Becoming with Boyish
With vocals drenched in a velvety, dreamlike essence and a message that resonates to the core, it is difficult to listen to the song just once. “Smithereens” instantly transports listeners into their own personal coming-of-age movie, complete with a windows-down, hair blowing in the wind montage. Their forthcoming EP, to be released in spring of 2022, will hopefully expand upon this intimate journey of becoming – one thing is for sure, we are definitely excited to find out.
Continue reading to get the inside scoop on Boyish’s new single and what’s to come.
What makes the two of you so compatible as collaborators? Do you have any differences that you believe actually strengthen your relationship as a musical duo?
Claire – I think we work really well as collaborators because, at our core, we love the same kind of music. We’re drawn to the same parts in songs, or the same production style, or certain lyrics or instruments. We just both got extremely lucky to find someone who’s on the same page musically. And the best part is, as our music tastes have grown and changed, they’ve changed together! When it comes to writing and producing, I do think we are very different in our approaches. I always seem to hit a song pretty hard right away with lots of guitar and heavier production, and India is very good at weeding out what’s taking up too much space in the song and keeps it in check. India is really great at slowing down and focusing in on a part or a sound and tends to think a lot before acting. I think I am more the kind to jump in, try something, scrap it, try it again, and figure out what I like and what I don’t like. So we really balance each other out in that way.
What directly inspired the music video concept for “Smithereens”?
Claire & India – The music video was directly inspired by the movie “The Runaways” with Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, in terms of aesthetic and energy. The concept is being invisible to the people around you no matter what you do to try to get their attention. I think we also wanted to play off of the juxtaposition between the lyrics of the song, which are pretty dark, and the actual music, which is pretty upbeat and fun. In the video we wanted it to just look like a really good time, even though the underlying concept of not being seen at all and doing anything for attention is really sad.
How have your individual identities shaped your sound and lyrics?
C – I feel like when you’re gay, you learn to love differently. When I was growing up I hid so much of myself – any feelings I had or crushes – I kept just for myself. Even now, those feelings are very vulnerable, and I really only let them out through music. I always want to write something that makes me feel like I have a crush on someone and tapping back into those feelings I had growing up is really inspiring to me. I think my identity has made me really sensitive. I think it’s also made me more self-aware, and that’s something that’s very important in writing lyrics.
I – I feel like I’m constantly having an identity crisis. But I think that’s part of growing up, so I feel like that growing up experience is really prevalent in my lyrics. Growing up used to be something that terrified me, up until very recently. Even when I was little I hated the idea that one day I might be different. That feeling of anxiety also started to show up when I was making music, I would worry that I didn’t sound like myself. But it was actually so soothing and relieving to write about how I felt, it helped me be a more honest writer. I think now I’m kind of excited at the prospect of changing and growing.
What is one aspect of the EP that you are both really excited to share with the world?
C & I – We’re really excited to create a world within our EP, so when people listen it’s like they’re being brought into a specific moment in time in our lives. We’re really excited to show that we’re growing as songwriters and producers. Also, we’re just excited to share something that we’re so proud of!
Watch the music video for "Smithereens" below.
