INTERVIEW: Argonaut & Wasp
By Katherine Stallard
(From left to right: Trey Schibli and Theo Klein)
Fresh off the end of a tour supporting Miami Horror and following the release a collection of powerhouse singles, Brooklyn-based indie-electronic duo Argonaut & Wasp is spreading their funky, deliciously groovy sound to the world and loving every minute of it. Heart Eyes had the opportunity to correspond with Trey Schibili, singer and guitarist of duo Argonaut & Wasp, in an email interview about their most recent tour, their smashing new single “Go Getter,” and what the future holds for the group.
From the looks of it, with their brilliant genre and sound fusion and vibrantly danceable tracks, their future is looking pretty damn bright.
Your most recent single “Go Getter” dropped in October and definitely has a unique sound. With the slapping bass and the warped synth, the track has a hypnotic, almost out-of-this-world groove. How did the track come together? Was it one of those songs that kind of just flowed out in one period of time, or did it take a lot of careful planning to execute?
“Go Getter” evolved over a span of 3 years. I don’t think any other songs of ours have come to life like this one. While it took a very long time, we did not constantly labor over it—obsessing over minor details for days on end. The lyrics were the first piece to come together.
Theo and I had just moved to New York City. It felt like all my cylinders were firing in every direction just to stay afloat: to pay rent, to find a place in the scene here. I was working a job I couldn’t stand, with long hours and a crazy commute. In the dog days of our first summer here, I remember stepping out for my lunch break to take a walk through the city. It was oddly cold, and the way the late summer sun was hitting the buildings; streets and people had this intensely beautiful and prophetic vibe—like the city I knew, with all of its harshness, had disappeared and been replaced by something glorious.
Anyway, it made me feel this immense sense of resolve and words started forming in my mind:
“If I left this mountain top,
And lost sight of everything.
Fields of rag & bone would be gone,
Too soar a sight for the king”
“If money is gold for problems,
And trouble comes for free
What do you do when the calling wears out?
What was in this for me?”
This first verse is speaking to the old version of the city, the one that was beating me down. The rest of the song started writing itself, as that late summer light completely changed my perspective:
“Got what I needed; it was in front of me.
Starting up, I couldn’t see it was a memory – just a memory.
Help! What do you need? Just come with me,
Starting up, don’t you see it was a memory – just a memory.”
“Looking back on what used to be,
Somebody must have been watching over me.
Maybe I needed the pain.”
“Misery leaves mysteriously,
Father where is the answer?
I’ve been searching for pleasure,
Maybe I needed the pain.”
At this point, I was scrambling to find something to write these words down on. My phone was dead and in my pocket I found a used napkin (cliché I know—but seriously) and posted up to finish the words. And then came the rest of the lyrics:
“Go Getter, Go Getter, Go Getter
We can change, don’t you know?
We can overcome mountains,
oh, won’t you come with me
and take control – We’re better off.”
These words stayed on that napkin in my notebook for about a year and I forgot about them until the following summer.
Our manager at the time was working with an amazingly talented artist/producer from Montreal, Robotaki. I think he was in town for a show and the two of them came by our studio in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York for a hang. I was working on this surf-y/dub-y instrumental (Theo & I have a love affair with Rockaway Beach by The Ramones) when they showed up, Robotaki started making amazing atmospheric sounds from our Blofeld synthesizer. Immediately, a strong and glowing vibe was forming.
Robotaki left for his show and I stayed playing around with some chords when the lyrics from earlier that year came into my mind. I recorded a scratch vocal, established that bass arpeggio groove, but soon completely lost steam as I couldn’t piece together an arrangement. The demo took another spot on the shelf for about half a year until Theo got his hands on it. I’ll never forget coming home and hearing the song transformed. Theo masterfully made sense out of all of the ideas and arranged them into something we could fully grasp and finish—he’s a wizard like that.
Fun fact: It was a dream of ours to write a song with a gospel chorus, and we were able to make that happen on “Go Getter” thanks to Rebecca Hargrove, Kymmi Grimes & Tamera Jade—their soulful vocals took this song to levels we could never have done on our own.
As I understand it, you’ve mainly released singles and EPs. Are there plans for a full-length album in the works?
Yo—this is the most exciting news. We’ve been wanting to release a full project for a long, long, long, long, long time. 2020 you will finally get that. So, YES.
Of your most recently released singles, are there any favorites? Why are they your favorite?
That definitely depends on who you ask—for me, “Go Getter.” The fact that it even saw the light of day symbolizes something. I also love playing “Saigon” live.
As a whole, your band definitely incorporates a lot of sounds, whether it’s coated synth influences or funky guitar riffs. When constructing the instrumentals for your songs, is there a lot of experimentation in the process to get to a certain sound or is it more about discovering what sounds best by trial-and-error?
Honestly, it’s different every time. When it comes to ideating and demoing, we have our common practices that we’ve each formed over the years, but even then, things never really happen the same way. I think we are constantly getting closer to “our sound”—whatever that is—but I like to keep healthy skepticism when it comes to even that; I don’t want to limit us to one thing.
The real test is honestly on stage. When we play these songs out with our full four-piece band—Alec Donkin (bass) and Chris Corsico (drums)—you can tell very quickly if the song works or not.
Lyrically, songs like “Saigon” are influenced by perhaps untraditional places. Do your songs usually begin with their lyrics or with music, and how does that take shape?
Love this question because what I just described in the last question in regards to how “Go Getter” was written could not be farther from the norm for us. Usually, we start with some baseline chord progression and drum groove—a general vibe. Then we sit there with the song on, repeat-writing lyrics and melodies.
I also love that you single out “Saigon.” We had never written a song about a sci-fi future. Instead of channeling the feelings and inspiration behind the instrumental into a story we were familiar with, we dove in and tried to create a whole new world; there was really good red wine in the studio that day.
I understand you just finished up a tour with Miami Horror and are about to perform on a tour beginning in January with the Magic City Hippies. What was your favorite part of touring with Miami Horror and what do you look forward to with your upcoming tour in mind?
Supporting Miami Horror was our first real tour as a band. It was the greatest experience we could have asked for. As a unit, we grew so much closer and proved to each other that we are ready to take this to the next level. I wouldn’t want to be doing this with anybody else.
In the middle of the routing we had to get from our show in Phoenix, AZ to Minneapolis in a matter of days—and you know, that’s a crazy long drive—instead of dreading the long days ahead, we decided to make the most out of it. Right after our set in Phoenix, we drove through the night to wake up in Zion National Park, Utah. I had never been to any of the national parks before (I think it may have been a first for all of us), and that dramatically made me rethink my life priorities. It was refreshing to be exposed to such true, untouched beauty and we need to do everything we can to preserve treasures like that in this world. I mean, that entire drive down the southwest, up through the Rockies and into the midwest, made me realize how amazing this country is.
When it comes down to it, how do you want your music to make listeners feel?
I want them to feel understood.
Check our their most recent single “Go Getter” and other singles like “Saigon” on streaming services everywhere.
Head out to see them on tour supporting Magic City Hippies this winter!