OK Cool: Two Scooters, One Badass Band

Interview By Lauren Elizabeth Campbell, Editor-in-Chief

OK Cool, the grungy, emo music duo, will release their second EP 'Surrealist' March 26th. Its members Bridget Stiebris and Haley Blomquist, both bandmates of The Weekend Run Club also, naturally branched off as a duo this past summer, releasing their first EP 'Anomia' last June. Get to know the Chicago duo:

You are both a part of another indie band, The Weekend Run Club, what sparked you both to form OK Cool?

Bridget: It was more of a natural thing than a deliberate decision. Haley and I live super close to each other, so we would jam every so often by ourselves just for fun. Eventually, this got me wanting to get back into guitar again - up until then, I had never really written a song before, just my drum parts for TWRC. Once we had come up with “I Can’t Stand in Ice Skates” (the first single we released), I think we were motivated to keep trying at this and see how far it could go.

Haley: We’ve been playing music together for a while and we had talked about writing as a duo, but kept shutting that idea down because, at the time, neither of us wanted to sing and we weren’t nearly as confident writing. It took a while, but we started having some writing sessions and it just kind of grew from there.

How would you describe OK Cool in 5 words?

B: Freaked out, yelling about it.

H: We’re the dream meme team. I saw your Instagram pictures where you both were wearing masks and taking COVID precautions while in the studio recording.

How has COVID impacted this release?

B: Luckily, COVID didn’t affect recording too much because the band is just the two of us. We masked up for all of it except for me when I recorded the vocals. However, it really sucks when it comes to promotion we aren’t able to go on tour or even play local shows, which really dampens the reach any given local artist can expect from doing these things. Both of our EPs are coming out in quarantine, which means we have never played a show before. It’s a really strange place to be in, artistically.

What is your favorite song off Surrealist? Why?

B: My favorite track is probably “Five Finger Exploding Heart Technique” because I am able to listen to it and not be embarrassed. I’m proud of the message of the song, and I still think the intro rips. Writing this song felt like a massive win for me, because I really struggle with my voice and being able to hear myself sing without feeling like this is all a mistake. I’m obviously not a trained vocalist, and after the release of “Anomia, ” I wanted to explore treating the voice as more of an equal component of the mix rather than something to be displayed front and center.

H: It changes for me but right now I’d have to say "Hypervigilant." I like that it has a weird, kind of swirling ambient vibe. A big part of me choosing which song is my favorite has always been how it feels to play it live, so I think when shows start again I’ll have an all time favorite.

Who are your biggest music influences?

B: I feel like it’s always changing influences on this record include: Joyce Manor, Spirit of the Beehive, PUP, The Obsessives, Origami Angel, and Hippo Campus.

H: A lot of indie/alternative stuff. Hayley Williams, Slaughter Beach Dog, Grouplove, Generationals, The Aubreys.

Surrealist is OK Cool’s second EP release. How would you compare it to your first release, Anomia?

H: I think we’ ve both matured as writers just from writing constantly over quarantine. Surrealist has a more defined sound that carries throughout the album and is more reflective of how we want to sound right now. Anomia was very much us figuring out “okay, can we do this just the two of us?” and getting our bearings. With Surrealist we have it a little more figured out.

How would you describe the theme of Surrealist?

B: I think the overarching theme of the record, and subsequently the title, is the existential anxiety that I’ve felt my whole life. I think the prolonged isolation of quarantine just forced these issues into the forefront of my mind. Eventually I felt compelled to write about them and to try and assign a meaning to this fear.

What is OK Cool's creative process like

H: We use each other to bounce ideas back and forth until we’re happy with it. So someone can come up with a riff or melody and we'll play with it until we like it or until we drop it. Sometimes it starts as a more fully formed idea and sometimes it’s just a few notes, like the intro to "Divers."

Follow OK Cool on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @OKCoolBand, and stream Surrealist and Anomia wherever music is available.