Todd & Karen On the Making Of ‘Juicy Gossip From The Mothership’
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in "Juicy Gossip From The Mothership?"
“Juicy Gossip From The Mothership” is our most poppy single to date. It differs quite significantly from our previous output, which is more Beatleesque and folk-rock inspired. The lyrics can be interpreted in many ways. We don’t really want to give you too many clues, but suffice it to say that it is anti “gatekeeping” and people telling you what to do and shaming you when you speak up. It was originally quite folk-rocky in its first iteration, but as the studio session progressed it got poppier and poppier. We decided to follow that line and just see where we ended up. And here we are, with a bouncy merger of late 70s disco rock and contemporary pop music.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for "Juicy Gossip From The Mothership" to life?
We initially worked with our regular producer, Sigve Høghaug, who has produced and mixed all our output to date, in his studio in eastern Norway. It’s great working with Sigve because he has a knack for what we’re into and is very helpful in bringing what we want to the fore or doing his utmost to facilitate for the sound we’re hearing inside our heads. Then, through some mutual acquaintances, we got to work with a real hotshot in the music industry for the mix and master. Due to contractual obligations, we aren’t allowed to disclose his name. Hence, we have credited him as “the Hotshot.” This guy has worked with some real icons in his time, like Beyonce, Billy Joel, Toni Braxton…you name it. So that was a real treat!
What did you enjoy most about making "Juicy Gossip From The Mothership?"
Two things. The melody and lyrics came really easily and we were just very excited to bring it to life in the studio together with Sigve. We had a really fun session knocking it out. Secondly, the experience of having it mixed and mastered by “the Hotshot” was incredibly inspiring. It took on a second life. He gave it pop wings and it’s out flying solo now. We always want our new singles sounding quite radically different from the preceding ones, and working with him really ensured that. It was fab!
What has been the most memorable experience or achievement in your music career so far?
We’re on our 6th single now. Up until now, our most successful single is this track of ours entitled “Cosmo Crowd”. Having that reach 100,000 streams on Spotify alone was quite inspiring. We know we’re not in the big leagues yet, but for us that’s quite a cool thing to know that there are people out there listening and liking what they’re hearing. So that’s been a cool thing.
Where do you find inspiration for your songs or musical ideas?
We find inspiration from many sources. The ideas just pop into our heads. But, as people who hear our music usually remark, we’re really inspired by The Beatles and British pop music in general. Apart from that, we are big fans of classic British comedy and British pop culture in general. That kind of quirky, slightly whimsical approach you find there is a tradition that we find ourselves connecting with.