Interview by Carol Wright | Photos Courtesy of LPR Agency
We got to chat with LA-based band SLUGS about their song “I Only Party (w my baby)” and their advice for aspiring musicians.
Tell our readers about the origins of SLUGS. How did the band come to be?
Sarsten and I met as coworkers at a coffee shop after both freshly moving to LA from Upstate NY and Montana. I had been writing songs and she got a practice space around the corner from our shop where we would play songs for hours after our shifts. Later, we met Josh at a house show, who had just arrived from his hometown in South Carolina. He started playing guitar with us and my brother James began drumming with us. The rest is infamy.
Being based in LA do you find that the city has a lot of great opportunities for bands to find their audience and/ or grow a following?
I think any city has its special qualities for cultivating an art project. For us, LA has offered the opportunity to meet like-minded musicians and be able to play with or even collaborate with artists who we respect and are inspired by. The nature of growth can be competitive, but we found a healthy camaraderie among it.
“I Only Party (w my baby)” seems like the perfect song for these tough times since everyone wants to cherish fun moments with the ones they love. Did the state of the world have any influence on the lyrics?
I actually wrote this song in 2019! Maybe I had a premonition, but it was honestly inspired by an interview I saw with Avril Lavigne talking about her marriage rule with then-husband Chad Kroger, being that they “only party with one another.” I thought that was a funny way to express your commitment and we were motivated to make a dance song that day and that was the result.
“I Only Party (w my baby)” has a different sound and feel than some of your past. What inspired this change in sound?
I feel influenced by what I like and I like to explore different sounds. I was listening to a lot of Princess Chelsea and Tierra Whack at the time and wanted to make a fun dance song. My producer Sean and I sat down with the intention of having fun and setting aside any idea of what SLUGS “sounds like”’ and we wrote “I Only Party”.
Who are some artists you all have been listening to recently that have kept you inspired and motivated to create?
Recently, I’ve been enjoying Mia Joy, DIIV and Siouxsie, and the Banshees. Right now I feel inspired by Mia Joy’s warm wash of delicacy, DIIV’s instrumental urgency, and Siouxsie’s attitude.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians?
Make music you like and don’t be motivated by being liked 🙂 Be brave and honest and you’re going to make something worthwhile to someone, if not just yourself.