For two girls from Los Angeles, Nico and Jenean chug out a tsunami of psychedelia as VOICEsVOICEs. The fact that they only started playing with their (borrowed) guitars and effects boxes just over a year ago makes the band even more of a fabled Echo Park music myth, seemingly ingesting every instrument they lay their hands on, spewing out staggeringly beautiful walls of noise with a thunderous, raw drum set. Their self released EP “Sounds Outside” (check out the tracks below) was recorded earlier this year, live in an art gallery. Warp’s Prefuse73 decided VOICEsVOICEs were his new favourite band, inviting Nico and Jenean to New York to record their follow-up EP, forthcoming on our new favourite left field label Manimal Vinyl (home to Warpaint, Hecuba, Rainbow Arabia).  

DD: What’s the story of the band - how did you meet and start playing together?
VOICEsVOICEs: We met at a Xu Xu Fang show here in LA (beautiful psychedelic music). We both were really inspired to make music at that time in our lives. Artistic freedom, inspiration, and collaboration were the driving forces of our start. With no equipment of our own, we started playing with borrowed guitars and amps and built the groundwork for what we have become.

DD: Can you explain more about your statement of learning instruments from scratch and the freedom of just that?
VOICEsVOICEs: If you don't know how to play an instrument, it allows you to create from a completely pure and innocent place. There is less control and intention toward a specific sound, but more focus on the feeling the sounds give you. A year ago, using guitars and effects was new, exciting and completely foreign. Like building a sand castle for the first time. Now we're venturing into even newer territory with MPCs, lo-fi oscillators, and instruments we don't even know the name of.

DD: Who are your biggest music and art inspirations?
VOICEsVOICEs: People or ideas that challenge the status quo and sometimes even push you into uncomfortable territory. The passion of mathematical beat makers like Squarepusher, or the sexless, timeless intensity of Patti Smith, or the prophetic intellectualism of Laurie Anderson. There are lots of artists and musicians right here in LA pushing boundaries all the time. They inspire us the most.

DD: The band seems to have a mysterious, yet pop aesthetic.
VOICEsVOICEs: We're not sure how we'd describe our affect on people, but we're always interested to hear how they experience it. We want to paint pictures and have you decide what you see in them.

DD: Are you ever daunted or overwhelmed by all the praise that your music is getting?
VOICEsVOICEs: Actually, we work very hard and take pride in everything we put into our music. Being the perfectionists that we are, we overwhelm ourselves the most. But, we are thankful for the great responses we've been getting.

DD: What three words would help explain the Echo Park music and art scene?
VOICEsVOICEs: Burgeoning, innovative, familial.

DD: Is LA going through a musical resurgence?
VOICEsVOICEs: Yes! Thank the music gods! For a while, LA was known for cranking out very commercial, money-making nonsense. Now, the resurgence is undeniable. You can feel it all around, and we're inspired just being part of it.

DD: What’s the visual element to the music?
VOICEsVOICEs: Music is naturally visual to us and we hope we convey that in what we do. If it makes you feel like you're on drugs and have seen God, then we've done our job (we don't condone drugs or God).

DD: Are VOICEsVOICEs magical and serendipitous?
VOICEsVOICEs: Yes, serendipity has definitely built our house of magic.