“You can expect a trio of clam aliens screaming about butter,” says Tea Eater songwriter and frontperson Tarra Thiessen (also of Gustaf, Sharkmuffin, and MamajoeVramajoe) when I ask what’s in store for those who come out to the self-assessed “weirdo art punk” band’s show tomorrow, August 13th, at Nikki Lopez, the newly reopened one time site of legendary South Street spot J.C. Dobbs. The band – who’ve opened for phriends of PHILTHY like Death Valley Girls, L.A. Witch, and Sloppy Jane – are currently touring their sophomore full-length, I Don’t Believe in Bad Luck, which dropped this March. Earlier this week I got to chat with Tarra Thiessen about all of this and more.
Izzy Cihak: You released your sophomore LP, I Don’t Believe in Bad Luck, earlier this year. How do you think the album compares to Obsession, whether relating to sounds, themes, or just the process of writing and recording it? I know it’s a concept album of sorts.
Tarra Thiessen: Obsession was mostly written and recorded during Covid and largely inspired by our Bandcamp Fan Club. Each Bandcamp Fan Club member would suggest a song idea plus a cover for me to record. Two songs from the album (and the album title) came directly from Bandcamp Fan Club ideas — “Obsession” and “Fuck the DMV.”
I Don’t Believe in Bad Luck was mostly written after our first tours back in 2021/2022; except for “Butter,” which was written during lockdown with Tine Hill of Gustaf. I was doing “Bad Movie Mondays” on Twitch after the pandemic and the song “Invasion of the Bee Girls” was inspired by the 1970s b-movie of the same name. I was writing a lot of songs and posting them in the fan club; and the ones that made it to the album were songs frequently requested on Twitch, like “You Again,” “Little White Dog (in a Gated Community),” and “The Waffle Song.” So, the focus group-esque input of the supporters in our community in the writing process was very important for the development of this album, which I love!
The subject matter for I Don’t Believe in Bad Luck was inspired by a lot of woo woo podcasts I was listening to during lockdown, The Midnight Gospel series, my re-ignited obsession with Tarot Cards, The Gateway Method, and various dabblings in the Occult. I’m still working on the coinciding tarot deck for the record, which will be out by the end of the year. I’m sharing my musings on that in the Tea Eater Tarot Substack-https://substack.com/@teaeatertarot
Izzy: The album was produced, engineered, and mixed by Vanessa Silberman (I definitely used to dig Diamonds Under Fire.) and Jasno Swarez (who I know is playing with you on your upcoming local date). How was working with them? I’m guessing they’re friends of yours?
Tarra: Vanessa and Jasno co-produced, mixed, and released this record on their labels. I love working with both of them! I’ve known Jasno since 2012 and I played in his band HellBirds back in the day. I also played in his solo project for their first two shows in 2023. Vanessa produced my old band Ex-Girlfriends’ second EP and recorded some demos for Sharkmuffin too.
We tracked the majority of the record at Jasno’s La Fam Studio. In terms of overall sound, IDBIBL has much more of a wall-of-sound aspect to it than Obsession, which I feel is thanks for Jasno Swarez’s mixing style. Vanessa Silberman produced the vocals both on this record and Obsession. She has definitely helped push me to become a better singer.
Izzy: You’ve released a bunch of cool music videos from the new album, including a couple that you directed. What kinds of things tend to inspire the visual elements of Tea Eater? You also mentioned the tarot deck, which is super cool!
Tarra: I have a $27 2000s camcorder that I used to shoot “The Waffle Song” and “ET Vs Jesus” music videos. We have one more for “You Again” shot in Blackpool, England coming this fall! I love old lofi VHS looking footage. Check out Trash Humpers. I am a huge fan of David Lynch. I love diners, coffee, and liminal spaces. I love making mundane things mystical like waffles, bugs, butter, and tea (which are the four suits of the tarot deck). I love 90s zines and collages and uncanny valley type masks. Lately I’m really getting into cakes that have goofy and/or scary faces. My favorite painter is Francis Bacon. I love how he uses bright colors but there’s still an uneasiness to it.
Izzy: Since this is Tea Eater’s second full-length, I’m curious if you have any favorite sophomore LPs in your own music library? I was looking through your Spotify playlists and we definitely have a lot of tastes in common, and The Breeders, Bully, Kim Gordon, L.A. Witch, Nine Inch Nails, and The Velvet Underground definitely all have killer sophomore albums.
Tarra: Sloppy Jane’s Madison is amazing, she recorded the whole record inside of a cave. I love The Mallard’s second record, Finding Meaning in Deference. David Bowie Space Oddity.
Izzy: Gustaf and Sharkmuffin have each played Philly a bunch of times, but I’m yet to see Tea Eater live. What can be expected of the live show when you play Nikki Lopez in the very near future?
Tarra: You can expect a trio of clam aliens screaming about butter.
Izzy: Actually, how do you feel like Tea Eater compares to your other bands? I’m guessing it allows you to explore additional musical (and maybe artistic, in general) interests of yours?
Tarra: Everything comes in threes::::
Tea Eater is my main songwriting project with a rotating cast of band member friends to tour with depending on who’s available. Tea Eater feels like a big family band. Many bandmates and friends are included on cards in the tarot deck I’m making.
Gustaf is super fun because I’m basically a hype man/post-punk clown. We’ve all been friends for years and Lydia gives me the freedom to try new percussion instruments and toys and dance around as much as I want.
MamajoeVramajoe is an experimental electronic duo that doubles as a purple church that has its own astrology system and tarot card deck. We celebrate every holiday and Christmas once a month. The purple hair I wear keeps growing!
Izzy: This is a really big question, but what have been some of the highlights of Tea Eater so far, whether reactions the music’s gotten, experiences it’s afforded you, or just anything else you consider to be super cool? You have toured quite a bit.
Tarra: We collabed with Driggs Pizza and made our own pizza slice! The Cecelia slice: vodka sauce with caramelized onions, basil, ricotta and gruyère cheese. Opening up for The Oh Sees was awesome!
I love playing in small towns in Europe and the U.K. Kinett in Kusel, Germany is a gem. We love Just Dropped In Records in Coventry, U.K. We got to explore a lot of France this past tour and played TINALS in Nimes with our friends Knives, which was a highlight of that tour.
Izzy: Not to detract from Tea Eater, but in our initial emails, you mentioned Chartreuse, the first Sharkmuffin album, turning 10 this year, which is super crazy to think about. What are your thoughts on that album now? Do you have any particularly vivid memories of writing, recording, or touring it?
Tarra: I’ve always been proud of that album! Our drummer Janet had an arm injury and couldn’t record so Patty Schemel jumped in last minute. Natalie and I are huge Hole fans, so it was a dream come true for us and she was such a pleasure to work with. We tracked at the legendary Record Plant Studios in LA. I remember Nicki Minaj was in one of the rooms next to us.
We had a session on New Sounds hosted by John Schaefer on WNYC that was really cool! Our record release show at the DIY venue Shea Stadium (RIP) was one of the craziest shows I had played at that point.
Izzy: Finally, what’s next for you? How are you hoping and planning to spend the remainder of 2025, whether relating to Tea Eater, Gustaf, or anything else you’ve got coming up? I know that Gustaf has some upcoming dates.
Tarra: Taking over the world! I’m finishing up the Tea Eater tarot deck this fall, so look out for a pre-order link on our Bandcamp for that! We will be releasing more music videos from the last record and doing more bad movie Monday marathons on Twitch. We are finishing up our third record, Cake Stealer. We’re hoping to release it in fall 2026. MamajoeVramajoe has been creating the new genre of PURPLE WAVE. And Gustaf is playing a couple shows with St. Vincent at the end of August!
*Get your tickets here.
