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Artist Spotlight: Thank You Thank You

Konstantinos Pappis
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Artist Spotlight: Thank You Thank You

Collaboration has always been an integral part of Tyler Bussey’s creative process, which is partly why he’s wary of calling Thank You Thank You a solo project. Best known for his involvement in acts like The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and Strange Ranger, the Philadelphia singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has also contributed to a wide range of other projects over the years, a testament to not only his versatility as a musician but also his deep appreciation for different styles and – as he notes in our conversation – people. He’s carried that collaborative mindset over to Thank You Thank You, whose debut EP, NEXT TO NOTHING, features contributions from members of groups including Hour, Another Michael, Rozwell Kid, Spirit of the Beehive, and more. From the spare but evocative opener ‘O’ (which features three musicians) to the shimmering indie rock of ‘Autonomy’ (which features ten), the EP feels like an apt distillation of Bussey’s diverse influences and creative inclinations, a move towards something he can more easily call his own but that will always be rooted in community. With more music on the way, it’ll be exciting to see how the world of Thank You Thank You will grow and expand going into the future.

We caught up with Thank You Thank You’s Tyler Bussey for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about how the project came about, the making of NEXT TO NOTHING, and more.

What strikes me about your work is the range of styles you’ve dabbled in over the years – obviously, there’s your work with TWIABP&IANLATD and Strange Ranger, but there’s also quite a bit of experimental pop and traditional folk music. I don’t expect you to go through your entire catalogue, but what do you think it is that draws you to such a wide range of styles?

You know, I’ve always been that kind of listener. I think that, first and foremost, my experience with music was forged as just checking out everything and being excited to listen to all these kinds of music. There were no social expectations with a lot of it – it wasn’t like, when you’re listening to punk rock or whatever you’re not doing it to impress the cool kids; you’re not listening to, like, banjo tunes to fit in if you’re from Connecticut. [laughs] You’re just curious and interested and different things are exciting for different reasons. But ultimately, different kinds of music are – you know, there’s more levels going on than just what you’re hearing, there’s a whole story involved, like where, how did this style develop. Anytime you’re listening to music, whether you’re aware of it or not, there’s a backstory, there’s a place and a time that it’s related to. And I just find all that inherently fascinating and fun to investigate. So for me, it’s like, if I’m learning to play the banjo, it’s because I think that it’s deep and interesting. And if I’m learning a specific kind of guitar playing, it’s because I think that there’s a history to it that is deep and enriching. Does that answer the question?

Yeah, I think so. It’s almost like the genre or genre distinctions are less important than the story or the culture behind it.  

Yeah, I think that genre in the old school sense is a way of demarcation and separating things off from each other. And in a lot of ways, when someone sits down and they’re like, “I’m going to make a genre piece of music” that is only about the sound, like they don’t necessarily know about the history. They just know how to make that sound. But immersion is so much more satisfying – like, that’s one of the best things about touring, is you get to see different things that are not what’s around you, you know, different cultures, different languages, different musics, and different people. Ultimately, what it comes down to, for me, is it’s about people.

Was that kind of thinking something that you grew up with or was it something that you discovered along the way?

 I think it just – my instinct is that I’m curious and I’m interested in other people and where they’re coming from. And I don’t know when that set in, but like, pretty early, because I’m from the suburbs; I’m like, from what you would call a bubble, culturally, and so as soon as I found out that there was a much wider world beyond the world that I was living in, that even people that were older than me didn’t know about, you know – like when you’re a kid and you discover music communities or cultures or scenes or whatever that aren’t native to where you are. And where I was from, there wasn’t like a native situation, I felt very rootless. So it made a lot of sense to me to look around and just be open to everything.

What did you gravitate towards at that age?

At an early age, definitely punk rock and hardcore. And I’m talking about the late 90s, early 2000s, so bands that were active around that time, or a lot of 80s punk and hardcore, so you know, Minor Threat and Fugazi and Husker Dü. And then later on, broadening it to more indie rock stuff like Yo La Tengo and Broken Social Scene. There were specific punk bands that were active at the time that I was going to see a lot. But I think that’s when I fell in love with music as like, much more of a communal thing, because going to punk shows, you felt like you could – like, everyone’s climbing on top of each other, you know. I remember being at a show as a teenager, drenched in sweat, having my arm around a person who didn’t speak English, the only English they knew were the words to the band’s songs. So we were just screaming the words into each other’s faces.

I don’t know, I think I genuinely love and am interested in people, other people and their stories and where they’re from and what their deal is. So that probably did set in at a young age through punk rock, because I think the values of punk rock at the time felt very – like, all the things that you can think of that you would associate with leftist politics or, you know, anti-capitalist politics, anti-racist, anti-misogynist, all that stuff is ultimately about lifting people up and being pro-people of all stripes. 

That makes sense to me listening to your new EP, because there’s still very much a collaborative spirit to it, even if it is kind of a solo project. Is there a reason that despite having been in different projects over the years, you still wanted to keep this very collaborative? Is it tied to what you’re talking about now?

Absolutely, I mean, that’s just what I believe in. It’s not like you sit down and you make a checklist of what you’re gonna do, that’s just how you are, how you make things. You said it was a solo project, and really, in my mind, I don’t like thinking of it that way, and I didn’t want – part of the reason why I put off doing it for so long was because I didn’t want to just have a solo project. So things had to come together in the right way, in terms of finding people to collaborate with, that it felt right and was enjoyable and fun and felt like a good team and a good crew. And frankly, if it were up to me, there would be other people singing and other people writing in the band, but the band is really me right now. And ultimately, COVID has something to do with that. Actually, this past year I’ve leaned into isolation and solitude quite a bit, and I’ve just been sitting at home, practicing guitar all the time and learning, and studying and listening to music probably more than I have since I was a kid. Worrying less about making it, but more about absorbing things again.

Why did you feel like this was the right time to start the project?

Well, the honest answer, which is a complicated one, has a lot to do with the fact that I have a tendency to prioritize others over myself and put my needs on the back burner as a collaborator and as a musician. So I reached a point where I was pretty burnt out from a series of unfortunate events involving collaboration and realized that it would probably be really fruitful for me to finally sort of step out a little bit more and have a little bit more confidence in myself as someone who can not only fill in things and contribute ideas, but just have the ideas, the initial ones, and then see those through and have other people in the roles and positions that I often filled myself. 

It’s like, I have a lot of experience as a collaborator, so I think I’m pretty good at recognizing what I need from people and what they need as the person in the collaborative role. So I think that I was able to navigate that with this, where I was able to treat people pretty well and care about their feelings and their inputs and their thoughts.

And the name – Thank You Thank You – what was the inspiration behind that?

Oh, it’s kind of funny. Like I said before, I have misgivings about the idea of it being considered a true solo project, because I really just don’t believe in those demarcations and those arbitrary distinctions. Obviously, I think there’s such a thing as an individual and we’re separate people, but I think that none of us are an island either. And like, relationship and collaboration and community, all these things aren’t just buzz words or whatever, they’re real things that are the real important stuff in life, you know. There’s so much sensitivity and empathy and compassion and kindness and thoughtfulness that goes into making music with other people. I feel like there’s this trend, especially now, where it’s all about the solo project, all about the front person, like highlighting the brand and the figure in the middle of it at the expense of realizing how much work goes into these things and how many other people are involved. It’s like giving the chef all the credit and not any of the cooks. 

So with that said, my question to myself was, how do I reconcile the fact that on the one hand, I don’t want it to be a solo project and on the other hand, I don’t want to be beholden to who the collaborators are in any given moment, because I’m going to keep making songs and keep wanting to put them out. So instead of just saying the name of the band is Tyler Bussey or something, I was like, well, it can be a play on my name, which is like, my friends call me “Ty Ty”, so.

Oh! [laughs] That only clicked just now.

Yeah, I’m pretty into it still, I think it’s cute and fun. But I also think that, honestly, not to get too heavy-handed about it or anything but it literally again feels like a situation, you know, when you say thank you, you’re talking to someone who did something for you. You’re in gratitude about a relationship.

I thought that’s what you were getting at at first, yeah.

All of the above, yeah. A, B, C and D.

To get to the songs on the EP specifically, did they come out of that lockdown period or had they already been written?

The songs that are on the EP, those were written before – except one of them was finished during quarantine, but that one is the instrumental track.

‘Out of Nowhere’, yeah.

Yeah, that one. That one was kind of funny because it’s kind of less of a song to me and more like a recording project in a lot of ways, more like a sound piece. That was the result of collaborating with my friend Alex Lewis, who is a fantastic guitar player and musician, and also an independent radio producer who worked with WXPN here in Philadelphia and with NPR and many more. Early last year I invited him over and we sat down in my room and improvised guitar music – we’d known each other for years, but we never actually sat down and played together. So when I had this piece, which was just – I made up a guitar part at three in the morning and recorded it, and there was something kind of spooky about the way it sounded; I was on my bed playing the guitar with my phone recording it, but I was probably like shaking the bed slightly by just kind of vibing. [laughs] And it made these kind of rustling sounds, it almost sounded like being outside, going for a walk or something. And then also, I was accidentally doing this percussive thing with my right hand, but it ended up sounding like three or four things were happening even though it was just one recording. I was like, “I love this, I should use this,” and then sent it to Alex, who added the lap steel parts and field recordings that he then edited and manipulated with his wizardry.

The rest of the songs are also quite different from each other. My favorite is probably ‘Heights’ – could you talk more about the process behind that track?

Yeah, that is definitely a song that I’ve messed around with for years. I’ve honestly just kind of enjoyed the lyrical arc of it and the scene that I describe in it and then the second scene down the road, like the memory of it. I’ve always had that going and been playing with it, and then for years just messing around with different ways to arrange or play it. But I was playing it by myself, I didn’t have a band to play it with. And then when I finally put together a group of people to play music and shows with in Philly, which I would be remiss if I didn’t mention them: we have Sean Hallock, who played drums with the project; Corey Wichlin, who played guitar and occasionally synthesizer; and Jacob Crofoot, who would play bass. We had these songs that I’d written and were trying to figure out what they were going to be. And basically, we arranged it together, and I really wanted to not play guitar for the entire song. I just wanted to kind of put the guitar down and sing, but then pick up the guitar for the reverse solo thing. I just thought it was funny to put the guitar down and then pick it up to shred a stupid solo. [laughs]

And the chorus, the “ba ba” part, how did that come about?    

Well, I just love a “ba ba” part, you know? And to be honest with you, I think that it was one of those things where you’re trying different ideas, and then you sit with that idea to see if it holds water and if you want to stick with that idea. To me, the “ba ba” part is not like a simple “ba ba” part, it’s also like a lexical unit that corresponds with the lyrics of the song in other places.

Like “back”?  

Yes, exactly. And the different meanings of the word “back”. But I was thinking about those things and that’s why it took a long time to write because I was kind of weighing all these elements and words and trying to figure out if I liked them. And that’s why the solo is in reverse and forwards at the same time. The whole thing is about the fog of memory and about, also like a weed fog; it’s all about, you know, layers and layers of meaning and that sort of thing. And how meaning is formed and how the brain even fucking tries to do this shit.

Yeah. The more times I listened to that song, the more layers revealed themselves.

See, that’s what the dream is, you want people to actually feel like the songs continue to open up over time.

I wanted to ask about something I noticed on the Bandcamp page – the bio reads, “a shadow of myself playing the banjo.” And in the credits, you’ve put two question marks next to “banjo.”

 Uh-huh.

Is there a story behind that?

No, that’s a mystery. That is a mystery for the listener to solve. Or to just dwell in. It’s a mystery that we are all part of.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

Thank You Thank You’s NEXT TO NOTHING is out now on limited cassette via Oof Records.

Interview: Tobias Fischer and Lara Cory

Modestas Mankus
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Interview: Tobias Fischer and Lara Cory

Fifteen Questions is arguably the most prominent music website that interviews dozens of music-minded people around the world on a consistent basis. The online magazine is lead by two music media veterans Tobias Fischer and Lara Cory. To talk about Fifteen Questions, they joined us for an interview.

Firstly, how are you and what is your background?

Tobias: Doing well, thank you! Still healthy and getting ready for a few days of rest here in Berlin … I’ve been a journalist and copywriter for almost twenty years. During this time, I’ve written for hardcore metal magazines, classical music publications, experimental music sites as well as Germany’s biggest magazine on recording, Beat. I’ve also written a book about the sounds of animals with Lara. 15 Questions was the only way to bring all of my interests in music under one umbrella, which actually seemed to make sense.

Lara: I’m not sick or dead so things could be worse. Being a writer was never on my horizon, so it was a bit of a spontaneous thing when I started writing 12 years ago. I started writing about art and food and then began to include music and film. I’ve been freelancing for about 10 years now, writing for digital and print media and copywriting at agencies. I’m hoping to complete a collection of short stories that I hope someone might want to publish some day.

How did Fifteen Questions start, and how did the idea for it came about?

Tobias: It started as a questionnaire for my first own website, tokafi, which ran between 2005 and 2015. The original idea was to have a modular interview, which could be applied to almost all kinds of artists and where questions could be swapped and replaced depending on the occasion.

Even though 15 Questions is now a site of its own, I think the basic concept is still the same: Allow everyone in music – mostly artists, but also PR agents, organisers and journalists – to talk about some of the most important topics, from production via originality to the creative process and science. Readers can place the interviews side by side and compare the replies. In 200 years time, future generation can then discover what artists thought about music in another era.

Have the questions changed over the years, or they have tended to stay the same?

Tobias: If you take the original set of questions from 2005 as a yard stick, not a single question has remained intact. Every few years, I will re-evaluate and adjust them, depending on what seems to work and what our interests are. The current iteration has proven particularly effective and it’s remained unchanged for quite some time. I’m looking to apply a few changes in 2021, though.

You have interviewed various amounts of creatives from the music world, has there been a key trait or element that they all share?

Lara: On the contrary, it’s their differences that make the site work, and keep us interested.

With such a vast experience of asking quality questions, is there a specific question you are always eager to ask and why?

Lara: I always like to read what people have to say about originality and getting into a creative mindset. It’s usually the best measure of honesty.

Tobias: The one about different senses working together. I have a specific kind of synaesthesia and always used to think that this made my experience of music very different. It probably is, but we have a section about synaesthesia in the interview and what it revealed is that there doesn’t seem to be one standard way of how we perceive sound. We all hold very strong opinions about music, but ironically, we may all be talking about different things!

Is there a question that tends to divide people, or receive an adverse reaction?

Lara: The last question seems to get people enthused, either about their fear of what the future holds or their excitement about its potential.

Tobias: Yeah, that one’s always good for a little controversy. Although that may be because the wording is slightly provocative itself …

Do you feel the answers get better with certain types of genre artists?

Lara: No. I am consistently surprised and delighted by the randomness.

Tobias: What we do notice, on a very fundamental level, is that the type of music you play influences your focus. Classical instrumentalists rarely have something revealing to say about technology, for example, while electronic producers can obviously go deep on sound related questions. But, as Lara said, there is a big element of surprise there – the best interviews tend to be the ones where you get a fascinating reply where you would never have expected one.

Is there anyone you would love to interview in the coming year?

Lara: Mike Patton, this year or any year.

Tobias: Kraftwerk. Not going to happen, but I keep telling myself that if Ralph Hütter ever does an interview again, it’s going to be for 15 Questions.

Do you have a favourite interview you’ve conducted?

Lara: I have so many. But of the recent interviews, I’d have to go with Alain Johannes, Alessandra Novaga, Ilia Belorukov and Natali Kruger.

I remember getting a lot out of David Keenan’s interview and being impressed by Pauline Oliveros’ ability to say so much with so few words.

Tobias: This year alone, we’ve had an incredible run. We’ve conducted 200 interviews and among them have been a lot of personal favourites. I really appreciate artists who approach their art passionately, but are then able to communicate that experience into deep thoughts. For examples, take a look at our interviews with Carl Stone, Ella Minus, Louisahhh, Tyler Friedman, Chris Korda, Wild Anima, Sean O’Hagan, Chloé Raunet / C.A.R., Diana Combo / Síria, Golem Mecanique and Jochen Rueckert.

Was there an interview you’ve done that has not gone well?

Tobias: We sometimes get back interviews where you can tell that the artist didn’t enjoy doing it. Interestingly, some of those turn out particularly interesting! One example is Miss Kittin. I think she hated having to go through all these questions and seemed exhausted in the end – but the result was intriguing to say the least.

Lara: I remember once when we first started, I accidentally confused Otto Von Shirach’s interview for Scott Morgan’s (Loscil). I was extremely embarrassed when I realised the mistake I’d made, especially after I’d emailed Scott asking if he might try again with his answers. I still shudder to think of it all these years later. If you read the two interviews, you’ll understand. Scott was really good about it, and luckily we were able to laugh about it later.

Thank you for joining us!

Visit Fifteen Questions to read a variety of in-depth interviews surrounding music.

Top Five Games to Play Online with Money

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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Top Five Games to Play Online with Money

Online entertainment is growing continuously, and internet users have numerous options at their disposal, from social networking websites to multimedia resources. When it comes to digital entertainment, we cannot ignore the gaming industry and, in particular, the gambling industry. Since the inception of online casinos in the mid-’90s, players across the globe have accepted this form of gaming with open arms. In the last decade, this digital entertainment industry has witnessed enormous growth due to the rise of smartphone users and easy internet availability. A great variety of available games has also attracted more players.

These factors have led new players to try online real-money games. However, not all users have a clear idea of what the best games are. If you are just starting out your journey into this entertaining world and you don’t know about the exciting world of casino games, we are going to tell you about the top games to play on online gambling websites.

Online Gambling Games: Introduction

Online casino games make up the main catalog of online casinos. Players can play these games from a smartphone or PC. Some of these games also offer a live dealer option, where players can play with the real dealer through the screen.

Additionally, its advantages include their 24/7 availability, no wait to grab the game table, and you find reasonable betting limits. Plus, players get a very wide range of popular game variants with high RTP. Several online casinos also offer free demo versions to try the gameplay. The best gameplay testers are Canadian gamblers, because 15% of the total population of this country gamble on the Internet. Therefore, before making your choice to start, we recommend you to look through the current list of online casinos for real money in Canada by LoopX.io website with a step-by-step analysis of niche specifics.

Top Online Casino Games

Slots

Online slots are the most popular form of entertainment in the gambling world. The main reason for this is the variety of games. Here, players can have a wide range of titles so that they can try enticing games anytime, anywhere. You can find slots with different special features that make the gameplay a real challenge to overcome, both in their real money slots and free slots. Many esteemed software developer companies spend thousands of hours developing online slots with various themes and stories to engage players with different preferences and interests.

Many online casinos provide progressive jackpots that provide chances of becoming a millionaire with a single spin. In addition, most online slots have a high return to play a player (RTP), which ensures the increased chances of winning of the players. This is the reason why online casino sites provide promotional offers anchored with slot machines. In a nutshell, online slot machines are the most popular at the online casinos. Since they are easy to play and have a high payout ratio, you should definitely play this gambling game.

Blackjack

This card game is very popular among the players at the online as well as land-based casinos. Blackjack has simple rules and quite beneficial betting systems. The return to player strategy depends only on the skills of the players. The bad or good decisions of the players have a great impact on the game. Blackjack comes with a live dealer option at many reputed online casinos. The aim of this game is to reach 21 points with the hands or get closer than the other players or the dealer. Here, the value of cards with 2 to 10 numbers remains their face value, Ace is either 11 or 1, and Jack, Queen, and King are considered 10.

This gambling game is really simple and requires mathematical skills. There are several tutorials and tables on the internet that will guide us to take what decision at particular conditions. The RTP can be very close to 100% for an experienced player who knows how to make the best decisions. The practice is very necessary here. You should know when to hit when to stand when to split or double down.

Roulette

This classic gambling game hasn’t lost its charm for many years. Roulette has variously designed to adapt to the preference and interests of each individual. You can play the traditional European version of this game and enjoy a slow but rewarding pace of play. It has one zero. The American version is a little complicated but adrenaline rising as it has double zero. French roulette version is the best if your goal is to generate profit. European and American versions are the most popular ones, where the former has 97% RTP and the latter has 94.7% RTP. Online roulette is available in three modes i.e., video roulette, live roulette with dealer, and free demo version.

In this gambling game, there are not strategies, methods, or guaranteed tips to generate profit and have an advantage over the other players or the house. There have been many tips and strategies on the internet from the professionals and experts that may work on the land-based version of the roulette, but at online roulette, where RNG tech is used it is impossible practically.

Poker

Poker is a popular casino game that has represented the gambling world. It has been depicted in movies and series since a long time. At online casinos, players can play video poker as well as online poker version. Not all online casinos offer these poker games, but reliable and online casinos provide these in their catalogs. Video poker has high RTP, but in online poker, it depends on the players’ skills or strategies. It is advisable to have at least minimum knowledge of probability applied to poker, and at least know how to differentiate the plays that can be achieved in a hand. Just like blackjack, online poker can also be played with the live dealer or other players. Many online casinos also organize poker tournaments. Undoubtedly, this is among the best games for gamblers online.

The Reality of Being a Musician in 2021

Our Culture Mag & Partners
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The Reality of Being a Musician in 2021

Every musician has suffered at the hands of the pandemic in one way or another, and as many independent musicians are looking to find a way of keeping their music alive, but also their creative spirit, it seems that the bigger record companies are forever looking at ways to beat down the smaller acts. With the news that small artists are being beaten in streaming services by the big-name acts such as The Beatles, we need to ask, what is the reality of a musician in the modern-day?

The Technological Advancements and How It Helps Smaller Artists

These days, if you’re looking to get your music on Spotify, you do not need to go via a major label record company. The benefits of having the ability to share your work with the world helps you to build your own career at your own pace and it helps you to attain creative control. This is something that is naturally important to any musician, but technological advancements have aided a musician in this respect. It is not just about the ability to upload your work to SoundCloud or any streaming service, but there’s also the fact that technology is more affordable now. This is why we have seen a rise in rap as the dominant art form in the music industry. All it requires is a beat and a rhyme. Yes, this is simplifying the approach, but the fact of the matter is that increasing access to technology means a wider variety of people putting their music out there. There are also tools that help anybody to create an album at home with all the finesse of a recording studio.

How Can a Musician Earn Their Living in Music?

With approximately 80% of musicians not earning enough from their music careers, as well as the fact that 50% of independent artists are concerned about cash flow, there are companies trying to find new approaches to pay musicians for their work. Companies have been founded by technology and music experts, and are working at finding ways to help musicians upload their work while also functioning as a record label. They are working on growing independent artists. But this is not just a lesson for musicians to go for companies looking out for their best interest, it is about actually taking the bull by the horns and many musicians want to exert creative control, and this is when naturally they expand their reach into other areas of music. Once upon a time, it would have been that the artist didn’t touch upon any of these aspects, but now an artist is someone who exerts creative control but also does the administration and everything in between. It is a necessity of the modern music world that they do this because they simply don’t get paid enough as a musician. You will find many musicians diversifying their efforts in being tour managers, and even going into teaching.

Musicians Do Not Chase Success

The tide is shifting. With all of the stories of artists getting screwed over by management and record companies, now the 21st century has given rise to a more savvy kind of artist. Arguably it is to the benefit that they are not chasing success. For those that look for fame and money, now, it is more apparent than ever that being a musician is not the way to get it. And this is to the benefit of anybody in the music industry. The reality of a musician in 2021 is that they are not chasing success, but it is going back to the age-old adage that they are going for creative fulfillment. Much like the artist and their canvas in a loft in the middle of a city in the 18th century, now a musician has Pro Tools and a laptop in a freezing cold department. The fact is that being a musician in the modern world is about diversifying their efforts, but also realizing that now because the model is so wrecked as a result of the music management looking after themselves and nobody else, this age-old story has now resulted in a musical revolution. But now, musicians are more than aware that success is not defined by finances. 

The world we live in, for creativity to thrive is about independent-minded artists. And the reality of being a musician in 2021 is that if they are to continue doing the job that they love, they have to diversify their efforts.

Album Review: Buck Meek, ‘Two Saviors’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Buck Meek, ‘Two Saviors’

It’s tempting to compare Buck Meek’s second solo LP to the latest pair of albums from his Big Thief bandmate and close collaborator Adrianne Lenker, the stunning songs and its companion instrumentals. It might be because both projects were released just months apart from each other, with Lenker’s albums having simultaneously last October, or because they both deal with heartbreak; but there’s also a particular moment on the Adrianne Lenker co-write ‘Candle’ that distinctly echoes several different moments from songs: “Did your eyes change? I remember them blue/ Or were they always hazel?” they both sing, fixating on the part of the human face as Lenker so often does in her writing. It’s a striking highlight that stands out on the album not only for its memorable songwriting but also for the way Meek imbues it with an air of mystery and intrigue that feels entirely his own.

Much of Two Saviors, as its title suggests, is about duality, but it’s also about the layers of meaning we attach to everyday objects and past experiences in order to make better sense of them. Opener ‘Pareidolia’ introduces this theme by alluding to our tendency to apply different interpretations to abstract patterns in nature or finding hidden messages in music where there aren’t any; Meek paints a familiar picture of noticing figures in the shapes of clouds, then begins to build a narrative out of that scene. His writing throughout is rich yet elusive, capturing both the haziness and specificity of a memory and pairing it with wondrously bizarre imagery. The result is something that feels anchored in reality but sometimes registers more like a dream: certain patterns reemerge, even if it’s not always clear how they relate to one another: on ‘Dream Daughter’, he sings of how “the clouds broke/ Well, heaven took my throat/ With two hands and a gentle eye, she let me die.”

The complexity of Meek’s songwriting is sometimes undercut by the relaxed gentleness of the arrangements, which can cause the songs to slip into the background. Recorded in New Orleans in the heat of the summer, there’s a looseness to the recordings that renders them pleasant and inviting even if they don’t always encourage deeper listening. Andrew Sarlo’s bright and organic production once again does wonders to punch up the overall sound of the album, with Mat Davidson’s pedal steel and organ from Meek’s brother Dylan filling in the gaps. It’s an approach that naturally lends itself to the kind of immediate songwriting that characterized Lenker’s songs, which is why the cuts that end up sticking out the most here are those that either leverage those intimate qualities or actively break away from them: on the one hand, there’s the beautifully affecting ‘Two Moons’, and on the other, there’s ‘Ham on White’, which explodes with the kind of dynamic intensity Meek has perfected with Big Thief.

At the end of the day, none of the album’s weaknesses really detract from its raw charm. Even if some songs toward the back half lack the sharp tunefulness of its best moments, Meek’s knack for imaginative storytelling and lilting melodies renders Two Saviors a delightfully warm listen. Situating it in the context of Meek’s broader catalog, however, you’re left wishing some of the subtle layering that makes his songwriting unique would more often rise to the surface, or that the themes of pain and loss that permeate it would resonate in a more direct way. On the final track, ‘Halo Light’, he momentarily lets go of his reflective tendencies to offer some form of resolution: “Pain came in seasons departed/ Our bodies left alone/ All our love will stay/ To live again tomorrow,” he sings, and it’s like the sky has cleared and the shape of a cloud has suddenly shrunk in significance. Coupled with the album’s carefree attitude, the question he poses then feels less like a wistful thought and more like an invitation: “So why do we feel sorrow?”

Artist Spotlight: spill tab

Konstantinos Pappis
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Artist Spotlight: spill tab

spill tab is the project of Los Angeles-based, French-Korean artist Claire Chicha, who’s been carving out her own space in the bedroom pop genre for a couple of years now. After landing a straight-out-of-college gig as merch manager for none other than Gus Dapperton, she decided to focus on her own music and teamed up with producer and principal collaborator David Marinelli for a series of singles leading up to the December 2020 release of their debut EP, Oatmilk (“I am so goddamn lactose intolerant, so my lifeblood during quarantine has been Oatly and Chobani oat milk,” she explains). With a total of four tracks each clocking in at less than two minutes, it’s a testament to spill tab’s creativity as an artist that they end up sounding both infectious and distinctive as they careen across different modes and styles. There’s a common thread between the dreamy, playful, and forward-thinking aesthetic of the EP and that of a number of Gen Z artists currently been breaking onto the scene, but these songs also showcase spill tab’s ability to not only tweak a lot of these emerging tropes but also inject her own personality onto them in a unique and memorable way.

We caught up with spill tab’s Claire Chicha for the latest edition of our Artist Spotlight interview series to talk about her influences, Oatmilk, being honest, and more.

I know you moved around a lot while you were growing up. Could talk more about your upbringing and how you feel that has influenced your sound or your sense of identity in any way?

It’s influenced me, I think, especially ‘cause I moved around when I was at these ages where you just have – like, when you’re twelve, thirteen, fourteen you hyper absorb everything in your life, those are such formative years. My first memories sort of begin when I’m six, seven, eight, and then by the time I’m 10 I have a minimum sense of identity. And then the next five years are just, like, ingesting everything around you so hardcore, and those years are when my parents lost – they went bankrupt during the recession and I ended up moving to Thailand for a year with my mom, because it was just cheaper to live there at that time with the money that my parents had saved up. And after that, I moved to Paris for a year with my aunt and my cousin. My dad passed away at the end of that school year, so my mom decided to sort of – it made sense for us to go back to what was familiar, so we ended up moving back to LA for high school.

And all those travels put me in places that had largely different music. I feel like, in Bangkok, there was a lot of traditional Thai music, but there was also a lot of – Bangkok is like the party city of Southeast Asia, so there was a lot of dance music, a lot of techno and house. But funnily enough, a lot of those songs had been popular six months prior in the US, so there was a lot of weird overlaps in terms of popular music making its way towards the East. And Paris was kind of a different version of that where there’s a lot of dance, trance, and all that stuff, but a lot of more hip-hop, rap-leaning artists come out of France as well.

And then I moved back to LA where I attended a high school that was really known for their show choir, so I did show choir for four years and that was a really intense shaping of my performance skills and my stamina skills. It just kind of taught me how to be a better performer and how to be more confident on stage. And then I moved to New York for four years; I was in acapella and I was in the New York scene, and that’s a whole different vibe – it’s a little bit more weird, a little bit more experimental. I think living in Brooklyn sort of gave me access to more music that isn’t, you know, popular at all.

I noticed that there’s kind of a different vibe to the songs on your EP that are in English and those that are in French. Do you find yourself getting into a different mode when writing in French and English?

I think the reason why stuff sounds a bit different in French is that I’m not quite so comfortable in French as I am in English. Like, when I express myself through music in English, I can be very intimate and very personal. And in French I have a hard time expressing myself, so it’s so much easier to just sort of like catch a vibe and then create a story and build up from that, and that’s much more fun than trying to find, you know, the perfect word.

My favorite track on the EP is probably ‘Name’ – I really love the idea of giving up someone’s first name, it’s such a unique and creative metaphor. But kind of in relation to that, I was wondering if you could talk more about the line “being honest is my worst trait.” Is that something that you felt strongly in that moment or is it something that you kind of relate to more generally?

I guess when I was writing it – like, the person that I was seeing was asking me to be very very honest, and my whole life a trait that I’ve always had was to be very diplomatic; just trying to always find the best way to put words, you know, if you’re breaking something to someone, trying to measure how abstractly I can say it to be easy on them. So this person was asking me to be super fucking honest, and because I’m not well-versed in being honest, I feel like when I try to really be honest it can be quite hurtful. Or at least I feel like I’m being very hurtful, because there’s honest and then there’s, like, mean. So I guess I was trying to say, “being honest is my worst trait,” like being just honest and not mean – I don’t know how to do that.

That’s interesting. I thought of it like, you’re good at being honest but it always ends up having negative consequences. But do you feel that it’s kind of different with music for you? Because there’s a lot of intimacy in your songwriting – do you feel more comfortable being emotionally open that way?

Yeah, definitely. I think songwriting is really cool because you can say things that are otherwise really corny and cheesy, and if you put them in a song, it’s like, considered so much cooler. [laughs] I feel like if you were to take someone’s lyrics most of the time and just say that in a conversation that would be so corny and almost cliché, you know. But you can say those things in a song and it lands so much better. And it’s also more fun because in the song there’s sort of metering and emphasis that you kind of want to stick to to create something that sounds nice, like, metering-wise.

You co-produced the track with your collaborator, marinelli. Could you talk about how your collaborative relationship started out and how it developed throughout the making an EP?

Yeah, we started working together two and a half years ago. I was still living in New York and he was in LA so we just did a couple of sessions over the summer of 2018. And then honestly from there, we just became best friends outside of music, we just hung out all the time. And I was an A&R intern that summer, so I was going to a shit ton of shows just for my internship and I always got a plus one, so I would bring him. So we were just so deep in music, making it and also attending shows and it was such a packed summer. And then I went back to New York that fall for my senior year, and he came to visit and met all my New York homies, and a lot of my New York homies have now moved to LA, so that sort of informed the friend group that we all have now. It’s crazy how in the past two years – like, random little things, you know, people have moved different places and we’ve all sort of landed in LA.

But I think since we first started working together I’ve also just practiced a shit ton of production. I used to not be able to produce, and as we were doing things bi-coastally I sort of had to learn how to process things at least a minimum amount of well so that I could send them to him. And then that sort of opened the gates to Ableton, so I’ve just been getting better at producing. I think throughout the relationship David’s been so supportive and he’s always teaching me new tricks and helping me find cool plugins and stuff.

Is that one of your goals, to keep learning more about production and be more involved in that side of things?

Yeah, 100%. I’m producing some stuff for a few friends that they might actually put out, so that’s really cool to just sort of not at all take part in the writing or the melodies and just take part in like, delivering another person’s vision of something. It’s a different way of expressing oneself creatively that’s like, “I don’t have to steer the ship, I can just, like, clean the decks and build the mezzanine.” [laughs] It’s just a whole new space to have fun in.

I wanted to mention – I was actually looking at an interview you did in 2019, and you were like, “2020 is gonna be such a great year,” like, “no doubt!”

[laughter] Dude, you’re crazy! What interview was that? It’s crazy that you pulled that up!

It was for Voyage LA, I think. I’ll link to it.

Bless you for finding that, that’s the funniest shit. Were you like – for some reason all my friends were like, “2020 is gonna be the year!” Did you feel the same?

Weirdly enough, yeah. I kind of had that feeling.

It just felt like it was gonna be an insane – but you know what, low-key, I don’t think I would be anywhere close to where I am if it wasn’t – not that I’m on some crazy shit, but it’s like, just the fact that I’ve been blessed with so many people that are just fucking with the music, that have been able to find the music. Like, I don’t think it would have been like that if it hadn’t been for a pandemic. I mean, ‘Calvaire’ came out March 3 – I was in New York – the pandemic came, like, March 15. And then everything from then on was just immediate quarantine and everything kind of went to shit. But I was set to TM a tour around April, so I was getting ready to go on tour, and then obviously that tour is gonna be like, two months long, so it’s gonna be like April to May to June and then I was gonna try and get a new tour after that. I wanted to continue working in touring because I love it, but obviously it doesn’t lend very well to anything other than being on tour. So I went to LA and we’re all quarantined, and for the next like 10 months I got to just do music and build something with spill tab because of that.

I know this is a really uncertain time right now to ask about future plans, but going into 2021, what are some things you’re looking forward to in terms of the development of the project?

I think these past two years have been a lot of like – because I was still in school or still working, like David and I would never have any songs on deck. It was just like, we would make a song, we would finish it, we would spend months at it, working on, tweaking it, and then it would be out. And then we’d start a new song. So there was never really an opportunity to build a project or create a narrative of any sort. So I think it would really cool to sort of – because this year I get to do this all the time, if I’m able to build out a sort of unreleased catalog, kind of see if there’s a way to create a narrative or just put songs together that feel like they should be together. And keep songs on deck for the next release, see if they fit better. And then also, like, touring in general, I cannot wait to be able to do that stuff.

Yeah, of course. I look forward to seeing how that works out! Is there anything else you feel like you want to add?

No, I’m definitely not gonna say, like, “2021 is gonna be the year!” [laughter]

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity and length.

spill tab’s Oatmilk EP is out now.

Album Review: Shame, ‘Drunk Tank Pink’

Konstantinos Pappis
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Album Review: Shame, ‘Drunk Tank Pink’

Propelling Drunk Punk Pink is the same anxious ferocity that characterized Shame‘s riveting 2018 debut, Songs of Praise; that the album won’t steer too far away from that sound is evident from its first few moments of feedback noise. But what seems to have changed on the South London post-punks’ second album is not only the source of that anxiety, but also the way it’s projected outward; the humour and playfulness of their debut have mostly been swept away by a whirlwind of insurmountable chaos. Part of that can be attributed to the exhaustion that came as a result of the band’s relentless touring schedule, and part of it is a reflection of the period of self-imposed isolation that followed when frontman Charlie Steen and his bandmates – Sean Coyle-Smith, Josh Finerty, Eddie Green, and Charlie Forbes – finally returned home. Drunk Tank Pink oscillates and effectively blurs the line between restlessness and listlessness, giving rise to a brooding atmosphere that burrows itself under your skin.

By making what is essentially a post-touring album, Shame run the typical risk of failing to relate to the fears and anxieties of those who haven’t fallen prey to that lifestyle. What’s more, the record isn’t marked by the kind of meta-commentary on fame of, say, Fontaines D.C.’s recent sophomore effort, nor is it populated by as many catchy hooks or subverted mantras that lodge themselves into your brain. But those feelings of depression are cast in such a vague yet pervasive manner that they elicit a gut-level response as urgent as anything they’ve made in the past, and perhaps even more harrowing.

The album is named after a particular shade of pink known for its calming effects, the same pigment said to be used in drunk tanks and which Steen slathered all over the walls of the cupboard in which he sequestered himself. When he declares “In my room, in my womb/ Is the only place I find peace” on ‘March Day’, the final three words are overshadowed by a needling guitar-line and a sneering, ghostly echo of a voice, as if to undercut their impossibility. “Peace” is merely what happens when you replace the noise of the outside world with that inside you, and Drunk Tank Pink deftly holds a mirror to that claustrophobic space.

An album so insular, so stuck in its own perpetual cycle of hopelessness and disarray, probably shouldn’t work. And it wouldn’t, were it not for the band’s revitalized approach: aided by producer James Ford (Arctic Monkeys, Foals), new layers and textures emerge to amplify Shame’s rambunctious sound. The album’s best moments arrive when they take what could have been a meditative cut from Songs of Praise and transform it into a full-blown mini-epic: ‘Born in Lutton’ tumbles its way to a searing, funereal outro; ‘Snow Day’ churns over like an avalanche, Steen’s frantic vocal delivery blowing everything its path and dragging you along with it: “I live deep within myself/ Just like everyone else,” he hollers with such conviction it’s hard not to feel in some way culpable. Even if songs like ‘Nigel Hitter’ and ‘March Day’ plod through the kind of punk-funk grooves that sound almost derivative, they do so in a way that accentuates the theme of identity crisis that permeates the album.

It’s not like Steen isn’t looking for a way out: “Will this day ever end?/ I need a new beginning,” he realizes on ‘Nigel Hitter’; the stunning closer begins with the lines, “I need a new solution/ I need a new resolution.” There are glimpses of connection on ‘Human, for a Minute’, even if the song as a whole doesn’t offer much consolation. The fog is never quite lifted, but by the end, the band seems capable of at least sifting through it. For all its introspective, and at times suffocating, qualities, there’s a real sense of dynamism pulsing throughout the record that’s both incendiary and exhilarating. Dr. Alexander Schauss, who studied the effects of ‘Drunk Tank Pink’, described it as “a tranquilizing color that saps your energy”; there’s little evidence of that here, but that energy is paired with a growing sense of maturity and depth that makes it sound all the more potent.

6 Tips for Digital Photography Success

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6 Tips for Digital Photography Success

Whether you’re just starting out with digital photography or you have more experience with the medium, there are a few things that will undoubtedly help you to take better photos. 

Below you will find some of our favorite tips for digital photograph success!

  1. Remember the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is one of the most important rules in photography. When used correctly it can improve your compositions and ensure that your photographs really draw the eye.

Okay, but what is the rule of thirds? This technique asks you to imagine your composition as having dour lines, two of which are horizontal and two if which are vertical, thus separating the image into 9 separate squares. You can then decide to have the focal point of your picture in the center square or slightly off-center at one of the intersectional points, depending on the look you are going for. By doing this, you can ensure that there is a focal point to draw the eye, as well as lots of other points of interest and a sense of balance in your images.

  1. Matte backdrops are best

If you’re going to be using photography backdrops, it’s almost always a good idea to use a matte background, Why? Because they’re less likely to produce glare or orbs, which can ruin a composition, and they will ensure that the subject of your photo pops.

  1. Don’t shake the camera

Camera shake is one of the biggest causes of blurred photos when using a digital camera. If you’re shooting handheld, you can avoid a shaky composition by keeping both hands on the camera – one around the lend and one around the main body of the machine. It’s also a good idea to hold the camera as close to your body as possible for extra stabilization.

Another thing that can help to prevent shaking is using the right shutter speed for the focal length of your camera lens. A shutter speed that is too slow can accentuate the effects of any movements, producing photos that are extremely blurred. A good rule of thumb is that one focal length is equal to the same minimum shutter speed in seconds, so for example, a 100mm kens should be used with a shutter speed of around 1/100th of a second.

  1. Buy a polarizing filter

We all know that camera equipment is expensive, but there are some things it is always worth buying and polarizing filters are one of those things. Ideally, you should invest in a circular polarizing filter that will enable you to use through the lens metering and auto exposure. This will enable you to minimize reflections from things like glass, water, and shiny metals. Not only that, but it will enhance the color of plants, flowers, and even the sky, and give your photographs the X factor. Basically, it will make your photographs look a whole lot more artistic and professional with minimal effort on your part.

  1. Turn the flash off

A lot of photography newbies think that turning the flash on in low-light conditions is always the best thing to do, but if you’re indoors, this is probably not the case. Having the flash turned on when you’re inside can make the subject of your compositions look pretty unnatural, especially if you’re taking portrait pictures in particular. It’s far better to increase your ISO level to a number between 800 and 1600. This, combined with using the widest aperture you are able will let more light filter through to your camera’s sensor for a clean, clear subject with a slightly artistic background blur. Want less blur? Use a tripod and turn on any image stabilization features your camera has to offer.

  1. Take a class

Although all of the above tips will help you to improve your photography, it is always a good idea to learn as much as you can for as long as you can. Taking a photography class is the best way to make the most of your digital camera, but if you can’t do that, there are lots of online tutorials, magazines, and resources that will enable you to educate yourself. The more you know about the features at your disposal, the better your photographs will be.

Digital photography can be a very fulfilling hobby or career, but it takes time and effort to make amazing images. So, don’t be disheartened and do work hard and practice regularly if you want to get the best possible results. 

This Week’s Best New Songs: Julien Baker, Gia Margaret, IAN SWEET, and More

Konstantinos Pappis
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This Week’s Best New Songs: Julien Baker, Gia Margaret, IAN SWEET, and More

Throughout the week, we update our Best New Songs playlist with the new releases that caught our attention the most, be it a single leading up to the release of an album or a newly unveiled deep cut. And each Monday, we round up the best new songs released over the past week (the eligibility period begins on Monday and ends Sunday night) in this segment.

This was an especially strong week for singer-songwriter music. Julien Baker shared the second single from her long-awaited third album, the heavy and expansive ‘Hardline’; Rat Tally made her debut for 6131 Records (which helped launch artists like Baker) with the similarly crushing ‘Shrug’; Lael Neale delivered the stirring and meditative ‘Blue Vein’; Lizzie Reid came through with her most ambitious arrangement yet on ‘Been Thinking About You’, the latest preview from her debut EP; IAN SWEET announced a new album with the heartfelt and incredibly catchy ‘Drink the Lake’, while Gia Margaret returned with the dreamy and intimate ‘Solid Heart’. Julia-Sophie released the first single from her upcoming second project, the ethereal yet strikingly resonant ‘I Wish’; and finally, Black Country, New Road served up one of the more somber cuts from their upcoming record, but impressive and textured nonetheless.

Best New Songs: January 18, 2021

Lael Neale, ‘Blue Vein’

Song of the Week: Julien Baker, ‘Hardline’

Lizzie Reid, ‘Been Thinking About You’

Gia Margaret, ‘Solid Heart’

IAN SWEET, ‘Drink the Lake’

Black Country, New Road, ‘Track X’ 

Julia-Sophie, ‘I Wish’

Rat Tully, ‘Shrug’

Artist Spotlight: mimete

Konstantinos Pappis
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Artist Spotlight: mimete

Taking her stage name from a Sailor Moon character, mimete is the musical project of singer-songwriter and visual artist Rinn G, who blends elements of bedroom rock, dream pop, and shoegaze. She released her debut EP daygleam in October of last year, a hauntingly ethereal collection of songs that attempt to grapple with the nature of change, here cast less as a day-to-day reality and more like a ghostly presence floating through the room as the walls slowly close in on you. “When will the way be clear?” she ponders on ‘false air’, her pillowy voice caught in the haze; but the music feels like a way of filtering that air, too, drifting through it. On her follow-up tracks, ‘milk & water’ and ‘in my time’, which she dropped at the tail end of 2020, the lighter qualities of the EP are replaced by a kind of heavier breeze to reflect the themes of social anxiety and intrusive thoughts that permeate them. Even as the production leans, or rather plunges, into the darker, sludgier corners of shoegaze, there’s something more refined about it, too; the songwriting is sharper, the vocals more pronounced. But when the thick wall of sound kicks in, it’s hard not to find yourself sinking into that abyss.

We caught up with mimete for this edition of our Artist Spotlight Q&A series, where we showcase up-and-coming artists and talk to them about their music.

I’m assuming your stage name is a reference to the Sailor Moon character of the same name. For someone who’s not familiar with the series, what is it that resonates with you about the character, and how if at all does it tie into your musical project?

Yes! Sailor Moon has always been an extremely important part of my life. I actually got my own name “Rinn” from Chibiusa’s dub name “Rini” about 16 years ago. It only felt right to get my artist name from the same series. I’ve always loved Mimete and her aesthetic, and thought it would be funny since her character wants to be a performer, but is purposely annoying about it. It has a pretty ring to it too, so I felt like it would convey my aesthetic well.

What inspired you to start making music, and how did you settle on this particular sound?

A couple of years ago I was at a very difficult time in my life and a creative crossroads, so I needed a new outlet. Music ended up making the most sense for me since I played the bassoon in high school and really missed it, but I hadn’t picked it up in 10 years and wanted to write my own music, so I started teaching myself the ukulele.

Once I met my girlfriend, who is a shoegaze solo artist (GODRAYS), she inspired me to continue in this direction, talked me into picking up the guitar, and introduced me to so many new styles of music I hadn’t even heard of. Dreampop had such a pretty name and stood out to me a lot so I slowly fell in love with it. It was the easiest way for me to understand guitar-focused music because the ethereal sound gave me a way to connect to it right away. So a year ago I started writing songs and taking singing lessons, and now I’m just catching up.

You’ve said that the songs on your debut EP “encapsulate all of the progress I’ve made after steering my creative energy in a new direction.” Could you talk more about how that artistic evolution came about, and how that theme of change informed the songs?

I have always been very passionate about creating, and for a long time, cosplay was my only outlet. It wasn’t a very healthy hobby for me personally, and got to the point where I started to neglect other areas of my life and settle for choices that didn’t really suit me. It took a lot of difficult decisions to steer my life in a new direction while also taking a step back from cosplaying. Doing both at the same time was daunting, but music was my way to move forward, even if I had to start from almost scratch.

The songs in daygleam reflect the feelings I had while I was in denial, while I was letting go, and my thoughts as I continue to have as I feel critical of my own past.

You also created the EP cover – what was the process behind this particular artwork? And as a visual artist, how are you looking to combine those different art forms?

I wanted a very DIY look for my first EP as a bedroom artist, so I decided to make a dreamscape collage. I put on Candy Claws for 9 hours while aimlessly gluing holographic paper, cotton balls, glitter, and other random bits to a piece of cardboard, until it started to make sense to me. In a funny way it felt similar to the process of making the EP.

It was refreshing to make art with my hands again. I realized visual art is something I can never really quit, and it inspires my music tremendously.

I love the idea that everything I make has a visual component, so I want to use that in any opportunities that crop up. Cosplay has taught me photography, make-up, sewing, and so many other skills, and college taught me some videography and graphic design. So I can definitely call on all of those skills eventually. Maybe through a music video, set design, or something else? I’m still figuring that out but it’s exciting.

 I love the darker, moodier direction of your latest couple of tracks. Is that something you wish to explore more in the future, both lyrically and musically?

Thank you! That’s something I’ve been thinking about for sure. I’m trying out a lot of different things right now, but I know for sure that I want to keep my sound at least a little bit ominous. I’ll probably play around with both softer and heavier songs, and find a way to make them work off of each other. I love the idea of making music that’s beautiful, but something is always a little bit unsettling about it.

Both the EP and the recent single were mixed and mastered by Jonathan Mackall. What do you feel he brought to these songs?

As someone who has been creating and mixing music for years, Jon brought so much experience and insight into my music. He knew exactly the vibe I was going for, loved it, and made sense of it. I’m still learning so much, so working with someone who was honest about what worked/didn’t work and added his own touches was important to me.

What’s something you’re looking forward to in 2021?

This year, I really want to work toward being comfortable as a vocalist so that I can start performing, even if I have to keep my shows online for the time being. I’m excited to see how much I can grow while also exploring my sound.

mimete’s daygleam EP and milk & water are out now.

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