INTERVIEW: Scrunchies

With their latest album, Colossal, being one of the last albums that the legendary Steve Albini recorded and mixed, and having supported the likes of Built To Spill and Otoboke Beaver on tour, Minneapolis based riot grrrl-inspired band Scrunchies are cemented themselves as definite ones to watch and are new favourites for sure. I can’t get enough of their raw punk energy and grunge-tinged empowering allure, and highly recommend you treat your ears to the album as soon as possible.

We caught up with Scrunchies to find out more and chat about the experience of recording with Steve Albini, their enjoyment of performing live, their thoughts on the inclusivity and accessibility of the music scene right now, and more. Have a read, and then make sure you watch their fantastically fun music video, created in collaboration with Los Angeles-based “dance aerobics celebration Pony Sweat!

Hi Scrunchies! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! How are you doing today?
We’re good! We are driving home from tour, somewhere between Kansas City, Missouri and Minneapolis, Minnesota. We’re excited to get home to our pets, partners, and beds.

Are you able to tell us a bit about how you initially all got together to start creating music? 
Laura and Danielle were both in bands that had played together over the years (Kitten Forever and Bruise Violet) and ended up playing in a Buzzcocks cover band together called Buzzcunts. We loved playing music together and it had been a while since Laura had fronted/played guitar in a band, so we formed Scrunchies around 2017. We had a few bassists over the years and we met Jeremy through his band Double Grave and had him fill in on some shows on bass, including going on a tour with Built To Spill in 2022. We had such a fun time we asked Jeremy to be permanently in the band and wrote the majority of Colossal with him. 

I love your empowering riot grrrl energy and scuzzy punk sounds, but who would you consider to be your main musical influences?
We all grew up listening to Nirvana, so basically any bands connected to them were hugely influential to us as we were growing up: Sleater-Kinney, the Raincoats, The Wipers, The Breeders, Sonic Youth, the Jesus Lizard, Babes in Toyland, Bratmobile, Hole. We’ve been getting a lot of Fugazi as a reference to our music lately which we didn’t really seek out, but we can appreciate. We have also been listening to a lot of pop music in the car (Charli XCX and Olivia Rodrigo)!

You’ve just released your new album Colossal, which is super exciting! Are you able to tell us about the inspirations behind it? Are there any particular themes running through it?
Feminist themes run throughout the album with an exploration of the insidiousness of modern gender expectations, power, and bodies. I (Laura) keep saying that this album is about “sex, death, and rollercoasters”, but that’s not really catching on outside of my own head… I write lyrics that veer more towards surrealistic and poetic imagery with the hope that they can resonate with people in different ways that are impactful to them. This is also the first full album we’ve written since my former band broke up; it is as significant as a long term relationship ending, and exploring that shift is a big part of the content of this record.

The album was recorded and mixed by the late, great Steve Albini. What was the experience of working with him like? And how did the process differ from your previous releases?
We all have different feelings about the recording process in general, but this specific experience was amazing for all three of us. We love Steve’s music and admire his influences on music culture (including his ability to self-critique and embrace growth). Not only has his work had a huge impact on us and our musical careers, but from the minute we walked into the studio it was immediately a comfortable, honest experience. We were kinda nervous but it quickly became easily collaborative and he had our best interests in mind and wanted to help us get what we wanted. Laura started doing vocal takes and he was like “wait, i have this microphone specifically made for women’s voices”. It immediately made a huge difference in our sound. It was so clear he cared about the outcome and didn’t phone it in at all. He was extremely professional and understood everything and the vision immediately. It honestly probably spoiled us for future recording sessions.

Following the album, you’ve just been out on a big US tour. How’s that been for you? And what can fans expect from a Scrunchies show?
Tour was good, despite the fact that the U.S touring landscape has changed a lot over the past few years and is really difficult right now. But that’s a whole other interview! As far as what people can expect, we like to put a lot of energy into our shows. One of our pet peeves is when a loud and exciting band doesn’t seem excited to be playing their own songs. I (Laura)  really love performing; a big reason I’m in a band is because I like playing shows, so I make sure the shows feel fun and exciting because I think playing shows is fun and I’m excited to be playing them. We like to be as loud as we can be at every show, and we have a lot of good energy together – people have commented “you guys really enjoy playing together and look like you’re having fun” and we are!

And has there been a specific show you’ve played over the years that stands out as a favourite, or particularly memorable?
We’ve opened for Otoboke Beaver from Japan twice and they are SO fun to play with – they go out of their way to meet and interact with their opening bands, take photos with them, etc. Touring with Built to Spill and Prism Bitch in 2022 was such a good experience and they were all the kindest, coolest people. We played Treefort in Boise, Idaho outside during a snowstorm, which was like playing in a snow-globe. 

And when you’re out on tour, or playing gigs, are there any particular essentials that you like to have with you to keep you going?
In no particular order:
Inhaler; Almond butter and bread; Lots of coffee; Red Bull; Eyemask and earplugs for bed; Breakfast sandwich; Swimsuit in case of pool; Quiet time/introvert time; Athletic shorts; A good pillow.

As we’re an organisation with a focus on supporting new and marginalised artists, I just wondered how you feel the industry is for them at the moment? And do you feel much has changed over the years in its treatment of female and queer artists?
Yes and no. The music scene (at least from our vantage point) is definitely more diverse than it was a number of years ago. It is less common to see an all white-cis-male lineup every day of the week than it was a few years ago. There are many venues that have developed Codes of Conduct for their shows that adapt a zero-tolerance policy for harassment. Many places have done away with gendered bathrooms. Many organisers ensure there is an accessibility note for spaces. There are more women/non-men, queer, and BIPOC folks who have made their own spaces to create and share their art. This influx of diversity in the music scene has pulled in different genres (theatre, art, etc) that showcase a huge variety of weird/queer/unique creativity in a bunch of different mediums. Despite all of this, there is still racism, sexism, ableism, fatphobia, homophobia, and transphobia that continues to permeate the music and art scenes. Much of it has become slightly more covert than overt in the past few years, but it’s still there. We see it happening to us, we see it happening to others. This continues to remind us that we need to stand up for and take care of each other – we hope that we are doing what we can to compassionately hold each other to accountability.

And are there any other new bands or artists that you’d recommend we check out at the moment? 
We played with an awesome band called Violet Approach in Kansas City, amazing queer feminist punk band! The two bands that opened our Colossal release show- In Lieu and Mary Jam – are two of our favourites in Minneapolis right now. Heet Deth out of Chicago are a two piece who sound HUGE. Amazing live show, fantastic people. Skorts out of NYC blew us away at our Brooklyn show at Baby’s All Right, we’re so excited to see what comes next for them! There are so many amazing young queer kids starting pump bands in the Midwest- we had the opportunity to talk about them and the bands in Minneapolis that THEY love in this article – lots to check out in there!

Is there anything else you’d like to add about upcoming plans or particular thoughts you’d like to mention? 
Right now we’re focusing on promoting Colossal, getting back on the road (along with some at-home shows) and hopefully getting over to Europe! 

Massive thanks to Scrunchies for answering our questions! Make sure you watch the fantastically fun video for ‘Generator‘ now:


Colossal, the new album from Scrunchies, is out now via Learning Curve Records. Order here.

Photo Credit: Darin Kamnetz

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Five Favourites: Jess Ribeiro

Having shared stages with the likes of Angel Olsen and Nick Cave, Australian artist Jess Ribeiro is now set to release her new album, Summer Of Love, next month. Written during a time of instability and reflecting on themes of isolation and loss, the emotion rich splendour of her vocals shine throughout, offering a glimmer of hope during uncertain times. As her poignant lyricism ripples alongside a glistening yet gritty musicality, the album showcases Ribero’s ability to create stirring heartfelt anthems with a captivating grace.

We think one of the best ways to get to know an artist is by asking what music inspires them. So, to celebrate the upcoming release of the new album, I caught up with Jess to find out about the music that inspires her the most. Read about her five favourite albums and watch the video for recent single ‘Everything Is Now‘ below!

George Rrurrambu and Birdwave – Baru
I first heard this record in the Northern Territory when I lived in Darwin, and spent lot of time touring remote and outback locations. My bass player at the time started this group with his brother as well as with the legend George Rrurrambu, a famous Indigenous musician who performed in the Warmupi Band in the ’70s/’80s. George was known for his rock music, singing in Yolngu Mate (his mother tongue), as well as English, but in this outfit it’s more reggae with his trance like singing in Yolngu Mate. I love when artists are open to experimenting with different genres and, as a songwriter, I really like writing songs in all styles. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but this combination works for sure. I hold this album in my heart as one of the greatest Australian albums of all time. It’s very hard to get a physical copy of it, but look it up on YouTube. 

PJ Harvey – Dry
When I was 13 I bought a black and white tv for $5.00 from a second hand store. I set it up in my bedroom and invited a friend over for a sleep over so we could watch RAGE, the weekend music program that started at midnight. Led Zeppelin came on which was cool, but then the music clip for the song ‘Dress’ by PJ Harvey came on and changed my world. The song blew my mind. It made me feel crazy. The strings at the end were a revelation as I was a very lazy learner (of the violin), and the song gave me hope that maybe I didn’t have to read the music and play nicely. There is a sexy guitar line in the instrumental section and still to this day I want to listen to that song on repeat. I lived in a small town where it was hard to access music, but I somehow managed to borrow Dry from an older girl at school and I taped it onto cassette. A friend’s older sister showed me how to play some chords on the guitar and eventually I taught myself how to play the song ‘Joe’. Soon after, I gave up violin and moved to writing songs and playing guitar.

Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love
I listened to a lot of my dad’s records growing up and was particularly drawn to his Kate Bush collection. An art teacher discovered I was a fan and gave me lots of videos, CDs and books on Kate Bush and Wilhelm Reich to study and read. Kate Bush wrote a song about Reich called ‘Cloudbusting’. The cloudbusting machine was created by Reich, who believed he could release orgasmic energy into the air which would dissolve pollution and stop war. He was jailed by the American government and his son wrote a book about it called ‘A Book of Dreams’. That’s what the song Cloudbusting is about. Each track on this record is a story condensed into a song; Kate Bush is a very good storyteller,songwriter, dancer and actor. I’d love to get better at bringing these elements into my writing.

Patti Smith – Horses
I was sitting in a circle with some girlfriends getting stoned one day after school, and someone put on the album Horses. I started tripping out to the lyrics; it made me feel rebellious and made me want to be a poet. The album was produced by John Cale, whose music I now deeply love, he is also part of the Lou Reed, Velvet Underground lineage. This album influenced me to be who I am and work with what I have, which is a short attention span and not much interest in premeditating production. I love vibing music with a group and being open to spontaneity in the studio. Patti  improvised the lyrics to the song ‘Birdland’ in the studio – they come from ‘A Book of Dreams’ by Peter Reich (she too wrote a song about Reich who made the cloud busting machine!). When I went to university I studied classical music and singing. In my final exam, the teachers told me I was a performance poet more than a technical musician – I took this as a compliment, as I never had any desire to become an opera singer or a classical musician.

Nirvana – MTV Unplugged In New York
I saw this on tv at about 2am in the morning and it became my favourite Nirvana record. Every song is fucking fabulous, including the cover songs by Bowie, Leadbelly, The Meat Puppets and more. I love it when rock artists present stripped back versions of their songs. The harmonies in this live recording are beautiful and there is a cello in there too! This album made me realise a good song is a good song, and I aspire to make a good song that can be performed with a whole band or solo.

Massive thanks to Jess Ribeiro for sharing her Five Favourites! Watch the video for her beautiful single ‘Everything Is Now’ here:

Summer Of Love, the new album from Jess Ribeiro, is set for release on 12th April via Labelman, pre-order here. And she’s coming over to the UK in May – info here.

Photo Credit: Nick Mckk

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Track Of The Day: Zilched – ‘Sixteen’

A swirling, grungy reflection on the contradictions that come with growing up, Detroit-based songwriter Zilched has shared her latest single ‘Sixteen’. Lifted from her recent debut album DOOMPOP, released via Young Heavy Souls, the track smoulders with fuzzy guitar sounds, frantic drums and Zilched’s strung out vocals.

“It’s more or less about questioning both what marks a loss of innocence, and the obsessive purgatory of waiting for your life to start,” Zilched (aka Chloë Drallos) explains about ‘Sixteen’. She explores the sting of being caught between adolescence and adulthood through moody reverb-heavy guitars and her deadpan Kim Gordon-esque vocal delivery.

Inspired by 90s grunge icons like Nirvana and The Jesus and Mary Chain, Zilched has channelled her influences into a collection of compelling noise-pop tracks on debut record DOOMPOP. “It’s an honest reflection of my attempts to grow up and make sense of absurdity,” she explains about the album. “I wrote the first song in my last month of high school at 18, and finished recording/producing just a month after my 20th birthday. With these songs I wanted to go as deep into my insecurities and confusion, however immature I felt. Just write what I felt when I felt it in order to move on.”

Watch the self-directed video for ‘Sixteen’ below and follow Zilched on bandcamp, Facebook & Instagram for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

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FIVE FAVOURITES: Boy Harsher

We’re no strangers to the dark, heated sounds of electronic two piece, Boy Harsher. Together, Augustus Muller (synths/percussion) and Jae Matthews (vocals) have released two albums and two EPs since their inception in 2014. Their songs brim with beats designed to ricochet around smoky dance-floors or lonely bedroom walls. The Massachusetts duo blend nostalgic 80s percussion with sharp modern production to create an immersive, magnetic listening experience.

We think one of the best ways to get to know a band is by asking what music inspired them to write in the first place. We caught up with Jae to ask her about her “Five Favourites” – five albums that have influenced her song writing techniques. Check out her choices below, and scroll down to watch Boy Harsher’s video for ‘Send Me a Vision’ at the end of this post.

1. Annie Lennox – MEDUSA
When I was a child, during a rocky divorce, my mom would listen to this album nonstop. Luckily, I was at the age where it wasn’t lame to sing along with your mom, and boy, did we get into it! On a subconscious level, these songs (Annie Lennox in general) gave me this attachment to a contralto voice in contemporary music. DIVA and MEDUSA both got equal play, but my story with MEDUSA is a bit embarrassing. I didn’t realize the songs were all covers, so when years later I heard the originals (like Bob Marley’s ‘Waiting in Vain’ or Al Green’s ‘Take Me to the River’) I was a bit shocked.

2. Nirvana – Nevermind
A classic. I made my dad buy this CD at a garage sale, which he did – yet later took away, due to “it’s graphic nature”. A stubborn child, I found it and hid away with my new love and Walkman. ‘Something in the Way’ really rocked my core. I was a lonely pre-teenager and I remember this music kept me company in a very real way. Now, I can’t listen without getting very nostalgic.

3. Pixies – Doolittle
Okay – this one is tough. It’s a tie between this and Cat Power’s Moon Pix. Both took up the same space in high school. I would listen to ‘Debaser’, literally SCREAMING along with my first crush. Then, later when home, would listen to ‘Metal Heart’ (lol) and cry, because she would never love me. Ah, the drama. I needed a support system for understanding my sexuality and processing my Father’s death. Both albums are amazing in their ability to muster emotion; sometimes flippant or mean, often raw and always very authentic.

4. Troller – Troller
I left the Northeast for graduate school and moved South. It was the furthest I had ever been from my family. It was a really amazing, lonely time. After attending SXSW in 2013, my musical understanding totally changed. I became a devotee of label Holodeck’s projects (Thousand Foot Whale Claw, Survive, Boan, Smokey Emery) and Troller. This is the first physical RECORD that I ever bought. Listened to it over and over – it still makes me think of Savannah, the rain, smoking inside, kissing.

5. Circuit Des Yeux – Overdue
After living in Savannah for a couple years, myself and my partner starting booking shows. We focused mainly on projects that centered on experimentation, some noise, and no drums. We booked Circuit Des Yeux on their first US tour in a small dive bar in downtown Savannah. Far too few people came. It was such an amazing performance. The way Haley used her voice was really inspiring to me – startling even. I began to understand the voice and body as an instrument, a performance tool. This really impacted the way that I sought to use my voice.

Photo Credit: Zach Hart

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