mai.la
mai.la released their debut EP blush on October 23rd.
Formed by Cait Cole and Katie Moore, the band created a stunning electro-pop EP made of 5 promising tracks.
‘blush’ is our time capsule. We made each of these tracks at such a specific time of our lives. There is no doubt that in 30 years, we’re going to listen to this EP and be transported to Tennessee roads and cicada songs. We’re going to remember the laughter, and the tears, the stress and the hugs. We’re going to remember 12-hour jam sessions and staying up until the sun rose, sleeping until 3pm, then doing it again. We weren’t thinking about putting it out, or where we’d be when we did, or how we’d feel about these songs. We weren’t thinking at all. It manifested, and now it’s here, and we will always be grateful for that. We hope that by listening, you get to see a little peek of that too,’ explains the band.
Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, the duo introduced their music through the debut single “Ready” in 2016. Now relocated in Los Angeles, they have spent the last year in LA making music alongside the likes of Jordan Reyes and Aaron Harmon (Blackbear, Terror Jr, Basecamp).
blush is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Miranda Mcdonald
Introduce the band - what's your story?
Hi, we're Cait and Katie, and we're mai.la. We're two people that got lucky and found our music soulmates, cut from the same mold. Now we get to make music that is as fulfilling as our relationship.
How would you define mai.la?
mai.la is the intertwining of opposite parts. It's the marriage between yin and yang, the beautiful and the grotesque, violence and perfume. Everything in this world has it's counterpart, and nothing can exist without that. We want to give something tangible, something real. No senselessness. No sugarcoating.
blush is your new project - what's the story behind this project?
We've said before that blush is a time capsule, but we can’t emphasize that enough. In the months of summer meeting fall in 2017, we created these songs with two of our best friends Jordan Reyes and Aaron Harmon, who are two of the weirdest and fearlessly creative people we've ever met. We had somewhat of an everything goes policy while we created these songs, so things got crazy fast. We're talking ghost stories, freestyle drum circles, palmistry lessons, recording backwards and forwards and slower and faster and reamping and...we digress. Needless to say, our unique sound comes from the true rawness of the creation process. Because of that rawness, we have encapsulated some of the best memories we have, packaged them up and given them to the world. We hope that comes through to anyone listening, even just a little bit.
What was the hardest part about making the project?
The hardest part was accepting when everything was done and learning to let go. We have a habit of holding on to music forever and tinkering away. This was our first step towards releasing much, much more.
What do you like the most about this whole project?
We love that we get to do this whole music thing together. It's a lot more fun than doing it alone. Fear shared, laughter shared, tears shared, victories shared.
What did you learn about yourselves after finishing this project?
We learned that you don't have to be anything for anyone. I think it's common to think "oh, I'm [label] so I have to do [action] and be [celebrated stereotype of label] for people to support what I’m doing." We've learned that you don't have to check any boxes. Do what feels right, because in the end, how you feel about it is all that matters. No amount of validation from others will ever change how you see it.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
Oh, yay! We were hoping someone would ask this. Time to brag about our incredibly talented friend Balee Greer. We met Balee during the same time we were writing this EP and instantly fell in love with her, as a friend and as an artist. She's one of those people who just drips with vision. A stylist and film photographer, we did our very first shoot as mai.la with her and this album art is from that shoot, raw and unedited on 35mm, other than the title. Check out her other work at @baleegreer !
What made you want to name your EP Blush?
While cutting yet another song to cassette tape (which we did for at least one part of every one of these songs), we jokingly said that we were basically making a mixtape for a crush. Someone said something along the lines of "how to make a girl blush 101" and the word 'blush' really stuck out to us, and stuck with us. No question it was the right title.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
Each song has its own special meaning and message directly, like a poem. For the whole project, mostly we want to lead by example, that it’s okay to be weird and crazy and sensitive, that there are other people like that, that you’re not alone, we’re here too. Understanding the power of being different, together.
How did things change for you since your move to Los Angeles?
Not much, to be honest. Same s***, different toilet. It’s warmer here. Our house is cooler, we have more cactuses.
How do you want to be remembered for?
We think it would be an honor to be remembered at all. We hope that whatever people have to say when we’re long gone, good or bad, is that we were honest.
What do you want to accomplish with mai.la?
We want to make music we like with people we like.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
We think if people were simultaneously more sensitive and less sensitive, that would be a good start. Gratitude and freedom. We all could use a lot more empathy out here. Always try to see it from the other side, even if you don’t like it. You’re not always going to. But it’s important.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
The best lessons we’ve learned so far come with the process of learning ourselves. Life lessons add up the more you pay attention to yourself and how you’re reacting to your environment. It also helps relationships grow stronger and feel more rewarding. No matter how helpless you feel, you are constantly constructing your own life in the way you approach it. With this in mind, we can move alone with more ease.
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