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Exclusive interview with New York indie duo Me Not You

Indie duo Me Not You brings old school female rock into new school alternative ethereal rock with their track, ‘Sun Will Rise’. The track is lifted off of their upcoming album, Already Gone which will be released in early November. The two also released the single, ‘I Should Know Better’ from the same album.

The ethereal garage-pop outfit is comprised of Nikki and Eric, displaying their New York humour in even their choice of alias. Taking inspiration from artists such as Radiohead, Aphex Twin, and Pixies, you can see these influences shining through with style in Me Not Yous musical repertoire.  We decided to learn more about the inspirations behind both their name and their below single. 

 

 

What was the inspiration behind your name?

Nikki: Back when we were starting the band, I met with a record label that was interested in signing us, and the executive told me that the thought the project should be focused on me rather than a duo… that it should be me in the photos and videos alone and have Eric behind the scenes. I told Eric the story, that they wanted the band to be about “me, not you”. We laughed and thought it would be a real fuck you to name the band that. It stuck!

Looking back, what were some of your earliest entries into music appreciation? And music production?

Eric: It was hearing “Kid A” for the first time that made me realize I wanted to produce music. I’ve always loved music, but hearing the sounds on that record, and the otherworldly-ness of them, was a true inspiration. I needed to figure out how to do THAT and that’s been my life’s journey since then.

How did you two come to perform together?

Nikki: A mutual friend connected us when Eric was starting a band a few years back. I was a piano player primarily at that point and had just started writing songs and singing more, so working with Eric really opened things up for me, both as a songwriter and a performer. The creative connection we had was pretty much instantaneous. By now, we’re basically one brain with two bodies when it comes to making music. We don’t even really discuss ideas for songs anymore, it just comes out telepathically. Sounds crazy, but it’s true!

If you could paint a picture of your unique sound, what would it look like?

Eric: Well, considering I’m a horrible painter/drawer/artist, it would probably look like the doodles of a toddler. But what I’d IMAGINE it would look like is a bunch of rough edges blurred with splotches of color. You wouldn’t really be able to make out what was going on exactly, and it would make you feel uneasy at first, but you wouldn’t be able to look away and eventually, a feeling of calm would emerge.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

Eric: Walking. Whenever I’m feeling stopped up emotionally, I leave the studio and start walking. Sometimes I listen to music (often My Bloody Valentine Loveless or something like Yeezus), but more often will just walk aimlessly. What sometimes happens is I get pretty far away, and then get some ideas and want to be right back in the studio, but I have a long walk back and hope that the ideas stay fresh so I can lay them down right when I get back.

What is the inspiration behind your single, ‘Sun will rise’?

Nikki: “The few singles we put out before Sun Will Rise (I Don’t Blame You, Not Fine, and Moving On) each followed me down to my lowest point, dealing with the loss of someone close to me. With Sun Will Rise I was able to journey out of the darkness and find hope again. It’s sort of about the idea that whatever transpires during the night, the sun will indeed rise again.”

What would you like to achieve with your music? What does success look like to you?

Eric: Honestly, we already have it. To be able to make music the way we want to make it, release it how we want to release it and not have to have jobs outside of music… that’s the dream. Anything else that happens is gravy at this point.

Any news you want your fans to know about?

Nikki: Our debut album Already Gone comes out on November 8, and we are so excited for people to hear it. We’ve put out a lot of music so far as a band… 2 EPs and a bunch of standalone singles, but there’s something about an LP that we both really love. So we can’t wait to share it with everyone.

Famous last words?

Eric: I’m already thinking about the next LP…

 

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