DAMEFRISØR

Experimental Rock

DAMEFRISØR first made their mark with one of 2022’s greatest singles, ‘2-HEH-V’ Employing steam-whistle guitars, burbling processed vocals and yearning synth arpeggios, it presented a marriage of open-hearted rock sensibilities with cold electronic sounds What can you tell me about the creation of this track, and its focus lyrically?

Nyle Dowd: ‘2-HEH-V’started as a demo I made on Logic. Most of the song was there to begin with: the dark, moving arpeggio and surf rock drums. Once Garin and Jamie started to add those big guitars, and we started finding all these little details that needed to be added, the song started to take shape. Once we took the song in to the studio, it quickly progressed and grew into what you hear today.

Kahzi Jahfar: The focus lyrically came from wanting to express the feeling of having a onesided conversation; more specifically, having a conversation with someone who (perhaps due to drugs or alcohol) loves the sound of their own voice. I played around with lots of ideas for how to effectively translate this feeling to the listener, and landed on this ocassionally-intense overlapping vocal. Me and William Carkeet, who produced the track, had lots of fun messing around on his Kaoss Pad for the monologue: this acts as an exaggeration of what it can feel like people are saying sometimes. The lead vocal was an attempt to present an inner monologue during this anxiety-inducing experience.

Almost two years prior to this, DAMEFRISØR released the early clutch of tracks ‘Torres del Paine’, ‘Huile’ and ‘And You Know’: reverbdrenched affairs, more readily embracing conventions from shoegaze Shortly after this, the first lockdown put a stop to further shows and studio sessions How do you recall this period, and how did you arrive at this new sound following your early recordings?

ND: I think at that point in time we were still learning how to be a band really. ‘Huile’ and ‘And You Know’ were our best songs at that particular time, and we really just wanted to get something out. We had the pleasure of recording those with Dom Mitchison at Christchurch Studios in Bristol, as a five piece with no synths. 'Torres del Paine' was pretty much the first thing Sam had a part on, so that really shows how new the electronic side of things was to us back then.

Once Sam had properly joined the band, and lockdown had sadly set in, that's when we really learnt how to start writing songs together: being isolated in our houses, and sending MP3's over email constantly (as we still frequently do). Fast forward to present day, and we still really like using arpeggios in our music and lots of modular stuff whilst maintaining our organic side. Nonetheless, Garin has gone wild with constantly buying and selling synths.

‘2-HEH-V’ appeared as a Double-A with ‘Do You Think I’m Special ’ How do you see these tracks as relating to each other?

ND: They’re very reflective songs lyrically, talking about certain anxious feeling and moments you get in life. I also think they're the best example of what I mentioned in the previous question: being a product of a certain time, when we were exploring new ways of writing and starting to combine the elements and philosophies that we all share in the band. I like to think of these songs as the entry points to our music now, and for what's to come, even beyond IslandofLight.

Your debut EP Island Of Light extrapolates upon some of the ideas present in this AA: giving more space to both its electronic dance leanings (most notably in the extended mix of ‘Horizon’) and various shades of experimental rock They are most thrillingly reconciled, in my view, in the track ‘D.O.D.’ What can you tell me about these elements in your music, and in this particular track?

KJ: We definitely aimed to create more space for the electronic side of our music, and it felt important to counter that with an expansion in our guitar sound. This combination has been present in our music ever since Sam joined, and – given our growing experience as writers – I feel it was just a case of evolution for us to expand on these elements. ‘D.O.D.’ feels like the best example of us finding that marriage and harmony.

Lyrically, Kazhi’s style in this EP is dark, poetic and abstract How do you think this approach serves this EP’s themes, and relates to its instrumental properties?

ND: I feel this approach fits with the musical aspects of this project, down to the cold, industrial feel of a lot of the songs. Most of the lyrics were written separately from the music as prose poems, then adapted to fit with what the music was doing. I think on a song like ‘52a’, the lyrics help convey the emotion of the instrumental by portraying this lonely, isolated character who is struggling in a world in which so many are.

To what extent would you say that your work as DAMEFRISØR has been influenced by your experiences in Bristol’s music community?

ND: Massively. There’s a feeling you can do whatever you want with your art and you won’t be harshly judged – or talked over for the entirety of your set when you’re playing live. It feels natural for us, growing up here, that we only approach making music in the way we feel is right and honest. Bristol is a very warm and welcoming place for creatives, and I think our communities (on the whole) are so open and supportive. It always feels like when you’re playing a show, or you’re watching something, you have friends there because they want to be there – just enjoying the art.

Over the past year, you have found yourselves playing on bills and receiving media coverage that aligns you with the broader milieu of British post-punk Aside from your experimental leanings, I’d suggest your music is chiefly distinguished from your ‘ peers ’ by its emotional palette: concerned less with various shades of anger than yearning, paranoia and sadness How far would you agree with this assessment, and what draws you to the kinds of emotions you explore in your music?

KJ: I would totally agree. I think that the conversation of emotions is inherently political, and while anger is something we all feel when it comes to the state of the world, as a band we’ve never wanted to overtly push any kind of agenda through our music. Discussing loneliness, anxiety, sadness, and love feels unifying, relatable, and at times political. I think whatever feelings we are interested in discussing, we always try to be creative with our language. That keeps things interesting for us, and leaves room for interpretation.

Having grown up in Bristol’s music community (I understand some members went to the same school as members of Giant Swan and The Naturals), how would you describe its landscape as having changed?

KJ: I think it's changed a lot I remember a few of us going to Young Echo radio shows just off Jamaica Street when we were around 16 years old, when dubstep was something very different to what it is now. Those experiences in the Bristol music scene were very formative. Nyle and Jamie's first music project ‘STATIC’ supported The Naturals back in the day, and I can't express enough how much they continue to inspire our music today. I think we're very nostalgic about those times, and would like nothing more than for The Naturals to make a comeback: if any of you are reading this, do a show, play the classics and book us for support? Having said that, there's some amazing stuff coming out of (or connected to) Bristol that we really love: Scalping, Spectres, LICE, Bingo Fury, Giant Swan, Tara Clerkin Trio, Robbie & Mona, Pet Shimmers and plenty more. While lots has changed, some of the most interesting music continues to come out of this city.