TC: What does the songwriting process turn into once you add the other elements? Like bass and drums, etc.
MB: I actually was just talking with Pete today and, it kind of works this way with everybody, but he sent me a demo of this band he’s in called Brontosaurus.
ML: It’s his band.
MB: It’s his band. [Laughs] He sent me a demo for it and the songwriting wasn’t quite complete yet, but all the texture was there. And it made me think about our recording process where the songs are, like, very bare-bones, and Dan comes in and makes it a little heavier. Twists up the beats and stuff. Pete adds a ton of texture. Morgan and Mel work out all the harmonies and stuff like that. The song really grows.
TC: Do you layer your recordings usually? Starting with drums.
MB: Yeah. We did more live stuff for the first album. But this time it just worked out this way. Especially when our last bassist left the band right when we were starting to record. Then Dan and I would record drums and guitar together, and that’s what’s all live. And then we’d add the rest of it throughout the summer.
TC: A really interesting thing I've noticed about a lot of Brooklyn bands is how ephemeral the members are, which makes each record like a chronicle of a specific period. Like, between your first album and HYPER TROPHY, there are intrinsic differences that occur simply because there are different members, even though it’s the same band.
MB: It’s true, it’s true. And that’s a weird concern we have. We had a lot of really supportive people behind the first album. Matthew Pertpetua from Buzzfeed said something like “Teen Girl is the pop band you want and need,” or something like that. And it’s hard to go “Ah! That’s great! I really want to change the sound a little bit,“ but will the same people still enjoy us?
It’s actually been really cool. When we sent out the press kit we also sent the album out to three or four people who’ve followed us the longest and have been the most supportive, and it’s been well received. Still nervous about it, but glad to see the change in sound doesn’t make it sound like a completely new band.
All: [Laugh]
[Enter Eryck Tait, stage left.]
TC: I have some friends who rave about the energy you bring to your live performance. I was wondering if it’s important for you guys to try and bring a certain amount of positive energy to the work through your music?
DM: I think that’s almost the most important thing. Because when we review a show we don’t go for technical details. We go over the energy we brought to it. We’re not perfectionists. We’d rather have the right energy and be a little sloppy than be overly controlled with our good energy.
TC: Does it become difficult trying to capture the right energy in the recorded product?
MB: Not this time.
DM: I mean, they had me record 18 tracks in two days, so I didn’t have time to worry about it.
All: [Laugh]
DM: But the way we set it up was kind of, “Here, just play.” We didn’t want something super polished. We wanted it to sound full but not totally different than our live sound. For the most part I would say we captured our live sound pretty well.
TC: You said the first album you recorded more live, and this one has more multi-tracked elements. Do you think you’ll ever do a record totally live?
MB: I want to do it next time. 'Cause for the first album, we spent the whole summer recording it. There were a lot of late nights. We’d finish recording and would go out and hang out together. We’d finish practicing and start drinking. This time, since it was more piecemeal, it wasn’t until the end that we would all get together to do vocals and stuff. It felt necessary, because before we got there it felt like something was off and weird because we were doing everything separately.
ML: Yeah.
MB: You know, Dan nailed the live drums and we were getting a live sound but, like you said before, it’s more about the feeling.
DM: And I think the end product reflects that, but while you’re in the process it doesn’t always feel that way.
Eryck Tait: I feel like I came in during the fun part.
All: [Laugh]
ET: Well, in my experience of recording albums. I came in pretty late on this one but we were at the point where I think it's the most fun. You have the freedom and flexibility. No financial restraints to keep you from saying, "This could be better,” "This could be more fun.” I’ve recorded albums where we’ve had two days because we couldn’t afford any more. So with recording this album and an album I recorded with this previous band, they both kind of had this party vibe that was like, “Let’s get everybody in here, let’s hang out, whoever can come!” And I think that's really the best way to record an album. I love it. I think it just sounds like a party on the album.
