By: Jamie Steinberg
Photo By Gabrielle Ravet
Q) KulfiGirls is often described as a rock band, but how do you describe your sound and who are some of your musical influences?
Abi: We think of ourselves as existing somewhere in the pop rock realm with a kind of prog and psych rock spin. So far, our sound has kind of been all over the place, but who knows? This might change in the future. I find the poetry and melodies from Mitski really inspiring. As far as production and song structure goes, I think back to my childhood when I’d listen to a lot of Tamil producers like Illaiyaraja and A.R. Rahman – the sound was always evolving to progress a story.
Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Twist (Melted).” What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
Abi: I think everyone can relate to a moment where something has fundamentally changed in a friendship for the worst and there’s no going back and no way forward. That’s what the song’s about anyway. It was about closure for me.
Q) Your debut album Divinity (Deluxe Edition) is coming out on vinyl as a double LP in May. What are some themes listeners can hear you explore on it?
Abi: Narratively, I would say the theme is “second puberty,” in the sense of the transformation you go through as you learn to accept yourself. Musically, the main thing I think you hear is us figuring out how the veena fits in rock music. The Deluxe edition has a lot more veena experimentation on the melting side. And on the studio side, I think we wanted to try and tie the songs together better, so CosineVi made bonus tracks to go in between songs to create a more continuous listening experience that suits the vinyl format nicely.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
Abi: Usually, I ask Joan to play something on the acoustic guitar, and we go through a bunch of options until I find a chord or riff that I like. Other times, it’ll start with the veena where I come up with a riff and then write a song around it. Or sometimes Joan will bring a riff to me and the band, and it takes off from there. Usually, I’ll only come up with lyrics after we have a basic melody and chord structure down.
Q) How much of a hand do you have in the production of your music?
Abi: On production, Joan and I produce the music mostly by ourselves, and we record at a studio with professional engineers, but a lot of my vocals are done at home.”
Q) I love that there is an acoustic side to the LP. Why was that so important to you to include?
Abi: I think it’s cool to experience some of these songs sort of the way Joan and I first heard it early in the creation process, which was usually with just an acoustic guitar and the veena. “Bite” is probably the best example of this really authentic kind of stripped down treatment on the acoustic side. That’s why we call each of the acoustic versions “melted,” because it’s like melted down into a different form but with the same core. We still had fun with it though and weren’t super faithful to the original version of the songs. For example, “Ugly” has a harmonica on it, I think because Steph [Bruning] happened to have it in her bag when we were recording. [laughs] Overall though, I feel like doing the acoustic side gave us the opportunity to “second-chance” our songs and maybe encourage our listeners to hear some of them from a different angle.”
Q) “Itch” and “Araro” hold a special place in your heart, I’m sure. Are there other tracks – either on the acoustic or studio side – that you think are standouts?
Abi: The song “Redlight” really shines on the acoustic and studio side, I think. The studio version is this really upbeat and dramatic rock song, but the acoustic version has a more melancholic vibe. Joan and I lost our thirteen year old cat not long before recording the melted side, so it ended up sounding more like a slow dance or a lullaby for her. We didn’t really plan for that, it just kind of happened. We really like how that version came out but it can be hard to listen to for us. That’s always been one of my favorite tracks on the studio side too and I like how Joan did the vinyl re-mix for it.
Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to your new deluxe edition of Divinity as a whole – either as an emotion or message?
Abi: I think I mostly just want people to appreciate the artistry and care put into it and to embrace the journey.
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
Abi: I love playing Johnny Brenda’s. It’s a great venue with good food and sound, and the energy always seems to be electric when we play there. And the lights are cool. And Underground Arts, of course! We opened for The Wonder Years there recently and that was a lot of fun.
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
Abi: Charli XCX, of course. I heard she’s really inspired to write rock music!
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
Abi: Slayyyter. I’m loving this new album! It’s just fun and I think she’s really cool for trying new styles.