Photo Credit: Veronica Bettio
Having made the monumental move from Boston to Brooklyn, queer indie rockers Raavi, fka Raavi and the Houseplants, are back with a new single. Following the release of previous singles “Sticky” and “Major Tool”, which both garnered positive reviews for their effortless sense of cool, “All Over Again (Redux)” follows directly in their suave footsteps. Raavi’s swagger carries you through the track before the groove gives way to a bombastic end with the band giving you everything they got. We recently had the pleasure of chatting with lead vocalist Raavi Sita about their recent move to Brooklyn, the new single, the inevitable EP and finding balance.
Allston Pudding: How was your recent move to Brooklyn? What do you love about it?
Raavi Sita: It’s been great! I already knew a lot of people in Brooklyn. I love finally hanging out with my peers. I was living in Arlington, MA so I wasn’t really walking around seeing people my age. Also you can get any kind of food, anywhere.
AP: What do you miss about Boston?
R: I miss my house and my family together as one. Also, I miss the Boston DIY scene. New York’s DIY scene is not better or worse… just different.
“All Over Again (Redux)” Artwork by Selina Pearce
AP: “All Over Again (Redux)” is such a fun song, can you tell me a little about the story behind it? I know this is a rework of a song you’ve performed before?
R: Our bassist, James Duncan and I met each other on a touring choir in high school. We were in South Africa when I convinced our choir director to let me have a guitar. [I said to him] “I’m a serious musician you don’t understand, I need to have it. I can’t just not play for two weeks!” [laughs] So we started writing and playing this new song. It was the first song I had written with someone else. Very much a team effort. But the song has changed so much since the original. It’s not accurate to how we play it now, and it’s one of our favorite songs to play! So we wanted to give it another go.
AP: Obviously, this past year has been incredibly difficult, and in some ways very transformative. Has your musical process changed at all?
R: Writing is harder now. So much inspiration comes from going to shows, which COVID makes very difficult. I’m not one who can just write for the sake of writing… I write when I feel something and I think the bleakness of the past year has made it more difficult. The music I’m writing now is much more straightforward, but not simple.
AP: How has it been performing live again?
R: It took a few shows to find out footing again [laughs]. But each show was better and more enjoyable than the last. But with everything going on [with COVID variants], I’m wearing a mask again. I’m not sure how accurate this answer will be for much longer.
AP: You recently mentioned online that you were struggling with playing music for pleasure, could you elaborate on that?
R: I’m really busy now working and taking care of my dog by myself. Coming back from a long shift, I don’t really feel like playing guitar. It’s finding this balance between forcing creativity and wanting to continue [playing] because it’s what I really want to do.
Photo Credit: Veronica Bettio
AP: What do you have planned for the rest of the year?
R: Maybe more singles by the end of the year, or the Spring. “All Over Again” is kind of a buffer for us. We’ve been sitting on it for a while and didn’t want to go a whole year without releasing any music. That’s been the idea with the recent singles over quarantine. To space out new material.
AP: What are you most excited for?
R: Most excited for touring – if it happens. And recording the new songs. They’re a higher quality than anything we’ve produced so far.
Make sure to check out “All Over Again (Redux)” out everywhere tomorrow! Follow Raavi on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more!