Droll Nails the 90s with Self-Titled Album
Droll is the name of the 5-piece band from Tucson, Arizona, known for their hazy and 90s alt-reminiscent sound. Members Josh, Ricky, Brandon, James, and newest member Isa have all spent their childhood and adult lives in various musical spaces. After years of releasing demos and singles, the band released their first album, Bitter Flower, in 2020. Some 4 years later, Droll officially returns with their second album and self-titled record, Droll. Running exactly 40 minutes with 11 tracks, the record serves as a definitive statement to Droll’s sound and an ode to the many shoegaze, alt-rock, and grunge bands of the 90s. While clearly taking inspiration from that time, Droll is energizing and original. Each track takes the listener to a different place but still comes together as a whole in the end. Whether it be a fuzzy guitar riff, droning vocals, electronic drums, or an ear-catching synth part, every song presents you with a new idea. I had the absolute fortune of sitting down with frontman Josh and guitarist Isa on the 15th of October. We further discussed the album while I picked their brains on the music and the band themselves.
This interview took place on October 15th 2024
Is the album self-titled?
[Josh] Yes. It is thee self-titled [record]. I guess you can’t do it twice. It’s now or never.
Is there a specific reason you decided on [the record] being self-titled?
[Josh] Yeah. Across us all, we felt this was an album that captured our sound. It is also our first full length album if we aren’t counting Bitter Flower because that was really short.
This is obviously your second album as a band, was it self-released or did you guys work with a label?
[Josh] It’s self-released. Bitter Flower was too.
How does the band go through the process of self-release vs with a label?
[Josh] It’s been different with each album cycle. With the last [album], we didn’t know anything. We’d released previous albums under other bands before, but we basically started from scratch like make a bunch of merch and try to generate some algorithm to get people to listen to it. For Droll, we did a lot more research into marketing and distribution.
Was this album recorded in a studio or at home?
[Josh] This time we did go to a studio. It was Wiggle World studios in LA, well technically Altadena. It was a great experience. We previously had recorded everything at home and got burnt out so quickly. So, this time, we were like, “Why don’t we take this to someone who knows what they’re doing and has all the gear.” Sami Perez was our engineer, and she did a great job. She came with an array of sonic ideas and really cool expertise. That was probably 75-80% of what you hear on the record and the rest was stuff from demos that we incorporated or fell in love with. We had a really bad case of demo-itis like, “No! We can’t part with these specific tracks.”
Bitter Flower released in 2020; it’s been a bit since any new music released. You guys did put out a song in 2022, I believe. Is there a specific reason for this “hiatus?”
[Josh] Well, it’s not for lack of writing. We have a BUNCH of songs just stored up. We probably have 2-3 albums worth of material that we just haven’t recorded. It just takes us a really long time to record. We’re getting quicker though! I was in a band with 3 other members of Droll previously, and that album took us like a decade to record. Each one cuts in half. COVID didn’t help also. We had just went on our first tour with Bitter Flower in January of 2020, so it took a while to get back on track.
Something I love about this album in particular is the cover art. Is it a singular member creating the art or do you guys commission someone?
[Josh] Yes. So, I got to complain. This drove me absolutely nuts. This tormented me for months and months and months. I don’t think I quite understood how much I liked the Bitter Flower art. Trying to move on from that and make something that is likeable, even just on the same level, was so hard. We commissioned 3 other artists who all made terrific art. Those kind of became our single art. It didn’t feel like any of them were 100% right for the album though. I made [the Droll cover] out of public domain art from the 1800s and just kind of copy and pasted. Then there is a picture of scissors, of these scissors right here (shows scissors from room). Yeah, I don’t know. It kind of came together with having a deadline and having to choose something.
You guys are based in Arizona, yes?
[Josh] Yep.
I really like how most of the band’s artwork and merch involves a lot of desert-type plants. Is that specific to you guys growing up in Arizona?
[Josh] Maybe implicitly. I don’t think it’s something that I think about. I am kind of tired of the desert just from growing up here, but then I really think about it and I’m like, “Wait. I actually really love the desert.”
Did you all grow up in Arizona?
[Isa] Yeah. I grew up in Tucson. We grew up on opposite sides of the city. It’s slightly different. There are more frost-resistant plants over on the east side Josh grew up on. I grew up more on the west side which has a denser population. We probably have more ironwood trees on this side haha. [Josh] I think we all mainly grew up here even if we weren’t born here.
More specifically, how did you guys come together to form the band?
[Josh] So Ricky plays keys and previously guitar, Brandon is our drummer, and then James and Isa play guitar. Ricky and Brandon and I met in high school and used to have another band. James went to our high school as well. After that band we started Droll because we had some semi-different sounding song ideas. After COVID, we took a bit of a break to reassess what we wanted to do, which sort of speaks to your previous question, and part of that was realizing we needed help really bad. That kind of trajectory is when Isa came into the picture. [Isa] That was like a year and a half ago. Which has just really flown by. It’s pretty funny, I knew of Droll pre 2020 because I was in another band called Tonight Sunshine and we were producing these local shows and were like, “I really want to get on a show with Droll.” It didn’t happen, but in late 2022 I met Brandon at a house party. He invited me to jam out at first, and I was super down, and then he was like, “Actually do you want to learn some songs? Droll is looking for another guitarist.” Of course, I said, “Yes.” I met Josh at this venue/studio space called groundworks where we were moving stuff. I think that was in 2020? We met briefly and I didn’t try and talk to him more because I was a little bit intimidated. I was like, “That’s Josh from Droll!” [Josh] Which is crazy because I never know what is going on. [Isa] You were just a sweetie and it’s been great. It was earlier this year I was like, “I think I’m in Droll? I think I’m in the band.” [Josh] Everyone we have jammed with before has been great, but Isa has seamlessly integrated. It’s like they’ve been here the whole time.
What was everyone’s individual upbringing in music? How did you all get into music in the first place?
[Isa] From a pretty young age I had always really wanted drums and a bass and a guitar. I grew up in a two-story apartment, so that was kind of out of reach. It wasn’t until middle school that I finally got a guitar. Ever since then, I’ve just been teaching myself and getting my hands on other instruments. I was in marching band, jazz band, mariachi, and guitar classes. Since high school, I’ve gotten more production equipment and I’ve just gotten more resources and more connections as I’ve gotten older. It wasn’t really until probably my mid-20’s that I broke into the scene and started performing. It’s kind of strange that I don’t have any other family members that play music. There’s several artists, but as far as I know, I’m the first to be doing something like this. I was always super into classic rock thanks to my mom and then from there I started studying the blues and jazz. Just trying to craft my own sound since then. I was always a big fan of electronic music as well. [Josh] It probably started with my dad. He’s been in classic rock bands since I was a little little kid. He had the brilliant idea to be like, “Well you should be in a kids classic rock band.” 8 years old and on I was in a rock band called Pet Rock where we did classic rock covers. We were a huge novelty. Let me tell you, it is never as easy to gain fans as it is when you’re a child. I’m still reaching for that high. I still play with my dad in a classic rock cover band. That’s where it started, but being in bands since then and just wanting to write original music is why I do it. I can sort of speak to the others. Brandon was in drum core growing up, wait you do marching band, so you probably know that.
Haha, yes, I am familiar with that video of him playing snare at like 12 years old.
[Josh] Yes, child prodigy.
I play marimba and our percussion section rite of passage was a kid from drumline showing you Brandon’s video.
[Josh] Yeah, I am still wrapping my head around how famous he is. That’s not true. I’ve wrapped my head around it. But we met in his last year of middle school, and I was in high school. I was between bands, and I saw him sitting in on a drum set for a jazz show as this really young kid. I was like, “Brandon! Nice to meet you. Have you ever thought about being in a rock band?” And he said, “No.” Not because he didn’t want to but because he never thought about it. Then we just started playing together. One of my friends introduced me to Ricky and showed me some videos he was posting on YouTube back when that was the thing. I immediately was like, “Wow! This kid is a songbird. I need to know this person.” James was always my friend of the occult and really showed me most hard music that I know. It opened my brain to drone and ambient stuff and black metal and all the stuff that I had just been too much of an elitist for growing up. It was a really natural extension to have James be in Droll at the inception of it.
Piggybacking off that question, do you guys think individually that the way you were brought up in music still affects your musicianship? Whether that be how you play, how you rehearse, etc.
[Josh] That’s a great question. Definitely. I think Brandon is still 100% at the helm of a, “Oh, you’re rushing this phrase.” When we practice, he is really great about calling out those spots and fixing them with everyone. When I started playing in this family band, I started playing bass a lot more. I used to just sing. It’s made me such a better bassist. I think everything you have from all your other projects you incorporate throughout your entire catalog of projects. Isa what do you think? [Isa] I think we all really value listening to each other. Which we all picked up from being in different bands and different settings. More recently, we have really made it a point to hear everyone in a practice. The way it translates to a stage, oh my God. It sounds like such a simple thing, but it has changed the game for us. Recently, we tried in-ear monitors which turned out really great. We all are able to adjust our amps, so the vocals are still heard. Someone pretty close to me famously said, “If we can’t hear your vocals, you probably have nothing to say.” We’re all in different circumstances materially right now. Some of us need to work more than others and some of us have more time for music, but we all really value making time for practicing. We all support each other.
For this album specifically, were there any records or artist you pulled inspiration from?
[Josh] It’s a hard question. I think because we sat on it for so long and because some of the songs are really old, it comes from a bunch of different places. Which also is maybe why we couldn’t think of an album name. It sounds like it comes from a bunch of different styles, you tell me if you agree.
I definitely hear that, but it all works together still as a whole. There are some shoegaze elements, some classic 90s grunge, even specifically with “Theme for Unleaded” I hear so much Nine Inch Nails.
[Josh] Oh heck yeah! Trent Reznor! I totally agree with you. I think I could point to specific influences in each song. For “Purée” James wrote the riff, and we were like “Oh, we have got to turn that into a song.” While putting it together I was listening to a lot of Big Bite who’s a really cool band from Seattle, I think? “Whale Fall” is kind of like Local H. They made “Bound for the Floor” in the 90s. “Swing Animist” is kind of like, I don’t know, Shins-y? Like early Shins, like Flake Music. “the cooling” or “.stone” maybe has a little Alice in Chains. “Hut Atop Hill” has some digital drums on it which is very 90s and reminds me of Blur. Yeah, probably just song for song.
How do you think the band has grown musically and in maturity since Bitter Flower?
[Josh] Isa do you want to answer that as a listener of Bitter Flower and a contributor to Droll Droll. [Isa] A common thread between Bitter Flower and Droll is the 90s inspiration. I remember – I feel like I tell you this often Josh – but Droll sounds like what I want Jane’s Addiction to sound like. When people are like, “Listen to Jane’s Addiction!” I’m like, “Nah. I’ll just listen to Droll.” [Josh] I’m going to tell Jane you said that. [Isa] I think the experimentation with different sounds and branching out is a big part. Working with a sampler and a synth and trying different guitar tones are all a part of that. My favorite kind of style is pulling all these textures - like I love contrast – that’s what this album does for me. [Josh] I think that Bitter Flower was really just, “What songs do we have at the time that we feel like recording?” Though, I could say the same thing about Droll, but there was more thought put into it as far as pacing and where we were picking from. I think it also just sounds better. I owe a lot of that to Wiggle World. They were pro over there. We spent a lot of time in the mixing stage of this album too. I feel like it’s longer. Yea I don’t know. You’ve listened to both, what’s your take?
Listening through this new album all I could think about was how good the production is. It sounds so beautiful. I love your older music, but you can definitely hear a difference in the production just with simple things like the volume of vocals.
[Josh] I think the sound being better is definitely because of the engineer and because of Sami. It really helps to record things right the first time. We also went and recorded all the tracks to this album in like 7 days. We came back and mixed, then Ricky and I went and recorded vocals for 2 days. Then we mixed for like a whole year and had pages and pages of google docs back and forth with Sami. I felt so bad. We definitely were like, “We’re going to burn you out! Let’s go! The frequency range from this to this, can you tweak it?” It was a lot, but I’m glad where we ended up.
Are there any plans you could share with physical media releases or touring? I know you have a few shows lined up already with the release.
[Josh] We have our album release party on November 3rd. This Saturday we’re playing our first festival up in Pheonix, Viva Pheonix, which is exciting. Physicals - we have 2 new shirts coming and then I’ve been making a cd and cover. The disc looks like a PlayStation game disc. [Isa] That was crazy. I asked Josh to make it look like a PlayStation game and an hour later he was like, ‘Boom. Here it is.” [Josh] Lot’s of merch we are super excited about. We have a lot more ideas than we do time and resources to actually create them. I think that’s a good problem. No tour planned yet, but we probably will next year. We’ve never made it east of here. That’s where we want to make it out to next. We want to do a whole sweep, coast to coast.
To support the band further check out their Bandcamp and Instagram as well as streaming Droll on all music platforms.