In the dynamic realm where artistry and music collide, Sophie Thatcher, an acclaimed actress recognized for her role as the younger Natalie on Yellowjackets, converges with The Serfs—Andie Lumen, Dylan McCartney, and Dakota Carlyle—a trailblazing electronic post-punk band hailing from Cincinnati. As anticipation peaks for The Serfs’ latest creation, “Half-Eaten by Dogs,” set to release this Friday under the Trouble in Mind label, a spirited virtual rendezvous between friends unfolds, orchestrated by Annie Fell, the Editor-in-Chief at Talkhouse Music.
Meeting of Minds: A Virtual Connection
Sophie Thatcher: Where are you guys right now?
Andie Lumen: We’re in our apartment. Dakota and I live together.
Sophie: Nice. I just got to Vancouver; I’m shooting here for the next few months. It’s been raining all day, and it’s been really nice.
Dylan McCartney: What movie are you filming?
Sophie: I’m filming this A24 movie. A24 is one of the only production companies filming right now due to the strike. I play a Mormon missionary—crazy, coming back to everything. But it’s with Hugh Grant, and I had the biggest crush on Hugh Grant when I was younger, and now he gets to torture me. So I’m excited.
The Serfs’ Origins: Cosmic Threads Unraveled
Sophie: I listened to your guys’ songs. I’ve been a fan for a while, and the two new songs are really sick. How did you guys all meet? What was the connection?
Dylan: Our story begins separately.
Dakota Carlyle: It’s a collection of cosmic events. I met Andie 10 years ago at a party when I was briefly in college, and then Dylan and I met playing in different bands. We were the only people who wanted to make music like we did at the time, so that kind of just naturally continued from there. But it was a slow thing.
Andie: Yeah, we all became friends first, just hanging out at shows.
Crafting Sonic Journeys: The Serfs’ Creative Process
Sophie: I want to talk about the new album because I’m excited to hear more from it. The two new songs remind me of Severed Heads or SPK. I feel like the sound is so cohesive. How has your taste evolved or shaped this new record, and what was the process like?
Dakota: Every record we’ve made sounds like it came from another time. When we make music, we don’t go to a studio for a week and record an album. We make songs on nights when we feel like making them and then create a narrative from those pieces.
Andie: It’s a true collection of creations over time.
Sophie: How does it usually start out? Is it like somebody sends someone something, or you’re all just together experimenting?
Dakota: We kind of recorded between here and where Dylan lives, so often one of us just starts with something varying degrees of fleshed out. But once we start to piece together a cohesive record, we focus on it for a month and finish it all.
Evolution of Sound: From Experimentation to Fuller Realms
Dylan: Does this record and this process feel different from your last two records?
Dakota: The songs were based more on experimental ideas than maybe the other ones were. It’s a fuller sound now. It’s stranger. The two new songs have a much more all-encompassing sound.
Dylan: We’re also just getting older. Listening back to certain things from the early days kind of makes you cringe a little bit.
Sophie: But that’s everybody. That’s just the natural progression of making music.
Musical Journeys: From Pretentious Peaks to Diverse Tastes
Sophie: I want to know about each person’s introduction to music, growing up, and how their taste has evolved.
Dylan: I grew up with an older brother, who introduced me to Elliott Smith really early on. I went through my Animal Collective phase. Now, I’m less pretentious.
Dakota: I went through all the phases of what was in front of me. My first introduction to loud and live music was in Las Vegas.
Andie: I liked things my mom liked, especially soul music. I went through indie, hardcore, new wave, and punk and ended up here.
Leaving the Past Behind: Sophie’s Journey from Mormonism
Sophie: I’m curious about when you left the Mormon Church because I grew up in that as well.
Dakota: I was never properly in it, but my first introductions to music were at those Vegas casino shows.
Sophie: I left when I was 13. My older siblings found a way out through literature and art. I started doing theater, and that was my way out.
Dylan: That’s an interesting puzzle piece.
Sophie: Yeah. Going back into that will be interesting for me.
Sophie: Well, I think we’ve talked over some good sh*t.
Andie: Thank you for doing this! It was really great to talk to you.
Sophie: Of course! I love your guys’ music. Just hearing your new songs is exciting because they keep expanding.
Dylan: Your music’s great too. I can’t wait for you to release it.
Sophie: Thank you. I’ll send you more sh*t too, as it gets weirder.
Also Read: Ryan Kattner: Unveiling the Musical Odyssey
