Dummy

Los Angeles’ Dummy kept themselves busy in 2020, releasing their first EP, EP 1, and quickly following that up with their second EP, the equally excellent, but unplanned, EP 2. The two releases showcase their beguiling and expansive brand of noise pop, which combines krautrock, dream pop, ambient, psychedelia, and even shoegaze for a sound that’s both avante garde and still rooted enough in pop that it’s quite addictive. And yes, while the first EP was scheduled for release in 2020, the second one was a product of the pandemic and uniquely recorded entirely on an iPhone. Based on the strength of these two EPs, the band signed with Chicago’s Trouble In Mind Records, an imprint that’s put out some of our favorite releases of the last few years. They’re currently preparing to enter the studio to record their debut full length, which should be out later this year.

We caught up with the band recently to chat about their two EPs, some of the standout tracks from them, and their plans for the rest of the year: 

How was your 2020? What was it like releasing new music during these strange times?

2020 was an awful year for everyone, we tried to make the best of it by working on music as much as possible. Before lockdown started, the year was shaping up to be exciting for us as a band. Towards the end of 2019 we had been playing tons of shows, refining our songs, and recording at our practice space. We even had a tour booked, but of course, everything got canceled. At the time we had no idea how long it would last. Some of us lost our jobs and went on unemployment, and started spending every day at home together. We started working on our second EP immediately, kind of making it up as we went along, and we were lucky we had Born Yesterday be down to release it. Obviously, between the pandemic, the administration that was in power, social unrest and the election, releasing music felt somewhere between frivolous and necessary. Plus, both our EPs were released during lockdowns, so we've never actually played a show while having a release out.

Joe, you previously played in another great band, Wildhoney. How would you compare this project and the types of songs you’re writing now to Wildhoney?

For me, it feels very different, it's more based in experimental music, simpler, more punk in a sense. After being in such an effects-heavy band, we wanted to achieve the same level of "wall of sound" without relying on pedals. We want to make something pounding, propulsive and blissful. We see Dummy as forward moving, not comfort or nostalgia.

Also, when’d you relocate to Los Angeles and how do you like living/making music there?

We moved two and half years ago. It's hard to talk about Los Angeles because it's just so big. All of what we've experienced and seen is such a small fraction of the city. It still feels almost infinite to me, like you could find anything if you look hard enough. As far as our experience, we've met some great people/bands like Mo Dotti, Green House, Gum Country, Automatic and Shaki Tavi. But on the flip side, it's hard to describe the feeling of living across the street from a house that costs more money than we'd make in 10 lifetimes. It feels like almost everything here is tailored to (and controlled by) wealthy people.

Who would you identify as some influences for this project?

It comes from a lot of different places, it's at the intersection of pop music, new age, experimental electronic music, krautrock. But also, it's the sound of the 4 of us bouncing off each other. Specific artists that inspire Dummy are Antena, Roedelius, Velvet Underground, MBV, Can and Haruomi Hosono.

You released two EPs in 2020. Was there a particular reason that you decided to release two EPs instead of a full length? I can definitely hear sonic distinctions between the two, but I’m curious as to what you think.

We didn’t set out to release a second EP, that was a product of covid and wanting to keep busy while quarantining. Originally, we were planning on releasing the first EP, playing a ton of shows, tour a little and continue to work on songs for LP1. The 2 EPs are products of the environment they were made in, one being a live band, practicing, playing shows, making plans for the future and the other being stuck inside our apartment with limited tools.

You recorded your second EP with just an iPhone. It’s interesting to me because even though it’s this incredible piece of technology, it’s kind of lo-fi and simplistic in a way. What made you want to record an entire EP like this?

Convenience, it was easier to just place the phone in front of an amp, press record, and capture an idea in the moment of inspiration and not over think what it would be. Plus we needed to be able to pass the project around between each other since we weren’t able to collaborate in person. We generally aren't interested in things sounding "good", we feel pretty strongly that people are too focused on "good" sounding recordings opposed to a unique/interesting one. Later, we went to our buds Joo-Joo's studio (we mixed our first EP with him as well), and the songs became more fully formed with mixing, and some extra tracking. Along with it just being more convenient, the first EP was recorded on an old laptop that barely worked and just made the whole process that much more difficult and stressful. For our LP, we are recording some of it ourselves at home, using a slightly more functioning laptop, microphones and a good interface.

You released a really trippy video for “Folk Songs” and “Touch The Chimes.” Who’d you work with on that video and what inspired the concept?

We made it ourselves using some malfunctioning software. The video is clips from hikes we took during the pandemic. Everything we've done this past year has been intrinsically connected to it. We wanted a colorful and psychedelic visual companion to the songs.

You described “Pool Dizzy” from EP 2 as a “protest song shrouded in metaphor and poppy melodies.” Could you elaborate on that?

It’s a song about how black people have to live in constant fear and mistrust of cops, and the entire justice system. And the myth of virtuous cops. ACAB.

What have you been listening to lately?

Nightshift - Zöe

Iasos - Jeweled Space

Lonnie Liston Smith - Visions Of A New World

Art Wilson - Overworld

The Free Design - Kites Are Fun

Nelson Angelo e Joyce - self-titled

Francesco Messina - Prati Bagnati Del Monte Analogo

Inoyama Land & Takashi Sekiguchi - Heart

Maximum Joy - Station MXJY

Mope Grooves - Desire

The Red Krayola - The Parable Of Arable Land

Roedelius - Tape Archive Essence

Flowchart - Pre 2000 Singles Comp

Jonnine - Blue Hills

What’s next for Dummy? Are you planning on playing these songs live?

We signed to Trouble In Mind earlier this year for our debut LP, as I said we've recorded some of it at home, and are gonna do the rest with Joo-Joo in late April. Hoping to play shows in the fall, and tour in 2022. We’ll play the pop-oriented songs live, but in general, we approach performance differently from recording. Our opinion is that a record should be something that wouldn’t necessarily be possible to perform live, and a live performance should be something that couldn’t be captured on a recording.

You can purchase both of Dummy’s EPs on cassette via Bandcamp. Their music is also available on all streaming platforms. Keep up with the band by following them on Instagram and Twitter.