QTY The Pride of NYC
QTY
Interview: December 13, 2017
By Daniel Locke
New York duo QTY today announce ‘Cold Nights’ the final track taken from
their upcoming self-titled debut album, due for release next Friday (December 8)
through Dirty Hit.
Produced by Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, QTY is available to pre-order now with ‘Cold Nights,’ ‘New Beginnings’, their current single âMichaelâ and previous singles ‘Rodeo’ and ‘Dress / Undress’ all available instantly.
Speaking of âCold Nightsâ, QTYâs Dan Lardner said, âIn the weeks leading up to recording our debut with Bernard in London, I lost electricity and heating in my apartment. Being cold, along with the bond that Alex and I share, is a reoccurring theme that is touched on throughout the record. With Cold Nights, these two dominant forces in my life are explored. When asked to describe what QTY sound like I often say that we are “guitar driven lyrical rock music with pop sensibilities”, and Cold Nights is specifically what I have in mind when I say that.â
QTY are currently on a full headline US tour throughout December, rounding off at with a homecoming celebration at Babyâs All Right on December 10.
Details below with tickets available at www.qtynyc.com
QTY are Dan Lardner (guitars, vocals) & Alex Niemetz (guitar, vocals)
Unrated: How did you meet Dan Lardner?
Alex Niemetz: We met when we were young about 17 years old. Dan had just moved here from New Jersey and was going to the same college as me.
Unrated: How did you pick your name?
Alex: In the U.S. there’s a box of clementines called Cuties, and Dan would always say the word over and over again. We were at a bar one night and we just decided that it would be a good band name.
Unrated: How do you describe your music?
Alex: We describe it as lyrical guitar driven rock music with pop sensibilities.
Unrated: What type of music did you listen to growing up?
Alex: Growing up we both listened to a lot of glam rock like David Bowie and Roxy Music, and we also really liked bands like The Stooges and Roxy Music. When I was really young I was super into Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys….
Unrated: How has the music changed over the years in New York?
Alex: When I was younger everyone was in a rock band. I remember seeing all these people dressed very similarly and they would always be carrying guitars. This was when I was about 11, so 15 years ago meaning like 2003…NYC had a thriving music scene and plenty of rock bands. Now everything is electronic based and has a keyboard and a backing track. There is less of a cohesive scene now and everything feels more disconnected.
Unrated: How did you pick the person to produce your album?
Alex: Bernard was actually the labels idea. They introduced us to him and thought he would be a great fit for us, and he definitely was. We got together and recorded three songs and then about a year later we flew back out to his studio and stayed in Northern London for a month and got to make the record of our dreams with him.
Unrated: Out of the 12 songs which do you enjoy the most recording? The one which hit me was Words for this and New Beginnings.
Alex: Personally all of the songs had such an interesting way of being recorded and were both intricate and simple at the same time. The most involved song for myself would probably be New Beginnings because I sing the entire song and it also includes my lyrics.
Unrated: What made and model of instruments do you play?
Alex: I play a black Gibson SG that I’ve had since I was about 15 years old. And then I also play a Fender Strat that’s sort of a Frankenstein guitar, it has a very thin neck and a really cool white and black body. Dan plays an old Fender Jaguar from the 1960s. I play through a Fender Twin and Dan plays through a Princeton Reverb.
Unrated: I see you were in Pittsburgh. I wish I would had discover you before the show, so I could checked you out live. I live 2 hours from Club Cafe. How was the show in Pitts? I love the club you performed in. It has such a personal feel for the band on stage.
Alex: It was our first time playing in Pittsburgh ever so the show was pretty mellow, but we still had a great time. Honey, the band that played with us at Club Cafe were really great and welcoming. They had previously opened for Wolf Alice, so they got booked with us. Pittsburgh is a really beautiful city geographically.
Unrated: To me it seems your band would be perfect for Tiny Desk Concert. Have you played there yet?
Alex: We haven’t played a Tiny Desk Concert yet but we would love to-hoooook it up đ
Unrated: How would you explain your live performance?
Alex: We are a four piece rock band that plays melody driven music-we have a tendency to break hearts and melt faces simultaneously.
Unrated: Who have you opened up for?
Alex: We just did our first big tour opening up for Hunny and Bad Suns. We’ve played with bands like Simon Doom and Dreamwife.
Unrated: What music fest would you like to play at?
Alex: We would loveeeeeeee to play at The Great Escape, Splendor in the Grass, Glastonbury, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Coachella, etc….
Unrated: If someone was listening to you for the first time, what 3 videos or songs would you tell them to look/listen and why- (music which inspire me?
Alex: I would tell them to listen to “Trains Across the Sea” by the Silver Jews because it’s one of my favorite songs lyrically and melodically. Then I would suggest listening to “Map of the City” by the Royal Trux-they are pretty much my favorite band and I don’t think I would want to be in a band if it wasn’t for them. The third song would be “Cold Blooded Old Times” by Smog, because Bill Callahan is one of my absolute favorite song writers.
Unrated: How do you see your band in the next 5 years?
Alex: In 5 years I think the band is going to have taken over the world. We would like to release as much music as we possibly can and play as many shows as we can.
Unrated: Any guilty pleasures your fans would be surprise you listen to?
Alex: I love Katy Perry…. Dan and I both love Kacey Musgraves…
Unrated: Who is on your phone for music now?
Alex: Right now I’ve been listening to a lot of Pharaoh Sanders, Royal Trux, Smog, Arthur Russell, and Philip Glass….
Unrated: in closing you would like to say?
Alex: Listen to our debut record on Spotify!!!!
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