MEET VS SELF: CRYBABY JAZZ
The Midwest has a second home in San Diego. VS Self is a Midwestern Emo band gaining steady popularity within the San Diego music scene. Their first album release was in 2020, called "Everything Seems Better Now." It is a love letter to the genre that has inspired countless artists. Let's look into the band's background, the recording process for specific songs, and what the band has in store for the future!
Photo Taken by @ah_media_ca on IG
WHERE ARE YOU FROM, WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND, AND WHAT BROUGHT YOU ALL TOGETHER?
"We're from all around the Inland Empire area of Southern California. We were brought together by playing shows together."
HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE THE MUSIC YOU MAKE?
"Crybaby Jazz."
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THE NAME "VS SELF," AND HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH YOUR BAND NAME?
"I first heard the name in English III class in high school. It is one of the types of literary conflict. There was character Vs character, Vs nature, Vs society, Vs technology...Vs self. That one really stuck with me. It was my Instagram handle for a while, but when I needed a band name, it felt right, so I changed my handle to @vs_kyle and called the band Vs Self."
Photo Taken by @ah_media_ca on IG
HOW WOULD YOU BEST DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS WHEN CREATING MUSIC?
"Usually, I come up with a riff or part of a song and then bring it to Frankie, and we figure out drums for it. For lyrics, I usually find a part I like in the notes app on my phone and build off of that."
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR LATEST RELEASE, "FRANCES." WHAT WAS YOUR MAIN INSPIRATION BEHIND THIS TRACK?
"The main inspiration for the track is actually the people who inspire me. The lyrics are all for different people, but the song is named after Frances Quinlan of Hop Along, who is one of my favorite lyricists and songwriters of all time. They also came out as non-binary publically at the same time as I was figuring out my own gender identity, and it felt oddly validating to share with someone whose music I felt so drawn to."
LISTEN TO "FRANCES" BY CLICKING BELOW.
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND YOUR MOST POPULAR SONG, "YESTERDAY BY BEATLES OR: IMAGINE BY YOKO ONO AS SUNG BY JOHN LENNON." HOW DID THE BEATLES INFLUENCE YOUR WRITING PROCESS?
"The opening riff in that song is actually the very first thing I wrote for VS Self that we actually ended up keeping. We had about 20 songs before that we threw out. It was the first thing I wrote after making up my own guitar tuning that I would use solely for writing all of the songs on our album 'Everything Seems Better Now.' The Beatles didn't influence the song in any way. The song is about blackouts and paranoia induced by drinking and smoking too much. There's a line that says - 'lost yesterday,' so I wanted to call the song 'yesterday,' but I felt like that title is trite, so I drew from the line 'imagined injuries' and thought to call the song 'Imagine' but then realized that was another overused Beatles adjacent name. So I decided on the convoluted name the song has now."
Photo Taken by @ah_media_ca on IG
IN THE YEARS VS SELF HAS BEEN TOGETHER, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR FAVORITE SONG TO WORK ON?
"Definitely 'Frances.' It was the first song I worked on with Frankie, and it felt awesome to see that we had good chemistry not only with playing together but writing together as well."
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WAY TO UNWIND AFTER PLAYING A SHOW?
"I usually have a long drive after shows. I like to stop somewhere on the way and get a burrito or something."
WHERE DO YOU SEE VS SELF IN 5 YEARS?
"Honestly, that's a very difficult question. Depending on the day you ask it, you'll probably get a different answer from me. I've been making music for over half my life at this point, and it feels amazing to be a part of something that so many people seem to care about. At the same time, there is a lot of work that goes into being in a band at this level to the point where it can be hard to even get to the parts of it I enjoy most, which is the creative part. I would like to be in a place where we have more time to focus on creating and playing music."
Photo Taken by @ah_media_ca on IG
WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST MUSICAL INFLUENCES, AND HOW HAVE THEY SHAPED YOUR STYLE?
"I already mentioned Frances Quinlan. They inspire me to be a better lyricist. My favorite guitarist is Victor Villareal from Cap'n Jazz, Ghosts and Vodka, Owls, etc... I feel like he pretty much created what would come to be known as Midwest Emo because he was a classically trained guitarist who was playing in a punk band. Explosions in the Sky is a maybe not-so-obvious influence. I just love a lot of their guitar tones and melodies and how much feeling they convey in their music without lyrics."
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VS SELF, CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW.
Photo Taken by @ah_media_ca on IG
