When Now, Now’s debut album dropped the Minnesota then-duo, were barely old enough to buy cigarettes. However, after transforming into a trio, changing their name (formerly Now, Now Every Children), and spending nearly half a decade developing the sounds that would manifest themselves onto their follow-up LP, the band seems to think they’ve done quite a bit of growing up. Cacie Dalager (vocals, guitar), Brad Hale (drums, synth), and Jess Abbott (vocals, guitar… and the new-ish kid on the block) finally released their sophomore album, Threads, this March on Trans Records. The synth-very-heavy album sounds along the lines of a pleasantly mellow trip on Jupiter. It’s quite dark, but not scary. In fact, the most existentially romantic aspects of heartbreak glimmer quite brightly throughout the release. (I hate drawing comparisons to other musicians, which is why this statement is hiding parenthetically, but Shiny Toy Guns and Kill Hannah can’t help but come to mind.) The band has spent most of the year on the road, performing both headlining shows and as support for some fairly huge tours (see below). Tomorrow, June 19th, they’ll find themselves at my favorite gig spot in Philthy, the North Star Bar, for a headlining show, with support from girl-heavy Philadelphia groups Break it Up and The Pretty Greens. I recently got a chance to chat with Cacie Dalager about how Now, Now’s year has been going thus far, her thoughts on the current state of the band, and… even a bit about Harry Potter and Xena Warrior Princess.
Izzy Cihak: You took quite a bit of time between releasing your debut LP, Cars, and your second full-length, Threads. What do you feel is the biggest difference between the recording of each and what was it that happened in-between that you feel is most responsible for that evolution of sorts… other than the obvious lineup change?
Cacie Dalager: We went through a lot in our personal lives and our professional lives between Cars and Threads. We were learning how to write together and trying to figure out how to get back on our feet. Recording Threads and recording Cars feel like two totally different projects. Cars feels like a past life to me at this point. I think one of the main differences was just knowing what we were getting into and being a little more mentally prepared for what we had to do. It was also the first time we were in an actual studio and the first time we worked with a producer. There were a lot of firsts while working on this album. We had also never had the chance to record out of state before. We lived in Vancouver for about a month where we recorded. It was one of the best experiences of my life.
IC: What would you cite as the biggest inspirations for the sound of Threads, whether musical or otherwise? I haven’t heard anything like this in quite a while. I also noticed that you thank both J.K. Rowling and Xena Warrior Princess in the liner notes.
CD: I think this album comes from a darker place than our previous releases. All three of us draw inspiration from different genres. From pop to 80s/90s bands we grew up with to rap. We are all over the place. And yes, we are obsessed with Xena and HP.
IC: You’re based out in Minnesota. What are your thoughts on your local scene and sounds? I’m quite a fan of Polica and Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles.
CD: The Minneapolis scene is pretty buzzy at the moment. Polica is one of my favorite bands right now. I haven’t had the chance to see them live yet, but I have watched enough YouTube videos to know what I’m missing out on. I can’t get enough of them.
IC: You’ve done quite a bit of touring already this year. What have been the highlights and what can Philadelphia expect of your upcoming show at the North Star?
CD: There have been a lot of really great moments so far this year. We toured with The Naked And Famous and that whole tour was a highlight. This tour with Fun has been amazing too. You can expect a lot of chatter between the three of us and a lot of cheering for our tech Kevin.
IC: What are the band’s plans after your touring wraps in mid-July?
CD: We will be touring until we drop dead. And hopefully finding some time to write for a new record.
