Indie folk duo, AFTYN, are trying to make their mark on music with their personal approach to making music. These self-proclaimed modern hippies enjoy interacting with their fans, and introducing people to their modern style of 70’s inspired folk music. Stroll with us below as we chat with AFTYN.
BBE: How did the two of you connect as a duo?
AFTYN: We met through a music page on Facebook. Christopher had previously played in a heavy rock band and I performed on my own. I was looking for someone to write and perform songs with and we chatted in the comments section and eventually met in person and really instantly clicked on a personal level as well as creatively.
BBE: At what point did you feel that you had something special in your group?
AFTYN: I would say we were confident in our group when we managed to put together an EP within the first summer we spent together. Writing songs together was a breeze and neither of us had experienced that creative connectivity with anyone before.
BBE: How would best describe your music?
AFTYN: Our tastes in music differ but we try to combine them into something cohesive. Chris’s taste includes artists like Rise Against and bands of the like, whereas my taste tends to lean toward rock folk/folk such as Jackson Browne and Joni Mitchell. We like to take elements from our own personal collection and let that influence our songwriting, respectively. The content of our music is always personal; Our songs deal with stories from our personal lives.
BBE: You recently released a new song, “Cool Girl”, which is a great song. What is the story behind this song?
AFTYN: “Cool Girl” was my, (Guinnevere) breaking point in the way I was being treated as a woman in the music industry. I have been performing live and dabbling in songwriting for about seven years now. Recently, I’ve become more receptive to the way I was being infantilized, sexualized, and patronized when it came to my knowledge or place within the music industry. Other men within the scene would only address my male partner, assume I was unaware of how to play/perform on my own, and try to “impress” me with their knowledge of
music/connections despite my being aware (and also uninterested in their advances).
The title and chorus come from the “cool-girl” monologue from the movie Gone Girl. The character goes on about how she must fit this “cool girl” aesthetic of a woman who is submissive and never does anything out of the bounds of what men expect from her, but she is no longer interested in fitting that title. The song serves a similar purpose.
BBE: What has the response been like to the song?
AFTYN: It has been great! We were lucky enough to have our song played on radio stations such as BlowUpRadio.com and Delaware Valley’s Hometown Heroes show. One of our friends called it a “feminist anthem”, which was quite nice.
BBE: Do you feel the music industry has made progress in treating women better or has it remained as bad?
AFTYN: I think women themselves are the reason it is getting better. Without the efforts of women to get their voices heard and stop letting themselves be othered, we wouldn’t have the progress we have seen. I hope this song serves as a small part of that effort.
BBE: What is an experience that you have had that you felt you needed to speak up about?
AFTYN: Some specific situations that led to this song being written include playing a show where I was not spoken to by the man running the show. I was directly next to my male partner and the showrunner did not make eye contact with me, speak to me the whole show, or find me after the show to speak to me and pay us directly. Instead, he only gave the time of day to my male partner.
Another instance took place over many months where I was messaged by an individual with unsolicited advice, criticism of my band, and inquiries if I would model for his album cover as it would “be great exposure for my band”. He also specified I “didn’t have to be naked”, if I preferred. His band has since been dropped from their label, so I’m confident in sticking to my own advice.
BBE: Now this isn’t on a higher magnitude by any means, but I am always curious. I see so many bands get these comments like, “Oh I love this band, they sound like Paramore.” or something similar. While Paramore is great in their own right; how do these type of comments make yourself, or you think, bands feel?
AFTYN: I can definitely see how this comment can be off-putting. While I am a huge Paramore fan and I know many of my musician friends are, just because you’re a woman making music with a male backing band and you play some punk/rock songs, doesn’t mean you sound like Paramore. I think anyone
who thinks of giving this comment should broaden their horizons and listen to the plethora of female-fronted music the world has to offer. Ironically, Paramore came on shuffle as I was typing this question. 🙂
BBE: What advice would you have for any women looking to get into music?
AFTYN: Do it and do not let anyone make you feel less than. Write what you want and don’t let the voice in your head tell you all the things you’ve heard other people say. You can write about breakups, hardship, love, pain, and anything else without feeling like your feelings have to minimize because you’re a woman. Own your knowledge and your power and don’t ever mistake someone patronizing as kindness. Stand your ground and do what you came to do, which is create and love music. Nothing else matters.
BBE: What about advice for anyone that feels they are in an uncomfortable situation?
AFTYN: Something I’ve learned is that it is okay to leave a conversation and it’s also okay to speak up. If you’re uncomfortable, end the communication without worry of hurting someone else’s feelings. If you feel like it’s time to speak up, do that as well. You can treat any situation the way you want it to be. You hold so much more power than you give yourself credit for.
BBE: What is next for your band?
AFTYN: We are working on a couple of new songs that lean more toward a completely stripped-down sound. We want to let the lyrics do a lot of talking for themselves. We are very excited!
BBE: What is the best way for fans to connect with you?
AFTYN: You can find us on all platforms under AFTYN and all socials under AFTYNBAND (Facebook/Instagram/Twitter). We love to connect with other musicians as well as anyone who is interested in our music. If there are any aspiring musicians of any gender out there who want to connect with us, you can find us there!
BBE: Anything else you would like to add?
AFTYN: Thank you so much for your interest in this song as it means a great deal to us. We are very thankful for the perception of this song and the opportunity to get it into the world.
