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Talkhouse

NZCA Lines is the project of producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Lovett. His third album, Pure Luxury, is out now via Memphis Industries.
(Photo Credit: Aleksandra Kingo)

NZCA Lines

Music

In Conversation: Braids and NZCA Lines

Madison McFerrin is an independent singer-songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. In December of 2016, she quietly introduced her soulful take on a cappella to the world when she self-released Finding Foundations: Vol. I.

Madison McFerrin

In Conversation: Madison McFerrin and Jess Williamson

Talkhouse Weekend Playlist: Sonic Reflections from Sports

Name your new music project Number One Popstar and you&#8217;re destined for failure. That&#8217;s the idea behind Kate Hollowell&#8216;s solo project, a strange new blend of pop with a hint of comedy and an undeniably danceable sound. Hollowell is also the lead singer of irreverent LA punk band Slut Island, and has directed music videos for various artists, including SASAMI and Katy Perry.
(Photo Credit: Kate Hollowell)

Number One Popstar

Introducing: Number One Popstar’s “I Hate Running”

Danielle Durack is a Phoenix, AZ-based singer-songwriter. Her album No Place is out January 2021.
(Photo Credit: Eunice Beck)

Danielle Durack

Don’t Date a Songwriter

John Colpitts, aka Kid Millions is a drummer, composer, drum teacher and writer based in Queens, NY. He is best known for his work in the experimental rock band Oneida and his percussion group Man Forever. His latest album with Oneida, <a href="https://www.joyfulnoiserecordings.com/products/expensive-air" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Expensive Air</a>, is out now on Joyful Noise.

John Colpitts

Riz Ahmed Gets at the Heart of Obsession in Sound of Metal

Izzy True (they/them pronouns) is a musician and artist living in Chicago, IL.
(Photo Credit: Andi Carbaugh)

Izzy True

On the Future of the Live Music Economy

Eric D. Johnson records and performs as the Fruit Bats. His latest album under the name is Gold Past Life. In 2020, he started the supergroup Bonny Light Horseman with Anais Mitchell and Josh Kaufman, and their self-titled debut was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
(Photo Credit: Annie Beedy)

Fruit Bats

Best of 2020: Eric Johnson (Fruit Bats, Bonny Light Horseman) Loved Touring While He Could

EDGESLAYER is a multi disciplinary visual and music artist based in New Orleans.

Edge Slayer

Best of 2020: Edge Slayer Talks Summer Walker and Leonce

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Seth Bogart is an artist and musician living in LA. He records music under his own name and with Hunx and His Punx.
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Seth Bogart

Best of 2020: Seth Bogart Misses Weirdo Night

The seeds of Girl Friday were first planted when guitarist Vera Ellen walked into a friend&#8217;s house at UCLA and saw Libby Hsieh playing bass on the couch. Drawn by her unique playing style, Ellen introduced herself, and the two musicians immediately bonded. After a year of playing together, they decided to grow their collaboration into a full band. Drummer Virginia Pettis and guitarist Sierra Scott caught wind of the project from friends of friends, and quickly jumped on board. The fledgling group&#8217;s chemistry was undeniable; writing and playing together felt generative and thrilling.
Burning deep in Girl Friday&#8217;s music is an unquenchable will to survive. The band doesn&#8217;t blunt the impact of the themes they work through in their ferocious, knotty rock songs, but they don&#8217;t let the more harrowing aspects of being alive and young in the 21st century daunt them, either. Taking full advantage of the dystopian shades of post-punk and noise rock palettes on their arresting debut LP, Androgynous Mary, Girl Friday nevertheless suffuse their music with abundant optimism. The world is a hellscape, but the four of them are in it together.
(Photo Credit: Al Kalyk)

Girl Friday

Best of 2020: Girl Friday Was Obsessed with Cate Le Bon in 2020

When you hear Pom Pom Squad, you might picture a gaggle of matching teens, or a wry, sarcastic clan decked out in black; the reality is somewhere in between. Fronted by vocalist and guitarist Mia Berrin, the Brooklyn-based band unites punk inclinations with a raw, visceral vulnerability. It’s quiet grrrl punk reminiscent of Rilo Kiley, Mitski and PJ Harvey that would rather growl than yell.
Alongside Berrin, Pom Pom Squad features bassist Mari Alé Figeman, and drummer Shelby Keller. Hailing from a variety of different backgrounds — whether Keller’s jazz training or Berrin’s classic hip-hop and new wave upbringing &#8212; the group manages to be serious without taking themselves too seriously. It’s that balance of solemnity and whimsy that allows punk and tenderness to live side by side: chunky, distorted guitar on some tracks, and near-whisper on others; brash yells or tame, wry wit.
They first released the EP Hate It Here in 2017 and followed it up with “Heavy Heavy,” the first single off their most recent EP, Ow, which earned praise from the likes of Stereogum, High Snobiety, Paste and more. Berrin’s music reveals internal discord — she’s intent to cast off the “nice girl” narrative, and that means turning herself inside out to show that the inside isn’t so put-together after all.
Also integral to Berrin’s self-excoration is her existence as a queer woman of color, two identities that come with their own preconceived notions. With lyrics centering on mental health, abuse, trauma, and healing, Pom Pom Squad pursues radical self-acceptance through periodic self-exposure and self-undressing.