Tangerine

On Grunge’n’Art today is an amazing, new music feature! Recently we have got an email from Miro, drummer of the Seattle-based female fronted, garage pop band Tangerine. Together with her sister Marika Justad, and Toby Kuhn they formed the band in 2013. Now only some days ago they released their first EP which is called ‘Sugar Teeth’, via Swoon Records. Read some more interesting information in the interview we did with Miro and enjoy watching Tangerine’s photos they took with a disposable Kodak camera (those photos are their ‘sort of signature thing’ as Miro wrote). 🙂

Hi Miro! Thank you for writing us! It’s always great to get to know new bands. So at first we would like to know when your band started and if you have ever planned to form or rather playing in a band?

Hey guys! We are big fans of your magazine so its great to get to know you better. Tangerine started about three years ago in the rainy town of Seattle. When we were much younger we were in a band also so we have always wanted to be musicians!

Could you please tell us who does what in the band and explain every band-member with three adjectives.

Toby plays lead guitar and sings backup vocals. Three adjectives to describe Toby: unconventional, decisive, amiable.
Marika sings lead vocals and plays rhythm guitar. Three adjectives to describe Marika: bookworm, hungry, witch.
Miro plays drums and sings backup vocals. Three adjectives to describe Miro: nerd, artistic, weird.

Your band is called ‘Tangerine’. Is there a certain meaning why you have chosen this name?

Miro originally got the idea because of the Led Zeppelin song titled “Tangerine”. We were drawn to the simplicity of the word and how it did not immediately niche us into a specific genre.

Who writes the lyrics in your band and who composes the songs?

Marika writes the lyrics and the vocal melody while Miro and Toby compose their own parts and we all discuss song structure typically.

Are you inspired by certain bands or music-genres and which ones they are?

Yes! We have a wide range of influences from 90s rock to more pop synth groups some of them being: Mazzy Star, Hole, Haim, Breeders, Black Lips, Charli XCX, Hinds, etc. We’re also inspired by movies and television, especially ones with great soundtracks- like Baz Lurhman’s “Romeo + Juliet”

On February the 19th you have released your latest EP, ‘Sugar Teeth’. Please tell us what inspires you for this EP.

We are very excited about Sugar Teeth because it has similar elements to our last three EPs but executed with more intention. There are strong elements of surf and hard rock in the first track “Tender”, and then “Sunset” has more tropical 80s post-punk vibes. Wild At Heart has a poppier, jangly vibe to it. And then our title track “Sugar Teeth” has a very moody, stylised 80s feeling: like “In The Air Tonight” by Phil Collins, but mellow and played on guitar, haha.

You are based in Seattle. What do you like about this city the most? And is there something what you dislike?

Seattle is a unique city and we always feel very grateful to be part of the music scene which is supportive, vibrant, and the politics around town are extremely liberal which is awesome. This is a typical answer these days but we dislike the traffic!

Do want to live there (in Seattle) forever or is there another country you prefer more?

Although we love Seattle, we do have dreams of moving to LA or New York because the size of those cities are exciting to us as well as the diverse types of music people and art that come out of those places.

How do you like spending your weekends?

Playing music, eating good food, and playing with our dogs!

Where do you like to give concerts the most and why?

Playing on the road is probably our favourite because winning over a new crowd is so rewarding.