Houston, Texas-based indie-rock duo recently released the music video for “Waiting,” a track from last year’s debut album, Go Ahead And Ignore This If You Want. Made up of brothers James and Ben Nissen, the twosome went back to their hometown of Baytown to shoot the video, which Ben Pennington directed.
“Waiting” opens on a funky, skiffing guitar, followed by a fat bassline and tasty percussion. Blending indie-rock with a funked-out rhythm topped by vocals reflecting both hints of reggae and rap, the tune undulates on contagious, rolling waves of sound. There’s a ‘60s psychedelic-feel to the track, at once trippy and lysergic.
XS Noize sat down with Eucalyption to find out more about their sound, their influences, the genesis of the name ‘Eucalyption,’ and what the future holds.
What’s your favourite song to belt out in the car or the shower?
James: Any Beastie Boys song.
Ben: “Wanna Be a Baller” by Lil Troy.
Which artists are you listening to right now?
James: I’ve been listening to Surfer Blood and The Strokes. I’m on an indie-rock kick right now. (Ben: Kowloon.
How did you get started in music?
We come from a family where everyone sings and plays an instrument, so music has always been a part of our lives.
What’s the story behind the name Eucalyption?
Ben was reading something about the plant eucalyptus and liked all the things it was saying about the plant, like all its health benefits, and at the time, he was listening to a lot of Rebelution, Iration, and bands like that. So he just changed up eucalyptus, and the name Eucalyption was born.
Which musicians/singers influenced you the most?
Mutemath is both of our biggest influence. But we both listen to at least a little bit of pretty much every genre, so our musical influence list is pretty long.
Let’s talk gear for a minute. What kind of guitar do you play? And why?
Ben: A 72 Thinline because of the high sounds of the humbuckers.
What inspired your new single/music video, “Waiting?”
Well, as we said, Mutemath is our biggest influence. We got the idea from their music video for their song “Spotlight.” The van we shot it in is my Astro van that I use every day. It’s been a part of a lot of our Eucalyption journey so far, so it seemed fitting to use it in the video.
Where was the video filmed, and who directed it?
James: It was shot just outside of the neighbourhood we grew up in, Baytown, Texas. My friend from high school, Ben Pennington, shot and edited the video. He’s in a band called “The 1911’s”, and he’s helped us with a ton of video stuff and always does a great job.
What do you want people to take away from the video?
We hope they enjoy it, and it inspires them in some way.
How are you handling the coronavirus situation?
It’s not so bad for us. We live in the Houston area in Texas, so we can still do whatever we need. We have to wear a mask in most places. We’re always doing our best to stay productive.
Looking to the future, what’s next for you musically?
We’re always working on new music. And we’re planning on shooting another video soon. And as soon as we can start playing shows, we’ll be playing as many as we can.
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