Bicoastal indie-pop duo EXES and LA-based synthpop duo JOME have released a collaborative EP, Nothing’s Out To Get You. “Stay Still,” the song above, is one of the singles from the work and a powerful anthem to love, loss, power, guilt, cleverness and tragedy.
About “Stay Still,” Allie McDonald of EXES comments: “‘Stay Still’ was the first song we all wrote together while on our writing trip in Marin. Jesse had a copy of Joan Didion’s The Year of Magical Thinking and began reading excerpts out loud to all of us. We instantly felt a deep emotional connection to her words and thoughts about grief and loss as we all have experienced this in some way or another. In one excerpt in particular, Didion discusses the devastation that follows months after everything returns to normal. The days are passing, the world is spinning and she lays completely still, believing that her husband has not passed away—in fact, he is lying next to her. She even keeps his boots in the closet just in case he needs them when he returns. ‘Everybody tells you that it’s something you get used to’ was one of the first lines we wrote. Time was a crucial element, lyrically for us. We were inspired by this sort of in between grief. The feeling that lingers months, and even years after immediate loss. The feeling of release—the slip that happens when for a brief, dreamlike moment you forget that he is gone.”
EXES is composed of Brooklyn-based Allie McDonald and Venice beach-based producer Mike Derenzo, while JOME is made up of LA-based songwriter Jesse Epstein and New Orleans-based writer and producer Christoph Andersson. The four writers and producers retreated to Marin County in Northern California in October 2018 to write a collection of meaningful songs together, documenting the entire trip by taking Polaroids. This collaboration of artists has resulted in a diary-like, happy-sad kind of musical moment – all created while in their living room-turned-studio, hanging with Mike’s dog Bella. While the lyrics hint at dark themes of mortality and separation, the production highlights hope and confidence with soaring, cinematic instrumental sounds.
In an effort to get better interview questions, EPB has recruited artists to draft questions for other artists. For these powerful, topical questions to Exes x Jome, EPB sought out Jason Matuskiewicz, Brooklyn’s funniest musician/publicist/label guy/lawyer and one of the TRULY NICE GUYS in this business. To know him is to love him, baby. His awesome company is I Can’t Wait for Summer. Spontaneous healings have been known to take place in rooms when Jason enters.
And while we’re at it, let us huck up a shout-across to the most excellent Shannon Cosgrove at Girlie Action for making this interview possible.
1.) L.A. for the tacos or New York for the pizza? New Orleans for being able to booze on the street or North Hollywood for being able to google weed stores on your street? Venice Beach for the novelty panties or Chinatown for the novelty everything else? What do you love about your city and why is New York still better?
Mike: New York Pizza hands down. New Orleans but also for the pizza (handmade from scratch at Christoph’s house). Venice Beach for the relaxing vibe and walkable streets. California will always be better than New York because you can have your own space and there is access to the outdoors (PACIFIC OCEAN HELLO!!!)
Allie: Ok, I’ve got a deep love for New York- and really any place where you can order a slice of great pizza at 4 am. I’m from the East Coast so I’ve also got a soft spot for seasons and writing songs while it snows outside. That being said, LA does have great Thai food—I think better than New York. I miss that the most about LA.
2.) Did you know that Harrison Ford was Joan Didion’s carpenter? Do you think she ever had any “Magical Thinking” about him? Or were big deaths all she concerned herself with? How did the work of Ms. Didion inform your process and your music?
Jesse: I didn’t know about Harrison Ford’s carpentry skills but I have to say I’m not surprised. He seems like he could build such a handsome table. Because he’s so handsome. Anyway, Ms. Didion’s story was supremely influential in the writing of our song. “Stay Still”. She spoke so beautifully of her heartbreak after the tragic loss of her husband, and we were really moved and inspired by her words.
3.) How was Marin County? Did you climb any big ass trees? Was it dope? Did you stay in an eco cabana? Were there any anarcho-syndicalist collectives present?
Mike: Marin was incredible. We stayed at my childhood home and watched my family dog. Was a nice place to retreat from our busy lives and just focus on music and having a good time. Many tasty meals were cooked and eaten along with the music.
4.) Do you play any instruments or only computers?
Mike: We play all the instruments between the four of us. From guitar to piano to violin to computer.
5.) So, sup?
Jesse: Sup. Our EP is coming out on March 8th and we’re super proud of it. So I guess that’s what’s up.
