INTERVIEW: Coast Modern and the Sunny Vibe of Los Angeles

Coast Modern are an eclectic mix of hip-hop, rock, and just about everything you can think of. It’s a modern take on what pop music can and sometimes should be. Their light-hearted and fun style is certainly a byproduct of their hometown of Los Angeles, and they continue to take left turns with each of the  singles the band has released to the public. No two songs from the band sound the same. Their journey continues with their most recent release “Pockets Full of No”. B-Sides sat down to talk with the band about their hometown, major influences, and constantly upping their game.

Coast Modern recently released the “Pockets Full of No” single, what is your songwriting process like when collaborating?

• “Usually different every time cause we’re just trying to keep it fun and exciting for us so we don’t tread down the same path, which is why a lot of songs sound different from each other, sometimes we’ll start with a beat, kind of inspired by the hip-hop spirit. And usually we’ll just try to make each other laugh throw down some weird phrases.. Like ‘should we really put that in the song’, to make it weird, and generally that is what we end up going with, something that is a little bit unexpected. But we’re just trying to pluck things out of what we’re reading at the time, and it all comes out in an unconscious way. Starting with just fucking gibberish, and it turns into something real.”

You release a single at a time, and we are anticipating a debut record coming very soon. Do you find the new way of releasing singles more liberating than putting together a proper record?

• “We’ve been enjoying doing the singles because you can kind of judge how people are feeling, or the time of year, and pick the perfect mood to happen right now, or how people are thinking this sort of way so we’re going to drop a slightly different single to throw them off and it’s kind of cool to string people along rather than give them it all at once. It keeps people curious and wondering what’s next, so we’ve been having fun with that, and it’s quicker too. For some songs we’ve finished it, and the next month it will be out which is very fun for us.”

Are you anticipating a record soon? How is that coming along?

• “It’s like 99.99% done, so it should be out very soon, maybe next month… definitely in the sunny months. It’s not intentionally a summer record, but it’s a byproduct of living in LA seeps in somehow.”

LA is such an eclectic place, and you guys blend everything that is good about LA together, what is it about that city that drives your eccentric and eclectic sound?

• “I think there is no super strong scene with a particular identity in LA. Everyone is kind of doing their own things, just a bunch of individuals pushing for their own thing, so you don’t have to fit into a certain scene or a certain sound. It’s just like, who can push it the most, and their is a really good energy there… with all the sun and whatnot, healthy living, and you just want to be the best person. We do a lot of personal exploration in weird ways. But it’s a freeing place because everyone is doing different stuff so you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.”

Who are your major influences as an artist?

• “We’re less inspired by individual artists and more inspired by the spirit of things that were created, and how things were created. I’m really into Prince or David Bowie that kind of were radical, and do their own thing and were able to adapt and change and sometimes it’s weird, and sometimes it’s serious. And we’re inspired by modern hip-hop just for the same reasons, into some really far out territory. We just want to be modern and see if we can push things while still incorporating elements of things we like from the past. Kind of like a big mash-up.”

What was the first record that you ever bought with your own money?

• “It’s so hard to remember…. I remember hearing All-Star by Smashmouth… It also could have been Weezer.”

What is next for Coast Modern?

• “There might be some more touring. We have a music video in the works that we did with this really cool guy we found on Instagram. There is gonna be some bad dancing and drone shots. Lots more surprises, maybe even more music than just an album. We’re just going to keep throwing stuff out there.”