I love discovering new music just like you, my Radio Milwaukee buddies. When we started playing “On The Floor” from Thus Love’s latest album All Pleasure (from Captured Tracks Records), I knew I had to dive into the whole album. Not surprising, the post-punk vibes coming from this Vermont-based four-piece got me grooving right away.
I jumped at the chance to chat with the whole band early one morning after their gig in Philly to ask them all my burning questions. Which member of Scooby Doo/Mystery Inc. do you most relate to? What is your go-to record when you need to be in your feelings. And, my fave, what did your childhood smell like?
They were SO friendly and SO cool. I hope you enjoy this interview.
The following has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Interview highlights
On how much of Echo’s Shakespearean background ends up in the music:
Echo Mars: To be honest, quite a lot. And it's funny because I really don't identify as a theater kid. My brother was really into musical theater, and so I did it by proxy. But I actually had a really hard time fitting into that social sphere as a child, which is funny because it's kind of cliche for troubled kids to be kind of like in that sphere.
I had my qualms with it, but I did a lot of Shakespeare, which I feel like is a particular kind and is very emotive. I definitely see my use of influence, especially in lyrical meter, all the time from all the Shakespeare lines that I memorized as a child. Yeah, I definitely think it does cross over.
On scanning the dial when driving around the country:
Ally Juleen: When we're on long tours and sick of listening to Spotify or anything, we really love to just kind of turn on the radio and flick across, especially when you're in cities with colleges. It's just interesting to see what's going to be on. Shane lived in Seattle, so we listen to a lot of KEXP.
We love radio, and we love public radio, so it's cool to be able to see what everybody's playing across the country. That's my favorite part of touring. … I feel like radio DJs are kind of like your friend in a way. It’s like, “What are you listening to?” And then they get to play it for everybody. It's nice to step out of the algorithm and into the radio waves.
On what their childhoods smelled like:
Louie Racine: I have an honest answer — weed and Marlboro Light cigarettes, and my mom’s spaghetti sauce that she would make every Sunday.
Shane Blank: Gasoline. The smell of gasoline, the smell of fish, and then like wet dirt … like dew. I'm from Florida, and my parents worked in the seafood industry. So whenever my brother and I would go visit them at work, the smell is something I viciously remember. It was strong. But, in retrospect, now anytime I smell saltwater or anything like that, that's what it brings me back to.
Ally: I was born in Minneapolis but grew up in Las Vegas, so for me it's … I'm going to say chlorine, fresh-cut grass — which is kind of weird because you can't have grass in Vegas anymore, but we did at that time. And sage brush because anytime it rained in Vegas, it's so dry there that when it rained the sage would just kind of release this really beautiful earthy herby smell that would kind of take over the city..
Echo: Burning pine smoke. Conifer smoke and mud pies, cow pies, cow patties. … A lot of bonfires in my childhood. A lot of pig roasts. And then animal dirt.
