Photo by Dan Little

“Welcome to our tea party: it’s fucked up and weird. We enjoy weed and tea isn’t bad either.” That’s High Tea’s motto, inspired by Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter. This y’allternative (as the kids say) duo consisting of Isaac and Isabella will be headlining Club Passim on June 13th. 

Isaac and Isabella are from the hills of Western Mass (not the hills of the Sound of Music) and have been performing together for the past 4 years. Their genre has been pivoting from indie-folk-Americana to a mix of folk-punk, pop punk, rock, and blues. “We’re a bit louder than the typical indie-folk genre. But both folk and punk are rooted in storytelling.” Some of their musical influences include Indigo Girls, My Chemical Romance, Shakey Graves, and Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Some local artists who they’d love to collab with in the near future are Will Dailey for his songwriting and stage presence, and Sophie Wellington for their tap dancing and vocal agility.

They may be only two people, but they have a loud sound and presence! Isaac plays a kick drum with legs along with the cajón, and Isabella plays the acoustic guitar and the baritone electric guitar. Both of them are on vocals and their voices blend so well together, especially for the harmonies. “We know each other so well that it’s like a mind meld. We know how the other is going to sing a line and we now sing the same way!”

If you aren’t familiar with High Tea’s music, it’s been described as “watching a movie” and “these songs sound like they should be played at the Bronze from Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” As they said, “We enjoy bringing stories and places to life through our songs. We love writing songs that people can relate to and feel.” No wonder a listener said High Tea’s song “Scuba Diving” put their feelings into words. 

Their latest release, “Tender Heart Attack,” represents their new punk feel and how they can get very loud. In fact, the song was inspired by the storyline of the video game “Night in the Woods,” talking about feeling stuck in your hometown and that you’ve now outgrown.  Isabella’s favorite line from this song is “Reciting poetry to the old man who everyone thought would be dead by now” and Isaac’s is “Doing circles in the parking lot of the mall that’s gonna be torn down.”

Isaac and Isabella also like incorporating juxtapositions and contrast into their music, doing hard things the easy way and vice versa. For example, an upcoming song about climate change, “The Metaphysical and Technicolor End,” focuses on how human beings are hurting the Earth while being very upbeat, like a la-la-la bop.

Prateek will be opening for them at the Club Passim show. They played with Prateek on another bill and love the ebb and flow of seriousness vs. playfulness in his music, along with how he plays so dynamically as a solo act. “We love his writing, voice, guitar playing, and him.”

If you want to go through all the emotions and vibes, get your tickets for High Tea’s headline show at Club Passim on June 13th!