Issue Forty-Six
Sheer Mag A. Savage Hotline TNT UNIVERSITY Borough Council Man/Woman/Chainsaw Oscar Browne Malice K HONESTY YHWH Nailgun
After the show was done, the people who filmed it came
Down on State Street, Elliot Smith used to record there.
up to us, “That was the best thing we’ve ever seen, and
Four blocks down is Kurt Cobain’s old house. I went to
that was amazing.” I was taking it all in and nodding
school with the daughter of the old Nirvana drummer.
before I looked up and realised they were just talking to
Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney came from here. Olympia’s
nascar. After that, I was kind of on the brink of things;
an extremely working-class town, filled with a lot of
my hair was super thinned out, I was stressed out, hungry,
artists and weirdos, because there’s nowhere to go. It’s a
tired, and cornered into having no idea if anything was
special place.
going to work out. I moved out of the DEATHPROOF house and went back home. They wanted to raise the rent
Being frequently compared to artists like Elliot Smith
to a ridiculous amount. I can’t go backwards, and I’m not
must be quite an intense statement. How do you feel
going back to the floor. It turned out there were a tonne of
when people draw parallels?
people in New York that were watching that livestream, because somehow, 20 minutes after finding out about
It’s important that I always remember that it’s not my
rent, I got a call from this guy in New York. “Hey, I work
responsibility to see myself as other people see me. I
at this label. I saw your set, and we loved it. We want to
thought that there was something wrong with me and that
have you out to discuss a record deal.” So, they bought me
I didn’t feel the same. A year into it, I realised that’s really
a one-way ticket, and I’ve been there ever since. I didn’t
not my problem. I think it’s cool that somebody gets to
even end up signing with that label.
experience that feeling, but I don’t know how much it resonates with me.
I love the energy in your music, how it traverses from punk/grunge to alternative-folk tracks. Is that a
Tell me about the showcase you had.
product of your influences, or is there more of a sense of putting out what is going on in your head?
Yeah! I spent half a year or more creating this music video. It felt like a waste premiering it online, having
It’s a bit of both. I don’t really have a premeditated feeling
people click and watch my video in the midst of millions
that I want to express. ‘PHD’ just came from the fact that
of others. It felt disrespectful to myself after working so
I really liked that song, ‘Body’ by Megan Thee Stallion. I
hard on it. A friend of mine, Billy, had recently opened up
try to pick up the guitar and act like I’ve never played it
a record store, and it was completely vacant. So, I had a
before. The feeling of the song will kind of present itself
premiere there. We decorated the place like a living room
through what I’m playing. I’ll be exploring a sound or
area. All the individual hand-drawn stills and polaroids
different ideas about how I see myself or the world. Then
used were hung up. We found this giant old TV for free
I’ll have all these snippets of songs that I’ll find hindsight
out in Jersey, where we had a three-way headphone
or the wisdom to define those parts of my life.
set. People had a remote, so they could watch it as they wanted. It was insane.
Who do you look up to, songwriter-wise? You’ve spoken in the past about the looming dangers of AI art; was this, in a sense, a protest against that?
Kurt Cobain is a huge influence. Artists who may have some sort of alter ego in their performances. I grew up in Olympia, so by default, my whole town was influenced by
I’m not really setting out to actually change anything. It’s
Hole and Nirvana.
more of a silent protest, internally against algorithmic and AI art that’s coming up more and more, and people
There’s a huge history with Olympia and the grunge
revolving so much around the aesthetics of Instagram.
scene, right?
That’s a difficult thing to deal with in itself, but equally difficult to go without. So many opportunities come from
Right where I’m sitting, this building here is where
social media; we live through it completely now. It’s the
Modest Mouse used to record before they were big.
gateway and the downfall of everything, all at the same time.
15
Malice K
In this sense, the weather in hindsight was a form of
In terms of the wider music scene, who would you say
pathetic fallacy in a way and seems to me now totally
is your favourite artist at the minute?
fitting for the EP, which explores a spectrum of different There’s some amazing people based in London currently.
emotions felt by all at different times in their lives.
Tapir!, Clara Mann, and The New Eves are just a few. What were your earliest interactions with music and
The talent of London does not stop there, however. In
how did they shape the music you’re making now?
terms of live gigs, I recently saw contemporary Irish folk band Lankum, who originate from Dublin and without a
I remember crashing about on a drum kit with my dad
doubt blew me away with their award-winning vocals and
when I was about 5 years old. The first guitar that
powerful sound.
I received many moons ago, was one that I got for Christmas on which all kinds of crazy sounds were
You’ve recently been on the road with Prima Queen
played and experiments made. When I was 14 I became
and Gently Tender. What did you learn whilst you were
obsessed with Nick Drake’s music and haven’t stopped
supporting those bands?
listening since. I’d say the main folk-based artists who have influenced my guitar playing etc. would be John
I learnt a lot being on tour with both bands. The main
Martyn, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and Martin Carthy.
thing that inspired me whilst on tour with Gently Tender
In relation to the genre of my music, people can call it
and Prima Queen was the sheer number of people who
whatever they want as it definitely spans across different
came to the gigs around the UK and were genuinely really
categories. I adore a wide variety of different folk artists/
into the music. It’s easy to get stuck in a bubble and
musicians. Personally, however, I would summarise it as
pattern in the Big Smoke so it was refreshing to see many
Ye Olde Pop.
new faces singing lyrics back in the crowd, simply there for a good time and to appreciate the music.
How does your songwriting process work? Do you Looking ahead, what are you looking forward to with
always base them on personal life experiences?
the rest of the year and heading into 2024? Currently and especially with ‘If Only’ and past tracks, I’d say all my songs are based on personal experiences and
Without a doubt, I’m looking forward to performing at
past feelings I have dealt with. In terms of moving forward
more and more live gigs. I currently also have a lot of new
with my songwriting, however, I am trying to approach
ideas floating around my head, which hopefully I can get
writing tracks from a different perspective, placing a
written down and eventually recorded, bringing some new
different light on things and representing a different voice.
releases in the near future.
41
Oscar Browne
MITSKI THE LAND IS INHOSPITABLE AND SO ARE WE OUT NOW
water made us streaming october 13 lp/cd october 27
One More Thing The Debut Album from
16/02/2024
Where exactly do you take your influence?
H: Yeah, it’ll be part of the next Speedy Wunderground ‘Single Series’. He came to see us at ‘The Cavendish
J: Joy Division for me for sure.
Arms’ and we hit it off. After we played, he asked if we wanted to go to the studio that night. As there were
H: Someone said we sounded a bit like ‘Can’ and ‘Faust’.
train strikes on, it was our mum who then drove us all to
I don’t really know much ‘Faust’, but I think they’re the
London. Dan said, “can I jump in the car too?”, so he got
grandaddy’s of krautrock in Hamburg.
in the back with us - it was hilarious! We were having a go on his synths whilst Dan was chatting to our mum about
T: I think the krautrock feel in that tune stems more from
lord knows what. It was a bit of a daze.
my love of a motorik beat. Beyond the band, as I sense we share sensitive souls, can you let us know what moves you?
H: I feel more influenced by bands at the moment. Fontaines D.C. for example, the mood of the music and Grian’s vocals reignited my personal love for guitar music.
H: That’s a beautiful question, I can feel myself going
Also, I’m wearing a band tee of ‘The New Eves’ who are
down a rabbit hole of so many different things. I’m trying
super exciting.
not to say my girlfriend or the TV.
As well as championing new artists, can you tell us
T: Jon Hassell’s record ‘Last Night the Moon Came’ is just
about the new indie label you released on, ‘Bath House
crazy. I feel very emotional listening to that. Recently, I
Records’?
cried listening to John Maus’ ‘KEXP’ because I discovered his brother (also his bandmate) had died. I’m a huge
J: ‘Bath House Records’ is run by our older brother,
fan of the show ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ and
George!
sometimes the closeness I have with that show makes me feel quite intense.
So, the family affair continues? H: Me and my girlfriend recently went to a caravan in J: He’s been doing it for a couple years now. He writes
Winchelsea. I’d say nature is a broad statement, but we
music and produces for a few acts. He does it in an old
were running on the beach like kids. We were playing with
bath house in Sydenham, so the name came from that.
driftwood, finding squid eggs and I was doing roly-polies down the hill. It was just beautiful. If I lose connection
It’s nice that you not only like each other, but can work
with that side of me, that’s what moves me in reverse.
together too - a rare find in a family. Peace and quiet is so underrated. T: It’s a good dynamic. The fact that everyone - minus me – is related, means that when it does get political it’s over
J: In London, I find there’s constant noise and mayhem.
like that. There’s no real filter. Events just unfold as they
When you do get that moment of silence, it’s quite hard
would at home.
to appreciate it. I would say recently, thinking about my parents moves me a lot.
With the first single out, you could say the future’s a blank canvas - what’s next?
H: I’m the same! This is going to sound mushy, but when I think about my brothers - sorry Tom - Joe and George
H: We’ve written a lot! We’re working with Dan Carey
and how much I miss them because we live in different
in October, which will then be set for release next year.
cities, that proper gets me. The men in our family are all
When the new year hits we’re gonna be all guns blazing.
connected through music.
So, Dan Carey’s producing the next track?
51
Borough Council
You released your first record, ‘Nineteen In Love’ in a
Wow, I didn’t realise! On ‘Cartwheel’, there’s a track
very DIY fashion. Because you’re now signed to Third
called ‘That Was My Life’, which has lots of recordings
Man Records, are you settled with that decision and
in there. Are they real voicemails that you picked up
feeling more comfortable with balancing the DIY ethos
while on tour?
and the need to make some money to live on? That was a field recording. I don’t want to give too Yeah, I think honestly, Third Man is, you know … I’ve
much away but we were in our practice space before
got to be careful how I say this, but I think Third Man is
our first Euro tour last year and we overheard these two
easy for some people to make fun of. Or see it as the Jack
guys talking about their own tours. I just loved the way
White label or something like that.
it sounded and just pulled out my phone and started recording them. I asked them afterwards if it was okay and
His name always follows the label, right?
they gave their consent to put it on the album.
Of course. He’s had mainstream success, massive
The final thing I wanted to ask you about is your
mainstream success for many years. But, once you dig in,
[NBA] Zine that you do, called ‘The Association.’ Are
I think Third Man is really a perfect fit for what I’m trying
you going to be able to keep that going with all your
to do. They’re very artist-friendly. I mean, Jack is an artist
touring during the basketball season?
and has been his whole life. I haven’t met him or talked to him personally, but I think it does trickle down to the
That’s going to be hard. It’s already been hard. I mean, it’s
whole business of the label.
hard even when I’m home. I put out the issue and feel like I can chill for a little bit and then two or three weeks have
By and large, it’s been a really good fit and I really like
gone by and I’m like, “Oh shit, I got to make another one”
working with them. We all knew when this relationship
because I’m supposed to do it every month.
started that it was not going to be a YouTube and physicalonly release. That was fine and I was ready for that switch
I’ve missed a month here and there, but I have to think
to happen.
of stuff to write about. Because it’s definitely about basketball, but with stuff in, like my personal life, the
They’re definitely very supportive of me, maintaining
scene in New York and punk shows and I have to think
my vision as an underground, which isn’t the right word
about it pretty hard when I’m doing it. That’s a labour
anymore, more like very grassroots and very involved in
of love. But it’s maybe more labour than I can do all the
my community of DIY music. I don’t think that’s really
time. So we’ll see how it goes with the touring.
been too affected by Third Man. With all of your creative endeavours, are they all part You’re going on tour next week in the US and you also
of the same outlet or do you treat them as very separate
come over to the UK in November. Have you done these
entities in your life?
big long stretches of touring before? No, they’re all related. I’m not very good at keeping them We’ve done a lot of long U.S. tours. That is nothing new
separate. Because I have the zine at the merch table and
for me. We did a month in Europe last year and we did
the website is the gathering point of all these projects. I
a month this year, both of which were the hardest tours
do a stream of myself playing video games too and it’s
we’ve ever done for sure. This year was really hard. They
all related. It’s all part of this persona. It’s all part of this
were both hard, honestly, but also amazing. Just in terms
thing that a small but dedicated group of fans seem to have
of, I never thought I would get to do that. It was a life goal
attached to. Maybe it’s growing with this new record? I
of mine to get over there and tour outside of the States.
don’t know, we’ll see.
And that’s really where we met my Third Man too.
55
Hotline TNT
Fronted by Charles Hayward (This Heat, Camberwell Now) Out on 12” vinyl, CD and Limited Concrete Edition (Vinyl cast in 2inch concrete slab, must be smashed to be heard) 17th Nov 2023. Also out on The state51 label:
BLUE BENDY ‘Mr. Bubblegun’ NEW SIGNING
Single out 10th Oct. Album coming soon
BINGO FURY ‘Power Drill’ NEW SIGNING
Single out now Album coming soon
INDEPENDENT MUSIC HOUSE
Record Label • Atelier Products Factory Sessions • Collective Distribution
THE NID TAPES ‘Electronic Music from India 1969-1972’ A mind-blowing trove of tapes discovered in a cupboard in Ahmedabad
HOTEL LUX The state51 Factory Sessions Live from The state51 Factory, on 12” Vinyl
ALSO OUT ON THE STATE51 LABEL
LEGGS • Better Corners • Scrounge Lou Terry • AGAAMA • Grove
Editors Sam Ford
Josh Whettingsteel
Writers Sam Ford
Reuben Cross
Amber Lashley Will Macnab
Josh Whettingsteel Elvis Thirlwell
Natalia Quiros Edmunds Poppy Richler
Eve Boothroyd Neve Dawson Leo Lawton
Laura Pegler
Sachin Turakhia
Printed By Ex Why Zed
Artists
Josh Whettingsteel Richie Culver Nurit Gross Yinuo Shao
Sara Priorelli Rosie Evans
Cameron JL West Melinda Ureczki Amy McPherson UNCANNY
Lauren Cory
Eleanor Young REN
Cover Photos
Website
Photos for Collage
info@soyoungmagazine.com
soyoungmagazine.com
News
@soyoungmagazine (Twitter)
SoYoungMagazine (Facebook) soyoungmagazine (Instagram)
Kyle Berger
Natalie Piserchio Kyle Berger
Vince McClelland Inigo Blake
Lily Doidge
Sara Messinger