“It’s like an arena rock commercial pop album in your bedroom because you can’t play your instruments really well,” laughs Alyse Vellturo. Vellturo, better known as PRONOUN, is discussing her OMG I MADE IT EP, which hits shelves June 11th, courtesy of Wax Bodega. I recently got a chance to chat with the Brooklyn singer/songwriter, who tells me she’s basically spent the pandemic moving into a new apartment and not going out.
“Pre-pandemic I’d go to my 9-5 every day… and go out to shows like four or five times a week. I’m someone who really feeds off of nightlife energy, so it was hard. I’ve just been watching television, which I never do… I’m just excited to be getting back to the office, as lame as that sounds, and not spending all of my time in my apartment.”
Vellturo also tells me the pandemic changed her perspective while making the EP: “The two singles I have out now I wrote before the pandemic. But I’m not going out and playing for people while I’m making the music, like I normally do, so now when I talk to friends about the new music, they’re like, ‘It’s so different,’ which is a surprise, because when I hear it, I’m like, ‘There you go, making the same shit again,’ [laughs], but maybe it is very different…” OMG I MADE IT’s first single, “I WANNA DIE BUT I CAN’T (CUZ I GOTTA KEEP LIVING)” was called, “a chiming anthem that lands somewhere between Springsteen and Tegan And Sara,” by Stereogum and the follow-up, “I’M RIGHT BACK IN IT,” embodies emo balladry in the hands of a charmingly quirky loner.
For those interested in being some of the first to hear the songs off of OMG I MADE IT, PRONOUN will be kicking off The Atlantic City Beer & Music Festival this Friday, June 4th (She’s opening for Knuckle Puck and The Early November.), although when I ask her about the event she admits that she’s not sure how it could or might go: “I have no idea what to expect. I’ll play some of these new songs for the first time ever and it’ll be my first full band show. My drummer is coming out from Los Angeles two days before, so we only have two nights to rehearse.” However, for those hesitant to attend live music just yet, she does tell me there are plans for more dates this year: “We’re definitely gonna play some shows. We’ll be playing Wilmington, Delaware with a much bigger band in December…”
PRONOUN first hit the scene in 2016, with the there’s no one new around you EP, followed by 2019’s i’ll show you stronger, her debut full-length. Her music, which she describes for me as, “alt. rock with definite elements of pop,” has received praise from the likes of NPR, The New York Times, and Billboard, but when I ask her about her highlights of the project, she tells me that the biggest thing is the recognition she’s gotten from the bands that she grew up listening to.
“I would say the Jimmy Eat World tour hands down. They’re one of my favorite bands of all-time, if not my favorite band of all-time, and they found us organically on Twitter. I mean, Jimmy Eat World, Third Eye Blind, Taking Back Sunday, and Dashboard Confessional are like my favorite bands and I’ve toured with all of them and they all found us organically, which has been really crazy. I mean, I remember when I was like, ‘I’m just gonna keep going until I open for Jimmy Eat World and then I’m done,’ [laughs].”
