Q&A: DUUNES Puts the Pieces Together on Debut EP ‘Vacation From Myself’
FRESH OUT OF NEW YORK — DUUNES is stepping out into the spotlight with no curtain call in sight. The indie alt-rock band just released their debut EP, Vacation From Myself, a project filled with infectious hooks, painfully relatable emotional ballads, and upbeat sounds reminiscent of the best of the early aughts. The combination of these elements makes every track on the EP truly stand out in their own way.
Frontman and songwriter Harrison Cohen pulled inspirations from his favorite rock groups and combined them with collaborative sessions with exceptional producers to create Vacation From Myself. It’s a polished debut that shows off Cohen’s pointed songwriting — not to mention intriguing instrumental moments such as the standout guitar licks in “Higher” and the poppy synths that introduce “Delusional.”
There’s a confident energy to DUUNES and that’s only further solidified when seeing the group live. Cohen has already seemed to perfect his energetic stage presence while the band seamlessly locks in step. The project comes alive on stage, as guitars play out with a rocky fuzz and voices from the crowd chime in shouting the chorus of “Lovebomb.”
Luna met up with lead singer Cohen on a drizzly night at Mominette, his go-to Bushwick nightcap. Clad in a Metropolitan Museum baseball hat and leather jacket, Cohen was floored by the early weekend reception of DUUNES’ latest EP. After writing and performing original music for most of his life, this is the new project that’s made all the puzzle pieces come together for him. Read below as we chat with Cohen about all things writing, the NYC live scene, and his favorite tidbits of art history.
LUNA: Congrats on your debut EP, Vacation From Myself! How are you feeling about putting this piece of work out into the world?
COHEN: I'm feeling great! I've been working on this body of work for about a year and a half now. To have it out in the world and for friends, family, and people I don’t know to reach out and say, “‘I'm really digging this,’ has made it a great few days since it came out last Friday.’
LUNA: What is your writing process like? Do you write lyrics and melody first, or does the production tend to shape the tracks?
COHEN: A lot of these songs came from building out tracks and talking about what I wanted the songs to be about. I would typically get together with the guys I was writing with, Jason, Jordan, and Cass and we’d just start laying down chords or a guitar melody, and then start top-lining. The song would grow and blossom from there. For some reason, the bridges always came last. In terms of production, I was going in with a very clear idea of what I wanted this music to sound like.
LUNA: Do you feel your creative process has evolved at all to get to a place to create your first EP?
COHEN: I feel like with time, I've grown, I've learned a lot from different experiences; you're always developing and changing. It’s very easy for me to become a creature of habit and when I fall into a rhythm, sometimes things start to get stale.
For this project, I wrote with other people rather than writing the songs alone. It was the first time I’ve written with others and collaborated on this level. It was also the first time where I started with the music first, as opposed to the lyrics and melody. When I'm writing by myself, it’s usually just me with a guitar, and the melody and lyrics all come at once. So this process was a very exciting, different approach.
LUNA: The first three singles are big, punchy, and filled with catchy hooks mostly centered around past relationships. Do you find that this is a big source of inspiration for you?
COHEN: When it comes to writing, I'm writing about things that I’ve experienced. I think relationships have always been a source of great lyrical inspiration. It's one of the things that you see pretty much everywhere, whether it's commercials, movies, TV. The Lord of the Rings even has romantic scenes. It's relevant in everything.
A lot of the EP was also about mental mind games, overthinking, and anxiety. I write a lot about battling with inner demons. Writing music has always been a way for me to make sense of them.
LUNA: Was there a moment in your life that sticks out as the point where you knew you were going to pursue being an artist?
COHEN: Was there a moment that I felt I wanted to do music? No, I feel like this is just something I've always wanted to do and have always been sure about. I grew up being involved in music from a very young age and it’s the only thing that motivates me. Songwriting has always been something that I found to be a very challenging and unique art form. It's the one thing that no matter how many times you do it, it’s different every time. Growing up, I remember being in school and writing songs throughout most of my classes. Plus the energy and the rush that you get from performing is like nothing else. That isn't exactly a moment, but that's probably the answer.
LUNA: You’ve been playing gigs around NYC for the past year. What’s your experience been like in the New York music scene?
COHEN: I would say that it's only been positive. I think right now we're experiencing a moment with this whole indie rock, New York music scene where there are so many incredible bands and artists just popping up every other day. The shows have an extremely vibrant, pulsing energy. We're not just talking about one show a week — we're talking about the weeks being saturated with shows in the best way possible.
There are so many cool underground shows that you could pull up to. I was recently at a house show off the Delancey/Essex stop for the Telescreens and Cab Ellis and it was one of the coolest gig experiences I’ve had. It’s great to go to shows at places like the Bowery Ballroom where everyone just knows one another and you see musicians supporting musicians. As a diehard indie-rock enthusiast, I listen to all these bands in my free time and I'm rooting for everyone. It’s a special time and a special scene to be a part of, and I'm very glad I live in New York to be a part of it.
LUNA: Your live shows are truly electric — what do you think it takes to be an exceptional frontman of a band?
COHEN: Woah, that's a loaded question. I don't think that there's one thing. I think when you get on stage you need to give zero fucks, just go for it, forget about the rest of the world, and give it your all. You don't get to decide if you're a good frontman, the people get to decide.
LUNA: What is one of your favorite memories from making the EP?
COHEN: When I was writing “Wild” with Cass Dillon. I remember listening back to it with him, vibing so hard and thinking to myself, “Wow, I would actually listen to this.” It was one of the first times where I was like, I really like what I'm doing right now.
Another moment was finishing “Love Bomb” with Jason and Jordan and dancing around their studio. “Love Bomb” is a special song for me since it was the first DUUNES song to exist.
LUNA: Are there any lyrics or musical moments from other artists or pieces of media that you can’t get out of your head and/or have influenced your artistry?
COHEN: At the time of writing these songs, I was finding a lot of inspiration in Barns Courtney. In terms of the alternative rock space right now, he is at the forefront and is killing it. I was listening a lot to his song “Supernatural” and his album 404.
I was also listening to a lot of Interpol. In “Love Bomb,” We did a very cool staccato guitar part on the choruses that you hear in a lot of Interpol songs. They're one of my all-time favorite bands. I was also listening to a lot of Queens of the Stone Age and WALK THE MOON as well.
The night before I wrote “Emotional Damage,” I was watching the Yellowstone spinoff 1923, and there's a line in the show between two of the characters, who were passionate lovers that goes, “I don't want to share you with your demons.” I thought that line was sick so I got my notebook out while watching the scene and wrote down that entire conversation. The next day, “Emotional Damage” came to life.
LUNA: If you could wake up one day and be an expert at anything that isn’t music, what would it be?
COHEN: I'd love to be an expert on the Hudson River School art movement of the 1800s. I love landscape paintings by artists like Thomas Cole, Frederic Edwin Church, and Asher Brown Durand. I go to The Met all the time. So if I wasn't doing music, I'd love to be an art historian.
LUNA: Anything else to tell the Luna audience?
COHEN: For anyone in New York, we’re doing a big birthday headlining show at Brooklyn Made on June 21, with Bec Lauder and Harrison Lipton. Be on the lookout for new music. The EP just came out, but more is coming a lot sooner than you think!
