Born and raised in Johannesburg, Crow Baby reunited in Berlin in 2020, and their debut album ‘Get Yourself Together’ is the result. Filled with indie goodness, the album delivers intriguing songwriting, fuzzy guitars, and some seriously great riffs.
That’s what you get.
This is a band you’ll want to get in on early—tell your friends so you can say ‘I told you so’ later!
Describe your sound in 3 words
Wobbly riot joy
Tell us a few things about your debut album ‘Get Yourself Together’. What is the main idea behind the album? Also why did you choose “Get Yourself Together” as the title for your debut album, and what does it signify to you both?
The album was born out of a desperate need for release during the Covid pandemic. We were expressly not trying to start a band or make a record, and wanted to play instruments that we didn’t usually play (JL’s main instrument is viola and Cherilyn’s is piano). So we decided on a “punk” format – drums, bass, electric, voice – and played a little game. One of us would record an idea on one of those instruments, then the other would do the next layer and back and forth like that. The result was that neither of us ever quite knew where we were going. We encouraged each other’s silliest ideas – the ones you’d never let out of the gates if you were by yourself – and we were just having an insane amount of fun. After six play sessions we realized we had created 12 awesome song ideas. So we decided to finish them, and Crow Baby was born.
‘Get Yourself Together’ is a lyric from our song, ‘All Better’. The full line is “Get yourself together, great things get lost.” The theme that runs through the whole album is about artistic striving in the midst of what feels like the apocalypse. There’s a cynical sense that it’s all ridiculous. But at the core is the message that how you use your time and your talents really matters, that you have to take your one life seriously (but not too seriously).
Which song from the album (if any) represents you the most and why?
It’s hard to say, because the songs are all over the place genre-wise, and that’s kind of part of what represents us – maximalism and eclecticism. The songs all encompass parts of who we are – playful, wild, sultry, silly, hopeful, ambitious… I guess if we had to pick one to represent us it would be ‘Pity Party’, as it holds a lot of those aspects.
What was it like to reunite in Berlin after growing up in Johannesburg and pursuing separate musical paths?
We were elated to finally be back in the same city. We had played together in Dear Reader (Cheri’s band) back in the 2010’s, and have done a lot of touring together. So the musical and personal bond is strong, and that existing trust was the perfect foundation for doing this experiment together. Of course, irony would have it that Cheri moved to Virginia soon after Crow Baby was born, so we are once again on separate continents! But Cheri comes to Berlin twice a year and we’re about to go on an album launch tour this month.
Since you both have your own projects, what unique challenges or advantages did you encounter when merging your individual styles to create the Crow Baby sound?
It has been really easy for us to write together because we have a lot of mutual respect and appreciation for each other’s work. We have different strengths, and we play to those. JL’s voice is sultry and warm, Cheri’s is bright and percussive and we immediately loved the “new voice” that comes out when we sing together in unison. JL is great at production and mood building. Cheri churns out lyrics. And then the ethos of the whole project from the beginning has been “If it’s not fun, we don’t want to do it.” We’re committed to Play with a capital P and not taking any of it too seriously. So that makes it easy to just go with whatever happens creatively without getting too in our heads about anything.
Listening to the album there are numerous experimental moments in it. Should music as a form of art always challenge the listener?
We don’t necessarily think all art has to do that, especially not pop music. Sometimes you just want to be in a zone. But one thing we personally appreciate and enjoy in music is when it surprises you and keeps you engaged. It might take a few listens to get into, but then you keep finding new little nuggets.
Artists and people that have influenced you?
The band that influenced Crow Baby the most is Deerhoof. We love the way their music is complex and busy and noisy but also poppy. Also Cate Le Bon’s arty weirdness and Dry Cleaning’s deadpan talking.
What is the story behind your name?
During Covid Cheri got really into birds (just like everyone else) and at that time we were looking for a name. One day Cheri randomly popped out with, “I wonder what crow babies look like” and that was that.
Can you share each other’s funny habits?
Cheri is incredibly clumsy. Not a day goes by that she doesn’t spill on herself, drop something or hurt herself. JL is very meticulous about taking care of her stuff, especially music gear. As you can imagine, this is a powerful combo.
Thank you!
Follow Crow Baby
Instagram/Facebook
Follow our Spotify playlist Indie Humming Wires feat. Crow Baby
Secret Eclectic 