Das Interview mit Joshua, einem Mitglied der aufstrebenden Band Gürl, bietet einen faszinierenden Einblick in die kreative Welt hinter ihrem neuen Song „Boys In The 90s„. Mit einem Mix aus Pop-Punk und 90er-Ästhetik hat die Band eine interessante Dynamik geschaffen, die Nostalgie und Ironie miteinander verwebt. In diesem Gespräch mit Frontstage Magazine erläutert Joshua die künstlerischen Entscheidungen, die hinter dem Song stehen und reflektiert über die Rolle der 90er Jahre in der heutigen Musikszene.
Frontstage Magazine: How do you manage to establish a connection between pop-punk and the icons of the 90s in „Boys In The 90s“?
Joshua: There’s a particular beauty to icons of the 90s. A certain glamour and androgyny that’s very of its time. There’s not meant to be a connection, so to speak, more of a juxtaposition. The melody is undoubtably sugary pop, but the delivery of the performance is dangerous and honest and unbeautiful, because the song is about growing up ugly, and aspiring to that glamour.
Frontstage Magazine: What role does the music video play in interpreting the song „Boys In The 90s“ and how does it integrate elements of the 90s?
Joshua: The only role the video plays is as a platform for us to look stunning, hahaha. Seriously though, from an artistic standpoint, it references the glitz and beauty the lyrics describe, but from a cynical point of view, its purpose is to make you click on a link to our Spotify. Try not to think too much about it.
Frontstage Magazine: To what extent does the ironic tone of „Boys In The 90s“ reflect the pop culture of the 90s and its influences on today’s music scene?
Joshua: The song comes off as ironic? Don’t get me wrong, the video is certainly ironic, and I guess the fact that we’re “alternative” or “metal” or whatever, and this is a pop song could be seen as ironic, but we don’t really abide by those labels… The song is really sincere, as I see it. I grew up hating the way I looked, got beaten up because I looked strange, and just wanted to look like Leonardo DiCaprio or River Phoenix or whomever. It’s really interesting to see how bands/artists like Pale Waves and Beabadoobee have such a 90s rock/pop production, grunge is certainly making a comeback, and then you look at some Hip Hop artists like Joey Valence & Brae, their sound is so 90s. It’s cyclical, taking influence from the giants on whose shoulders you stand, but making it your own, and making something new from that. A lot of music now spans so many eras and genres, which is really exciting, but at the moment people are certainly digging from the 90s crate, even if it’s just aesthetically.
Frontstage Magazine: What creative decisions have you made to capture the nostalgic charm of the 90s in your song „Boys In The 90s“?
Joshua: There are acoustic guitars, which is something we haven’t done before… Really pushing the boat out there hahaha. The biggest thing is the drums in the first verse; there’s this one drum loop that the Backstreet Boys used in almost all of their hits, it’s actually funny how much they used it. So we made a drum loop of our own that was heavily inspired by theirs…heavily…we ripped it off. Generally, sonically, however, the track sounds more like the early 00s. But hey, sometimes you’ve just got to go with what sounds good.
Frontstage Magazine: How did Rhys May’s production contribute to shaping the unique sound of „Boys In The 90s,“ and which elements of the song emphasize the artistic diversity of your band?
Joshua: Rhys is incredible. We are very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with him. We’re quite particular about our sound and try our best to get a track as close as we can to how we like it before handing it to Rhys, because if there’s a prolonged period of the song not sounding right, we can drive ourselves a little crazy. But then Rhys takes it and makes it sound like the bleeding edge of alternative music. Clear, loud, crispy, punchy, he knows when to hold back, and when to get weird and just fuck shit up. It’s just a pleasure to work with him.
Fotocredit: Jack Watkins
