Jen Johnson (vocals) and Mike Latuppile (production) know how to work together. They’re married, for one, and have played together in local favorite bands Static of the Gods and Velah. And with their new electro-pop project, Pale Hands, whose debut album Spirit Hands dropped Tuesday, they’re tapping into a whole new groove.
On performing live…
ML: It’s a different dynamic because in a big rock band, sometimes it’s easy to get comfortable behind that wall of sound and guitars. That covers up a lot. In some ways this was very exposing, stripping all of that away and really starting to figure out what the essence of these songs are and how do we portray that live.
On influences…
JJ: I really enjoyed Neon Indian’s record and I also like Com Truise’s synth sounds. We aren’t making that same kind of chillwave music, but we borrow from that. My dad introduced me to Joseph Campbell and the idea of myths as not being literally true but as a way to explain human experience. I was always compelled by that, and I also like a lot of surrealistic writing. That’s definitely part of what the lyrics are, and the sounds correspond to that. It has that sense that you went into another world just for a minute.
On branching out…
ML: I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to come out. It was the first time I’ve done anything with no live drums on the record and used drum machines and samplers to make music. That’s the fun part of it, trying something new and different.
JJ: I also became less afraid of making anything too poppy. It never can be, because if it goes through the filter of Mike and me it can’t be too much. But I think in the past I’ve been very allergic to anything that I felt was too pop.
On recording at home…
JJ: I was worried about getting the performance I wanted, and then I realized: I’m in my house. I have a glass of wine, some candles going. I’m totally relaxed. Just make sure the dog takes his collar off so it’s not jingling in the background.
ML: I think a big part of being creative is being comfortable. A lot of parts that made their way into the final version came from the demos, just because there was no pressure. [To Jen] You were in the right frame of mind and not trying too hard to make it perfect, and that turned out to be the best stuff.
On their name…
JJ: I’m half Mexican, even though I don’t really look like it, and Mexican-American culture was a huge part of my upbringing. But I also felt strange in some cases because I look so white. Sometimes I felt like I didn’t really fit into that, and so one of the songs, “Low Reversal,” is kind of about that, and I say “I’m a pale daughter.” I think we were just thinking about names, and that phrase came up. Hands are sort of the things that make things real.
PALE HANDS W/ VARY LUMAR + THE DAILY PRAVDA. FRI 10.31 GREAT SCOTT, 1222 COMM AVE., ALLSTON FRI 10.31. 9PM/$10/21+. PALEHANDS.COM
