While the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection has a handful of appealing live music options for Halloween night, including some sonically spooky stuff in Eraserhood, we will be spending the evening at The Foundry at The Fillmore for the weekend’s best rock show. Headlining the show are Minneapolis quintet Porch Light, who you may have seen supporting Telescreens at TLA this March and who are currently kind of blowing up, but we’re easily as excited about New York City quartet Nautics, who will be opening the show and who actually just wrapped a run supporting Telescreens… Nautics have been a staple of NYC’s live music scene for quite a while now, but just last month dropped their first LP, People Only Like Me When Im Leaving. I recently got a chance to chat with Nautics vocalist and guitarist Kenzo Repola and bassist Van Cameron about their long-awaited full-length, their recent time on the road, and their feelings about “Spooky Szn.”
Izzy Cihak: You’ve been doing this for the better part of a decade now, but you actually just released your first full-length, People Only Like Me When Im Leaving. How do you feel like the LP compares to your EPs?
Kenzo Repola: I think we’re always building on what we’ve done before as a group. With each release, we try to learn from the process and find new ways to grow and expand our sound. With a full-length, we had more room to develop a cohesive concept and explore different sides of the band. Sonically, I think it pulls from that early-2000s indie rock revival while also bringing in some of the hyperpop influences that are really prevalent today. It felt like an opportunity to bring those different worlds together and make something that feels distinctly us.
Van Cameron: I think it’s a way more cohesive experience. All of us locked into a singular idea and tried to work on that image.
Izzy: You recently released an official music video for “Lie About The House,” which sort of makes that your most recent single, so I’m curious how that particular track came about, both sonically and sentimentally?
Kenzo: It started as a really lo-fi demo. It was pretty droning, and you could barely make out the words. I brought it to the group and let everyone put their own spin on it. We came up with the structure pretty much on the spot, and the whole thing felt really jammy and spontaneous. Aside from a few ideas we added later, the song stayed pretty true to that initial writing session.
Lyrically, I think it came from a feeling of longing that I’d been carrying for a while. I feel like isolation can get romanticized a lot these days, and I wanted to be honest about the emptiness that can come with it, too.
Izzy: Have you had any favorite reactions to the new music so far?
Kenzo: The live reactions have been great. We’ve always loved being in a room with people and getting to experience the music together. I think the biggest compliment has been hearing how everyone has a different favorite song, and how personal and unexpected their reasons can be. It feels like we made a project that people can connect with in different ways, depending on where they’re at in life, and that’s really beautiful.
Van: I’ve really enjoyed doing the “will you wait” with the crowds to Argentina. I think people who know the song get excited, and people who don’t kind of catch on.
Izzy: On that note, I know you just wrapped a jaunt with Telescreens. How did that go?
Kenzo: Touring with those guys was great. They’re good friends of ours, so it was nice getting to spend that time together on the road. Besides meeting new people and getting to meet fans in cities we hadn’t had the chance to visit before, some of my favorite moments were just hanging out with everyone in between shows. All the bands, playing pool, visiting parks.
Izzy: You’re about to hit the road for another run of live dates that will have you here in Philadelphia this Halloween! What can be expected of the Nautics live show? Any chance of something special for the Halloween gig? Three years ago Slow Pulp actually played that very room and dressed as the Scooby gang, not that I’m suggesting anything of that sort…
Kenzo: We’re definitely going to be a group costume. It’s going to be a little bit of a DIY rendition on a classic group of guys, but hopefully it reads from the stage. Let’s just say we argue just as much.
Izzy: Are you fans of Halloween, or “spooky szn?” I feel like I could rant about horror movies and Halloween-y post-punk forever… The weather also tends to be ideal for the best kinds of clothes…
Kenzo: I’m definitely a Halloween person. I love horror movies — The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is probably my favorite. Anytime we’ve been lucky enough to play a Halloween show, we go all in with the blood and bruises. I think the last time we had to DIY our costumes, but everyone could tell who we were, so I’d say we have it on lock.
Izzy: For this tour you’ll be supporting Porch Light, who are also super cool. What are your thoughts on the band and their music? Are you excited to spend some time on the road with them?
Kenzo: Love Porch Light. We’re super excited to tour with them and get to know everyone better. One thing I’ve always been impressed by is how connected they are with their fans, even as their audiences get bigger. That’s something that’s really important to us as a live band. I’m excited to be witness to that every night and hopefully learn more ways to engage everyone in the room and be more present.
Izzy: This is a really huge question but, like I said, you’ve been releasing music for almost a decade now. What have been just a few of your biggest personal highlights of that time?
Kenzo: It’s weird, it all kind of blurs into your regular life because, in many ways, it’s been the most consistent thing for all of us. It’s kind of like asking what the highlights of your entire time with your family are. It’s hard to pick, and mostly we just remember arguing a lot. The last couple of years have been pretty crazy as we’ve grown a lot. I think sometimes you can lose sight of certain moments in the pursuit of taking your art seriously, or at least hoping that other people will take you seriously. But we’ve had a few really genuine moments where other bands have told us how kind and professional we were to work with, and that’s meant the world to us. It’s kind of the whole point.
Van: It kind of feels like I’m still just making music with my friends. We collectively have a lot of inside jokes that aren’t all that funny, so the whole thing is just one prolonged bit.
Izzy: You relatively recently signed to Bright Antenna Records, which I have to admit I don’t know a ton about, aside from Wilderado (Although I just realized they put out the second record from In The Valley Below, who are actually personal friends of mine, haha.) How has it been working with them?
Kenzo: Love Bright Antenna. The whole team is super involved but also gives us a lot of freedom to do what we feel is right for our art. Everyone there comes from really diverse backgrounds and experiences in music, which leads to exciting discussion on how to approach all sides of what we’re doing. They are like a really cool parent that let me go out and party with my friends as long as I send them a text that I’m not dead.
Izzy: Finally, how are you hoping and planning to spend the remainder of 2026, after your live dates wrap, and maybe even the start of 2027? Anything you’re especially excited about?
Kenzo: We’re already working on plans for next year, but on the live and recorded side. Nothing specific I can share yet, but I’m excited.
*Get your tickets here.
