Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
Meg— Where did you make the majority of your music? How did you end up in New York doing music?
Comet— I just randomly came here because I hated living in LA. I was born in London, moved to Florida as a child, moved to LA. I finished high school in LA and started a band there. Then I quit the band, then started a solo project that is accidentally becoming a band again. But most of the last project I recorded alone in my room.
And now you’re in the studio here working on?
An EP. A long EP.
How’d the band come into play?
When I first got here and got booked for a show I was like okay I can just do it with my guitar and vocals. But I always like having a band and I found some people and ended up liking them and now they’re playing shows with me and recording with me.
What was your first show here?
Onos at the Brooklyn Monarch.
Is it difficult to release music or be ready to play it publicly? How do you get to the point where you’re ready to take it there?
I’ve always been end goal minded. When I write a song the whole time I’m thinking what the video would look like or what a cover would look like. Its always my goal to put stuff out… like I found one of my friends who’s a producer and she said she’d love to produce something for someone else. So we met at her house in Burbank. I cobbled my band together and I already had an album written so we put together this really awfully produced album, that I feel now is unlistenable. But thats some peoples favorite work from me, the first album.
Well you always hold that up in the future, like look how raw I used to be. You mention how intertwined visuals and sound are for you. I personally feel like your vibe is Jamie Bochart meets Courtney Love.
Yes.
Are your look and sound references the same?
I feel like they are kind of different. Actually on my unreleased, new stuff they are from the same place, but when I’m thinking of visual references they’re a lot more movie based and things I see and from the internet. Growing up in Florida, I think about having a small town aesthetic, running through the woods-vibe. Which is not super grunge, and not very inner city.
I think a lot of people who grow up outside of cities have a very isolated experience. But when we think of the OG grunge scene we get imagery from when these people had all come together, started bands, and were having a moment in the Pacific Northwest or whatever. But the music still sounds sort of lonely. What are your biggest musical references?
There’s so many. But obviously Hole is a big one. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of The Sundays, Emilíana Torrini. Which I feel like you can’t hear sonically, but lyrically… Also Sonic Youth , always. And I’ve been inspired but just like friends lately. What everyone’s been doing in the scene. There’s an interesting kind of Nu grunge.
New York really needed instruments again.. Its time for the return of the band… Guys are always doing it but its boring and no ones paying attention. All of a sudden all these girls have come in and its making it exciting to go to shows again. Who are some people you really like in New York right now?
I love Taraneh, Thoom, my friend Nussy Andrews who played a show with us in Ridgewood. She’s an amazing pianist and makes this music thats really intense.. She makes songs that pierce right through you. Its sort of Fiona Apple, Nina SImone, i don't know just something I never see at live shows.
I have a feeling in two years everyone will be ripping it all off.
For the song “Winona”, the video is perfect.
The song is a love song. But for the video, thats lame. I wanted the video to be about girl best friends.
So much of the experience of love is girls talking about it with each other.
Exactly. And I feel like the song is kind of ambiguous in terms of what kind of love its about. I filmed it with my friend Ruby Bryant. It was a cloudy day in Los Angeles. Ruby had a camcorder and my friend Jo Barajas filmed us in the back of her boyfriends old car.
Its very Tumblr, soft grunge grayscale.
Yeah, all of us grew up on that, so lets just create new that.
Teenage dreams achieved in our twenties. On “Beauty Marks”, you talk about wanting to be a little girl, starving and sick, beauty and pain. Especially in girl rock, there’s a lot of referencing girlhood lyrically and even visually. Especially in the 90s. What do you that's about?
Obviously I have a different perspective. Just seeing girls grow up around me, and then having that experience as an adult, later on. There is such a pull in society to be small, and diminish yourself as a woman. To be younger and smaller and cuter and thinner and whatever. And that line “ I long to be a little girl” is also a line about me longing for what I didn’t have as a girl. And missing that in a way, but also the current social pull to be that.
What is your ideal show? Be shallow.
I’ve played a lot of shows. I want shows where my friends are in the greenroom, everyone is dressed really cute, I have girls in the front, and their boyfriends at the merch booth buying things. For my EP release, I have a lot of visuals of wing removal and fallen angels bla bla bla whatever. For the release show I want to be almost naked, surrounded in feathers, and chained to the drums.
Tell me more about the upcoming EP.
For the release show I want my friends on the EP to perform. Lucy Loone and Taraneh are both on the new EP. The EP is called Two Winged. It will probably come out this summer. It's a journey through lost innocence. Accepting it and wrything over that realization. Overall accepting it but…
But you suffer.
But you suffer. It's the suffering through it. It's funny. Like the last song sounds really sad. But to me it's always been a happy song. Because it's kind of about accepting the way things are.
I feel like guys are always asking why women want to listen to sad music. And i'm like, you do not get it.
Exactly. Even my mom is always like “you should make happier music you’ll be more popular and make more money if you make popular music." But every artist I listen to doesn’t make happy music. For me all that stuff is the only way to let it go. I'm a big let go-er.
Live through this. A lot of your vocals are growly and have a lot of tension. But you have such a lovely voice. Were you educated musically?
I come from a very musical family. Growing up I quit guitar, quit vocal lessons, quit dance. My parents were both ballerinas so I had a very musical surrounding. Me and my sister both make music and have always been singers.
Music education drop out. Grunge.
Exactly. Even my mom is always like “you should make happier music you’ll be more popular and make more money if you make popular music." But every artist I listen to doesn’t make happy music. For me all that stuff is the only way to let it go. I'm a big let go-er.
Live through this. A lot of your vocals are growly and have a lot of tension. But you have such a lovely voice. Were you educated musically?
I come from a very musical family. Growing up I quit guitar, quit vocal lessons, quit dance. My parents were both ballerinas so I had a very musical surrounding. Me and my sister both make music and have always been singers.
Music education drop out. Grunge.
Tell me about how your wrote your new single “Dirty.”
I wrote “Dirty” because I was angry. I wanted something loud and agressive that I would’ve stomped my feet to during class. The song is about a pledge to imperfection: to always stay dirty and never get clean, whatever that means.
How did you write and record it?
“Dirty” has taken many forms, originally as an LA bedroom demo, which is still where Lucy’s vocals are ripped from. She recorded them super stoned in like two takes. The final version was recorded in the East Village in a studio that Grant (Lepping), my bassist, works at. He co-produced the single as well.
What state were you in when you wrote it?
In limbo. I had lost my job, a modeling contract, a boyfriend and I was totally like what the fuck is going on with my life. 2 months before I said fuck it and moved to NYC.
Is there a video?
Yes! My friend Patrick Hartley shot one for me while I was in LA. We shot it in Joshua Tree and it was directed by me and Jo Barajas.
Anything you want to add?
Listen to the single and the EP bla bla bla. Carry more things made of paper with you, books, notepad, cash, and if you’re a girl who wants to get into music please play drums or run sound we need more of you.
Listen to Comet here.
Whu Else's keen ear for melody is no surprise, as he comes from a family of church musicians and has been studying music from his childhood. He combines his love of rap and classic rock with elements of church music, resulting in an entirely unique sound that has captivated industry insiders and fans alike.
His first project, I Fell in Love with a Beat, dropped in February 2020 and was a successful introduction to his artistry, placing him firmly under the spotlight. The subsequent release of Big Brain Man only cemented his position as a rising star in the industry, garnering praise from publications such as Complex, Pigeons and Planes, and Lyrical Lemonade.
With the release of BIG BRAIN MAN II and the accompanying video for "MAN MADE ASTEROID," Whu Else confirms his creative vision, pushing boundaries and exploring topics that intrigue and challenge. This album is a must-listen for anyone looking for something fresh and innovative in today's landscape of music.
Did you get a chance to listen to the album?
Yeah, I've been listening to y'all for a really long time since “Thug Waffles” so it was pretty nice getting to listen to the album early.
That’s crazy, we all grew up together. We're about 30 years old now, huh? It’s wild.
You've been active for over a decade now. How do you see Beast Coast and your legacy in hip hop?
Nine times out of ten when I leave my house, somebody's gonna come up to me and say, dude, you helped me get through high school and changed the way I look at certain things or you helped me get through a traumatic experience. So for the Flatbush Zombie legacy, I hear that all the time. It was special, the Beast Coast thing. So maybe I'm not a fucking Grammy recording, winning artist, but I have a legacy that has touched people for over 10 years.
That’s such a beautiful answer. How important was New York and Flatbush in establishing your sound?
Well, I didn't get adopted by my grandparents till I was seven years old. I used to steal CDs and tapes from my cousins and my aunts and just listen to all the classic music. I was over there getting in trouble at seven, eight years old for rapping Ol’ Dirty Bastard, not knowing what the fuck it meant. I didn’t understand what Flatbush was till I got older and started hustling. Being on the streets really shaped the music too because now I'm talking about my life stories and things of that nature.
I remember the acronym that Flatbush Zombies coined, “Death and Reincarnation Under God.” Do psychedelics still play a large role in your work?
Um, I didn't know it played a large role, but it did obviously. But I never noticed it because I was just in the moment and doing it, even though we talk about acid in like 50% of our songs. When I was younger and I tripped, I was trying to go places and then turn into a fucking wizard that can make shit move and levitate. But I don't do that anymore, I got shit to do. I got kids. I don't rely on psychedelics for music.
How does it feel releasing your debut solo album?
Shit, around the time that Covid hit Meech, Erick and I were trying to figure out what to do next. The computer crashed and we actually lost all of our music. I feel like when you separate from the pack for a second, it gives people the opportunity to just judge you. And that was desperately needed for my soul, because I just wanted to be judged for myself. I always say to myself, I can't forgive myself for being 30 years old and just starting my Spotify page.
When I was listening, I noticed a lot of songs where you were singing. Do you feel like that shift in sound relates to the subject content that you're dealing with?
It kind of started from me at home listening to Lo Fi beats on YouTube. I felt like most people knew me for high energy and fast raps. I realized that expressing your feelings didn’t have to always mean yelling or having high energy. I like to say that if you know me or you want to know me or you want to hang out with me, listen to the album. This album definitely feels conversational.
What are the ideas that you want listeners to take away from the conversation?
We're not fucking superheroes. We might be super humans but we're not superheroes. We're vulnerable, real life happens. Right now we’re in an era where the whole world is on some influencer shit, some social media shit, everyone just wants to flex. For my debut album, I didn't want to add on to that pile of music. You mentioned the word Black earlier and all of us have to heal, especially the black community. The Black community's been broken and part of the reason why it's broken is because our parents are so traumatized. Our generation is more in tune with ourselves and healing, now we're trying to teach our kids the new shit but our kids are computers. Things are moving and changing so fast.
You touch on things like generational trauma on the album. How does it feel being so vulnerable?
It’s healing for me. I've been doing reiki and energy healings, going to therapy and things like that for the last seven, eight years of my life. For instance, me talking about my mother, all the fucking time is real. I don't celebrate my birthday because I feel guilty for being alive. Making the album helped me grow. It helped me say, okay, maybe I should celebrate my birthday this year. When is your birthday? It was July 8th man. My lover said we should go to New York for my birthday and I was like, I'm not gonna fight you. So we went to fucking New York. I was calling my friends and my family. I wanted to stay positive and show gratitude for life. Everyday is a blessing.
Talking about blessings, on your song “Fly” off the new album you address your son. What was it like making a song for him?
Ah man that shit was hella fucking fun. I actually was listening to that beat on YouTube for months before I knew I wanted to make a song on it. I start it off with “Every day is a new day. Don't bring that negativity from yesterday to today.” That's something I tell my kid all the fucking time. Grow up. Take accountability. Wash that shit off. Tomorrow's a new day. Let's get it right. It was easy to have a conversation through the music because I'm a writer.
Has your son listened to it. How did he react?
Yeah, yeah, he loved it. He was like, yo mom woke me up and said your dad fucking did it. He fucking killed this album, like we’re listening to this shit right now. He was into it. I always tell him the story about my mom but the fact that he felt it more and really understood it to the music is you know. Like I said, fuck a Grammy nigga. That's the Grammy.
I know that the title of the album is Love without Conditions. What does that look like to you?
I was reading some fucking book, I forgot what it was called and the author mentioned love without conditions. When I read those words I realized I've been searching for love without conditions since I was fucking born because I didn't get that. From a relationship point of view, niggas really look at girls as bitches or like a lick. It’s degrading. One of the most important things I learned about love without conditions was that if you care enough, you need to figure out how your person needs to receive love so that they can feel safe and so that they can feel honored. If you're just going by your own definition of love or what you see on TV, that's not going to fly. I'm not looking for you to fucking bow down and wash my back everyday, just show up when you can and I'll show up when I can.