Interview: There's A Tuesday on their new single 'Bus Stop'.
"Is it wrong of me to want to love you?" ask There's A Tuesday on their latest single, 'Bus Stop', a song which seems them exploring the idea of loving the right person at the wrong time.
The rising New Zealand band - made up of frontwomen Minnie Robberds and Nat Hutton, along with Angus Murray and Joel Becker (bass and drums, respectively) - have been cutting their teeth on the live scene in the past few years, while developing their unique sound. Inspired by Julia Jacklin and Phoebe Bridgers, the band elevate their emotions and anxieties around growing up, inside a world of guitar and layered harmonies.
When chatting with the frontwomen, Minnie and Nat (who originally started the music project as a duo) are undeniably best friends - whether they be finishing each other's sentences, or teaming up to ask a school holidays activity group for a marshmallow midway through our photoshoot. Despite being currently separated due to lockdown, the pair are enthusiastic when discussing their upcoming new EP, set for release later this year through BENEE's record label, Olive Records.
We caught up with the band's frontwomen ahead of the release of 'Bus Stop' to discuss their songwriting, the power of honesty, and much more...
COUP DE MAIN: 'Bus Stop' is the first release from your next EP... what can you tell me about the writing/recording of that song?
THERE'S A TUESDAY - NAT HUTTON: I wrote that song last year in Auckland, and the song was about that whole idea of a right person, wrong time, kinda thing. I had written it originally quite acoustically in my room, and the other day actually found a little demo of it that I'd made on Logic in my room last year, and it had violins and strings in it. It sounded so different. But originally, I planned to have it quite acoustic and pretty and stuff. But then the more I thought about it, I was like, 'No, I want this to be a really dancey/crying kind of thing.' So when I took it to There's A Tuesday, and showed it to everyone, the boys added some cool drum and bass, and Min added some fun guitar, and then our producer helped us produce it in a way that was better than we could have ever imagined.
CDM: You should do something with violins at some point! That would be cool.
THERE'S A TUESDAY - MINNIE ROBBERDS: That'd actually be really fun. I can play the violin. I actually played in the orchestra in Year 3 - and I'd just hover the bow over the string, pretending I was playing, just going back and forth.
NAT: I was in the orchestra when I was Year 6, I was playing the clarinet in it and it was the most anxiety-inducing thing ever. I was Clarinet Number Two, and Clarinettist One - there was only two clarinet players - she was amazing and could read music, I was only Year 5 or 6, and I was just sitting there, and I was not playing anything. I was just pretending to, then the song would finish and I'd have six fingers on and the other chick would have like one. <laughs>
CDM: In the song you sing, "Is it wrong of me to want to love you?" What do you think the hardest things about falling in love with the wrong person are?
MINNIE: To be honest, I think it kind of just states that itself. Maybe there's something there, but feeling like something's not working or something's not clicking - it can be such a sore feeling that it's really hard to navigate. But, to be honest, I don't know.
CDM: You also say: "You're way too honest to break your promise." Is honesty the most important thing in a relationship?
MINNIE: Yeah, I totally do think that. It never feels like it'll be truly there with a relationship, or even a friendship, if everything's not out in the open, I guess.
CDM: What was it like filming the 'Bus Stop' music video?
NAT: It was so fun. Our friend and manager Louie Godfrey purchased six or so bus seats off TradeMe, and then just screwed them onto a trailer, and then we connected the trailer to his car. So Louis would drive us around suburbs of Christchurch while the cameraman sat in the boot videoing us, so it looks like a green screen, but it was actually all real. If you could take away the song that was obviously put in after we filmed and you could hear me mouthing it, I was singing at full volume, belting, with all this hair blowing into my mouth, it was actually so bad.
MINNIE: We actually got pulled over by the police. When we were inside the big bus depot, it was all good, because it was just a very vacant space, there was no one really around. But then when we did at the park later, it was kind of a different story - there were all these kids at their soccer practices, looking at us. But then the worst was when we got into the city. That street, New Regent Street, in the music video there's a a little bit of this scene where we're going down those lights, but there were heaps of people just having gelato and having a drink outside, and we were just cruising along with a UE Boom. So funny. We were so self-conscious, but we had to do it.
NAT: I was so self-conscious at the start of it. By the end, I was like, 'Oh my god, I just don't care, I'm never gonna see these people again, hopefully.' But when we got onto the main street, like New Regent Street - I'm not even sure if you're allowed to drive down it - and the streets around that as well, we saw a little police siren, and Louis didn't notice so he was still driving, and there's this police car just kind of coming beside us and we came together at the lights. He just puts down his window and he's like, 'What are you guys doing?' And Joel was just like, 'Hey, just filming a music video,' and then the light went green, and Louis continued driving off! The policemen pulled us over eventually, and he was real lovely and understanding, luckily, but he was like, 'You'll need to stop.' It was the last scene thankfully.
CDM: What else can you kind of tell us about the new EP at the moment?
MINNIE: We're still deciding on whether to record one more song, but I feel like it's almost there. We were kind of talking about recording one more, and we have a couple that we think would fit, so we're just figuring that out at the moment. I personally, and I know you do too Nat, and the boys as well, we feel so proud of it. And it's kind of what we have been looking for, for a really long time. It kind of finally feels like everything's come together, and the sound is what we envisioned at the start. So that's really exciting for us. The songs are really sentimental to us all. So it feels pretty special to have them ready to put out. I'm really excited. And Nat's really excited.
CDM: How do you feel it compares to the previous EP?
NAT: Maybe the same country, but like a different city. It's actually pretty different. You can definitely tell we've matured a lot, not only as musicians, but as people too. The last EP was only a year ago, but I actually feel like I seem a lot more onto it than I was when we wrote that, and I feel as though the musicality of it has definitely improved a lot which is super exciting and rewarding. We've spent heaps of time playing music and performing and practicing and whatnot. It's a similar similar feeling, it's still very There's A Tuesday, which I love, but it's definitely a mature There's A Tuesday.
CDM: Do you guys have a favourite song lyrically that you've written so far?
MINNIE: I really like 'Bus Stop'. Shout out Nattie, great song.
NAT: I really like one we perform live quite often that is coming out, called 'To Amy'. It's so sick, it's just got the best lyrics I've ever heard. Minnie wrote that one, not me.
CDM: How does your songwriting process work between the two of you?
MINNIE: We work on them usually, individually, there's been maybe two songs that we've collaborated on, but I think that usually it'll be a sentimental bedroom writing session individually, just by yourself. Then maybe for the little touch-ups, me and Nat would team up for little lyrical bits, and then we bring it to the band.
CDM: I love the imagery in 'Sound Of The Stars' when you describe the world as telescopic. Do you find that lyrics will just randomly come into your head? How do you come up with them?
NAT: I say this on behalf of both of us, that both me and Minnie feel that lyrics are the most important part of any song and definitely what we focus on most when writing. I feel like songs are just like little poems with musical backing, rather than musical backing with words. But we definitely have an idea that we always want to write about initially, and we do try look for fun, or sometimes powerful ways to convey the message we're trying to write about. I think a lot of the time, it just will come to us, or other times, I feel like Minnie and I always have our notes open on our phone, or we're writing down little phrases or ideas that pop into our heads at random times.
CDM: Does songwriting help you cope with processing things that happen to you / your loved ones?
MINNIE: I'd say so, for sure. The things that can be tricky to process and work through in your head, it's really therapeutic and kind of clarifying, or brings you clarity, at least sometimes, to just write it all down in something. That feels easier for some reason.
CDM: Why do you think it's easier to have in a song?
NAT: It's not as confronting, but I don't know why that is. I feel like with music behind it, it's a lot more hidden, but still very out in the open, but you feel like you've got this little shield in front of you.
CDM: What do you hope for people to take away from listening to your music?
MINNIE: I think we want our music to feel safe and warm. I feel like a lot of the time we're talking about experiences with anxiety and feeling things that sometimes don't feel so pleasant, so maybe feeling a little less kind of isolated in those feelings - there's a lot of people experiencing that.
CDM: What is your favourite thing about Minnie?
NAT: I think Minnie is actually the kindest person I've ever met, and I've met quite a few people. I'm 20 now, I've met quite a few people. But I genuinely think Minnie is the kindest person I've ever met. And I don't know how happy I would be-- I don't think I'd be very happy if I hadn't met Minnie. Minnie is the only person who makes my stomach sore after we hang out because I've been laughing so much. And I've always said this, but I think she's just me, but blonde.
CDM: What is your favourite thing about Nat?
MINNIE: Well, I don't want to copy her, but I feel like our friendship is full of happiness and love, and we've never really had many days not full of laughter and just having the most beautiful times. I honestly think Nat is the greatest, most kind human in the world as well. She's seriously so kind and always looking out for everybody and literally can turn any day that you're having into something so much better. She will make you laugh and will make you smile and is just a great person - such a great person. Best person in the world.
NAT: I think Minnie is my favourite person in the world. My family is great too.
CDM: If T.A.T. was an acronym, what would each letter stand for?
NAT: Totally Awesome Tote bags.
CDM: What's been your favourite thing about working with BENEE on Olive Records so far?
MINNIE: So far, just all the cool conversations we're having about music and what's on the horizon. It's just been super fun to be surrounded by lots of really cool wāhine, in an industry that is very male dominated, so it's been so cool. It's so exciting. Every time we have conversations, I love it. It's really fun. Everything. Can I say everything?
NAT: I feel like she has already taught us a lot about the music industry, being a female in the music industry, and how to play Fortnite.
CDM: I'm guessing that you've still never been to Amsterdam...? Is there anywhere else touring-wise that you really want to go to one day?
NAT: London. Japan. Greenland. That just popped into my head.
MINNIE: The U.S., I think that'd be really fun.
There's A Tuesday's new song 'Bus Stop' is out now - watch the music video below...
[Made with the support of NZ On Air]
