We talked with Brooklyn-based band, almost sex about their new single Desist, and how their music fits in today’s world. almost sex is made up of singer/songwriter Nick Louis, multi-instrumentalist Ken Helmlinger, percussionist Sam Gautier, guitarist Darrel Norrel and keyboardist Zach Jennings.
Check them out with their fresh new track Desist, an eclectic mix of influences that includes elements of nu-disco, alt-rock, and funk.
The band states: “Our sound is for moody lyric-loving people, fans of Angus & Julia Stone, Modest Mouse, Bright Eyes, and Alt-J.”
Read our Quickfire Questions interview with the band
Tell us everything we should know about your new track ‘Desist‘
Desist is the lead single from our upcoming sophomore EP. Since our debut EP was a fairly solemn release, we wanted to get back to some of our groovier, more beat-driven roots on this single. To be honest, it’s a bit hard for me not to sound sad while singing, so there’s still a reasonable helping of resigned melancholia coming from the vocal, but we aimed to foil that against the danceable bass, drum, and guitar interplay.
What inspired you to call your band ‘almost sex’?
“almost sex” as a band name came from our old bandmate and Nick’s (singer/songwriter of the project) ex-girlfriend Warren. She had a list of potential band names floating around for a while and we really thought this one was memorable and had a nice ring to it.
What first got you into music?
The first type of music that got me into songwriting, singing, and guitar was early 2000’s pop-punk. I grew up in New Jersey and there was a local-ish indie label called Drive Thru Records that had basically all of my favorite bands at the time on its roster. Bands like The Early November, The Starting Line, Senses Fail, and Saves the Day were a few of my biggest inspirations for learning how to play music. I found their angst-filled, power-chord-laden songs to be the perfect soundtrack to my adolescence as a sort of pensive and sensitive kid growing up in suburban New Jersey. After high school, Ken (bassist/producer/engineer for almost sex) and I worked with Ace Enders of The Early November. He produced some of our earliest songs, which was a dream come true as a TEN super fan.
Where do you think your music fits in today’s world?
Today’s musical landscape is so eclectic and ever-expanding that every sound or genre you can think of can find a niche if the quality is up to snuff. We haven’t reached the heights we’re shooting for yet, but we definitely have always had big aspirations for the project and hope to continue cultivating a supportive fan base in the alt-pop/indie-rock sphere.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
As a Bright Eyes and Conor Oberst uber-stan, I’ll have to go with “Landlocked Blues” off of “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning.” I think it’s one of the most impeccably-written songs of the 21st century.
What can we expect from you next?
Well, we have another single dropping in November from this EP, then the full project will drop in early 2023. Other than that, for anyone reading this in or around NYC, follow us on insta @almost.sex to keep up with any and all live shows we will be playing in support of this new release. Lastly, I just wanna thank Fabrizio and Fame Magazine for featuring our new single and supporting us!
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