Photo Credit: Paige Sara (@paigesaraphoto)
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // July 6, 2020
Sour Face only introduced themselves to us a few months ago, but they’re already one of our favorite alternative pop duos. With themes of addiction and life struggles, Sour Face’s debut self-titled EP offers a vast spectrum of perspectives that’ll definitely do you some good. The Los Angeles-based duo is rightfully taking over our airwaves, and it’s about time you let them into yours.
On their debut self-titled EP, Sour Face explained,
“For a while, we were really focused on world-building and trying to explore where we wanted to place the boundaries of our sound, so this is a collection of that exploration. This first EP is an introduction to our world, each song brings a bit of a different feel that we are going to dive into more in the future. It’s like Russian Roulette – it’s full of excitement but it always ends abruptly.”
To celebrate the release of their new music, we recently chatted with Sour Face about cheeseburgers, David Bowie, and of course, Sour Face.
HH: Where did the name Sour Face come from?
SF: It was born from “Human Killer” and was something we really attached to. Like the symmetry of it and the image it puts in your head when you hear it. It’s something uncontrollable that you have to kind of submit too. There’s freedom in acknowledging parts of yourself that have turned a bit sour.
HH: Something about your genre-bending soundscape is so intriguing and beguiling. What inspires your eclectic sound?
SF: It is pretty eclectic. Really been intrigued by a huge array of music since a very young age… you are what you eat. If you only eat American cheeseburgers, your music is going to be that. If you deeply submit your ears to a wide array of music from around the world and different historical eras, you will naturally begin to create things that feel different…
HH: Your debut self-titled EP is everything we could’ve asked for. How does it feel to finally have it out in the world?!
SF: Appreciate that, so happy for it to finally be out! A few years of hard work went into that and it’s been great to put a staple on it, share it, and now look at what’s ahead… Definitely excited about this next record we are working on. A fun evolution has happened from where we left the EP to now.
HH: Can you describe the creative process behind the EP?
SF: We were just in a mode of constantly creating and then seeing what stuck out to us. Really a collection of us exploring our world. You can’t really predetermine what is going to grab your ear heart until the moment has passed. Creation is for the moment and then we figure it out later.
HH: Whether you’re discussing drug dependency or beauty in struggles, Sour Face is full of complex themes. Which track was the most difficult to write?
SF: They each had a fairly unique journey. I guess I spent a lot of time thinking about “God Is a Good Lawyer.” I spend a lot of time thinking about all of them, which doesn’t make Boaz the happiest sometimes haha. But that line “GIAGL” was something we both gravitated toward so much. To me, it’s a very aggressive song and it took a while to find that right overtness and confrontational nature to it. Hearing “God Is a Good Lawyer” is triggering, it puts you on your heels a bit, and we loved that. This was a time where my beliefs were constantly being challenged and I experienced so much growth from that.
HH: What’s the best part of making music as a duo? Have you two ever come across any obstacles because of your partnership?
SF: Haha – mainly we just argue over songs and Dylan is way too much of a perfectionist… But we go back and forth a ton and then it usually makes something special that we’re both very excited about. Art made in a vacuum is a little weird.
HH: If you could have anyone in the music industry be your mentor, who would you pick?
SF: Oh shoot – I’ve heard too many stories of friends meeting or working with their hero/heroes and having it not really land in a mentorship kind of way at all… I’ve always really admired David Bowie, I guess we all get mentored by the artists we grow up with.
HH: What are your three hidden hits?
SF: Usually friends’ songs.
Rainstorm Brother – “Drivin”
Kid Gloves – “Zurich”
Eva B. Ross is making some pretty banger songs.
The Hidden Hits 