Why: They are so melodramatic -like my teenager would say, “Big Mood.” Everything about them is so stylish – the music, their Instagram account, the videos. When I hear their music, I feel like I could choreograph a whole dance routine. What else should someone do with their time?
If you have time and I know that you do – watch their videos on YouTube. The videos are amazing.
Who: Jail Socks of Charlotte, North Carolina. They are a pretty intense emo band. Imagine if Adam Sandler’s character in The Wedding Singer stayed angry but had improved and started a band. Jail Socks embodies the heartbroken singer in all of us.
What: They released an album, “It’s Not Forever,” in September.
Who: Tarah Who? of Paris and Los Angeles. They describe their music as cowpunk rock alternative grunge. I’m not sure what cowpunk is exactly but Tarah Who? knows who they are.
What: They have a new single, “Pantomath.” You can listen to it basically anywhere online.
Fun Fact: A pantomath is a person who wants to know and knows everything.
Erin Incoherent is the coolest. She’s definitely a punk rocker in appearance as well as the sentiment of her music. The music itself is like acoustic punk. If there were some more stringed instruments, her music would be folk punk. Incoherent does play the ukulele. You don’t see a ukulele in punk rock too often.
Anyway, since she was cool enough to grace us with her answers to our most pressing questions. Don’t forget to check out her links and the video after reading the interview.
How did you get into playing the ukulele?
My mom purchased me one for Christmas a few years ago and I’ve been playing around on it ever since.
What led to moving to Philadelphia from Colorado?
It was a culmination of being unable to remain in the same hometown filled with ghosts and memories and my heart calling me somewhere else. An old friend told me he would be looking for a new roommate in Philadelphia if I or anybody I knew would be interested. I told him I was.
Who would you pick?: Erin Incoherent or Erin Coherent
Erin Incoherent was my stage name from my very first punk band so that’s why I chose it when I re-labeled my music from my birth name. I like it because it rhymes and because I’m not actually incoherent. My lyrics make a lot of sense if you’re listening to them, but I feel like a lot of the sentiment can get lost in the poppier sounding and more upbeat songs, like Medusa. (Which is about getting on and off of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications.)
What advice would you give to anyone with anxiety issues?
Hmm, I feel like you either have time to be avoidant or be reactionary. You can either map out things to do to avoid being triggered, or you can create an evacuation route for once you’ve been thrown into an anxious environment. Now sometimes people feel anxious for no reason. And my advice is to learn to identify your surroundings and perhaps employ grounding techniques (what are 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste) as these have been found as effective in identifying how your body reacts in stressful situations.
Why do you think Medusa is still so interesting?
As a track? Because it’s dark with content but lively as a song. I think that kind of dichotomy can reel you back in again and again. You can listen to it mad, sad, groovin or glad and it’s going to greet you differently each time.
As an album? Because it was made in a very transitional time period for me and I think a lot of people will hear that reflected in their own journies. I think there’s a lot of different elements at play musically throughout the album, and that always helps to keep the ear of the listener as well.
Is that a tattoo of Frieda Kahlo on your bicep?
Yes. I’ve been captivated by her since the first time I learned about her in one of my high school classes. She’s always seemed to honor herself and her heart. She overcame so much in her life and still did it all in her own way. She knew pain and love and travel and creation and loss quite vividly. I adore her work and writings. Though I really do wish she had just stayed away from Diego.
Where was your first show as a fan? as a performer?
The first show was 2005 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado to see Green Day on their American Idiot tour. First performer show was probably the 7th-grade talent show. That must’ve been 2006. But overall, I’ve jumped behind the mic every chance I’ve gotten growing up.
Do you have a favorite show on TV/Netflix?
If I’m on Netflix, I’m either pilot surfing (just watching the first episode of random new shows) or watching cool house shows or blue planet 2 or serial killer documentaries
What kind of books are you into – if you’re into reading?
The last book I finished was lent to me by my roommate, who is an avid reader of many different tastes. It’s called ‘The Weight of This World’ by David Joy and it was truly a good read. It’s one of those books where action meets consequence in a grizzly and dismal way, and how what remains afterwards can inspire a new life.
What do you want people to know about Erin Incoherent?
I’d like them to feel like they know me when they listen to Medusa and see the lyrics. I’d like them to know that there’s somebody else who understands feelings of worthlessness and fear and I’d like them to feel inspired to move through their problems with new options. I guess to say it shortly, I want people to know I want to help. That I understand feeling viciously unwanted and that I have also learned to viciously love myself despite some persons best efforts. That new future can exist out of harsh sadness and pain.
OTEP has been known to bring in the noise and the funk. I can’t tell if there’s more noise or funk. Anyway, they have a newish album out called Kult 45. It has controversy all over it – from the cover to the last lyric.
Music isn’t always shiny happy funk. Sometimes music can get down & dirty and totally in your face.
If you’ve heard OTEP before you know that they don’t hold back with their lyrics. On this album, they express their opinions about the current political situation. This album is not cute and cuddly. OTEP came to send a message and don’t have time to waste on pleasantries.
If you’re looking for a nice, quiet middle of the road album, this is not the album for you. OTEP might not be your cup of tea. However, if you’re into loud, bands like Rage Against the Machine that stir the political pot, then OTEP might be your new favorite band.
The track that I like the best is “Boss.” “To The Gallows” is a close second. The link to the video is below.
When the first song on the new Subways on the Sun album started, I was not convinced that I would like this album. By the end of the song, I was prepared to stay for the rest of the album. It doesn’t always go like that – not everyone wins over the audience.
Capsize will be out tomorrow and available for everyone to listen to or put on a playlist. My prediction is that people will like the album. The people that like this album will probably also like Weezer and beards.
I’m intrigued by the song “Hope You Like Getting Old.” Can we play it on the radio and dedicate it to my ex? That would be cool and a little bit mean. We don’t have to point out the gray hairs in his beard or ask him when he’s going to shave that shit off. Ugh. Beards are not for everyone, especially if you don’t take the time to trim it. You can be a man and manscape at the same time.
For the love of Erick, Nick and Lars take the time to listen to this album and do some self-care.
Do you guys remember Mazzy Star? So imagine if their lead singer was not shy and was into punk rock instead of hazy shoe gazy music – then Mazzy Star would be really similar to Slow Kiss.
Both singers sound similar to me. I’m not sure if they resemble each other physically so they probably wouldn’t be able to trade bands without someone noticing. It would be interesting to see if singers from different bands could trade – like Parent Trap but for bands instead of parents.
Slow Kiss hails from Los Angeles and Santiago, Chile. They released an EP, Ultraviolet, in 2017. In the same year, they also released a single, “Pink Death,” which is not on the EP. I like “Pink Death” and “Fade Away.” If you’re into alternative/punk bands – sort of along the lines of Liz Phair, then you might like Slow Kiss.
