Tchotchke - Interview
Interview & foreword by Beau Croxton
Tchotchke by Taryn Segal
New York based Trio Tchotchke are fresh off the release of their sophomore album Playin’ Dumb. The record is a total retro marvel that consists of eleven expertly-written, vintage-sounding songs that are sweet enough for the best toothache of your life.
During recording, Tchotchke had many seasons to focus on every detail, (all four to be exact). The group had all the material well prepared and arranged before recording with the D’Addario brothers– known to many as The Lemon Twigs. Much like the Lemon Twigs, Tchotchke are masters of technical, high-pitch, Beach Boys-esque harmonies and they are connoisseurs of the old-school. They bring a modern, expansive and fresh take on throwback-pop-rock, while expertly delivering its most infectious elements.
The albums highlights include tracks like “Davide”, which a standout waltz that soothes like a retro, dreamy lullaby that could have been beamed from anywhere between the 50s or 60s– it's complete with angelic harmonies, an excellent, cartoony keyboard sound, and lush strings (arranged by Brian D’Addario). “Other Boys” feels like a mix of The Zombies and The Beach Boys, and there is a velvety reverb that is just angelic as it is haunting. Details like these make this record sound like some brilliant, long-lost relic from the 60s.
Guitarist Emily Tooraen absolutely kills on a Brian May-esque guitar solo on “Goodbye”, and serves up another guitar-ripper on “Poor Girl”, while every vocal harmony soars from the beginning to end. The title-track “Playin Dumb” lets the album go out on an anthemic high with its classic, Ronettes-esque production and group vocals– it's as earworm-y as any irresistible 60s girl group-bop.
For the new record, Tchotchke embraced femininity, classic girl-group tropes, and conversational vocals with fun, gossipy themes. Many songs feel like their 2020’s take on groups like The Shangri Las, and every track is just as fresh as it is nostalgic. Playin’ Dumb is Tchotchke at their most realized, sophisticated, and sonic best.
Just ahead of the release of Playin Dumb, I caught up with Tchotchke– Anastasia Sanchez (vocals/drums) Eva Chambers (vocals/bass/keys) and Emily Tooraen (vocals/guitar). Check out our conversation below, where we talked about Playin’ Dumb, changing seasons, New York City hangouts and working with The Lemon Twigs.
Tchotchke by Taryn Segal
BEAU CROXTON: Congratulations on this fantastic new record, how are we feeling about releasing it?
ANASTASIA SANCHEZ: I'm so proud of the girls, it really feels like we've hit a huge milestone. There’s been such a powerful shift in our lives and we’ve grown so much artistically and personally. The production is bigger, bolder and stronger in every way. I'm so incredibly grateful that we get to self-release and have ownership of our music.
BEAU: So I heard the tracks on Playin’ Dumb were all arranged before recording– was there anything that changed between the demos and the final product ?
EVA CHAMBERS: A majority of the songs stayed very true to the original demos—like the bare and super compressed “Now I Love You” recording, and the goofy Yamaha keyboard sounds on “Davide.” We wanted to keep everything simple and solid, so making demos was very helpful for finding what arrangements best served the song. I originally had synths doing the introduction in “Davide,” but then Brian (producer) arranged really cool string parts (played by Kaitlin Wolfberg) that were too perfect and pretty to compete with. “Playin’ Dumb” didn’t have a fully arranged demo (just a quick voice memo singing at the piano), but we had a very clear idea of how the final track should sound. Michael nailed the production on that song! We were extremely stuck on an arrangement for “The Game” in particular, so it was super cool to hear it come to life in the studio. We tracked my piano first, then had fun building and improvising the rest. Brian and Michael had the idea to add sound effects to each chorus, which gave the song a whole new identity. It’s important to be prepared going into the studio, but it’s also important to let go of expectations and allow yourself to be surprised.
BEAU: Considering that this record was done in different bursts throughout all four seasons, did the seasons or time between sessions also change any decision making on the album?
EMILY TOORAEN: The sporadic nature of the recording process and time limitations gave us a lot of inspiration to be extra prepared going into the studio. I believe this gave Brian and Michael as much space as possible to bring the songs to life and minimized the uncertainty that comes with unfinished parts. If anything, it gave us great deadlines to be decisive with the vision of the album! In hindsight, I enjoy remembering the season changes as the record slowly came to fruition…it gives the whole experience a changing landscape in my mind.
Tchotchke by Taryn Segal
BEAU: I love how this record really embraces femininity and high drama – was there anything in particular that encouraged you to do that more with this record, and how were your goals different this time around?
EVA: Back in our teens and early twenties, we were so focused on proving we could keep up with ‘the guys’ and be respected as female musicians that we might have avoided anything that came across as overly ‘girly.’ Now, we've come to embrace the strength of being a girl group—that’s who we are, and it feels wrong to deny it! A theme that runs through this album is the experience of being underestimated, people assuming you're not capable—and choosing not to let that bother you. It feels like we’ve finally arrived at a place where we don’t care what others might think and it is extremely freeing and fun.
BEAU: “Davide” has such great arrangements and strings, and I love the beautiful flute sounds on “Jealousy". What can tell me about the widened instrumental palette of the record?
EVA: Thank you! One of the more identifiable sounds on this record wound up being the flutes and horns from Brian and Michael’s Optigan. It sat broken as a side table for many years. They finally had a chance to get it repaired, so we used it every chance we could. I think it’s technically a toy made by Mattel, which is very in line with this entire album and band. I guess we tried to refine the palette this time around, by writing minimal and effective parts, rather than adding more tracks to make the recording feel more full. Brian arranged the strings for “Davide,” on this album, and “Come on, Sean” and “What Should I Do?” on the first album. I also think it’s funny how both albums unintentionally have harmonica solos.
BEAU: How has your relationship been with The Lemon Twigs producing your album (for the second time), and how was their input different this time around?
ANASTASIA: Unlike our debut, we came into these recording sessions with fully developed ideas and demos. Over the years we’ve built a very symbiotic relationship and are naturally on the same wavelength, so we trust their instincts.
Tchotchke by Taryn Segal
BEAU: Are there any influences on this record that would surprise people?
EVA: I don’t think there are many surprises when it comes to the musical influences, but the exaggerated stories in the lyrics are very much inspired by each other and gossip we’ve heard.
BEAU: What are some of your favorite New York bands out there right now?
EMILY: We’ve really enjoyed playing with and becoming friends with some musicians in New York these past few years… we admire Toni Lynn, Josephine Network, Brower, Suo, Tony and the KiKi, Licks, Bobbie Lovesong, Widowspeak, and many others!
BEAU: What are some of your favorite NYC hang out spots, venues or restaurants?
ANASTASIA: If we’re spoiling ourselves we’ll go to Roberta’s. We split the bee sting pizza and little gem salad.
EMILY: Yes…we love Roberta’s…they have a mint lemonade drink that’s very refreshing, too. We also love TV Eye, Baby’s All Right, and Bowery Ballroom for shows. Any Variety location is our favorite spot for coffee.
BEAU: Does each band member have a favorite track or two from Playin’ Dumb?
ANASTASIA: I love “Other Boys". I remember Eva playing it for the first time and feeling so excited and honored to sing it. “Did You Hear“ is another favorite and so much fun to play live. Conversational lyrics is what this album is all about.
EVA: My favorites are probably “Playin’ Dumb,” since it was the easiest to finish, and “Davide” because it was the most melodically fun and challenging to write.
EMILY: I love the song “Jealousy”...it brings me back to the beginning of the writing process for the album and has come such a long way from its original state. It has a comforting Rundgren-ness to it and I love Eva’s piano part on the song. Also, “Playin’ Dumb” because it’s powerful and has become the undeniable Tchotchke anthem for us.
BEAU: What's next for Tchotchke ?
EMILY: We have an east coast tour coming up with Hunx and his Punx that we’re very excited about in September. Beyond this, we’ll be playing an NYC headline show in October with a whole new setlist…getting back into live playing is our focus, as well as easing into the writing process again in the near future.
Tchotchke’s Playin’ Dumb is out NOW.
They play Warsaw in Brooklyn (with Hunx and His Punx) this Tuesday, September 9th..and you can get your tickets here!
You can buy merch and vinyl directly from their website here.
You can check out all of their music videos here.
You can support them directly on band camp here.
and you can listen directly below.