performative and different for us while still showing glimpses of humor through the alien queen character, boob guns, etc. 😉
How did COVID affect your music and writing process?
Hugely. It was a dark time for my music career and pretty uninspiring as live performance is probably my favorite part of musicianship as a whole and that was no longer an option (besides performing to a phone.) I also was a lot less physical because we could no longer rehearse and be in a room with one another so I felt a sense of really losing multiple pieces of myself. The music I am putting out now has been done for quite a while but not being able to see an audience receive it made me not want to release it until this cooled down. Ultimately there were pros and cons to this but playing live now, I’m glad I waited to release!
Please tell us about your upcoming EP and how it differs from your last EP Kopyright
I think there are moments on this album that are similar to Kopyright in that it’s “all killer no filler” and really energetic throughout, but I also think it differs in that there are moments on this one that are really meaningful to me personally and show different elements of musicianship than prior projects have. I think this is the most “funk” driven and vocally popping project we’ve released in a while, which is cool for me as a singer.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I am finding myself revisiting the Genesis/Phil Collins discography lately, lol…I’ve also just been having a straight up mainstream moment listening to Beyoncé and Taylor Swift’s new albums but I have to say that listening to those artists as well as less radio friendly stuff has really taught me how to be a dynamic writer in a lot of ways since our music does have major pop underpinnings while also mixing in several genres. I look at each music consumption experience as a way to learn more.
What do you like to do away from music?
As an extension of music: working out and dance are definitely important for me mentally and physically, especially because of how physically demanding our shows are! Psychology is what I went to school for, so what makes people tick is really interesting to me and I do a lot of reading about that in my spare time. I’m also pretty into various holistic health topics and am always trying new stuff with that. At home, I live in a historic house, so there’s no shortage of projects there to focus on and restoration is very rewarding for me. Lastly, I don’t like to be in one place for too long so I travel between coasts frequently and make being near water a big priority.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2022 going into 2023?
Our next single “There’s No Such Thing As Love” comes out November 11, and the entire Planet Bitch EP is out November 18th! We have upcoming live dates in November and December as well, which can be found on our website at koppsmusic.com !!
