Q&A: Ski Team on the Raw Intimacy of ‘Islands’, Creative Freedom and Finding Beauty in Imperfection
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
BROOKLYN-BASED SKI TEAM HAS A KNACK FOR CAPTURING THE IN-BETWEEN MOMENTS - the quiet realizations, the shifting tides of emotion, the weight of nostalgia. Her latest EP, Islands, is a testament to that, featuring the hauntingly layered hymn-like title track, a striking contrast to the more polished indie-pop single “Me.”
With influences ranging from Outkast to Yo La Tengo to Appalachian folk hymns, Lozinski crafts music that resists easy categorization. Her songwriting is instinctual, built on feeling rather than formula, and Islands is a perfect example of that approach.
In our interview, Ski Team—aka Lucie Lozinski—dives into the organic, improvisational process behind Islands, how collaboration fuels her creativity, and why she doesn’t worry about fitting into a genre. She also shares the deeply personal connection she feels to the ocean and how that energy shaped this release. Raw, unfiltered, and deeply evocative, Islands is an exercise in letting go—and as Ski Team tells us, that’s exactly what makes it so special.
LUNA: Islands is described as a hymn. Can you elaborate on that? What kind of spiritual or emotional weight does it carry for you?
SKI TEAM: I mostly describe it that way because of its structure. It's more like four stanzas of poetry than a typical verse-chorus-verse-chorus song. The only songs I know like that are hymns from growing up in church.
That said, I do have a spiritual and emotional connection to the ocean, and "Islands" gets at that. I don't think this connection is unique to me. There's something about staring at the ocean that feels like communicating with God. This timeless thing in perpetual motion—beautiful, powerful, healing, crushing. And beach towns in general—there's something somber and deep under all the Hawaiian shirts.
LUNA: You mentioned that “Islands” was written while producing "Me." Can you talk more about the creative process and how these two songs inform and contrast with each other?
SKI TEAM: Sure. My brother Ian and I produced "Me," and he put this crystallize effect on the bass that became my favorite sound of that song. I wanted to extend that to another song and build on it, so I pasted it into a new project and looped it in my headphones and just sang what came to me.
I didn't bring it to the studio until a few months later. I had finished all the work I'd brought to the studio one day and still had an hour or two of time booked with the engineer, so I was like, "Uhhhh, we could try this strange hymn I have in my head." We turned the lights off and I sat on the floor in the booth. Took off my headphones so I wasn't singing to a click or tone or anything—just letting it flow how it wanted to, in whatever key or rhythm came out. When I came out the engineer said it made him cry, so…figured we should keep going. He gave me a new track and I improvised harmonies over the top. Probably took us less than thirty minutes to track it, didn't chop it up or edit takes. Just left it honest.
LUNA: You've collaborated with a diverse range of musicians, from your brother to saxophonist Matt Podell. How do these different collaborations shape your sound and creative process?
SKI TEAM: Every musician is completely different. Just like athletes or friends or artists, you can't sub one person in for another and expect to get the same thing—they all bring a distinct energy and do things a little differently. I like working with lots of different people just like I enjoy talking to lots of different people. Keeps all the conversations fresh and interesting.
To answer the question a little more directly, these collaborations have a huge influence on sound and creative process. Each time I work with someone new I learn something. A mentor of mine told me not to worry about having a throughline—that because I'm writing the songs and singing them, like…I am the throughline. I think that's great advice for any artist trying to find their own voice and story while trying things. Like, don't worry about it—just go do stuff, and everything will come through you, so everything will feel like you.
LUNA: Your music often explores themes of relationships and personal growth. How do you approach songwriting and find inspiration for these themes?
SKI TEAM: My approach to songwriting is basically to get out of the way. I have something stuck in my head almost 100% of the time, and most of it is new. Whatever I find sticking around, I record it, I don't think much at all, and then I listen back later and can hear some of the themes.
Once that like…subconscious channeling part's done, I switch to a more editorial/poetry brain. It's more like getting the song to reveal itself to me than brute forcing a song into the world. So the themes aren't really "things I want to tell people" but more "things I guess I had on my mind." I sometimes process emotional experiences pretty slowly—like, powering through in the moment, and then reflecting later, once I'm ready. I find a lot of my songs are just me kinda figuring out how I really feel about something.
LUNA: Your music has been described as a blend of Americana and modern soundscapes. Can you talk more about the influences that shape this unique blend?
SKI TEAM:I have a hard time putting a finger on genre and sound—partially because I don't know how to describe the music I like listening to, and partially because I'm never consciously designing my music according to influences; it's always just happening, and it sounds like what it sounds like. So I suppose I'm paying attention and learning how people describe it as I put each new song out.
SKI TEAM: But yes! Some artists I really admire or…who've kinda put me down a whole path…are Outkast, The New Pornographers, Yo La Tengo, Gorillaz, Gal Costa, Ludovico Einaudi, Jorge Ben Jor. I'm interested in textures, space, real vocals, and using voice as a percussive instrument. Somehow everything I make veers a little Americana/folk/country, which I assume is from the music my parents listened to and growing up singing kinda Appalachian sounding songs in church.
LUNA: Your music has been praised for its vulnerability and honesty. How do you create such an intimate and personal connection with your listeners through your songwriting?
SKI TEAM: Thanks. I…do not know. Songwriting is a thing I both take very seriously—just something I've always studied—and try not to think too hard about. Some things off the top of my head: I try not to filter out the raw stuff. Anything that gives me a chill or makes me cry I try to leave in. I like stories. I like scenery. But I don't like when it's an all straightforward story, and the mystery gets lost. I think most great songs don't leave you with full closure—they just make contact with the truth for a brief moment.
LUNA: What are your hopes for Islands and how do you envision it resonating with listeners?
SKI TEAM: I hope people listen to "Islands" in headphones or at home in a quiet room. I don't think this song is for everyone. But I didn't like…doctor it. It's straight from inside of me, pretty unfiltered. I think being raw and direct tends to resonate with people looking for genuine connection. So I hope anyone who's seeking a little moment of pause and connection finds it in this song.
LUNA: What's next for Ski Team?
SKI TEAM: Oh boy! So much! There is a debut LP in mastering! A music video for Islands! Just did some improvised session work in LA that's got me extremely excited. More shows in more cities. A project in London with an amazing strings group. Just…so much to be excited about.
