Best Coast

0:00No time for me. Because my dog is not the only one. Oh no. His lame is that his, eh? No, I understand. Yeah. Yeah. And everybody's got his foots all fucked up. Anyway, it doesn't matter. So what interested me about watching you check there is there's no bass guitar. It was three, three electrics. There wasn't, who's playing bass? A guy named Brett is playing bass with us. Didn't he? He was playing a good term though. He plays guitar in a couple songs. Okay. He does play bass, primarily he plays bass. Right. And you say don't play bass on that tune. There's just a couple songs that sound better with him playing guitar as opposed to me playing guitar. And you're playing bass with no bass? No, I play bass in one song. Okay. But a couple of the songs Bob plays a baritone. So he can do the bass parts on the baritone guitar. Right.

0:45So we don't necessarily have a bass in every song. But we toured for two and a half years with no bass. Just the two of you, just you and Bob? Or you had a drummer. No, you and Bob and a drummer. Right. Bob played all the bass guitar parts on baritone guitar. Okay. So what made you choose that set up? That's interesting. The three-piece? Yeah. Well, the three-piece was really just time and money. We couldn't really afford to have a fourth person and we didn't really have time to teach a fourth person all the songs. Sure. Because we started touring right away. Yeah, it was hit so you got to work. Yeah, it was just like we immediately started touring. So that was kind of just a reaction of the madness of what was happening to us as far as touring. And as soon as we did our second record and we had time to take off and things kind of picked up a little bit for us, we were like, okay, let's get a bass player.

1:33So we added a bass player to the live set up. Right. The band is technically just the two of you. It's just Bob and I. We're the only two that we're. So how come that happened when you guys were forming the band not to include someone on my team? Well, because I write all the songs. So I picked Bob as my partner. Sure. And didn't pick anybody else. It was like a rotating group of drummers, friends. Yeah, we just use people that we like and people that we know that play instruments. And we just it's kind of nice to just be two people in a studio and atmosphere because there's no fighting. Like Bob and I get along really well. Our dynamic is like really, really perfect. There's really no use or sense in changing it. So yeah, we just kind of find people that we like to tour with us. And it's just it's fun.

2:20We just have it down to like, you know, to a fine tune. And it's just like we don't plan on changing it. That's awesome. So what what are you to Bob? How did that? What is the project? Well, I've known Bob since I was like, I don't know, 18. So I've known him for I've known him for really I'm 25 now. So I've known him for a while. But he and I have a similar sense of like pop music. Like we have a similar taste in it. And I knew that I wanted to make like a pop, a really like poppy band. And so he just kind of seemed like the right guy. And I got I got along with him. We had played music together before and he was kind of just like the first choice. And he is pretty much like the producer of the songs. Like I write everything and I kind of create these blueprints and then I take them to him

3:06and I say, Kayla, you know, what can we add to make this a full-fledged song? And then he kind of puts his stuff on top of it and then it becomes a finished song. Let's go with an example of the first track on the record. So you bring that in as you writing on acoustic, I assume, or electric at home? No, I write on an electric. OK, cool. So you at home with an amp writing lyrics, I guess, on a laptop, on a piece of paper. In my mind. And then I transfer them onto the computer. So do you hum lyrics out first? You know, I just sing. I just I write really quickly. Like I sit down with a guitar. I come up with a melody and I just say what's on my mind. And I don't really go back and revise because I believe that art should just be like in the moment. And I don't think that I think it's like if you keep going back and you keep changing it, it kind of changes the initial emotion that was there when you were making a song.

3:55So I just kind of let it flow and then I sit down and occasionally I'll tweak something, you know, I'll change the word or whatever. But excuse me, for the most part, it's just kind of like comes out like emotional vomit. And then I record it and then I email it to Bob and I say like, you know, this song is the only place. And this is the vibe I have going for it. And I'm imagining drums that sound like this and I'm picturing a bass part that sounds like this or a second guitar that sounds like this. And then he comes back and he says like, okay, I'll try those things. And then sometimes he tries what I say. And then other times he just does his own thing. And then he sends me back him recording on a drum pad, like the drum parts and stuff. And he sends it back to me. And it's very rough and a lot of times it's out of time and it'll be out of tune and it

4:43sounds a little bit. But the idea is there. And then we go into a big studio and we start recording. Was it a real must have been a bigger studio this time now? There's buzz and you've got the money to tour and do all that stuff. So how was the process different this time around? We recorded at Capital Studios, which is like in the Capital? Yeah, yeah. Which is like a huge enormous studio that was very different than the first studio we recorded in. Because the studio we did crazy for you and was like in a practice space, like some of this ad agency has a studio in the back of their offices. And that's where we recorded the first version. Also, as well. It's in LA. Where the? It's in Echo Park. Yeah, cool. And then Capital is in Hollywood. So it was pretty much just like we went from recording with one producer, the first

5:35record, to doing a record with like a producer and several engineers and tons of studio assistance. And just the process was pretty much the same because we don't really change our process. Even if we were given like $2 million to record a record, I think we would still do it exactly the same way. Just because those are the kind of people that we are. We have a process and a method and we don't really plan to change it. But as far as the atmosphere, that was greatly changed. It was just bigger and there were people bringing you drinks left and right. And you're just like, whoa, I never have experienced this before. So that was kind of the biggest change. It was more fun. It was just different. Not that it was more fun. It was just different. But it was awesome. It was really amazing to walk into the Capital Studios every day and see pictures of Judy

6:23Garland and Frank Sinatra and the Beach Boys and think, wow, those people were here and I've been given this opportunity to be here as well. So it was pretty crazy. You're kind of carrying a Beach Boys tradition too. Yeah, I mean, that's kind of like our biggest influence. Is it okay? Yeah. Because I hear a lot of Ron Epps and early Phil Specter kind of stuff, especially on this disc. Yeah, that's kind of like what inspired me the most. Like when I started the band, I was listening to a lot of Phil Specter and a lot of like the crystals and the shear laws and a lot of like girl groups and stuff. And I was like, I want to make music that kind of sounds like this but has a modern kind of thing and kind of like a 90s like all girl, all kind of thing going. And so, yeah, I mean, those are definitely influences of mine. So let's go back to songwriting. Because I read somewhere that you said this was like a homesick record for you.

7:10So do you write on the road? Did a lot of these things come out? No, I don't know. Okay. So why don't you homesick at home? I was writing based on emotions that were being like, I was writing about like how I was feeling like when I would come home from tour and I'd be like, okay, I felt all of these ways, you know, for the last two months and I'm home for four days. I mean, and it's pretty difficult to not be homesick when you're literally home for two days and you've been gone for six months and you're home and you're like, okay, I have two days to like see all my friends and see my boyfriend and see my parents and like hang out with my cat and cook myself dinner. And then you're like, okay, and then I'm gone again. And it's like you live out of a suitcase and it's just like your life kind of goes from being totally normal to being totally insane in five seconds.

7:56And this record is a reaction of those feelings. What we do before best coast? I work at that. And no, I work at a soap store. In LA? Yeah. That's awesome. Yeah. So what was it like that must have been crazy for you then to write this record and then go out for two years? Well, we did the first record is when we started touring for two years. I mean, it was like, I was writing crazy for you and I was writing songs from Crazy for You While I Was Working Retail. And I was telling my fellow employees and stuff, I was like the coworkers, I was like, oh, I started this band and writing songs and they were like, that's so cool. And I remember I had to take one night off because if we had a show in LA, like, when Bob and I just played as me and Bob with a drum machine.

8:41And I was like, I need the night off. And they were like, you can't. And I was like, fuck, I'm playing this show. And then finally I got my shift covered. But I was like, you know what, fuck this. I'm just going to put everything I have into this band. I'm going to try to make this work. So I quit the retail job and I started selling clothes on eBay to pay my rent because I had super cheap rent. So I was very fortunate in that. Your own clothes are stuff you're designing. No, like vintage stuff, like vintage clothes, records, like just anything I could find. I would just sell on eBay so that I could support myself somehow while doing this project. And then I don't know, maybe like four or five months later, we were like touring and we had a record deal and it was just kind of like, I have no idea how any of this happened,

9:29but I feel very fortunate that it did. What was the set list like, the records like half an hour? The set list when we first started playing was like, we would try to fill 30 minutes and I remember we would like, because we have a lot of songs before the record. We did a lot of like seven inches in B-side and stuff. So we had material, but it was just like, you know, the songs are at most, I think the longest song on this record is four minutes, which is not very long, but for me that's long. So we would just kind of, I would talk in between, but I was very nervous because I had never really, I've performed, been performing since I was young. But like, never as like a front woman of a band, it was either just like, as a singer in a band or like as a guitar player or whatever. So this is kind of like my first project like as like the forefront of something.

10:16But yeah, we would just play whatever songs we had learned at the time. So you must be a lot more comfortable being on stage talking now. Definitely now. I've done it for a while. So yeah. So tell me about this close. So you're making this new record. You have this clothing line get approached to you or you approach urban outfitters. You just, how come did you say, why mean, like where did this come from? I have no idea. My publicist one day, I was on G chat and she messaged me and she was like, do you want to do a clothing line for urban outfitters? And I was like, yeah, like why? Or you know, and she was just like, they just offered. It's like, they want the only other person they've done with is Kim Gordon and they have you in mind and they want to see if you want to do it. And I was like, yeah sure, I've always had an interest in fashion. So it just seemed kind of like the perfect opportunity.

11:03And then what you sketch things and it's. No, it wasn't, it wasn't done like that. It was nothing. I'm not going to fashion. So I'm having to. It was done for, they have two clothing. Well, urban outfitters has multiple light lines within urban outfitters. And one of them is called urban renewal. And it's like vintage clothing taken and transformed into something new. So what I did was I went to a rag house that they own and I picked through like a room like double this size with clothes to the ceiling. Like in like categories of like skirts, shirts, sweaters, jumpers, pants. And like I went through all this stuff and I picked out my favorites. And I took them home and I deconstructed them and turned them into new pieces. So there was no physical sketching. It was all done by email and it was all done through like, like discussing with somebody

11:51else. So which in turn made it kind of more difficult than just like sketching something out, giving it to someone and then they create it for you. It was like I had to verbally be like, wanted to look like this. So in a way it was kind of like the way I do my music with Bob, like where it's just like you explain kind of what your idea of the finished process is. I mean, where is all the time? Is this your stuff? No, I don't really wear it. I mean, I do sometimes but I think that's a little bit weird to like, I don't wear my own band t-shirts, you know. You sell it at shows? No, we say it's sold in stores. Justin stores. Okay, that's interesting. You want to keep doing that? Now the process is done. It was really fun. And if I was offered another opportunity to do it with somebody, I'm sure I would do it. It's really cool. So different than I guess what you expect from getting into a band. Yeah, definitely. We used to call five questions, five quick questions, one more answer.

12:38Road or studio? What? Road or studio? Oh, I was like, what's a road or studio? Studio. Letting them occur at me. McCartney. When you hear a song, it usually hits you first. Lyrics, melody, or rhythm? Melody. Song you've written your most proud of. When I'm with you. And in one word, best coast. Fine. That was a good one. We're also doing, I'm sure we get everything. Yeah, an artist playlist. So five tunes from other bands that you want to share with them. And we'll put it up on Spotify in September or something. There's a really awesome kind of like 50s, like low-rider song by James and Bobby Purify and it's called I'm Your Puppet. Cool. Lazuli by Beach House, which is off their record, their new record that I'm really, really

13:28cool. Let's see. Don't worry, Baby by the Beach Boys, which is my favorite song of all time. Nice. This is hard. I know. And most people have an iPhone with them, so they just get scroll through the adventure. I'm trying to think of like what's on my iPod. Two more. Walk of Life by. There's really nice. There's Strange, which is like my new favorite song. Like we've been listening to it like every day, like backstage. That's my favorite. And then Gypsy Fleetwood Mac, which is my favorite band and just like a really great song that I love. I was going to mention Fleetwood. So what drew you to Fleetwood Mac? Was it your parents' record? My parents were like super Fleetwood Mac fans when I was young, but I think it's just like lyrically they tell these really personal stories and like melodically they just, I think

14:18they write some of the best, I think it's just like the best group of songwriters ever put together besides like the Beatles. I think what everybody brings to the table is just really incredible in that band. And like I've read tons of books about them and watched studio documentaries and stuff. So I'm very like kind of like an obsessive fan when it comes to Fleetwood Mac. Do you go back to Pia Green too or just the Stevie and all of that? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean my dad was like my dad's like a musician so my dad was really into the like kind of more like bluesy jazz and he kind of Fleetwood Mac. So I know a lot of the old stuff, but I think I'm more kind of knowledgeable on the Buckingham next stuff. Right. Do you see your dad was a musician? Uh huh. So you grew up within the house? Yeah. When did you pick up guitar for the first time? Uh, 13.

15:03Wow. Yeah. That's cool. Did your friends think? Because I know I didn't say it's my acts as a musician too. So but a girl picking up the guitar and being a decent guitar player is rare. No, I don't think so. No, more than just like a GCD? I think there's a lot of... Then they don't get thrown into the mainstream, maybe that's what it is. Well I think there's a lot of really talented female musicians that do a lot, but I think it's like I grew up in the suburbs and I grew up kind of being into punk and being into like not the mainstream sort of stuff and all of my friends played guitar as well. Oh okay. And like we were all kind of artists and musicians even at 13. But I think that you should give females a better... Sorry. No, I just think that's kind of an anger thing to say. And it kind of is, but she used to say that all the time, which is why I'm saying it.

15:48Oh she said that. Well that's ignorant as a woman to say. That's fine. I'm coming from her perspective being a female guitar player. No, I mean there's... I mean you look at someone like Patti Smith who's an incredible songwriter that people don't maybe necessarily look at as a guitar player, but like she plays the guitar. She was really good at it. There's tons of amazing. I mean maybe not, I mean I think Courtney Love is a great guitar player and even though she's doing what you were saying like very simplistic like power pop kind of power chord things I think she's still really good at what she does. I think it's just like kind of have to get about to like search and see different females and see what they do. But I'm a huge supporter of female musicians. I think that even if they suck at an instrument it's awesome to see a girl play something. Oh absolutely and doing it and not selling sex.

16:35Yeah. The music right? Yeah, yeah. I think that's where my point was and I think it came out so I apologize. It's okay. And now I've ended this horribly. But anyway thank you. No, no, no it's fine. Thank you. I'm just sticking up for girls and saying that... I mean I meet tons of girls on torrent stuff that are like oh I'm too embarrassed to play an instrument because I'm a girl and blah blah blah and it's like why? I think it's awesome. Especially to see girl drummers and stuff and instrument that to me is an instrument that you don't really think of girls as playing because it seems to be a very masculine instrument. So it's cool when you see awesome female drummers. But just in general tons of girls come to me and they say you've inspired me to pick up guitar and inspired me to even play bass or a sing or whatever. And so to me that's like a really awesome like I love that.

17:20I've inspired like girls to do anything. So pretty cool. I see. I mean they come around. That's a good quote to end it with. I saw this group called Cherry Bomb last Monday. Have you heard of them? Like this punk band, these little girls and it's all girls and I'm watching them play on my whole shit. These shiks are amazing. Like all of them even the drummer especially was just like flipping the stick and open hat while she was doing a role on the snare. I was like I don't know how they are doing that right now. Turns out they're 14 years old. And I was just like that's unbelievable. Yeah I've seen a couple. We played with this band. I can't remember their name but I think in Sacramento and I can't remember what they're called but they're like two sisters and one is eight and one is like eleven and they're fucking they shred. Like they're so good.

18:06And it's just a matter of like if you're into music you should pick up an instrument and try it out because you might suck at it but you might end up being better than you thought. Exactly. So crazy. Awesome. Well thank you. Nice to meet you. You as well. Thank you. You're making more records. Thank you. That makes me happy.