(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . IVH: Nervous Like Me / New Kind of Normal [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-02-16 Augusta Koch of Cayetana Tonight’s selections from Philadelphia’s Cayetana. This trio of women formed the band in 2011. They released two full length albums along with several EPs and singles. The band played their last show in 2019 then went on indefinite hiatus. Cayetana's "Mesa" is the kind of bouncy indie-punk song that will keep you tapping your foot while it breaks your heart. "We can only hurt ourselves for so long / We can only hurt each other 'til it all goes wrong," Augusta Koch sings. Her voice nearly cracks in desperation at moments in "Mesa," nearly veers into a growl elsewhere; Allegra Anka's basslines almost steal the show, while drummer Kelly Olsen supplies the reason for the aforementioned foot-tapping. It's fitting, then, that the video for "Mesa" takes each member of the band on strange journeys that ultimately lead the three women back to each other. Near the end of the video, Koch gently cracks a smile as she glances toward her two bandmates, who return the gesture. It's a small moment, but it's touching, and reminiscent of the band's grander plans. — NPR . Mesa [2017] . Not all songs are created equally on Nervous Like Me. Despite the tongue-in-cheek title of the previously released “Hot Dad Calendar”, the song seems to literally be a matter of life and death, with singer Augusta Koch singing the song’s refrain with loose desperation: “You really want to make it out alive.” Likewise, “Scott Get the Van, I’m Moving” finds Koch’s voice hoarse and frustrated. There’s a point on the album’s opening song where Koch even lets out a squeak that is soft and fragile. All these moments on quite good songs humanize Koch and work to create an effect that is quite surprising on a pop punk debut: They allow listeners to care about Koch and care about Cayetana. — Consequence.net . Scott Get the Van, I'm Moving [2014] . New Kind of Normal still fits the description I gave earlier—straddles the line between punk and indie, haunting melodies, all that jazz—but it takes that style in directions that Nervous Like Me never did. Where Nervous kept to a formula of similar chords and rhythms, New Kind of Normal plays around with tempo, tone, even genre. Cayetana prides themselves by labeling themselves as a punk band, but on this album they’re really stretching that categorization. Lyrically, the album focuses on lyrics about feeling lost, alone, and trying to figure out your life. “Side Sleepers,” a song that’s slower and more mellow than anything on Nervous, has a chorus that could be ripped from my own life: “You should get your shit together/You could be so much better.” But that’s not as heartbreaking as the emo-tinged “Easy to Love” which uses some very simple lyrics to deliver a harsh blow to the heart: “Maybe you will find someone easier to love.” It’s such a simple sentence, but it speaks volumes of heartbreak and longing. “Certain for Miles” speaks of the envy of other people around you seeming to have figured out their lives while you’re still trying to figure yours out. A poignant message from this band of ladies who I presume are in their 20’s. A bit of twist of the knife for this girl in her early 30’s. — Punknews.org . Age of Consent (New Order cover) [2016] . STEREOGUM: You took your time putting out a debut, choosing to build up your fan base through touring instead. Was it a conscious decision to take your time and tour first before releasing a debut or was it sort of something that just happened? KOCH: We take everything we do at the pace we feel comfortable with. When we formed the band was when we more or less started playing music so to us, there was no rush. We really wanted to make an album we were proud of instead of throwing together songs out of desperation. That being said, I’m glad we took our time. It helped us form a sound and dynamic we’re happy with. STEREOGUM: What’s your creative process like? Do you all write together or is there one person that mostly handles lyrics or is it more collaborative? KOCH: Our creative process is very fluid, it’s still developing and evolving all the time. I usually come up with lyrics first and a very simple idea on guitar. Then at practice, we all hash it out. Allegra’s bass playing is so unique and always adds a completely new dimension to the concept that I had in my head originally. When Kelly’s parts come in, she carries us and makes the songs boisterous and fresh, she’s saved us from writing a lot of slow depressing songs. The songs always go through a metamorphosis, and some come easier than others. Just like every aspect of our band, we take it as it comes and are always trying to incorporate new approaches to writing. — Stereogum . Hot Dad Calendar [2014] . “Bus Ticket” is quite a remarkable moment. Could you explain where that track came from? Koch: When we started working on the record, we started writing at my childhood house, where I hadn’t been in a long time. Obviously, being in your childhood home and sleeping in your old bed reminds you of a lot of being in high school, or things you haven’t thought about in years. Whenever we play that song, I definitely picture that house. [It’s] a feeling that I had when I was younger that I realized I still have—of hitting rock bottom with yourself. Sometimes, you hit rock bottom several times. Where was that house? Koch: It’s in the Poconos, which is like an hour and a half from Philly [where we live]. We’ve been going up there a lot. We wrote the record there. Getting out of the city seems pretty conducive to writing and recording. Anka: This was the first time that we had ever really put aside two weeks away from our lives, to just wake up every day and be together and write on a schedule. I think nature is pretty important to all of us. Even though we love Philly, we love getting out and being in quiet, beautiful space that smells nice. — Bandcamp . Bus Ticket [2017] . Freedom1313 [2016] . WHO’S TALKING TO WHO? Jimmy Kimmel: Katy Perry, Lionel Richie, Mike Epps, Beck Jimmy Fallon: James Spader, Travis Kelce, Jay Hernandez, Samara Joy Stephen Colbert: Rev. Al Sharpton, Jessica Williams Seth Meyers: Tina Fey, Nate Bargatze, Zoë Brecher James Corden: Niall Horan, Orlando Bloom Daily Show: Jia Tolentino, guest host Sarah Silverman SPOILER WARNING A late night gathering for non serious palaver that does not speak of that night’s show. Posting a spoiler will get you brollywhacked. You don’t want that to happen to you. It's a fate worse than a fate worse than death. LAST WEEK'S POLL: THE BREAKFAST CLUB The Beauty 22% The Brain 11% The Jock 0% The Rebel 33% The Recluse 33% [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/16/2152449/-IVH-Nervous-Like-Me-New-Kind-of-Normal Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/