Cocomyrrh: Congratulations everyone! I know it’s been about 10 months since you recorded Scream From New York, NY, and years before that getting here. Is it excitement, plus maybe a little relief now that it’s finally out?
Skyler Knapp: It’s a lot of different emotions. There’s excitement, but also a lot of anxiety with it, for sure. Relief is definitely a big part, because we’re a band that’s always working. Having an album recorded and coming out doesn’t feel like a huge accomplishment anymore. It did when we first finished recording, but the whole build-up and promotion process is really new to us.
Cocomyrrh: You’ve already released four singles before the album. Does that feel like the right lead-up?
Sam Slocum: Yeah, I’ve always felt like it needs to be less than half the record released beforehand. If more than half of an album is out before the official release, it just feels weird. I remember the first time that happened to me was with Weezer’s White Album. They put out, like, six singles, and I was like, “That’s too much, guys.”
Cocomyrrh: I saw you guys live with shame about a year ago, and I think you were already playing some of these songs back then, right?
Nico Brunstein: Yeah, we were playing “Sweet,” “Passing Judgment,” “Shimmer,” and “Start Again,” I think.
Knapp: Yeah, on that tour, some of the tracks like “All In One” came together while we were on the road. We’d grab rehearsal spaces in cities like Toronto and Austin and work on the songs between gigs. It was a way to keep the creative process alive during long tours.
Cocomyrrh: You mention Austin—wasn’t that where you met Dan Carey, who ended up producing the album?
Slocum: Yeah, we met him at South By Southwest. We were considering a few different producers after signing with Dirty Hit, but Dan was always a dream collaborator for us. So when we had the chance to do a session with him for Speedy Wunderground, we jumped on it. We recorded a version of “Passing Judgment” live in his studio, and his enthusiasm for music was infectious. I just asked him on the spot if he’d be interested in doing the whole record, and he was like, “Yeah, let’s do it.”
Cocomyrrh: The whole thing only took two weeks to record, right? Were the songs mostly done by the time you hit the studio?
Laila Wayans: Yeah, they were pretty much done. We’d been working on them for a while, so when it was time to record, we were mostly ready. Dan came by our practice space a few times before we started recording to get a feel for the album, but “Scream” was the one track that we finished in the studio.
Cocomyrrh: Did Dan ever have to play referee when the band disagreed on things? I’ve heard of producers doing that sometimes.
Brunstein: A few times, yeah. But we generally try to make decisions as a group. If four of us are leaning one way and one person feels strongly about something else, we listen. Sometimes it’s about compromise, and sometimes you just have to surrender to the majority.
Knapp: We’ve always aimed to be a truly democratic band. That’s how we wanted it from the beginning, even though the roots of the band started with just Sam and me. It’s definitely a challenge, but it’s worth it.
Slocum: Yeah, it took a while to build that level of trust. It’s not easy, especially when two people started it all, but we got there eventually.
Cocomyrrh: I read somewhere that “Passing Judgment” is considered your signature sound. Do you feel like you have a signature sound as a band?
Knapp: People have said that, but honestly, it didn’t occur to me while we were making the album. I think the only way to make a record is to balance those intense, in-your-face moments with softer, more tender ones. If we have a “sound,” it’s probably that we don’t like existing in the middle space. Our music tends to be very intense, one way or another.
Slocum: Yeah, it’s not about trying to fit into one specific sound or label. It’s just what the five of us created together, and that’s why I’m proud of it. We’ve gone through phases of imitation before, but once you push through that, you really come into your own.
Cocomyrrh: You guys arrived in New York in 2017, a few years after the indie rock scene from the early 2000s had fizzled out. Was that tough to adjust to?
Knapp: Yeah, we realized pretty quickly that the whole DIY scene we were excited about had mostly disappeared. I remember Silent Barn closing right after we got here, and that was kind of the last big DIY space left.
Slocum: It was kind of heartbreaking at first. But we just didn’t take “no” for an answer. I credit Sky for that attitude. He booked us a show before we even had a full band lineup! I thought that was insane, but it pushed us forward.
Knapp: In hindsight, I’m grateful that there wasn’t a pre-existing scene for us to fit into. It gave us the freedom to carve out our own sound without trying to emulate anyone else.
Cocomyrrh: You’ve played a lot in the UK and Europe. Do you feel more connected to that scene, given the similarities in sound with bands like Fontaines D.C. or shame?
Brunstein: Definitely. I think the music culture in the UK just fosters more creativity. People grow up with guitar music being part of their pop culture, which is different from here.
Knapp: Yeah, we didn’t really fit into any wave or trend in the US. We’re not rock purists, but for some reason, this is the kind of music we make when we’re together. Seeing bands like Fontaines, IDLES, and shame break through during the pandemic was really inspiring. It wasn’t about jumping on a bandwagon; it was more like, “This is the kind of music we want to make.”
Cocomyrrh: So what’s next for Been Stellar?
Knapp: We’re heading back to the UK for more headline shows this summer, and we’ll wrap up the year with another month in Europe. Then it’s back to working on new music. The cycle never really stops.
Cocomyrrh: I can’t wait to hear what comes next. Thanks for the time, and congratulations again on Scream From New York, NY!
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