MØAA – Thanks for Asking – an Interview by Liam Sweeny

We reached out to Jancy Rae of MØAA for our segment, “Thanks for Asking. Here is the good word.

RRX: Every comic book hero has an origin story. What is the origin story for the band? (points if you tell it like a comic book origin.)

Jancy: I started my solo project MØAA when working through a lot of grief and anger. I attempted to write music with kind of a child like mindset alone in my bedroom with an audio interface, guitar, bass, and a MS2000 synth. After I recorded some home demos on my computer, I shared them in a car ride through Joshua Tree with Italian producer and musician Andrea Volpato who said he would record the songs in his studio in Venice, Italy once I finished writing them. Those homemade demos developed into what became Euphoric Recall, and we also ended up co-writing two of the songs on the album, “X Marks” and “Flashlight.”

Andrea and I then put together the live set and toured Europe and later America with a live bass player. Although there is consistent collaboration with Andrea, on this second album “Jaywalker” I completed all of the demos and writing alone with every instrument and the sound I was going for before bringing it into his studio. Andrea still co-produced, recorded, and mixed it in his studio, added some guitar embellishments, and performed guitar and bass on the record (because I write all my songs with guitar, bass, and synth parts but am not studio polished enough to perform in the studio with guitar and bass!)

RRX: Every band’s first song is a milestone. But so is the latest song. Describe the first song/album you recorded, and also the latest song/album you recorded; what are the differences?

Jancy: My first album “Euphoric Recall” has two pretty distinct energies within the record, with one side lighter and ethereal and the other being much heavier and doomier. This reflected what music I was listening to at that time when I was writing those songs and the emotional landscape I was dealing with.

My new record “Jaywalker” is a bit of a shift away from the doom, but still very gloomy and melancholic…Which I would say is a consistent thread in MØAA. I always go with my instinct when writing and don’t judge the direction I’m going in, only later I recognize the new sonic and emotional textures I was exploring at that time. My taste in music also shifts very quickly, and the music I was listening to while writing the first record was pretty different from what I was listening to when writing the second album.

RRX: Like songs, every band has a unique feeling about their first show. What was your first show like? Was it your best show? If not, what was your best show like?

Jancy: Because I started MØAA in Italy, our first live show was in Mestre, Italy. One of the owners of the label that MØAA is on (We Were Never Being Boring) also came to the show all the way from San Francisco which was really special. For me it was pretty crazy to do my first show ever in another country, since I was born and raised in Seattle.

Our best show…In my opinion it would be our fourth gig ever which was at a massive festival in Sicily with an insane stage and production team. Or it would be when we opened for Yves Tumor, which again was in Italy…We’ve also had amazing shows in America but those were some of the great ones that stick out to me.

RRX: Music genres are difficult for some bands. Some strictly adhere; others not so much. What is your perspective on the genre you play, or the genres you hover around?

Jancy: I actually had never heard of the term “darkwave” music until after releasing my first album “Euphoric Recall” and fans and press outlets started referencing that genre. I never put thought into genres when writing, I just know which instruments I like to write with, which effects I like to play with, which synth sounds I’m drawn to. After releasing the music I end up hearing from others what the genre is…and often times it seems to be in the middle of a few: darkwave, shoegaze, dream pop, psychedelic.

RRX: It’s a lot of fun living in the present, but we all collect memories and give birth to dreams. We’re talking dreams here. Where you see yourself next year? In the next five years?

Jancy: Typically I don’t think that far into the future, I prefer to stay in the moment and pay attention to what is coming up in the immediate future. This way I stay more focused and in tune with whatever artistic vision I am having in my life at that time.

RRX: We all get a little support from those around us. And we also can be impressed by our fellow bands. Who do you admire in your community, and why?

Jancy: I’m really drawn to current, newer projects that blend a lot of genres together in their music, and of course these tend to be bands that I listen to a lot. Right now I’m really into Provoker, GVLLOW, BONES, and Soft Kill. I admire specifically Soft Kill a lot because Tobias seems to be really honest and unapologetic in the way he approaches his music, and takes risks artistically.

More interviews by Liam Sweeny.