Q&A: With Clear Melodies and Full Hearts, Shallowhalo Releases Debut Album ‘No Fun’
THERE’S AN OLD SAYING ABOUT MUSICIANS — that states, “If you’re a musician and also a programmer, you’re frickin’ sick.” And what a coincidence that artist Shallowhalo is all three. What is it about a synth that speaks to all of us? I still remember the first time I heard Shallowhalo’s music, her sweet voice, and the feeling of being intoxicated with the fullest sounds music can offer. It was like the melody was telling me exactly how to feel, exactly where to be.
Bringing with it a sense of belonging, a sense of remembering, Shallowhalo does so without being too obvious or too derivative. It’s something almost all musicians aim for but very few achieve in their lifetimes. Shallowhalo’s new debut album, No Fun, does just that while adding a bit of her very own girlboss programmer flare that keeps everything new and exciting; it’s like hearing music itself again for the very first time.
I was able to sit down with Shallowhalo and ask her some of my own burning questions — friend to friend — about her artistry, vision, process, and the tender love and care that went into the making of No Fun, out now.
LUNA: When did you start making music?
SHALLOWHALO: I started making music in 2016 after I bought a Korg Minilogue. I tried writing a couple of songs but didn’t know how to finish them and got caught up with school and working in fashion. A few years later, I met Harrison [Smith], and he asked if I wanted to play synth in his band, Turtlenecked. This terrified me because I had never been in a band before, but he was cool with that so I said yes and we were able to play a couple shows before the pandemic happened. By then, I was having so much fun playing music with other people so I decided to keep going. Ezra [Tenenbaum] and I started making music together, which is funny because we’d known each other for a long time but never collaborated until then. We were just having fun, challenging ourselves to make a song every couple of weeks to release an EP. Before we knew it, we had 10 songs and decided to put out an album.
LUNA: Who was your biggest musical inspiration while making this album?
SHALLOWHALO: I was aiming to make something that sounded like if you put electroclash, goth pop, twee, and synth pop in a blender. We were also constantly listening to Chris and Cosey, they have so many great songs.
LUNA: What does the songwriting process look like for you?
SHALLOWHALO: We tried a few different ways, and it was different for each song, but I like to constantly be working on new lyrical ideas to help guide the process. I started journaling a few years ago after reading The Artist’s Way, this self-help book for artists. One of the book’s exercises is called “Morning Pages,” where you wake up and immediately start writing whatever is in your head. The only rule is to keep writing until you fill up three pages. It sounds corny, but there's something about when you first wake up when your mind is still in that half-sleep state that helps me write in a more dream-like way.
LUNA: How do you know when a song is finished?
SHALLOWHALO: You just know! It’s very intuitive. Each song has a certain feeling to it, so I know it’s done when I can sit back, close my eyes, and listen through it and get a sense of that feeling we’re trying to evoke. Also, Ezra is really great at keeping the process moving.
LUNA: What’s the craziest show you’ve ever played?
SHALLOWHALO: You were there! It was at Rebecca’s back in October, and there were, like, eight of us playing, except it’s not totally a venue. It’s a small-ish bar in Bushwick, and that night was especially packed. Everyone playing was friends, so our whole extended friend group was there. People were standing on tables just to be able to see. At one point Blake [Blaketheman1000] performed standing on a chair, shirtless. If you weren’t there, I’m sorry. But also, we'll probably do it again soon.
LUNA: Favorite song you’ve ever written?
SHALLOWHALO: “Yesterday's Toy” is probably my favorite because I wrote a whole story behind it and it came together so seamlessly. We originally had a skeleton of a song that I sang gibberish over while I figured out the lyrics. I locked myself in a room and came up with a storyline where I had a porcelain doll that was a little haunted, who was precious to me when I was younger. Over the years, I lost track of her until one day I stumbled upon her in a thrift store, along with everyone else's forgotten toys. Seeing her brought back all the good memories we had together and a strong sense of nostalgia so I vowed to never leave her again.
LUNA: What’s the best and most challenging thing about making music?
SHALLOWHALO: The hardest part for me is letting go of your own judgment and self-doubt and trusting your gut. Sometimes the things that you’re most insecure or nervous about are the things that are most important to express. The best part is all of the friends I've made along the way and finally feeling like I have a little crew, which I think is important living in New York.
LUNA: Other than making music, you’re a fashion icon — Who are some of your biggest inspirations there?
SHALLOWHALO: Music has always inspired my fashion style. I used to be obsessed with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when I was younger and I wanted to be like Karen O. She wore clothes made by Christian Joy that had kind of a glam, punk, DIY aesthetic, and that inspired me to start making clothes. I don't really make clothes anymore, but I love hunting for weird vintage pieces on Poshmark and eBay. I feel like my style hasn't changed all that much. I'm a maximalist and love anything that's perfect/awful. Perfectawful was my old Instagram handle and I think it's a perfect representation of the kind of clothes I like to wear: things that are so weird that they're perfect. I wear a lot of vintage clothes, but some of my favorite current designers are Simone Rocha, Collina Strada, and Claire Barrow.
LUNA: What’s next for Shallowhalo?
SHALLOWHALO: Shallowhalo and Turtlenecked are touring together in August, which I’m really excited about since it’ll be my first time touring. Other than that, we’re continuing to write music so this won’t be our last rodeo.
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