As a duo, Holy Golden embark on adventures as if they're turning pages in a book. For their sophomore album Wax Castle, they hit the road traversing the US and recording songs in various locales along the way, including a eucalyptus grove on the California coast, a spot in Martha’s Vineyard and from within an empty mansion in the midwest. They keep their songs short and sweet, like any good pop song worth its salt, with most of them clocking in at the two minute mark and sometimes under. In that short span of time, they weave fantastical mini-tales about aliens and volcanoes over raw guitar chords for a lo-fi sound that wouldn't be out of place in rotation on alternative radio in the '90s, while staying very current, too.
We chatted with members Leslie Schott and Andrew Valenti about the whimsy that exists in their output, the journey of recording Wax Castle and their favorite authors.
Hometown/Homebase: Detroit, MI
If you were to creatively describe your sound, how would you?
Leslie: The sound is a choose-your-own-adventure of fantasies, feelings and experiences. A place where things are not always what they seem, like standing in a hallway of mirrors where the rug could be pulled out from under you at any moment. If you pay close attention, you'll come out on the other side with a special new feeling — a secret only you know.
How did the two of you initially meet and how soon/what sparked the musical collaboration?
Leslie: It was a December day, I decided to walk in the cold back to the ferry instead of taking the bus while visiting Martha's Vineyard and I saw a sign for a record store and went in to warm up — Andrew was working at the shop. Our meeting was a strange thing, magnetic and serendipitous, we both felt like we already knew each other.
Andrew: I knew there was a musical connection when I saw the CDs she had in her hand at the record shop. When Leslie went back to LA, she sent me some lyrics she wrote on the plane, and I immediately recorded music to the words. It has been a non-stop collaboration ever since, with the music being the soundtrack to our creative world together.
What is your musical history? What have been your other projects and what does Holy Golden fulfill in you?
Andrew: When I was 15, I sought freedom by moving into a tent in my parent's backyard. I brought my guitar and 4-track cassette recorder with me (connected by extension cord) and started making up my first songs. I've been in a handful of bands and recorded several solo albums. Holy Golden is the most freedom and support I've had with a musical project and brings out my favorite parts of the music-making process.
Leslie: I was a super shy kid. I sang a lot, but only alone in my bedroom or when my sister and I had a Mariah Carey singing competition — she always won. My parents made me take piano lessons and do the recitals. Music makes me feel vulnerable, and I've learned to embrace it. I had a roommate from London when I moved to LA; she was the first person I started officially writing songs with, and then I was hooked! Holy Golden is the culmination of many things I have always felt and wanted.
What's your song writing process like?
Leslie: We've called it "a labyrinthian breadcrumb trail." We pick up little clues as we go, the words and the sounds. We try not to control anything too intensely and instead be led by something bigger than ourselves. Some songs appear out of nowhere and get written in ten minutes! Others tease us, leading us on and on until they finally show their true colors. It's a very cathartic process.
You recorded your album in a bunch of different locations — was that always the intent? How did you select the locations? Do you think it had an effect on the record to record it in various places rather than at one specific locale?
Leslie: We lead a pretty nomadic life, and the music comes along with us wherever we go. When we're in a new place feeling inspired, that's often when the magic happens. I think Wax Castle, having been recorded this way, gives it a feeling of being on a journey. Some songs sound a little western, others icy, some dreamy, all because of these unique locations.
Andrew: We've had songs that we wrote on the west coast that never got finished until we were on the east coast because the energy of the environment breathed new life into the tune.
What's it like being a musician in Detroit? How would you compare and contrast it with being a creative based in Los Angeles?
Leslie: Los Angeles is hot, dry and constantly sunny. Detroit is damp, freezing in the winter and it feels older and more historic. The two places have completely different rhythms. I'm from outside Detroit, so it feels like home. LA always felt like outer space to me, often in a good way. As a band, we've never actually identified with a particular scene at all but have loved the experience of working and being in both places.
Andrew: LA is amazing because I could see many of my current musical heroes performing all the time, but Detroit feels a lot more intimate. Detroit has many inspiring underground legends — you feel the rich history of some of the best music ever created.
Your visuals are super whimsical. How important is the visual component to you?
Leslie: The visuals are a huge key into the fantastical world of Holy Golden. Creating images and video help us to keep our eyes open for beautiful fleeting moments and strange places, which takes us out of our routine. The process encourages us to tap into a childlike place, where we play characters, wear costumes and work from the imagination. It's fun and rewarding, especially when you get a whole group together to work towards fulfilling a vision.
You made a bunch of mini videos to celebrate the release of the album — what was that process like and what inspired you to make them?
Leslie: The videos are moving collages as platforms to express a deeper meaning behind each song on Wax Castle. We didn't want to force a specific meaning on anyone, so we intuitively filmed bits and pieces from books and life to imply an overall mood, along with some writing about the story behind each song.
Authors are listed as your influences. What are you reading now? What makes a good story?
Leslie: I just finished Joan Didion's Play It As It Lays and am now almost done with a book on Edie Sedgwick I was gifted called Edie: An American Biography written by Jean Stein, which is so addictively fascinating. I keep a book of poetry on hand, right now it's a collection by Michael Earl Craig called Can You Relax In My House. A good story is a place you get lost, but you can see something of yourself in it, and when the story ends, some part of you is changed forever from this new experience.
Andrew: I'm obsessed with magical realism. Anker Frankoni's Mexican Eskimo is one I recently loved, and Doris Lessing's Briefing for a Descent Into Hell is incredible. I'm working my way through Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, but it's pretty slow going so my expectations of finishing it are not that great!
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