Berried Alive – Pearanoid

By starrymag | April 21, 2022

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) We were just discussing this ourselves the other day, trying to pinpoint exactly what we sound like. Every song has a different vibe, so we span a wide range of genres. We might describe it as EDM-Pop-Metal because we fuse some aspects of heavy metal from Charles’ background playing in metal and djent bands in the past with electronic synth and drum elements and catchy melodies and hooks like in pop music. But sometimes there are other elements besides that even, like acoustic guitar or hard rock inspiration. Every song really has its own flavor.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) We are inspired by a wide range of artists as well. Charles has always been inspired to play guitar by his favorite guitarists, Dimebag Darrell and Jimi Hendrix, as well as Synyster Gates because we both loved Avenged Sevenfold as teenagers. Charles is inspired by the vocal flows of Kevin Gates. I am inspired lyrically by Juice WRLD and we are both inspired by Elton John for his ability to write catchy songs that stand the test of time as well as Sparks because they are so avant-garde that we feel it gives us permission to be as whimsical as we want to be.

 

Q) As a couple, you both collaborate on songwriting, clothing designs and product lines. What do you enjoy most about working so closely and working so frequently together?

 

A) When we work together, any project turns out better than either of us could do on our own. We both enjoy being free creatively and building on top of each other’s ideas takes us to new places. Also, many of our memories are tied up in our projects, so whenever we hear a song or see an artwork or video that we made, it reminds us of a great moment in time that we got to spend together.

 

Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Pearanoid.”

 

A) “Pearanoid” is about a mental health struggle that a lot of people in our lives face where they can’t enjoy the good things in life because they’re too worried that something bad will come along and ruin it. It’s a personal struggle for us as well as some family members and we know that a lot of fans must face paranoia as well. So, we had an instrumental track that Charles wrote and knew that we wanted to call the song “Pearanoid” and have the subject be about paranoia. Then, we sat down together and wrote out what it feels like to be paranoid and exchanged ideas for lyrics to the song. When we work on lyrics together, we always write more lyrics than we actually need and narrow it down to the best ones.

 

Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) We hope that exposing this vulnerable aspect of our lives will allow fans to see that they aren’t alone in their own struggles with mental health. Also, fans have always been extremely supportive of Charles’ guitar playing and this song has a killer solo that he worked really hard on, so they should enjoy that.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The video is a more visual representation of the song’s lyrics. It shows us practicing our instruments in a room very similar to the way we practice every day at home, only in the video the room contains all these unfeasible threats that could only be the work of a paranoid mind. It represents the idea that everything is actually okay, but the mind invents all these reasons why it isn’t.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) The song “Pearanoid” started with the music and then we added in lyrics to fit and this was the way that Charles traditionally wrote music by himself in the past, but lately since we’ve been working on songs together, we’ve been experimenting more with writing lyrics first sometimes as well. The process is becoming more varied over time, just like the songs themselves.

 

Q) Kevin Cho (a/k/a K.Chozen) lent a hand with production for this song, but how much of a say do you have in the production of your music?

 

A) Kevin Cho does a fantastic job in bringing in a final polish to the songs and he adds great little moments of ear candy as well. It was only recently that we started hiring professional producers to finish the songs. Until late 2021 Charles did all the mixing and producing himself. So, when Kevin receives the songs, they are already in really great shape because Charles knows how to create really great-sounding songs. Kevin really adds the cherry on top of an already delicious sounding track.

 

Q) Will there be a full album or EP coming in the near future?

 

A) Yes! We have a full album almost completed already, there are just a few finishing touches to go.

 

Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?

 

A) We like to perform online for now. Our favorite aspect of music is the creation process because it’s the most freeing part and we feel that if we toured, we might not have as much time to write and make new songs and we’d really miss that. Plus, the internet is a great way to get our songs out there and be able to really connect with fans on a more intimate level. We are both very introverted people, and we feel comfortable playing in our home where we can control how much alone time we have. It’s important to both of our mental health to make sure we get some alone time every day.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) We would love to collaborate with Ghostemane because he’s one of Charles’ favorite artists and because we feel like both of our audiences would enjoy the collaboration. Also, we have a perfect name already: Ghostemango.

 

Q) What album/band are you currently listening to and why do you dig them? 

 

A) We always listen to music together while we put together the orders for our clothing line every day, and lately we’ve been listening to Sparks. We hadn’t heard about them until late last year when we watched a documentary about them, and we loved everything about their story and had to check out the music. We like the fact that they’re two brothers that work together, which is very relatable for the two of us, and also the fact that they’ve been able to re-invent themselves and their sound so many times over the several decades that they’ve been a band. It’s inspiring because we hope to be able to do that as well. We also genuinely like the music. It’s so out there at times but at other times it’s relatable and meaningful.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Since we’re an online band, our social media community is everything to us. As I mentioned before, we’re both introverted people, so when we get out there in the real world it can be very overwhelming for us to connect with people on the spot and talking to fans online instead allows us to talk to them on our own time and in an environment that feels comfortable to us. It’s also great to see that we can reach so many people from all over the world in this way. If it weren’t for social media, nobody in Europe or South America or Australia would have ever heard of us because we are independent artists and it’s up to us to spread the word ourselves.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) We’d like to express our deepest gratitude because there are so many choices now and our fans could listen to anything, but they choose to listen to us, so that’s a really big deal. We appreciate everyone willing to be on this strange musical journey with us.

 

 

 

Check Out The Video for “Pearanoid”