I needed to ask you in regards to the tattoo across your chest. What’s it and when did you get it?
It was my first journey to LA once I was doing all of the conferences. And it was my birthday so I informed [my manager] Andrew that I needed a tattoo, and he launched me to his pal who does tattoos. It says love in Russian and I obtained it due to this lady that I’ve been speaking to from Russia for a very long time. She’s simply actually cool and I don’t know, she simply impressed me to get it.
And what in regards to the face tats, when did you get these?
[Laughs] They have been my first tattoos. I’ve three now, however I obtained the anarchy one and the star once I was 17. It was proper after I dropped out of faculty, so I used to be like, “Fuck it. I’m getting face tat.” Often face tats are a sign that I’m doing very unhealthy mentally. I get face tats once I’m going by way of one thing. They’re like a coping mechanism.
Yeah. Some folks say you get a face tattoo as a result of you understand, “I’ll by no means must go to an actual job interview.” So it’s like a dedication.
It’s undoubtedly a dedication, however lots of people say they get them for motivation too. I simply obtained them as a result of I used to be simply within the mud. My music was doing so shitty once I obtained these tattoos. I used to be like yeah, I simply don’t care.
Past stuff that influences you, what sort of music are you listening to currently?
I fuck with Joji so much. Joji might be my favourite artist that’s alive. I hearken to him on a regular basis. I’ve actually obtained him on proper now on the TV. I hearken to plenty of Present Joys too. I hearken to The Drums so much. I hearken to Bon Iver so much. I actually like acoustic music once I’m simply chilling on my own. It is dependent upon the day. Typically I’m listening to indie, generally I’m listening to submit punk. I like digital too. I like Crystal Castles so much. I like Lebanon Hanover.
“I really feel like I’m not particular, you understand? There’s lots of people that really feel like me and I’m simply expressing it and so they recognize it.”
It was lately that I began to actually love music. Up till perhaps 2021, I used to be simply listening to mainstream indie shit after which well-known SoundCloud stuff, however I went a lot deeper into music this 12 months.
Your supervisor talked about that you just have been into Elliott Smith too.
Oh yeah. I like Elliott Smith so much. I haven’t been listening to him as a lot although, however I used to hearken to Elliot Smith so much once I was ingesting. He’s like ingesting music for me.
Lyrically, Elliott had plenty of the sort of darkish, self-loathing stuff you could hear a bit of bit in your music. General, would you describe your self as an sad individual?
I don’t wish to say that I’m so depressed on a regular basis, however I imply, on the finish of the day, I just about really feel the identical as I did some time in the past. I’m simply distracted, so once I’m out doing stuff I really feel fairly good, however once I’m again at house, on my own, I don’t normally really feel superb. That’s once I file or simply hearken to music. I was obnoxiously unhappy two years in the past, and you’ll hear it in my music. However now it’s sort of similar to… I don’t know, I’m used to it.
How do you’re feeling about youngsters wanting as much as you? Is that uncomfortable in any respect?
I really feel like I’m not particular, you understand? There’s lots of people that really feel like me and I’m simply expressing it and so they recognize it. So yeah, it’s all good. I feel it’s cool. It’s bizarre for me clearly as a result of I feel I’m a loser. Like youngsters will textual content me and so they’re like, “I wish to be such as you” or “I wish to appear to be you.” And shit, it doesn’t make any sense to me. I settle for it, however I don’t assume that anybody ought to have an idol although, since you ought to simply be you. However persons are going to do what they need. I imply, I used to idolize folks, however then all of them died.
Who have been these folks?
Like [XXXTentacion]. I actually cherished X once I was youthful, like once I was 16. I believed he was the good.
He was additionally into doing completely different sorts of issues musically. I first obtained into you from the extra upbeat songs like “i stroll this earth,” however then the factor that obtained me extra is you could make songs like “in love” and “see you later.” Do these songs all come from the identical place, or are you in a unique temper if you’re writing one thing slower?
No, I undoubtedly really feel so much completely different. Once I’m recording the acoustic, the slower stuff, it’s just about all the time the identical setting. It’s me, at house. I’ve to be at house to file these songs, on this room and it must be actually darkish and I’m all the time ingesting wine. Dude, alcohol’s actually… I imply, it sounds silly, however alcohol’s one among my vices for certain. I was actually unhealthy with that. I was an alcoholic. Like once I was 17, I used to be fucked up off that shit fairly unhealthy. However now I’m not.
And also you don’t do medication anymore due to that one expertise?
No. Actually I did medication as soon as and I by no means will once more. I really feel unnoticed, as a result of I’ve obtained plenty of associates that do medication. I imply, I do know that it’s not the perfect factor. Every time I discuss medication in my music, I’m speaking about prescriptions that I’ve abused or alcohol. However yeah, I sort of wish to strive once more, however I don’t know. I’m too nervous after that, you understand?
Yeah. It won’t be price it.
It won’t be bro. I might fuck round and die, as a result of I nearly died final time.
We’re seeing the youthful artists who grew up on SoundCloud and listened to Lil Peep and XXX get older, and now they’re discovering different issues and making music themselves. It looks like there’s a brand new wave of blended influences coming in. Do you assume you and your friends are carving out your personal lane?
Yeah, it’s arising. There’s undoubtedly one other SoundCloud wave taking place, however I’m not tremendous into that as a result of I’m extra into rock music now. I was extra into the 808s. However yeah, we’re undoubtedly going to determine this out and we’re going to give you our personal shit. I imply, we’re just about there, however we simply must maintain refining it. I feel we’re fairly shut.
Does that group of recent artists exist wherever for you, the way in which plenty of the SoundCloud rappers have been all in the identical orbit? You talked about Discord, however are there different locations the place you could find different folks in your lane or on the identical wavelength?
No, I really feel like I’ve sufficient folks round me at this level. I don’t like working with folks I don’t know actually. It’s not one thing I get pleasure from. I like doing shit on my own more often than not and it’s not as a result of I feel that I’m higher or something, I similar to doing it myself. However I did actually get pleasure from working with Jonny [Pierce, of The Drums] lately. He’s sick. He’s the most effective folks ever. So working with him was wonderful.
Often, I make a tune in an hour or two hours, however [“f*ck everything!”] took days. Simply because we stored fucking refining it and refining it and doing extra. And it wasn’t even torture, as a result of if it was anybody else, it in all probability would have been torture. However because it was with Jonny, I used to be having fun with it.
Your music is fascinating as a result of it has this catchy retro sound on songs like “i stroll this earth,” but it surely’s nonetheless obtained a DIY really feel. How did you land on that mixture?
Yeah man, I don’t know. Lots of people will ask me if I like The Remedy and Pleasure Division and stuff and I’m like, “No, I’ve heard no songs from both of these bands.” So folks all the time get weirded out, however I simply do what I feel sounds cool.
Do you produce and play devices?
Minimally. I’m making an attempt to get into it now extra. I play guitar, however not insanely. Extra acoustic than electrical, however I’m going to get an electrical quickly. Earlier than I made music I produced lo-fi beats beneath a unique identify, so I do know my method round. I can produce a tune if I’ve to.
I’m going to begin enjoying extra myself. I wish to be fully unbiased in that sense the place I don’t must depend on anybody to do something. I really feel like I’ll unlock some loopy new sound that I don’t even find out about but.
Do you’re feeling such as you’re making precisely what you wish to make proper now, or are you restricted by sources or what you understand how to do?
I imply, there’s all the time one thing cooler. I work with this one dude largely now referred to as Mangetsu and he’s within the collective that I used to be speaking to you about, Contra. He’s actually sick and he produces plenty of music for me and Pastel [Drip]. He produced “it solely will get worse” in a pair hours after which he despatched it to me and I made the tune. However I don’t really feel glad with my sound but. I’ll take it method additional.
Do you’ve favorites out of your personal songs?
I don’t hearken to my music actually ever. I don’t actually prefer it. I like my slower songs greater than something if I’ve to hearken to my very own music. I can’t simply sit round listening to my very own shit. But when I sluggish it down, I can undoubtedly hearken to my very own music, as a result of it doesn’t sound like me anymore. In order that’s why I be doing that so much. I like sluggish music on the whole. I used to be slowing down music earlier than it was a pattern, like slowed plus reverb on YouTube.
You’ve gotta make an EKKSTACY chopped and screwed album.
Bro, in 2019, I made a whole album the place each single tune was slowed. However everybody was like, “Man, it’s not a good suggestion. Every part sounds higher sped up.” I nearly dropped it, however I by no means did. It was referred to as I’m Drained. I didn’t drop it sluggish, I dropped it regular velocity. However I believed it was so fucking sick dude. I ought to have performed it. That might be so forward of every little thing if I did that.
