Q&A: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti: New EP ‘Spectacle’ is a Knockout Collaboration
IN A CAPTIVATING BLEND OF ROMANTICISM AND INTROSPECTION - Daisy the Great’s latest EP, Spectacle: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti is where ethereal harmonies dance playfully with rock and jazz-infused instrumentals. The result is a sonic landscape that feels both timeless and urgent, balancing beautiful melodies with lyrics that linger long after the music fades.
Grammy-winning producer Tony Visconti’s legendary production is evident throughout, casting a warm, almost nostalgic glow on the instrumentation. Visconti, captivated by the band's raw talent and undeniable stage presence, saw an opportunity to shape something truly special.
He masterfully amplifies the band's signature "grungy indie band" energy, elevating it to new heights without sacrificing the raw honesty that defines Daisy the Great's sound. Listening to Spectacle: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti is like stepping back in time, its vintage-tinged soundscapes evoking the spirit of the 60s and 70s while exploring emotions that remain profoundly relevant today.
Daisy the Great's latest EP, Spectacle: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti, is more than just a collection of songs; it's a testament to the magic that happens when creative forces collide. It is a kaleidoscope of sound, showcasing the band's evolution and Visconti's legendary production. From the dissonant harmonies of "Butterfly, Stay Dry" to the romantic whispers of "Pretty Painting," each track is a journey: a story told through lush instrumentation and the duo's captivating vocal interplay.
This is Daisy the Great at their most expansive, their most fearless. We had the opportunity to sit down with Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker from Daisy the Great to delve deeper into the creative process behind Spectacle: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti, the magic of collaborating with Tony Visconti, and the stories behind their soul-stirring lyrics.
Photo by Eva Smittle
LUNA: Spectacle: Daisy the Great vs. Tony Visconti is such an intriguing title. What's the story behind it? Does it reflect the creative process or the dynamic between you and Tony?
KELLEY: The title and the single art is a riff on an old boxing poster. It’s inspired by the playful give and take of writing music together and joining spirits and brains and skills to create a thrilling and one of a kind piece of work. One night only meeting of the minds.
MINA: Tony’s so awesome and imaginative, and he really inspired us to trust our big ideas and our freaky ideas. There’s also a lyric in the song “All The People” - “all the people in the city know how to worry ‘bout the kisses and the fights” - that led us to the boxing imagery for this record.
LUNA: You've described meeting Tony Visconti as fate. Can you tell us more about that initial meeting and how the collaboration for this EP unfolded?
KELLEY: So we met Tony Visconti while we were on our first-ever European tour last year. We were nominated for the up-and-coming artists’ Anchor Award at Reeperbahn Festival in Germany and Tony was one the very awesome judges for the awards ceremony, alongside Talya Parx, Banks, and Katie Melua. He watched our sets at the festival and we found out through the grapevine that he wanted to work with us. We, of course, were so so excited. Tony’s an incredible musician and he has been such a big part of so many records we love.is work with Bowie is some of the most special music to us.
MINA: We ended up chatting backstage at the awards show and we discovered that we all live in New York. Once we got back from tour we started to go to Tony’s studio and write together, and eventually we had a little collection of songs that we are so proud of and so excited to release.
LUNA: Recording in both Tony's Chelsea studio and Mina's partner's basement is quite the contrast! How did these different environments influence the sound and feel of the EP?
MINA: Yes! We spent the vast majority of our time at Tony’s studio – we actually just recorded drums one day at my partner Avsha’s basement. He lives in a place with a drum set in a small basement studio so we decided to head over there for live drum recordings. It was cool to work with Tony in a DIY way. I think it made the recordings super special and spontaneous.
KELLEY: Tony’s spot is really cool though, he has a ton of amazing instruments and we felt really at home there working with him. It’s also just insane to think of sitting in there where he’d work with Bowie and everyone and singing in the vocal booth; there’s massive music history that lives in that room.
MINA: The EP is really live-sounding. We recorded as we went so it’s all built on whatever we created in the room as we were writing. It has that handheld feel with a lot of big choices and fun journeys song-to-song through the record.
LUNA: How do you feel this EP differs from your previous work, both sonically and thematically?
KELLEY: This was first and foremost a true collaboration with Tony Visconti. We wrote all of the songs together, he plays on the record along with us and our bandmates Matti and Nardo, and he produced and mixed as well. I don’t think we’ve ever collaborated with someone outside of the band so completely across a piece of work. Thematically, we often wrote about whatever we were talking about in the studio that day. Sometimes [we would go] through our notebooks to mine for ideas, and some songs really felt as though they almost appeared in front of us.
MINA: Yes! As I said earlier, this whole EP feels very spontaneous and free. We really embraced collaboration and letting go. Letting the songs become whatever they were without thinking too hard.
LUNA: Is there a particular song on the EP that holds a special meaning for you or that you're most excited for fans to hear? Why?
KELLEY: I’m excited about “All The People”. That was the first song we wrote with Tony and we made an awesome music video for it with our pal James Dayton. I’m also excited about the harmonies in “Butterfly, Stay Dry”. But I love every song for a different reason.
MINA: I love “Spectacle”. I’m really proud of the lyrics and melodies and chord shifts. That song is very meaningful to me. Feels like the thesis of the EP. It’s also super fun to sing. I also love the honesty in “Fireman”.
LUNA: As artists, what is the most important element in your storytelling while writing this EP?
MINA: I think it was the feeling of following creativity. It was such a gift to be able to work with Tony and he really inspired us to be imaginative and epic and interesting with our choices. We let each song live in its own world, so we really got to follow a lot of different paths and explore. We hope you hear the fun and the grit in the record.
LUNA: You started as acting majors writing a musical. How did that experience shape your approach to songwriting and performing as Daisy the Great?
KELLEY: Well, we were performers first, so we love for the “world” of a song to be robust and fun to play in. We want the songs to feel good to perform. We love a good story and are generally very interested in how the music can further the storytelling and provide subconscious context and detail. We also feel quite free to let every song live in a different place, and we dip into different characters and points of view song-to-song. I hope it keeps us imaginative and specific and bold.
LUNA: What are you currently listening to? (favorite artists/current influences/etc)
MINA: I’m listening to the new Porches record, Lucinda Williams, The House of Woodcock radio on Spotify, but mostly been listening to this podcast Otherworld, which is a podcast where people tell their stories about interactions with paranormal stuff. It’s very scary and cool.
KELLEY: I’ve been listening to a ton of Sufjan Stevens and Fiona Apple. And Chappell and Charli xcx and Sabrina’s records. And Billie’s record. We also just sang “I’ll Be Your Mirror” by The Velvet Underground for our guitarist/bassist Matt’s wedding! So so sweet. I listened to that a million times in a row and it’s so beautiful and so stuck in my head. And Mina also got me listening to Otherworld.
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