Photo Courtesy of Boyfriend Machine
It’s safe to say that quarantine has changed the archetypal band dynamic. Take Boyfriend Machine, the newly minted Amherst psych rock duo of Joey Distasio and Eliza Young. Mutual admirers in the tight knit Western Massachusetts scene, the pair have separately become fixtures in the collection of artists centered around UMass. In fact, Young cites basement gigs by Distasio’s college band Straight Sex as something like the spark they needed to wade into the greater DIY universe. Egged on by an ever creeping fear of death, Distasio quickly began piecing songs together with Young over email after some initial success with what became the band’s debut single “Fuck You Last Year.” Before long they had nine tracks of gloriously seething psych rock to share with the world, and thus the Boyfriend Machine became operational.
We had a chance to sit down with the duo– over video chat from our respective homes of course– to sort out the digital files that eventually became The Steady March to Death, Boyfriend Machine’s debut full length. We also learned just how far one man’s psych rock fandom can go.
Allston Pudding: So how exactly did Boyfriend Machine come together?
Joey Distasio: Well I wrote most of the songs for the project in like five days and then I sent out some small sketches to people with the intent to collaborate, and Eliza was one of them. But when I heard their contribution I was like “they should do all the other songs, like this rips, it’s so good.”
AP: Was there a point when you realized this was more of a formal collaboration and less of a songwriting exercise?
JD: Yeah, after hearing Eliza’s takes I kinda dropped the idea of it being an open-ended thing and we just decided to make it an actual band. We both liked the name Boyfriend Machine so here we are.
AP: Have you two ever worked on music together before?
Eliza Young: No, although we’ve definitely been at each other’s shows a bunch. Prior to Boyfriend Machine I was definitely pursuing a very different sound with my solo stuff, so this band is really exciting in that way because it’s forcing me to venture out of my bedroom pop comfort zone! I also feel like I’m a pretty “new” musician, it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve started like actively playing music that was shared publicly in any way.
JD: I’ve been playing in bands since I was like 13 and my latest band Straight Sex kind of ended things right before quarantine hit and I’m someone that’s just always working on music so I just had that urge to start something new. That said it’s crazy to me that Eliza is so new to collaboration because any ideas they came up with were great and fit so well into what I was trying to create.
AP: Since both of you are coming at this band from different musical places, what are your individual influences?
EY: I mean, outside of this band I’m definitely in more of a Pop/R&B kinda mindset with my listening habits which is obviously a bit different than what we’re doing here.
JD: I’ll add onto that. I also mostly listen to stuff that wouldn’t really be an influence on this. At the moment it’s been a lot of Brazilian music in conjunction with like 100 gecs and hyperpop specifically. I would say that the biggest influence for me while recording was definitely Tame Impala. Somewhat embarrassing to say, but the recording equipment I use– and you’re gonna judge me so hard– is copied almost exactly from Kevin Parker. I have the same microphones, same pedals, the same preamp, the same guitar, the same almost everything.
Here’s the new video for The Steady March to Death‘s opening track “One More Week” directed by Jared Pearson
AP: Let’s rephrase slightly, what were the artists that drove both of you towards making music yourself?
EY: Well for me I’ve always really liked the band Tennis, and I think that style of singing “baby voice” if you wanna call it that, has definitely been something I’ve consciously incorporated into my own stuff, and to an extent what I did with the Boyfriend Machine songs.
JD: Well I absolutely had a boner for classic rock and Zeppelin especially.
AP: Eliza, what were you pulling from lyrically while putting together your vocal takes for the record?
EY: Joey and I only talked briefly about some of the themes behind it, but I was mainly focused on isolation, which obviously was fueled by the pandemic. Yeah, definitely isolation, loneliness, anger, and also the relationships in my life, both the ones made closer by our current time and the ones that have become more distant as a result. Also, like, insurrection and fire and destruction.
The Steady March to Death album art by Carson McGrath
AP: Do you sense a divide between the Amherst and Boston scenes or any distinct similarities/differences?
JD: They feel separate to me, and it’s almost like both sides wanna go out and explore the other, but it’s kinda hard, especially right now, because there’s unfortunately not as many connections. To me it’s a slow building thing that often gets reset since there’s so much turnover in both because they’re so built by college students. Plus, show houses in Allston seem to get shut down so often, and it always seems like the ones I initially make connections with.
AP: Where would you like to see Boyfriend Machine go in the future?
JD: Playing fun shows (when it’s safe to do so again) is the end goal for this thing. Like getting plays on streaming sites or playlists or whatever is interesting and cool, but playing shows is the more important part of the equation to me. I have to see people enjoying it in a live setting for my music to be successful, to me.
EY: Especially with this project I feel similarly. Not to say that I don’t love you know virtual interaction too, it’s nice when people reach out and tell you they love the music that definitely feels successful too. Playing these songs live would be really sick and gratifying.
JD: The end goal for any band of mine was to play at Great Scott. [Editor’s note: that may still be possible if we keep donating]
EY: I just want to play basements that I’ve been to see shows, it would be nice to flip roles, that would be sick.
The Steady March to Death is out on all streaming services Friday, September 18th, be sure to check Boyfriend Machine‘s socials for more. Ahead of its release we are delighted to premiere it entirely below: