Creative

Footer Legal

Main

NavBar

Sections

Topics

Become a subscriber today to get unlimited access

Thanks for reading!

Register to continue

Talkhouse

<div class="signed-out-artists-bio-text">
Seth Bogart is an artist and musician living in LA. He records music under his own name and with Hunx and His Punx.
</div>

Seth Bogart

Music

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.

Pom Pom Squad

Best of 2020: Pom Pom Squad Got Really Into Rina Sawayama This Year

Dougie Poole is a country musician and songwriter based in LA. Coming of age in Providence, Rhode Island he dabbled in heavier and more experimental music before maturing into a country auteur. He writes earnestly about his experience (life in the big city, heartbreak in the digital age) and approaches country music with honesty and a deep respect for the genre&#8217;s traditions. His latest record, At Tubby&#8217;s, is out now on Wharf Cat.

Dougie Poole

Best of 2020: Dougie Poole Got Into Organizing This Year

Benny Sings is a songwriter’s songwriter.  A surprising talent from the Netherlands, he signed to Stones Throw last year and his upcoming 2021 album will feature lots of cool guests, which is just the latest in this incredible run of collaborations.  Benny co-wrote and is featured on Rex Orange County’s platinum single “Loving Is Easy.”  He’s featured on Anderson Paak and the Free Nationals’ album from last year, plus Mayer Hawthorne, Goldlink, PJ Morton, Cornelius. Another big supporter is NPR.  Benny taped a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jVn_JCjpT4" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Tiny Desk</a> in 2016 and was invited to do a<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4vnYGgoYBQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Tiny Desk (Home) Concert</a> this summer.

Benny Sings

Best of 2020: Benny Sings on Charlie Kaufman and Noah Baumbach

Lillie West is an artist, musician, and producer from London, currently living in Chicago. She values collaboration, fervor, and community.

Lillie West

Best of 2020: Lillie West (Lala Lala) Talks Nnamdi’s “Wasted”

Alicia Bognanno is the front-woman of the Nashville-based band Bully. Their most recent album, Losing, was released in 2017 via Sub Pop.
(Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen)

Alicia Bognanno

Best of 2020: Alicia Bognanno Loved the New Waxahatchee Record

Rhett Miller is the frontman of the Old 97’s, and has released five solo albums. The most recent Old 97’s album, Twelfth, is available now via ATO Records. You can follow the Old 97’s on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/Old97s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>, and Miller on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/rhettmiller" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Rhett Miller

Best of 2020: Rhett Miller Loved Utopia Avenue

Kristin Hersh is a musician who also fronts the bands Throwing Muses and 50FootWave. She is the author of the books Rat Girl and Don&#8217;t Suck, Don&#8217;t Die: Giving Up Vic Chesnutt.

Kristin Hersh

Best of 2020: Kristin Hersh Talks Fred Abong’s First Record in 30 Years

Hamilton Leithauser lives with his wife and two baby girls in New York City. He was the singer for rock band the Walkmen from 2000-2014. He recently got social on the internet and now has<a href="https://twitter.com/HLeithauser" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Twitter</a>, <a href="http://facebook.com/jameshamiltonleithauser" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook</a> and a <a href="http://www.hamiltonleithauser.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">website</a>.

Hamilton Leithauser

Best of 2020: Hamilton Leithauser on Charlie Kaufman’s Other Big Project of This Year

Porridge Radio originated from Dana Margolin’s bedroom, where she first started making music. Living in the seaside town of Brighton, she recorded songs and played them at open mic nights to rooms of old men staring quietly, as she screamed in their faces. Their second album (and Secretly Canadian debut) Every Bad glistens with grand, sweeping ambition. 80s-esque synths shine against Margolin’s urgent vocals – with all the rawness of early Karen O, and influences as disparate as Charli XCX and The Cranberries. Oscillating between desperation, resignation, and, crucially, hope, Porridge Radio’s unmistakable take on pop music is like a jewelry box twinkle just out of kilter.
(Photo Credit: El Hardwick)

Porridge Radio

Best of 2020: Dana Margolin of Porridge Radio Loves Sorry’s 925

Bartees Strange was born in Ipswich, a town in Suffolk, England. His family did stints in Germany, Greenland, and a number of states across America before he hit his 12th birthday when they settled in Mustang, Oklahoma. Bartees began producing music for friends with a small project studio he built out of a Tascam 388, the family computer and a pirated copy of FL Studio. Through AOL instant messenger, Bartees connected with old friends in the UK, who brought him up to speed on a new world of sonic influence led by Bloc Party, Burial, Robyn and Skream. College, and a half-decade stint in Brooklyn connected him with the rising indie scene — particularly favorites like Bon Iver, TV on The Radio, Frank Ocean, James Blake, King Krule, Japanese Breakfast, Mt. Kimbie, Mitski, Thao Nguyen, and The National, giving him a crash course in lyrical intrigue and textural brilliance.
Say Goodbye to Pretty Boy is a summary of his influences and the first commercial release by an artist who we truly think can go on to become a cultural influencer in his own right. Bartees resides in Washington, DC — where makes music and works at a non profit fighting against climate change and poverty.
(Photo Credit: Bao Ngo)

music other