interview: Five minutes with tiny deaths

Indie dream-pop duo tiny deaths have released their new EP Magic – The Remixes via Handwritten Records. The substantial talent of the two has resulted in them reaching over 5 million streams on Spotify alone.  

The EP features the work of Big Cats, Doomtree‘s founding member Paper Tiger, Yabil, and tiny death’s own Grant Cutler. Immediately two tracks stand out with ‘Stop the Stars (Paper Tiger Remix)’ and ‘Daughter (Grant Cutler Remix)’ taking the lead. Both remixes maintain the original indie concept while elevating the tracks into the modern world of electronic music.  

We decided to feature both as you explore the minds of this Los Angeles-based pair below

Set the tone for us. Why the arts?

I don’t really feel like I chose to be an artist. It’s just the way I synthesize human existence– make sense of the feelings.

Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?

We generally toss around some stuff we’ve been inspired by of late before we start a new record, and then that kind of informs the direction we go within the context of the “tiny deaths” sound.

Can you see any collaborations for your music in the future?

We just released a remix EP! Our first time collaborating with outside artists.

What’s on your current playlist?

The new Lana del Rey and Angel Olsen albums are fantastic. Also digging Clairo

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

I think of a show as a collaboration between us and the audience. The energy is everything otherwise, you might as well just play in your bedroom

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?

Lots and lots of reverb, haha. And it’s more of a mood than a sound. I think of our music as the soundtrack for a contemplative drive– where you feel a bunch of things at once. Sad, hopeful, melancholy, confused, excited, all of it

Take us through a day in the recording studio.

It involves more drinking water and less drinking whiskey than it did when we started. I (Claire) also usually want to do like 100 takes of everything because I’m a perfectionist, so it’s important to have someone in the room to tell me I already nailed it and we have to move on

Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?

I’ve been writing songs since I was 5 years old. But I remember being on a train when I was like 11 and hearing “Songs in A minor” by Alicia Keys and thinking “This. This is what I want to do with my life. I want to make people feel things.”

What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?

Water. Tequila. A set list. 

Any emerging artists on your radar?

Elliot Moss, Dizzy Fae, Morly, Your Smith, Aaron Rice

What gets your creative juices flowing?

Travel and heartbreak

Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.

I use a delay pedal live that’s meant for a guitar. I could just program the delay into Ableton but it’s more fun to hit something

Any side projects you’re working on?

Yes, but I can’t talk about it yet 🙂

How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?

I work harder, I’m more aware of what I don’t know. Doing this a long time is humbling. It’s an honor to sing for people. I don’t take that for granted

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

New music! European tour dates!

Famous last words?

My favorite Stevie Nicks quote: 

“To inspire people, to make people feel things—that’s why we do this. Maybe you want to make people sob the way we were sobbing the other night at the movies—me and two friends, all of us sobbing so hard we can’t even look at each other—that’s actually a really beautiful thing. If you can’t do that or if you can’t make somebody laugh and remember the first time they ever fell in love, then you should just stop…That’s it. You should just go to do something else.”

Tour Dates:

19 October –  Simple Things Festival (Bristol)

20 October –  SWN Festival, Cardiff (Wales)

25 October –  The Waiting Room (London)

27 October –  806qm, Darmstadt (opening for Pale Honey)

28 October –  Blue Shell, Köln (opening for Pale Honey)

30 October –  Urban Spree, Berlin (opening for Pale Honey)

Follow tiny deaths:

Website – Facebook –  Twitter  –  Soundcloud –  Youtube  – Instagram –  Spotify