Brooklyn-bred Secret Weapons lit up the blogosphere and Spotify charts with their infectious debut single “Something New.” Anthemic pop melodies and raucous live performances has landed the duo on 2016’s biggest must-see lists.
In this interview, we speak with Secret Weapons to discuss influences, the new EP, and more.
Full Q&A, links, and a stream below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
The genre or style in which we write is really an amalgamation of everything we’ve grown to love and enjoy over the years. While we haven’t exactly synthesized every tune we’ve ever liked into SW, our sound is shaped heavily by the emotional response we’ve had to so many incredible artists.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
We were both always called to music from an incredibly young age. Danny was more of a performer, and Gerry was more of an audiophile who was a truly obsessive music listener before he began making music himself. We’re driven by a relentless urge to share the emotions we experience through our own music with the rest of the world.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Our tastes are constantly changing, though there’s certain principles of emotional reaction that for the most part have remained constant throughout our lives. We are quite literally influenced by everyone and everything – from a lady singing on the subway, to something one of us might be experiencing in our personal lives.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
We don’t really have a specific goal other than sharing our music with as many people as possible, and putting on one of the best live shows we can dream up.
What was the last song you listened to?
Gigi D’agustino – I’ll Fly With You
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I enjoy the ritual of vinyl, but don’t get too picky about the quality since so much of the quality for me personally comes from the source recording and the speakers.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
We like Spotify and Apple Music. Both put infinite libraries at our fingertips, and Spotify is an incredible tool for new music discovery. Spotify has also been an absolutely incredible champion of our music and for that we eternally grateful.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
The biggest challenge to finding new fans simply lies in attention span – it’s very unlikely someone is going to listen to a entire album before they decide whether or not they’re into a particular project. You get a half a chorus and that’s about it, but that’s modern music.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
We’re really active online. A lot of tweeting and instagramming.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
We’re working on our first album now. It should be done and released in a few months time.
