By: Jamie Steinberg
Photo By Moonchild
Q) Your music is sort of R&B with a beautiful mix of soul and jazz. How would you describe your sound?
Max: Yeah! I think that’s a great description. I don’t really think of our sound as fitting into a category necessarily, but I would say that we are of course heavily influenced by the music we listen to, primarily black American music, R&B, Jazz, Soul, Gospel and Hip Hop. But we are not trying to mimic those genres – our goal is always to make the music that feels the most authentic to ourselves, and let our influences come out organically.
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
Andris : The list is constantly growing and expanding!! But probably the first people that come to mind are my parents, Lolita and Mark. Both musicians and songwriters. With every year that passes I realize more and more just how much they have influenced me and my musical tendencies.
Amber: So many! The ones that brought us together were D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, J Dilla, Stevie Wonder, Earth Wind and Fire, Hiatus Kaiyote, Emily King and Gretchen Parlato – just to name a few!
Max: Gretchen Parlato and Robert Glasper are honestly some of our biggest influences going all the way back to when we formed the band in 2011. They are so musical and both of their sounds just resonate with me really deeply, so I keep going back to it again and again for inspiration. Getting to have them as guest artists on this album was such an incredible experience! We are so lucky.
Q) Your album Waves dropped on February 20. Talk about some of the themes you explored on it?
Amber: The lyrical themes of this album are very different from past albums. It deals a lot with grief, self doubt, self love, healing and growth. It’s a reflection of the vulnerable path of grieving and growing I’ve been on in the last few years.
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
Amber: For this album we were very intentional! We made a list of musical and personal intentions for the album, feelings we wanted the music to evoke and words to inspire the creation and then we spent a few months making ideas and sending them to each other. The ideas that speak to everyone are the ones that end up on the album. For lyrics – typically the music comes first, but on this album it was a little bit of everything! There were a few songs (“Strong” and “Up From Here”) where the music and lyrics came at the same time and a few songs (“Not Sorry” and “Fear”) where I already had a lot of the lyrics.
Q) You all produce, arrange and play all of your own instruments on the album. Why is it so important for you to be so hands on with the music that you make?
Andris : Can’t imagine it any other way, honestly. We are all producers who love to write music in our bedrooms. I think being a bedroom producer can naturally lead one to playing a lot of the instruments on a song. When you’re by yourself in a room, you have total freedom to try and execute all your crazy ideas in the beginning stages of a beat or song. In my experience it is a bit harder to do that when you’re in a room with other people (not impossible though!)
Q) Amber, when you’re tracking vocals, how do you decide on phrasing, dynamics and harmonies — and how do the guys help shape those moments in the studio?
Amber: I record myself in my home closet studio, so I have a lot of freedom to explore and experiment! I’ll do a demo vocal for writing purposes, but when it comes time to record for the album, I’ll spend a lot of time trying different phrasing, placement and harmonies until it feels right. I usually end up recording a lot more harmonies that it needs and then I go through and take things out that feel cluttered. The vocal tone and production is very important to me, so I also spend time getting all the effects just right.
Q) My favorite tracks on the album are “Not Sorry” and “For Yourself.” Which song(s) on the album hold a special place in your heart and what makes them so significant to you?
Andris: For me “Counting” holds a special place. Being able to record strings for that song in Latvia (where my mom’s side of the family is from) was a bucket list moment. And then to have Gretchen Parlato sing on it was a dream come true – another bucket list moment. I spent hours and hours listening to her records in college. Totally surreal to have her sing on a track with us. As far as my current favorite moment on Waves, it’s Max and Amber’s outro to “Up From Here.” It gives me chills every time.
Amber: “Not Sorry” holds a special place in my heart because that recording session was so special. Getting to spend time with Rapsody and Jill Scott at Blue Dream Studios was an absolute treat, joy, honor and blast!! The way Rapsody wrote her verse spoke straight to the heart and intention of the song in a way that really moved me. It’s so brilliant how she starts out impersonating the person I’m singing about and halfway through switches to her perspective. My favorite line is “Why can’t she piece me all together, ain’t she good at art?” And getting to watch Jill Scott in the booth writing the most badass, not sorry, Jilly from Philly, legendary vocals on the spot was an absolute dream come true! The session was also on my wedding anniversary, so special shout out to Patrick Shiroishi for joining us and giving me one of the most special and memorable anniversaries ever!
Q) What do you hope listeners take away from listening to this new album as a whole – either as a message or emotion?
Andris: I hope listeners can find some peace listening to the album knowing that they are not alone in feeling grief or sadness.
Amber: I hope people feel seen, held and empowered by this album. It’s very personal and vulnerable and I hope anyone going through a hard time, a wave of grief or an era of growth and self love hears themselves in the music.
Max: I hope they feel seen. Waves is about grief and healing. Everyone has stuff they’re dealing with and my hope is when people hear this record, they know they are not alone in what they’re going though. You have a community. You are seen.
Q) Now that the album has dropped, how are you celebrating the release?
Andris: We were able to celebrate the release with friends at Blue Dream Studios in Los Angeles the night before the album dropped. The celebrations will continue on the road in March for our Waves US Tour. [smiles]
Q) Your Waves Tour will kick off in March. What can fans expect from a live Moonchild performance?
Max: We are actually rehearsing right now as I’m writing this! We are so excited to play these songs live. We added a bass player to the show in addition to our drummer, and the music is just breathing more than ever. Come see us! You can expect some cool stage design, amazing vocal tone and of course lots of horn solos.
Q) Your album Waves features a number of incredibly talented artists. Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
Andris: Gah, so many! One that comes to mind – there’s this artist Hether. I love everything he makes. I would love to dip my toes in his sonic world one day.
Amber: The list is so long! Top of mind would be Q-tip, Hiatus Kaiyote, Emily King, Esperanza Spalding and Common.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
Andris: Pino Palladino and Blake Mills’ new record That Wasn’t A Dream. So lush and meditative while also offering so much depth in the production. I’m on my 20th listen and am still finding new things each time. A masterclass in taste and restraint.
Amber: I’m currently listening to the new singles from Alex Isley! She is one of my all time favorite singers! Her music has been the soundtrack to so much of my life. Her tone, her phrasing, her lyrics, her musical choices – I love absolutely everything about her and her artistry!
Max: Recently I’ve been on an acoustic soul kick when I put on music to relax. Lauryn Hill unplugged, Cleo Soul and India Arie. I just love hearing these amazing singers in that broken down context, it’s special.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
Max: We love you!! We’re so grateful for you! Thank you for being a part of our little community. [smiles]