Pawn Pawn (Dark Electro) – The Noise Beneath The Snow

Thanks for your time today. The latest release is ‘Halloween’. Why a Halloween-themed album a safe distance away from the holiday?

Liz: A few reasons. Thematically, this EP was about reclaiming emotions a lot of us have historically been discouraged from expressing. We’re supposed to keep our anger in check, to be modest, and to show restraint. But Halloween is a holiday that celebrates extremes, when we’re allowed to let loose for one night. It’s also our favorite time of the year. So now, in the coldest days of winter amidst all the chaos in the world, it seemed like as good a time for Halloween as ever.

Are your songs created in pretty much the same way in every case? Do you have to be in particular locations or moods to be inspired?

Brandon: We typically have a similar approach to starting our writing process with David and I sketching out an instrumental track and then reworking them as Liz comes back with lyrics, melodies and arrangement ideas. Jealousy and Eyes on this EP did start differently with David starting them himself during covid lockdown.

David: When we get together for writing sessions, we come in fresh. We generally don’t have any pre-written parts or ideas. Jealousy and Eyes were odd for us in that respect.

What’s the biggest technical challenge that you’ve had to overcome? That could be anything from a computer crash, “learning curve” or anything like that. How did you overcome it?

Brandon: More devices have definitely brought more complexity. It can be super frustrating when you’re in a creative space and the computer that recognized all your equipment last time you used it suddenly doesn’t. Sometimes, we just have to waste an hour troubleshooting…other times we lose a whole night of potential work. I try to remain patient and remember how fortunate I am to have all this half-broken equipment in the first place.

David: The hardest part technically was figuring out how to do it live with only three of us.

What do you think is the mark of a good remix from the perspective of both the artist and the remixer?

David: I think a good remix sounds like it could be the song itself. If I’m an artist who’s song is remixed, I’m hoping the dj/ producer who’s remixing the track makes it his own while holding onto the vibe created by the original.

Brandon: It should sound like a true collaboration, where both parties are represented well…the original artist should be pleased with the new direction/take and the remixer should feel they’ve left their mark and brought something new to the work.

Let’s say many years from now in the future, someone finds one of your albums and something to play it on in an old, locked box. What do you want them to understand about your message or your legacy just by listening to your music?

David: I want them to have as difficult a time defining our genre as we have had.

Brandon: Woah, that’s heavy! I hope my passion for music comes through. My goal is to make the best music we’re capable of and get it out into the world. There’s so much music coming out everyday, I will be happy if ours can rise to the top of some peoples’ playlists. As a music fan, it’s hard to put a finger on ‘what I like’, but I know it when I hear it. I hope our music speaks for itself for years to come and resonates with people.

What do you think has changed for you since your first release on both technical and artistic levels?

Brandon: We’ve embraced synthesizers and technology a lot more since our first album, Bedtime. While we had some synths on Bedtime (I still love the MS20 swells on Look Up), we were very focussed during that writing phase on creating songs that could be performed by a traditional band lineup. It wasn’t until after the album was finished that we embraced using tracks live and abandoned the idea of adding additional live musicians. The drum tracks on Bedtime were meant to sound organic and consistent to the same end. Once we stopped worrying about fitting into an old idea of what a band should be it opened the doors to more diversity song to song and album to album.

Liz: I love the variety and diversity of the music we’ve created, because it’s really given us a lot of freedom to try new things. The tracks on our new EP are heavier and darker than our earlier albums. I knew the lyrics and my vocal performance needed to complement that intensity, but it takes vulnerability (and patience) to try creative approaches that are outside of your comfort zone — so although it took me a while, the process really challenged me, which is exactly what I love about this project.

Have you ever composed a song that was written from such a painful perspective that you refused to release it?

Brandon: Yes, but not for Pawn Pawn, which is I guess the point. As a songwriter, you may write for different reasons. Sometimes you need to write for yourself. Sometimes that can lead to something you want to share with the world, and sometimes you may not want to, but it served a purpose for you.

Liz: No, but painful perspectives are my main inspiration for writing. Writing about difficult experiences, and trying to witness those experiences and feelings from different angles, actually helps to make them less painful for me.

Are most of your lyrics written from a perspective of internal observation or external (i.e. society etc.)?

Liz: Most of mine are both. I usually start with an internal feeling, then I zoom out: I think about how it connects with a more universal human experience, how it might feel from a different perspective, or how it’s tangled up with culture, privilege, oppression, and identity. The end result is usually a mixture of interwoven ideas, some internal and some external, hopefully something that can resonate with listeners.

Thanks for your time once again. These last words are yours.

Thank you for the great questions and interest in our project.

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