Something to Read
Starting out in the music scene is a very hard thing to do nowadays, sure there are many options to get your songs out into the listeners hands, but that is also a tool for each and every musician/band. So the music is what really matters, what it means, how it was made, how it sounds, these are things that make or break a song and ultimately a band’s publicity. So for a local Coloradian band known as Pseudocrush, they took these variables into deep consideration when making their music.
Pseudocrush is an Alt rock/Punk band that leans heavily into the majority of the bandmember’s queer origins when making a song. Most of the queer aspects are shown throughout the lyrics that the lead singer Sofia Maines writes, there are many instrumental parts that are inspired by other LGBT bands. The band consists of four members, The aforementioned lead singer and also rhythm guitarist Sofia Maines, the lead guitarist Cal Fowler, the bassist V Van Nostern Walsh, and the Drummer Zach Marks.
Something to listen to before, after, or during your read.
Local Colorado band Pseudocrush plays at 100 Nickel St, Broomfield, Colorado, Sept. 27th 2023. Pseudocrush plays their song “Voyeur” from their unreleased EP.
Photo taken by Zachary Marks.
Unlike the other musicians, them being LVY and Gary Dean Smith when writing his earlier songs, who have been interviewed and shown throughout this site who seem to usually go off an idea that may be lingering around in their head when making a song. Pseudocrush has a different method from these two songwriters. Pseudocrush uses a more collaborative approach when it comes to making their music.
When asked about how she usually makes her songs for Pseudocrush Sofia said this, “First, I get inspired through improvisation or coming up with a melody through a song. Then I add chords underneath to make it more fleshed out, and I continue to amend new melodies that I think would fit the character of the song. At this point, I usually perform what I’ve been working on to my band and let them digest and add to it with their own personal styles. They are usually able to add their own flourishes and segments to the songs that make it truly fleshed out,”. Stating that her band usually builds off of each other when making a song. “Finally, after the song is completely finished instrumentally, I will write lyrics based on how I think would best match the tone of the song. Usually, the lyrics are a mix of both things personally relevant to my life, reference to media I’m inspired by, and whatever I envision while listening to the song itself.”
“I usually write out a guitar part that I’ve been working on for a while and then show it to the rest of the band during practice, though most of the time we just mess around with different ideas that all of us think of during a rehearsal and just make a song from scratch.” This was Cal Fowler the lead guitarist of Pseudocrushs’ thoughts when talking about the band’s creative process. “I don’t know whether or not it’s more difficult to write a song the way we do, because I haven’t ever written a song without improvising my part to begin with. That’s usually how I get some of my best parts.” This being the response from the drummer Zach Marks.
Lead singer of Pseudocrush performing at Moe’s Original BBQ, Englewood, CO 80113, Jan. 15, 2024. Sofia Maines, lead Singer of Pseudocrush singing their song “All the Girls”.
Photo taken by Machkne
Pseudocrush performing at 100 Nickel St, Broomfield, Colorado, Sept. 27th 2023. Pseudocrush energetically performing their song “GIRLMOTH” on stage at 830 North bowling alley.
Picture taken by Aiden Hepler
The band utilizes eachother’s feedback and input when making songs, which in itself is a very interesting way of writing songs. Though the thing that helps them stick out more is their inspirations and origins when writing songs. I asked all of the band members, which doesn’t include me, what inspires them when writing a song. Sofia responded with this, “Blonde Redhead has been my favorite band for a minute now. I think they are incredibly talented at conveying a feeling of emotional intensity, despair, and what I like to call a suffocating sense of lethargy in a very authentic sense.” Which is a wonderfully in depth response and also very insightful as to how she may go about writing her lyrics. V’s response was a little more concise yet interesting to hear, “I’m inspired mainly by My Chemical Romance and the grittiness that they convey through their songs. Most of their songs are simple yet get the message across, while also being energetic and a large part of my past and identity as a whole.”, and lastly Cal had this to say for their inspiration, “ it’s mainly harmony/melody idea that I kinda base stuff on, a lot of just whatever I’ve listened to recently really. more recently stuff like Symphony X, Beabadoobee, Metric, anything that really has any memorable music to it”, showing even more of how the band members use their inspirations to help them make songs.
The band Pseudocrush just goes to show how there is not just one way to efficiently write a song, when you compare their creative process with a singer/songwriter like LVY who usually writes by herself. It just proves that music is made in more ways than one.
Peudocrush performing their song “She Looks Her Dad” at Moe’s Original BBQ, Englewood, CO 80113, Jan. 15, 2024.
Pictures taken by Machkne