Words by: Julia Poholek

SoCal’s newest group, Move Like Creatures, are a pop-rock gem that’s dropped out of the ether and landed on the scene with a distinctive, can’t-miss-it spark upon impact. Focusing on themes of mental health awareness, loss, insecurity, and the highs and lows of finding oneself, they’ve arrived with the powerful and poignant EP, Space Case. Coming in at five tracks, each song speaks to the soul of anyone who might listen. This collection inspires a positive outlook on the daily challenges of depression and anxiety — an outlook that can seem so insurmountable to achieve, yet they’ve done so with a confident flourish. The piece serves as a reminder that through music, we’re able to access a completely fresh angle of approaching our pain — perhaps arriving at a healthy way to cope and celebrate all parts of ourselves. We were pumped to get a chance to ask the band about their creative process and how this sensational first EP came to fruition.

 

 

PTM: Hi everyone, thanks for chatting with us today! Your latest EP, Space Case, has been on repeat for us and will undoubtedly be a highlight of the year for so many of us once it’s officially released on March 23rd. We understand that you formed during the early days of the pandemic and came together through a Craigslist ad that Nancy had made looking for bandmates. Nancy, what was the catalyst for taking the plunge and making that post?

Nancy: Thank you, this EP is special to us and we are excited to put it out in the world for others to connect with the songs. I was very sad at the time I wrote the Craigslist post because my previous band parted ways due to life changes. I felt a loss of identity not touring, performing and writing music so I knew I needed to get something started. I was scared to start a new project ground up but I’m also a very hopeful person and a big believer in just going for it. Looking back it’s crazy how everything just fell into place so quickly. Melissa, Ryan and I clicked right away and once Brian joined we all hit the ground running with writing.

PTM: “Mind Reader” is such a strong lead single. It immediately launches into a bouncy yet grounded rhythm, and it has a chorus that is undeniably infectious. You’ve said the song was inspired by ‘an ill-fated therapy session.’ Can you talk a bit about transmitting a painful experience like that into a bright, catchy song? When you reflect on that initial therapy session, do you see it differently now that you’ve interpreted it through such an artistic, musical lens?

Nancy: I think taking any painful experience and turning it into something else is healing. I was young, emotional and misdiagnosed. I didn’t know at the time how to advocate for myself or to challenge a ‘professional adult’ when they advised me on something that didn’t feel right. I was lucky I had a family that really believed in me and finding answers to what I was struggling with at the time. I know not everyone has that and a lot of people turn to music for comfort.The song turning into a message to help others is the best part of it all and what I went through.

PTM: Speaking of “Mind Reader,” the music video is so beautifully shot and well thought out, and it features Nancy as a mystical fortune teller decked out in velvet and jewels. She summons you all from mundane household activities and drops you into a colorful, upbeat performance of the song. It looks like you must have had a blast dancing and playing off each others’ energies. Where did the concept for this video come from?

Melissa: Along with being the drummer, I’m also the graphic designer. At the time we weren’t sure if we were going to release an EP or have all the songs be released as singles, but I knew I wanted some sort of design concept that connected all the songs together in some way. I remember coming across a flyer for a show that was designed like a tarot card, and I thought it would be really cool to have each song be it’s own tarot card with individual artwork that reflected the lyrics and vibe of the songs. When it came time to shoot the video for “Mind Reader,” it just made sense to continue with that theme, and create a narrative around it. To go along with the “Mind Reader” tarot card, the idea to have individual cards of each of our instruments was thrown out there that way Nancy could flip over the cards one by one and reveal the band.

Nancy: We really had a great team of people who worked on this video so it was a lot of fun to do. It was produced my our good friend John Marsaglia and filmed by Brody Anderson. Once we had the concept based on Melissa’s art we built the story around it and it all came together.

PTM: Among other themes, this EP captures the experience of living with mental health struggles, and it does so in a way that discusses the challenges that millions around the world go through every day. In writing the lyrics for these songs, did opening up to your fellow bandmates feel like an emotional release right away, or did it take time to become that vulnerable with each other?

Nancy: I think anyone who knows me would quickly find I’m an open book. I think holding secrets or hiding struggles holds power over a person so I really make an effort to communicate and share. The more open I am, the more I learn other people experience similar things and it brings us closer. I think it was easy to be vulnerable at first because I didn’t really know them and I’m very much like “well here I am this is what we’re working with, all my cards on the table.”

PTM: We love the title track, “Space Case.” It has such a powerful build that explodes into a rousing anthem, altogether doing such a fantastic job of showing your range as musicians. It’s a song about being lost in thought, yet finding solace in someone who understands you and continually grounds and stabilizes you. “Stuck in the loop of another daydream/Always in between what I say and what I mean/But you always get me” What made you choose this song as the title track?

Nancy: I feel like a lot of people can relate to this song and the term space case. As a band and musically, we felt that we all brought a big piece of our personality to it. Our sound is eclectic and we just create what feels good as we go, but this one really brought us some direction. I’ve always joked about being the ‘space case’ since I live with ADHD and struggle with being present sometimes. I try to make my shortcomings lighthearted and explain it in a way where other people don’t take those parts of me personally.

PTM: It should come as no surprise that you’ve imbued this collection of work with themes that touch on mental health awareness. Brian, we know that you’re a practicing psychiatrist, and Nancy, you hold a degree in psychology! Do you both find it especially meaningful to be creating music that deals with subject matter like mental health, given your separate histories with it?

Nancy: It is extremely meaningful for me because a lot of people struggle with mental health, especially with what we all went through the past few years. Having a platform to bring awareness and lessen the stigma is something I am very grateful for.

Brian: One of the biggest struggles I hear my patients dealing with is stigma. It often prevents them from seeking out care, as well as talking about their mental health struggles with their friends and family. This then causes them to feel even more alone, which then fuels their depression. When I was a teenager, listening to my favorite bands and identifying with their lyrics was a saving grace, as it made me feel like someone out there understood me. As a psychiatrist, my schedule only allows me to see a limited number of patients. So my hope is that our band will positively affect people on a bigger scale in the same way that my favorite bands did for me.

PTM: We know that you linked up with producer and engineer Ethan Kaufmann to work on this EP. His craftsmanship can be heard on every track – the production quality on all of Space Case is just stellar [pun intended]. It sounds like you were in good hands with him at the helm of the ship. What was it about his body of work that made you eager to work with him? What was the vibe like during the recording process?

Nancy: I’ve known Ethan 10+ years and worked with him on other projects. He is an extremely talented musician, producer and engineer. What makes me want to work with him the most is his big heart and ability to get everyone to collaborate in a direct but positive way. As an artist recording EP can be extremely stressful and emotional, especially when you are trusting someone with your vision. He has a gift of steering things in a direction and just really knowing how to motivate people. If something sucks he knows how to say it with kindness and he is just one of those rare humans that everybody loves. When I brought the band to meet him and showed them his previous work, everyone was immediately on board. The recording process was one of the best times ever. We laughed a lot, put our everything into this and came out with some great stories .

Melissa: Ethan was such a positive and encouraging force from the get go. He has such an eclectic vibe and really helped us zone in on a direction for these songs. It’s so important to work with someone who believes in your music and makes the experience fun and positive.

Ryan: Ethan has a ton of experience working with artists like Avril Lavigne and Ryan Cabrerra, as well as producing albums for his own bands Wild Party and Fake Stacys. Working with Ethan felt natural right off the bat, and recording with him was one of the most enjoyable experiences I’ve had as a musician thus far. When we initially went into the studio, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to play during certain parts of several different songs. Ethan really challenged me to improvise and create more interesting leads/riffs while trying to avoid the infamous ‘butt rock’ sound. To me, what’s really interesting about this EP is that about 80% of the guitar parts that ended up on the final tracks were made up on the spot in the studio — this includes the lead guitar part on the intro of “Ghost Me,” pretty much all of the guitar parts on “Mind Reader,” and much of the solo at the end of “Space Case.” As far as what the vibe was like during the recording process, I’d say there were lots of late night trips to the corner store, trash burritos, and slumber parties in the live room.

PTM: Now that you’ve got an EP under your belt, you must be itching to get out and experience what the songs feel like in a live setting. In the [hopefully not too distant] future, what’s your vision for what fans can expect from a Move Like Creatures show?

MLC: We’ve had A LOT of time to work on our live set and it’s feels great to see the world opening back up for shows.  Everyone can expect to come release all the energy they’ve been holding onto the past two years, a great time and new friends! Our fans have been so supportive online and we can’t wait to see everyone in person and provide the live experience. We are Excited because we just confirmed our EP release show at the Viper Room in West Hollywood for April 8th! It is going to be a special night.

PTM: We really appreciate you all taking the time to hang out with us today! We’re just so excited about what’s to come for Move Like Creatures. Can we expect a full length LP sometime in the not too distant future?

MLC: Thank you so much for having us be part of this! We definitely plan on recording a full album. The dream is to be signed by a label in the near future to help make that happen. We do appreciate the creative freedom we have right now doing everything ourselves. In the meantime, this year we are recording another EP with Ethan and we already can’t wait to get more new music out in the world! 

 

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