Brooklyn three-piece indie rock outfit, Razor Braids know a thing or two about falling headfirst into love, and their new track "It Goes Quiet," premiering today on PAPER, digs into that free fall. In it, Hollye Bynum, Janie Peacock and Jilly Karande lay out the vulnerability, anxiety and discomfort of letting someone else in. “Being in love rules but it can also be really fucking scary,” they tell us. "Especially if you have a brain that’s always trying to anticipate how something could go wrong. We wanted to write a love song that acknowledges the fear that comes with finding someone special.”
The band is currently gearing up for their sophomore album Big Wave, set for release on June 7. It promises to be about joy, despondence, confusion, “big sounds, big feelings, big shifts, big tits, big waves,” they add with a laugh.
“Big Wave grapples with change,” they say. “Falling out with a friend, entering a relationship and dealing with baggage you still somehow have even after almost a decade of therapy, navigating insecurities, allowing yourself to get excited about a new crush. It’s an album about the pushes and pulls of life and you can hear that in the sonic shifts.” The album also promises to embody what they call "roaring feminine energy" because, according to them "there's power and fullness in a roar."
Below, they talk to PAPER about “It Goes Quiet,” what else we can expect from Big Wave and what inspires them about the fragility of love.
Why did you want to write about the “fragile moments” that come with falling in love? Why did that feeling inspire you?
We wanted to write a love song that acknowledges the fear that comes with finding someone special. It really can feel like there’s this voice wanting to ask the most out-of-pocket questions when you’re falling in love. There’s this way of thinking that you shouldn't be with someone until you love yourself fully or are totally ready, but the truth is that we are never completely ready for anything. We are moving from one thing to the next, sometimes bringing baggage from the place before, and it all feels really scary. How is this going to end? Am I gonna fuck this up? Do they hate my body in the way that I do? But sometimes if you’re lucky you meet someone that grounds you and makes you feel safe enough to let go of those questions. The idea is that when you let yourself truly be present with this person you love the intrusive thoughts don’t seem so loud anymore.
What do you hope fans feel when they hear the track?
Whatever serves them in that moment! A place to connect and find commonality. A place to escape for a little while. A soundtrack for walking down the street in a little daydream. Music makes us all feel less alone and we’re just trying to provide that for others. Also, it might be cool for people to know that they’re not the only ones with a generalized anxiety disorder.
What’s the best thing about being a Brooklyn band?
The energy and the grit. Everything moves so fast and there’s so much to learn from this huge community of talented people constantly making amazing things. And we’re not just talking about musicians. We’re so inspired by the visual artists, photographers, lighting designers, stylists, directors and writers that we’re surrounded by. Brooklyn is chock full of history and we just feel so lucky to get to be a little part of that.
It’s also just an amazing place to call home. There are few better feelings than coming home from a long tour and finishing off the run by playing to a packed-out room of friends and fans in Brooklyn. We’ve really cultivated a supportive community here and feel so grateful to be part of something so inspiring and motivating. Brooklyn was the thing that brought us all together and we definitely wouldn’t be able to do what we’re doing now with each other if we didn’t live here.
What does “roaring queer feminine energy” mean to you?
The word "roaring" is so good. It demands your attention, but it’s also so much more than just being loud. There is power and there is fullness in a roar. It’s not just one thing and neither are we. Our energy really allows us to bring that to the table and fill an entire room with our stories and connect with those who care to listen. The process of recording these songs really brought us closer. It was like letting each other in on secret parts of ourselves. To then get to share those inner feelings with an audience in a way that’s unafraid and big is so freeing. We also just love being queer. No one can put you in a box. And that’s representative of our music and our vibe as a band in general — we’re not asking anyone to put a contained label on us.
What are you most excited to share with fans next?
New music, new collaborations, new cities to visit on tour, new merch. We already have a bunch of new ideas brewing and can’t wait for the songs that blossom out of this next chapter.
Photography: Sydney Tate
Related Articles Around the Web
