Deap Vally

The duo talk about the joy of teaming up with other musicians, and the meaning behind their new EP’s title.

Following their 2020 Deap Lips collaboration with the Flaming Lips, LA-based alt.rock duo Lindsey Troy and Julie Edwards return with Deap Vally’s new four-track EP. American Cockroach, on which they collaborated with Jennie Vee of Eagles Of Death Metal and Savages bassist Ayse Hassan, reveals a gentler, more complex side to their nature than anything they’ve released in the past.

What can you tell us about the EP’s title, American Cockroach? Lindsey: At first it was a concept song from the point of view of the cockroach. It wasn’t originally meant to be political, it was just about this cockroach character and how it’s going to outlive us all in a nuclear war. But then it accidentally took on this other meaning. There’s this line in it: ‘Left, right, centre, centre, keep it together’, and that ended up being this great metaphor for how America is so divided.

Julie: Another way to look at the song is when you feel unworthy, when you feel you’re perceived as being this horrible garbage-eating hateful creature. Which we all feel sometimes, like the whole world wants to fumigate you.

There’s a lot of musical variety crammed into a four-track EP. Was that a deliberate move?

Lindsay: Part of the reason is because of the EP’s collaborative nature. Originally we set out to make a full collaboration album, but covid had happened, everyone was isolating, so we were just like: “Let’s just start putting some stuff out.” We just wanted to have fun and let go of our bootcamp mentality, and try experimenting with just letting go of limitations. We wanted to reinvent a little bit and make it fun for ourselves, so we started inviting all these other people into the mix. It gave us the free pass to let go of the limitations we always put on ourselves. For us spiritually and creatively we needed to have these musical orgies.

You worked with Wayne Coyne on the Deap Lips album. Who else is on your wish list of future collaborators?

Lindsay: Jack White is at the top of the list for me. That would be really cool.

Julie: If someone reached out to us that we hadn’t even thought of, we’d probably be like: “Oh yeah, that would be really fun.”

Lindsay: I’ve always loved that unexpected spontaneous alchemy that happens. Fun surprises can happen when you work with another person.

The song Give Me A Sign is more delicate than anything you’ve done before. What can you tell us about it?

Lindsay: I was going through a really rough time when we wrote that song, so they are very personal lyrics. It was a very therapeutic process writing that song. Julie: It was intended for there to be drums, but then covid hit, we couldn’t go back into the studio. But as time passed, we realised this song was awesome and we didn’t need to develop it further. It has this inherent vibe. It’s a happy covid effect.

You have a full album coming later in the year. What should we expect from that?

Julie: Everything we’re releasing this year comes from a very collaborative place. Once again it’s going to be the patchwork blanket of vibes and feelings. It’s definitely got some more fun surprises, thematically and sonically. EJ

“We wanted to try experimenting with just letting go of limitations.”

American Cockroach is released on June 18 via Cooking Vinyl.