Interview: Steph Barker of L.A. Exes

60’s beach/surf rock-inspired “queertet” L.A. Exes debut album Get Some drops this Friday, 20 Aug 2021, via Black Rainbow Records. I had the honor of holding an interview via chat with the band’s drummer Steph Barker about the new album, their style, being a band in a pandemic and more. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

To begin, please introduce yourself, what is your role in L.A. Exes, and where else may our readers recognize you from?

This is Steph! I’m the drummer in L.A. Exes and I guess technically we are all vocalists. You might recognize me as the touring drummer for Coast Modern, Kate Nash, and Love Fame Tragedy. Oh, and my solo project, Baby Bulldog!

We were listening to the promos for the new album in the car, and I asked my 9yo daughter if she had any questions for the band and she landed on what one of the first ones would be: “How did you get together to become a band?”

She asked a great question! Sam (bass, vocals) and Jenny (guitar, vocals) were the original members and from what I recall, they met at a party. They were mutual friends with our producer, Jake Sinclair. He had a vision of creating a band with this particular sound, and now that Jenny and Sam had met through the universe, it was a promising start. Our lead guitarist, Rachel (also vocals), was Jake’s assistant engineer and was the next piece to join the puzzle. I was the last to join in, making it an unofficially, official queertet! I knew Jenny from when we both lived in NYC about 8 years ago, she called me about this new group she was working with, and from there it was instant magic!

As a band that seems mostly cobbled together from musicians across the board, you don’t sound like it. There’s a cohesiveness that speaks of a band that has played together for a while. Since you’re recently formed, how long have you been playing together?

We’ve been playing together for about a year but I think part of the reason we sound like we have been playing for much longer than that is because we all have such a wide range of musicality. We are not only musicians dedicated to the instruments we play, but we are songwriters and producers. I think the ability to see the full scope around the music we are playing helps us all know what role we play in supporting the band and the sound. I can also say that a few of us have 10 plus years of performance experience, this is another huge factor in our ability to play together. Oh, and we all genuinely like each other! That also helps! (laughter)

My daughter REALLY likes your music and, I quote “not because they are girls, but because their music is so good and dreamy.” We then talked about the whole beach/surf-rock sound and I introduced her to The Ventures, which is one of my favorite bands ever, and I think she has a whole new genre of music she loves. On that note, I have three questions:

1 – I’m assuming that the name L.A. Exes is partly a play on the famous international airport, but is there more meaning behind it? 

First off, tell your daughter we say thank you and that she has excellent taste! The name L.A. Exes was really a play on us all being ex-girlfriends, not of each other! The queer community is small, and it’s often a joke that someone is always an ex of your friend, your new crush, literally anyone and everyone in the community. 

(laughter) Oh, I know it. I had a friend once refer to it as a “tight knit” community, albeit through gritted teeth. (laughs) 

2 – Was the 60’s beach/surf rock sound the aim of the group coming into this, or did it evolve based on tastes? 

Yes, The Beatles-inspired, beach surf/rock sound was definitely the aim of the group. Crafted with the help of our producer, Jake.

Are you big fans of that sound in general, or is this a new style you’re exploring, either individually or as a whole?

I am personally a huge fan of this sound. I’m definitely a Beatles, and surf rock fan. I think I can vouch for the others as well! As a drummer, it is extremely rare nowadays to record without a click, to even play live drums on a record! For this record, we recorded to tape, no click, all in the same room to capture whole takes.

That’s pretty awesome. I’m guessing that may be part of what makes this sound special. Too many bands are waaay over-produced to achieve a “tightness” that really isn’t real, or representative of their actual sound.

As a “queer” band (according to the PR materials), some of your songs deal directly with same-sex encounters (“Totally Worth It,” “Baby Let’s Pretend”), while others are more bit ambiguous (“Skinny Dipping,” “Get Some”). Was this is a conscious decision on your part, or is this just how the songs evolved?

Hm this is difficult because I don’t think it was really either. We are just writing freely about our lives, and they happen to be gay. So, in a sense it was conscious, but no one ever said “let’s write queer songs” or “let’s keep it neutral”. We genuinely just write about our lives. 

That’s pretty cool, and makes sense. I think that, throughout history, songs about love, lust, or loss haven been pretty much always portrayed through a hetero lens, but GOOD songs about those topics can swap roles, genders, what have you, and still make an empathetic connection with the listener. If I may ask, who amongst you writes your songs?

Absolutely. What makes this band so fun is that we all write! On this particular record, Jenny and Sam wrote the majority of the tunes with the exception of Cocaine girl, which was primarily written by Rachel and Not Again, which was primarily written by me. 

Speaking of “Get Some,” I was a bit surprised that track was chosen as the title song. Coming into the album and the song itself, the phrase “get some” is generally considered to be something else, and it songs kind of fun, and wild. But when it comes down to “get some resolution” the song takes on a much different meaning than the listener initially expects. Is there a deeper reason that song become the title track for the album?

I wish there was a deeper reason but we all just agreed that this song RIPS. It was a favorite across the board for all of us, because of the lyrical content and also the intensity the track creates.

Agreed. The vocals are amazing and have a swell on “resolution” rocks hard.

“Cocaine Girl” is the best song. That’s not a question, I just wanted to let you know how much I like it. (laughs) I’d like to advise our readers that it only sounds good on high-end headphones or a big stereo system (or in a car). Apple Airpods and the like do NOT give it justice.

Ah yes! This is absolutely one of my favorites! Written by our lead guitarist, Rachel.

Please tell Rachel that I LOVE it. It’s cheekiness on kind of a downer topic is great songwriting. And, once again, the vocal deliveries across the board are stellar.

However… I’ve been informed by my daughter that I am incorrect, and the “West Keys” is the best song on the album. I apologize sincerely for my previous mistake. (Laughter)

Another absolute smash! I believe this one was primarily written by Sam.

The final track on the album is an almost all-vocal cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger.” It’s in a very different style than the rest fo the album, and I was curious if 1) is this a sign of stylistic differences from L.A. Exes in the future, and 2) Is the cover a tribute to the classic song itself, to the late Dolores O’Riordan specifically, or a but of both?

I love this cover! We chose this song because for a bit of both, we are all fans of the song and The Cranberries and it does pay tribute to Dolores O’Riordan. It’s a song that many generations can relate to and feel a connection to, the same way that we do. As far as representing a new sound direction, that wasn’t our intention here, rather just a different flavor to add the record. 

Given that the pandemic still kind of unfolding, what’s next in line for L.A. Exes?

We have plans for an album release show in the works, and are always on the look out to book shows in general but we are all taking things day by day. Things seem to be changing rapidly and we want to make sure our decisions are safe for all involved. So for now, it’s wait, watch and see.

Well, I’ll be waiting patiently for the chance to see you live, no matter how long it takes. Thanks for taking the time to chat with me. Any parting words you’d like to share?

We look forward to it, and appreciate your love of the record! The only parting words I have are, “This record rips, we hope you think so too! Keep an eye out, because live shows are coming!” Thanks again!

You can follow L.A Exes at Facebook, Spotify, Bandcamp, Instagram, or YouTube.