BAILEN learns how to ‘SWIM!!!" [Q&A]
Photo by Alex Brown
BAILEN, the sibling trio with harmonies that will have everyone take a second listen, are gearing up for the release of their new album. The lead single “SWIM!!!” is an in depth look on how the family trio stuck together throughout the high tides of the music industry. “Burn that bridge/ Say f*ck it/I know how to swim/I’m lucky to know how to live without you /I’ve done it before” sings Julia Bailen. Her brother bassist Daniel Bailen and drummer David Bailen complete the band with their musical prowess.
The trio toured with HOZIER and had a song out with Post Sex Nachos called “A Lot To Lose”. So, BAILEN has been around in the music industry already. Their big break is looming. OnesToWatch recently caught up with the trio to talk about their beginnings, a near death experience, and their new music.
OnesToWatch: How’d the band get involved with music?
Julia: Our parents are both classical freelance musicians. Our mom is a flutist, and our dad is a cellist. They’ve both been working in the New York Broadway world forever. Our dad started off as a guitar player and wrote a ton of songs for a bunch of bands. We were raised singing together.
This is your third LP. What is the musical direction for this album?
David: I feel like we learned a lot on both of our records. The new album can be compared to the vibe and rawness of the first record. There still is this sonic soundscape from the second record but is not as insular as it. We were just listening to the new album today and we never get tired listening to it. Sometimes listening to it during the mixing sessions you can get tired of listening to your own music, but this isn’t the case. We are very proud of it.
Daniel: We are just being ourselves on this record. This is us with all the mistakes and rough around edges.
Julia: We were really wanting to do as much as the basic tracking live as we could. Basically, all the tracks we started with drum, bass, and drums. I think the album has a lot of attitude. It’s a tender record too. If you listen to the whole record, it’s a journey. It touches on a lot of music vocabulary.
Do you think HAIM helped pave the way for you?
Julia: HAIM was one of my first concerts. I went to see them when I was in a sophomore in high school. It was a great show. I love HAIM. I think we are more a folkier version though.
David: We are the New York HAIM.
What is your single “SWIM!!!” about?
Julia: It was honestly about industry stuff more than anything. This is our first independent release. We are grateful for all the opportunities that we had but it was quite stifling. It’s about not ruffling any feathers in the industry. It’s about surviving. I also had a near death experience with a hit and run in a car and we hit a barrier. I got out of the car and the EMS on the scene asked for my last name and he spelled it correctly. He knew I was in BAILEN and said he loved our music. It was a sign to keep going in the music industry.
David: The industry is so different now and we saw so many different opportunities that existed for us. Breaking away from the old establishment felt like the chance to be ourselves and be a part of the new discourse.
Daniel: We were on tour and our first show was in Denver, and a blizzard starts and the show was cancelled. We were stranded in a house. It was one of our songs that we wanted our signature three-part harmonies to come through on this song.
David: It was one of the first songs we wrote for this album. I played tennis racket on it. There are no drums but there is a tennis racket, so I started strumming the tennis racket.
Daniel: It was our remix of “Black Bird”.
You are guys are fully indie at this point. What does it feel like not to be signed to a major label?
Daniel: Amazing. It feels too good to not go back. We can make the music we want to make.
David: We don’t have those layers of bureaucracy. We oversee who we hire to do things as well.
Julia: We work with people that we really love and who we are comfortable with.
You’ve toured with Hozier. What was that experience like?
Julia: He’s a lovely guy and been a huge supporter of us. It was amazing and we are still in touch with a lot of those people we went on the tour with him. He’s an incredible artist.
What keeps you three motivated?
David: Music is intrinsic and is what keeps us together. It’s what our family grew up doing. There’s a still a mystery to music that I am still trying to figure out. It’s the magic of a great song. The creativity and how things flow. What’s special about our group is that we each have three different sonic tendencies, voices, and lyrical perspectives. Something happens when that all comes together.
Daniel: We are always reaching for those things that haven’t been done or said before.
Listen to "SWIM!!!" below:
