Q&A: Shower Curtain Announces Debut Record ‘words from a wishing well’
EMERGING INDIE BAND — Shower Curtain, the four-piece NYC band led by Brazilian-American artist Victoria Winter, have announced their debut album words from a wishing well due out October 18. Arriving with the announcement is lead single “wish u well” and its official music video, which offers a preview of the sonically swirling but complex echo chamber of early adulthood captured by Victoria and her bandmates; Cody Hudgins (bass), Ethan Williams (guitar) and Sean Terrell (drums).
Self-produced with Williams, “wish u well” serves as an ode to the early bedroom pop beginnings of Shower Curtain whilst showcasing how the band has grown leaps and bounds through break-up musings and layered guitar riffs.
"Wish u well" marks a significant evolution from the band's early bedroom pop roots. The track serves as an ode to those beginnings, but also showcases Shower Curtain's growth, weaving break-up musings with layered guitar riffs. It captures the feeling of having the rug swept from under your feet – a sensation that many experience during the tumultuous transition into adulthood. Victoria explains that "wish u well" is a manifestation of what her teenage self dreamed the project could one day become.
“‘Wish u well’ is about the feeling of having the rug swept from underneath you,” Winter says. “In a lot of ways, I think this song is a lot of what my teenage self wished the project could create. That vision has long changed and I am definitely aware of this song not having the more shoegaze and heavier grunge elements that represent the project's new phase and is more similar to the old phase of Shower Curtain. Yet, I still think its production is unmatched and next level between Ethan and I.”
The music video, directed by Trevor Scholl and starring Brenna Gonzalez (Lola Star), features Gonzalez picking up emotional baggage to the point of exhaustion.
On creating the video, Scholl says, “It’s an ode to the mentally healing aspect of going for a walk and how stepping out invites the unexplainable. I wanted to capture the sense of exploration found in fantasy films while capturing places we frequent and not relying on overtly ‘magical’ props. ‘wish u well’ is a wistful and bittersweet song. I ultimately wanted to extend these emotions with a daydream in a video.”
Last year’s singles represented a significant milestone in the band's journey, signaling a bold artistic evolution for the band from bedroom pop to sludgy rock after a two-year hiatus.
Words from a wishing well sketches early adulthood experiences in swirling layers of guitars. Winter wrote its tracks across her first few years of living in New York City, and they exist within a conversation between one’s own intuition and that of the universe. Channeling the sludgy distortion of 90s shoegaze and grunge, words from a wishing well establishes Shower Curtain as a standout in the indie realm.
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna again, it’s an absolute pleasure to have you back since your “Edgar” single release. I would love to catch up and see how life has been treating you since then and what you’ve been up to since?
SHOWER CURTAIN: Life has been good! I graduated college and now we are done with the record so it feels like another major send off as well.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
SHOWER CURTAIN: I’d say emotional space is probably more important than the atmosphere. I think one that is very sweet and vulnerable but I also wanna express more dark and shadowy emotions at times as well with the listeners such as frustration, comparison, envy and rage. I think balancing those two is really what I try to do with lyricism or loudness/texture.
LUNA: You’re originally from Brazil. How would you describe the music scene in Brazil compared to where you’ve lived in New York and LA? Are there similarities or differences that you’ve noticed between these scenes?
SHOWER CURTAIN: I think each place is pretty different to be honest. In Brazil there isn't as big of an indie rock scene as there is in the U.S., but I love the scene so deeply, people love to sing and dance and love their artists so hard. It’s obviously harder to tour and play often, especially post-pandemic in Curitiba (where I'm originally from) because a lot of the DIY spaces closed down during the pandemic. New York has a lot of diversity and I found it was easier to expose me to different sounds.
LUNA: You just released your latest single “wish u well.” I would love to hear anything you would like to share on the song’s inspirations and creative processes.
SHOWER CURTAIN: I think this song out of the whole record is the most indie-rock/ pop out of all of them. It just felt like it didn't need to be heavy or distorted like the rest. I was really inspired by some of the records coming out in late 2023 at the time we were wrapping up the recording process, like the new Slow Pulp record’s use of more 2000’s sounding drum machines. Reminiscing on the early Avril Lavingne records and a little bit of Liz Phair. It was the last song of the record to be recorded so I think that did also influence the tightness in the sounds and more assertive choices I felt while recording this.
LUNA: “Wish u well” is a sneak peek into your upcoming debut record words from a wishing well. What can listeners expect from you in this new era of music?
SHOWER CURTAIN: As I mentioned, definitely heavier alternative rock and shoegaze influences which hasn’t been seen before, but also some use of electronic elements in some songs, more intricate instrumentals. Still true to the pop-driven melodies and very true to the indie rock essence of the band.
LUNA: What is the inspiration behind words from a wishing well and what themes and emotions do you explore?
SHOWER CURTAIN: It explores themes of early adulthood, like heartbreak, anxieties and confusion, and envy. But overall the themes of the record are of intuition and in conversation with the universe to lead the next steps.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from words from a wishing well and why do you love this song? Is there a certain element, lyric or message that you gravitate towards the most?
SHOWER CURTAIN: “Bedbugs” are definitely on the top of my list. I think it's the heaviest one of the records and I love how loud we got with it since it's something I’ve never done before.
LUNA: Have you experimented more or taken any more risks with words from a wishing well compared to your previous releases, whether that’s lyrically, sonically or even emotionally?
SHOWER CURTAIN: Yeah to all of them. We explored adding different elements to the production like electronic drums at times and using strings in a song. Lyrically, I’ve definitely been trying to develop more poetic ways and being intentional with my word compared to the past. I think I also speak less about love and more about darker emotions in the record then before, like envy, anxiety, jealousy and self-comparison.
LUNA: Did you have any lessons or breakthroughs while creating the record, whether that’s artistically or personally?
SHOWER CURTAIN: To not write a record as you record it.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
SHOWER CURTAIN: We are going on a North American tour which is really exciting – to be announced soon – going south and to the midwest and back. And we are recording new music!
