Interview: Soft and Dumb
Splaying dissonant chords against pop melodies in odd time signatures, Chicago-based Soft and Dumb explores gendered expectations, disembodiment, tenderness, and hardness. The duo (Elena & Travis) met at college in Urbana, Illinois, where they gathered a dedicated following in the eclectic DIY house show scene. Elena agreed to answer the questions for this interview.
Preview their music!
What led to you becoming an artist?
I’ve wanted to be an artist ever since I was a little kid. I am a visual artist in addition to being a musician, and art was always something that my family encouraged me to explore. Music was around me, but I kept it private and contained in the walls of my bedroom. I would write songs on an unplugged electric and not share them with anyone! However, Travis, my bandmate, is someone who encouraged me to perform and share that part of myself with more people.
What inspires your music?
Anxiety, relationships with people, and feeling isolated within the music scene. In terms of lyricism, I’ve always loved storytelling in songwriting. But, in my own songs I’m more interested in the confessional aspect of music. Being able to preserve a feeling, thought, or experience through creating music is the best way for me to process things.
Who are some of your influences?
We love listening to Horse Jumper of Love, Crying, Pretty Sick, Palm, and Mitski! I’ve been listening to Crying and Mitski since middle school, so those two projects hold a special place in my heart.
What are some of your favorite memories from your career?
Some of my fondest memories come from shows that didn’t have the best turnout in terms of numbers, but were super fun to play because the audience was actively engaged with the music. This past Halloween, we played a house show in Urbana at Waluigi’s mansion and I just remember having a very genuine connection with the audience that you can only really get in intimate DIY spaces.
What have been some of the greatest challenges of your career?
The greatest challenge is balancing my visual art with my music. I just graduated with a BFA in May, so the balancing act of having to nurture two creative passions of mine is a struggle. I still am working at getting better at it, but there is a natural ebb and flow in terms of how much time and energy I devote to one.
Which of your songs/eps or albums is your favorite? Why is it your favorite?
My favorite song of ours currently is “work it,” our upcoming single (out Tuesday, July 19)! It is very different to the music we’ve previously released and involves more synth pop elements. I love electronic music and it’s really freeing to not limit yourself to just guitar and drums during the songwriting process, which we often have to do as a two-piece.
Who are some of the collaborators who helped you create your favorite work?
We produced and mixed our upcoming album ourselves, but we are super happy that Greg Obis was able to master it for us!
What are you most excited to bring to your fans in the next year?
I’m excited for our album to finally come out on Friday, September 2nd. We’ve been playing some of those songs live for close to two years now, and I’m just ready for more people to be able to listen to our music.
What are your goals for this upcoming year?
We want to tour and get more involved in the Chicago DIY scene!
How can your fans best support you right now?
Pre-save our song “work it” and stream it when it comes out! Pretty much any way you can get more ears on our music helps us. You also can pre-order vinyl, CD’s, and cassette tapes on our Bandcamp right now for our debut self-titled LP!
Soft and Dumb’s Links: