A Quick Chat With Cry Baby
What are the origins of Cry Baby (outside of the fact you are brother & sister)?
We had been working separately on music for quite some time. Neither of us actually had any idea we were pursuing music separately! It took us a camping trip to discover Judah had started producing and writing. I had been writing and recording non-stop. It wasn't until we both moved to the coast that we had the opportunity to put together a body of work in Judah's amazing studio and Cry Baby and Somewhat Strange was born!
Like everyone wants to know at the moment, who have you voted for in the Australian Hottest 100? If you didn't get the chance, what would be your top 10 Aussie artists?
We just missed the buzzer on this one! Though collectively our top 10 would be:
10. It's Too Late – Evermore
9. Burn City – Pegz
8. Nowhere Without You – Bob Evans
7. The Waitress Song – Seth Sentry
6. I Wish Somebody Would Build A Bridge – Thirsty Merc
5. The Festival Song – Pez & 360
4. Coin Laundry – Lisa Mitchell
3. Nosebleed Section – Hilltop Hoods
2. The Unguarded Moment – The Church
1. Strawberry Kisses – Nikki Webster
Do you have a dream artist you'd love to collaborate with?
We really enjoy working with each other and with our friends. BUT if we could collaborate with anybody in the world… now you didn’t specify living or dead so both answers to that question is Tupac (because no one really knows, right?).
Coffee Stains was inspired by a spilt coffee and Judah suggesting that it would make for a good song. Do you usually come up with songs by throwing around ideas and free-styling or is it usually coming to the studio with a fully formed idea?
A little from column A, a little from column B! We usually both have either a demo, sometimes just a beat. One will have lyrics, the other has instrumentals etc. We usually just mash it together and hope for the best! Which was 100% the case for this album that we put together in about a week, using that exact process!
It’s difficult to pin down a specific genre for Cry Baby. Can you explain the varying influences you both have and how they’ve formed your own songwriting?
We both love hip-hop—Judah got me on that train (exquisite taste) as soon as he could! We both love post and pop punk, lofi, shoegaze. I sort of always liked to keep my ear on the ground for indie-pop and a little dash of D&B and UK grime, country, R&B… and whatever genre Blur is.
We hear you have an album on the way. What is the best way you can describe what fans can expect to hear?
It was originally meant to be a concept album, with seamless playback (due to difficulties getting that across with streaming, we pulled back on that for the digital release. Hold on tight for the physical release, buckle up nerds).
From start to finish, the album as a whole actually tells a story. It's like 3 separate battles throughout. The first battle is extrospective (blaming the world and the outside for our problems). The second scene is introspective (looking in, questioning ourselves and our choices). Finally, it’s about coping mechanisms… or cigarettes! (Take your pick, choose your own adventure!)
All artists suffer from writer’s block at some stage of their career. Is there a place or person you go to when in need of inspiration?
For both of us and our ADHD brains, we struggle much more with time management than we do writer's block. However, for both of us, driving to the beach to gain new perspectives and a bit of peace is a huge help. Late night drives to create that space of just being left alone with your thoughts (cranking up the volume of your fave tune to absolute maximum and screaming your lungs out).
Collaboration with friends who bring a new genre or vibe would be a big one for us too. Staying up until 3am, being entirely consumed with overthinking about something you did in grade 2 is usually a good kick-starter too (don’t do that though).