(Photo Credit - Dan Hanson)
Portland, Oregon's husband/wife duo Reptaliens are back with a new EP 'Wrestling' that drops today. We got a chance to chat with them in advance of the release. Check it out!
1. Can you tell us about the writing and recording process of your new EP Wrestling.
"It was the beginning of quarantine and we (Bambi and Cole) were both laid off with nothing much to do. We borrowed the Roland SH-02 from Josh Hodges (STRFKR) to play around with some new recording ideas. We also were experimenting with sampling Bambi's vocals on a keyboard and chopping them up and creating new melodies. We wanted to make something pretty different because we were at such a different place in our lives and, originally, we thought about this as a side project called Wrestling as opposed to a Reptaliens release. This is our first and only recordings with no guitar or live drums. This is also the first release that we recorded and mixed ourselves, in our home studio."
2. Your sound has a nice mix of alt, electronic, and pop sounds. Can you speak a little to how you came to making music in this unique style?
"We've always kind of been all over the place while experimenting with different genres and sounds. With Wrestling, however, we had a very focused and intentional direction. Musically, we were drawn to darker, simpler, and more serious themes reminiscent of early minimal-wave and electronic projects. We were sad and confused in the new world and needed an outlet. Once we started recording, the songs came naturally as we were pulled in this direction."
3. How did you feel about recording and releasing an EP during these unprecedented times with the pandemic? Was there any hesitancy on your end with releasing the EP?
Yeah, definitely. We talked with Captured Tracks a lot about whether we should wait or move forward with this release. It's hard to release something and not be able to tour and it does feel detached being unable to connect with an audience. Politically, there's so much more going on that needs attention as opposed to sharing new music and we don't want to detract from the Black Lives Matter movement. However, people need joy as well and we're hoping to help people get through the isolation of the pandemic.
4. What’s one thing you want people to know about your music?
Cole: Bambi writes and records so much more than just the bass she plays live. She's playing guitars, synths, programming drums, engineering, and mixing as well as singing over every song. I feel like not a lot of people know that. She's amazing and I love her! Bambi: Every single note, chord, lyric and sound has intent. 5. What’s next for Reptaliens?
We are nearly done writing and recording our third record. It is 90's rock/pop inspired and is very high energy and upbeat. It's our favorite music we have written thus far and we are excited to share it with the world. We are also working on a lot of video projects to accompany our third LP. It's no replacement for touring but it will be fun for the whole family.