Two-Man Giant Squid is a Brooklyn based post-punk 5 piece. They are aiming to capitalize on the success of their debut EP which Sam Sumpter of WFUV & Bands Do BK named best EP of 2022. Their upcoming new album is positioned to ignite the buzz they've spent the last year cultivating.
How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
The band formed as a result of request to go out and play the first EP live. The band name means 2 guys who are standing on eachother's shoulders to create the image of a Giant Squid. The weirder the better I guess?
Previous musical projects? How'd you first get into music?
I had been creating music by myself when I was first living in New Jersey. I soon began to take it more seriously and put out a project I had been working on. I sent it around to some Brooklyn blogs and was surprised at the responses I was getting. Thats when I decided to make the band ~a thing~
First concert that you ever went to?
The first concert I went to when I moved to brooklyn was a show at ECONO Lodge. This is a small DIY house venue and I just remember thinking it was so cool that this type of thing exists. The first concert I went to when I was a kid was an Eagles concert that my dad took me to. Both very different.
What's your writing process like?
Every song is a little bit different. But I usually start playing around on my guitar until I start singing something that clicks. Some songs take months/years to come about this way, but some take like 30-40 mins and then they are done. Those are the ones that I usually feel best about.
What other artists or songs inspire your music?
One of the bands on that playlist is Harlem. They were a band out of Texas in the 2010s. I really latched onto their simple but infectious garage rock sound when I tried writing some of these songs. Another one is New Order. I like to include synths in our songs and I think New Order became masters of exploring the edges of what's possible with synths in Rock & Roll.
What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the music live should be identical to the recorded version or should it be it's own thing?
We try to make our live experience as high energy and memorable as it can be. Like, we know you arent coming out to see a band with a catalog you've listened to all your life, most of local live music is about discovery, so we try and make sure you are getting a little extra in terms of performance to walk away with. I am a firm believer that things should sound different live. The process is totally different in creating studio sounds so why shouldnt the two sound different also? I like to make everything super wide and separated on the record but when it comes to live, I think good rock and roll should just hit you square in the face.
Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been, best shows? worst shows?
No tour yet but we are working on expanding to some east coast cities such as Philly and DC
What's up next for the band?
We have a full album dropping on 8/18 and then a big album release show at Babys All Right on 8/31. See you out there!
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