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Every Friday, we’re here to remind you of the Boston artists we love and think you oughta know.

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Bless whoever filled the Ms. Pac-Man/Galaga game at Roxy’s in Allston with a bunch of quarters. As I was miserably failing at keeping those space invaders from shooting down my spaceship, Rocío Del Mar and Justine DeFeo of pushflowers came in to relieve me of my galactic duties. These two co-front the indie pop band, both playing guitar and singing with Del Mar also on keys; rhythmic duties are filled in by Ryan Alfonso (bass) and Josh London (drums). There’s something so slick about their music that truly can’t be put into words, but we tried anyway on this Sunday evening in Roxy’s Grilled Cheese while Rihanna played overhead.

 

Allston Pudding: Where’d the name pushflowers come from?

Rocío Del Mar: We were asked to play a Slingshot Dakota show. We have such a fantastic relationship with them, and they are the most supportive people on the planet Earth.

Justine DeFeo: They didn’t even know what our music sounded like.

RDM: They just trusted it. She asked us to play and we were like, “We don’t know what our band name is yet, and we don’t have a full set.” Now we have a deadline. We’re going to have to finish writing all these songs… We pulled our set together, and then [we] were panicking.

JD: We were doing all types of shit.

RDM: We were putting names and words in a hat. I 100% did a name generator website.

JD: There will be times during the day where I’ll say something, and I’m like, “That’s a sick band name.” When you try to think of a band name, nothing.

RDM: Eventually I was like we need to just sit on it for a bit, because we were trying so hard. We were stressing ourselves out. Whatever we come up with, it’s going to be ridiculous. Band names are so weird anyway. I never think about the fact that Soccer Mommy’s name is Soccer Mommy. I just fully respect them as a musician, but like what a weird name.

It doesn’t even matter what it is as long as we think it’s cool for at least the moment that we choose it. We have a band group chat, and Ryan texted us one day like, “what do you think about ‘pushing flowers’” because he was listening to Lil Wayne’s “A Milli.” There’s a lyric that he says like, “and I’d rather be in the ground pushing flowers than in the pen sharing showers,” which is morbid but makes sense. Then I was like I don’t like pushing flowers, because then it sounds like Pushing Daisies. I didn’t like the “ing.” We separated push flowers, and I was like, “why don’t we just make it one little thing” and just have it be that. So it came from a Lil Wayne lyric.

JD: But also it looks like we deal drugs a lot, because on Venmo I’ll be like “pushflowers” in emoji.

RDM: It works for how we came about. Something died, and then you made the best out of it.

JD: Plus, who doesn’t like that Lil Wayne song?

AP: What’s your favorite thing about your songwriting process? Is there something about it that you feel is special?

JD: I like working with Rocí.

RDM: I don’t know how other people with two vocalists usually work together… but I really like the fact that we are able to build our own skeletons of the things that we write. They can both be so unique to who we are individually, and then somehow when we bring them together it becomes pushflowers. It becomes its own sound. I think that’s pretty cool.

AP: That’s literally what I think about when I listen to you.

RDM: It’s weird when you hear the songs, and they all sound cohesive but I wrote one alone in my room, and she [gesturing to DeFeo] wrote one by herself.

JD: Rocí always has more of a format than I do, because I second guess myself like “how long should this part go on?” I’ll be stuck, and then I’ll be like, “alright Rocí, we need to do a bedroom writing session.”

RDM: You never know where the chorus is, and I’m always like Justine that’s not the chorus, this is the chorus.

AP: I feel like there’s an interesting relationship in your songs where everyone in your band is very good at what they do. They all sound so unique, but there’s somehow a way where all together it meshes so well.

JD: We’ve been playing together for a long time, and we hang out and talk all the time. It’s just natural, I guess. Rocí and I text every morning…

RDM: From the moment we wake up at 7:30 in the morning. I’ll just be getting ready for work and I’m like, “when is Justine gonna text me?”

AP: What hidden talents do you have?

RDM: I learned how to do spelling sign language when I was younger, and I do it secretly on the side a lot of the time when I’m having conversations. I’ll just spell out the things that I’m saying. I do it for me.

JD: I don’t think I have any hidden talents.

RDM: I feel like I can think of one for you. [pauses to think for 30 seconds] No you’re on your own… She’s a really good treasurer/accountant for the band. She’s just on top of it.

AP: Every band needs one of those.

RDM: So trustworthy. She texts us every time there’s an addition to the balance. We can always track it. No funny business in this band. What about your video gaming?

JD: Some of them I’m not good at, but Life is Strange, anyone can be good at that. I don’t know if that’s a hidden talent.

RDM: I don’t know. I had to cheat on that sometimes. I would get stuck or I didn’t know what I was supposed to do.

 

AP: What’s next for the band?

JD: We’re mixing right now, six songs. It’s a long process. It’ll be done soon.

AP: So like an EP?

JD: Yes. A six-song EP. Our next show is in April. Josh is going away, and we figured we’ll take that time to write some new stuff.

RDM: Mixing takes so long. And then it’s going to be mastering. And then it’s figuring out what we’re going to do. It’s a lot.

JD: It’s really slow.

AP: Worth it though.

RDM: Absolutely! At this point, I’m not going to settle for anything, so if it needs to take so long…

JD: We’ll be like 70.

They both laugh.

RDM: It feels that way sometimes. It’s really only been like four months, five months maybe.

JD: We’ve also never played outside of Massachusetts. It would be cool to do that. If it makes sense. We’ll do a music video at some point for a new song. The main thing is getting those songs mixed and mastered. Then the artwork. So many steps.

AP: What’s out there is good so far though!

JD: It’s SO weird that those songs are the only songs out. We don’t play those songs really anymore. The newer songs are way more fun to play, and they’re just way better.

RDM: I’m not looking forward to when we inevitably don’t want to play those songs that we play now. I hope that doesn’t happen. It hasn’t yet. It’s taken a while.

 

AP: What other local bands do you want to shout out?

RDM: Oh my god. I feel like such a basic, because obviously I want to shout out the number one baes…

JD: In the world…

RDM: Lilith, also the Me in Capris sweethearts. Whenever I [try to] think of other bands, my mind just stops at the two of them, because I just adore them so much as people and as musicians.

JD: Winter Jogger was sick. We played with them at Lesley. Sorry is really nice.

AP: If you could be sponsored by one brand or product, what would it be?

JD: Fenty.

RDM: Fenty and Fender. I was looking at the Fenty stuff the other day, and they had all these sales listed, and I thought it was real sales, but it was VIP. You have to be a member of Fenty. Also, can I shout out Future Teens? I really like them as well.

JD: We haven’t played with them yet, and it’s kind of weird.

 

While pushflowers work on their upcoming EP, check out their current singles on bandcamp or Spotify, follow them on Twitter, and like them on Facebook to keep up with what is next for the band.