Now, Now Every Children
The core duo of the beautifully brooding local band talks about its new debut album, Cars.
Stacy Schwartz
Despite their years of practice and a couple of EPs, Now, Now Every Children’s Cacie Dalager and Brad Hale still seem incredulous that their debut full-length is really coming out. Though the two 21-year-olds are bright-eyed and affable, their music, beautiful as it is, is dark and brooding. Their live show has a full lineup that includes keyboardist Britty Hale, Brad’s sister, and bassist Eric Brew, but Cars is just the two of them, banging out a series of Yeah Yeah Yeahs-esque, slow-burning songs that feature lyrics from Dalager and music from both members. It’s one of the best releases of the year, a series of long fuses leading to inevitable explosions. The gorgeous “Not One, But Two,” also the title track to an EP released last year, starts with Hale’s crackling drums and Dalager’s chugging electric guitar, and eventually blows up amid her understated vocals. Cars, out Dec. 15 on Afternoon Records (headed by college friend and band manager Ian Anderson, who also produced the album), gets its CD-release show Dec. 12 at 7th Street Entry.
Decider: You met in high-school marching band. Does that still influence what you’re doing now?
Brad Hale: I think it influences the way I think about drumming, and how I don’t want everything to be so strictly rock beats. It makes me think outside of that, and subconsciously the musical memories I have from it, you could say, creep into it somehow, the syncopation.
D: Do you hear that percussive quality when you’re initially writing these songs?
Cacie Dalager: It depends on the song. There are certain things I don’t want, or certain things we try to avoid every time, like the 4/4 steady rock beat. There are parts where I’ll hear a certain little thing of a drum part, or kind of an idea, but Brad usually is the master behind figuring out how to take my brain and make it into something that actually exists and sounds better than what I would think of.
D: How do the songs tend to sound to you in the end, compared to how you envisioned them?
CD: It depends on the song, but with Brad’s contribution, it usually ends up better than what I would have in my head originally. When we first started the song “Cars,” it started out on guitar and more upbeat, and happier-sounding. Now it’s more laid-back, and there isn’t even a guitar in it.
D: Why did that decision happen?
BH: We were getting pissed off at trying to figure out something, and Cacie just decided to start playing keyboard. I think I was having a really hard time with the drum part, and I heard this thing in my head, and I thought, “Okay, this is the direction we need to go.”
CD: How that usually happens is, we’ll be working on something all day, or a number of weeks, and we’ll get to the point where it’s like, “Screw it, I hate this song, we can’t do this anymore with this song!” Then one of us will be messing around on a different instrument, and we’ll end up playing that song, but a different version somehow.
D: Did joining a label with so much visibility change how you write, record and arrange?
CD: There’s more pressure to not suck, I guess. [Laughs.] For us, Ian has been a really important tool for what we have going now. And we don’t want to let anyone down. So there’s a little bit more pressure to make sure you’re proud of what you’re doing.
D: What was it like having Ian producing Cars?
BH: He’s kind of everything to us: best friend, producer, label person, manager-slash-magical wizard. We’re so close to him, we can trust anything with him—business-wise, creative process-wise, and friend-wise. He’s just never let us down.
D: What kind of producing influence do you think he had as a musician?
CD: It’s interesting, because I totally adore his band [One For The Team], and his musical instinct. [But] what he adds with us is different from what his band is. I’m not really sure how he does that. You would think when you’re working with someone who has their own style, they would add their style to your music, but he really works with what we’re already doing. He’s not trying to make something else out of it. It’s really nice to have that.
D: You opened for Mates Of State at the Fine Line in September. What was that like?
CD: Ridiculous, in the best way possible. That was easily my favorite show we have ever played. In my mind, that was the perfect show, it couldn’t have gone any better. I almost fear that it’s not even possible being that good again. [Laughs.]… And obviously the fact that it was Mates Of State made us want to play really well, and not suck in front of them.
D: Did you learn anything from watching them, since they’re also a duo who sometimes have a full band?
CD: I guess it’s just nice to see that happening. A lot of bands are a full-on band, and it’s nice to know that two people can do that, and be really successful at what they’re doing.
D: Any special plans for the release show?
CD: You will see an amazing [opening] band called Tarlton. And I feel like this is one of our most important shows because, not in a narcissistic way, but I feel like we have to really step up to making sure people are happy with what they’re seeing.
BH: And there will be free hugs, for anyone.
D: When you’re done? Or beforehand?
BH: Anytime. You just say the word, and it will happen.
CD: Hugs will be had.
Brad Hale: I think it influences the way I think about drumming, and how I don’t want everything to be so strictly rock beats. It makes me think outside of that, and subconsciously the musical memories I have from it, you could say, creep into it somehow, the syncopation.
D: Do you hear that percussive quality when you’re initially writing these songs?
Cacie Dalager: It depends on the song. There are certain things I don’t want, or certain things we try to avoid every time, like the 4/4 steady rock beat. There are parts where I’ll hear a certain little thing of a drum part, or kind of an idea, but Brad usually is the master behind figuring out how to take my brain and make it into something that actually exists and sounds better than what I would think of.
D: How do the songs tend to sound to you in the end, compared to how you envisioned them?
CD: It depends on the song, but with Brad’s contribution, it usually ends up better than what I would have in my head originally. When we first started the song “Cars,” it started out on guitar and more upbeat, and happier-sounding. Now it’s more laid-back, and there isn’t even a guitar in it.
D: Why did that decision happen?
BH: We were getting pissed off at trying to figure out something, and Cacie just decided to start playing keyboard. I think I was having a really hard time with the drum part, and I heard this thing in my head, and I thought, “Okay, this is the direction we need to go.”
CD: How that usually happens is, we’ll be working on something all day, or a number of weeks, and we’ll get to the point where it’s like, “Screw it, I hate this song, we can’t do this anymore with this song!” Then one of us will be messing around on a different instrument, and we’ll end up playing that song, but a different version somehow.
D: Did joining a label with so much visibility change how you write, record and arrange?
CD: There’s more pressure to not suck, I guess. [Laughs.] For us, Ian has been a really important tool for what we have going now. And we don’t want to let anyone down. So there’s a little bit more pressure to make sure you’re proud of what you’re doing.
D: What was it like having Ian producing Cars?
BH: He’s kind of everything to us: best friend, producer, label person, manager-slash-magical wizard. We’re so close to him, we can trust anything with him—business-wise, creative process-wise, and friend-wise. He’s just never let us down.
D: What kind of producing influence do you think he had as a musician?
CD: It’s interesting, because I totally adore his band [One For The Team], and his musical instinct. [But] what he adds with us is different from what his band is. I’m not really sure how he does that. You would think when you’re working with someone who has their own style, they would add their style to your music, but he really works with what we’re already doing. He’s not trying to make something else out of it. It’s really nice to have that.
D: You opened for Mates Of State at the Fine Line in September. What was that like?
CD: Ridiculous, in the best way possible. That was easily my favorite show we have ever played. In my mind, that was the perfect show, it couldn’t have gone any better. I almost fear that it’s not even possible being that good again. [Laughs.]… And obviously the fact that it was Mates Of State made us want to play really well, and not suck in front of them.
D: Did you learn anything from watching them, since they’re also a duo who sometimes have a full band?
CD: I guess it’s just nice to see that happening. A lot of bands are a full-on band, and it’s nice to know that two people can do that, and be really successful at what they’re doing.
D: Any special plans for the release show?
CD: You will see an amazing [opening] band called Tarlton. And I feel like this is one of our most important shows because, not in a narcissistic way, but I feel like we have to really step up to making sure people are happy with what they’re seeing.
BH: And there will be free hugs, for anyone.
D: When you’re done? Or beforehand?
BH: Anytime. You just say the word, and it will happen.
CD: Hugs will be had.
