Darren Cross of Jep and Dep
Firstly, congratulations on the new Jep and Dep record. THEY'VEBEENCALLED is your second release. Do you feel that there has been an evolution in your folk noir sound and recording, an extra level of finesse and synchronicity that comes from working on album number two?
Hey thanks man! Yeah we have definitely had a natural evolution with the Jep and Dep. We have found what we believe is our sound and trying to record and present that as closest to our vision we can.
We also wrote and presented the album with the vinyl format in mind- listen to side one - flip record - listen to side two - almost like watching an episode of a series. We want people to listen to the record as a whole- screw the Spotify playlist mentality...it maybe old fashioned but that’s how we listen to music- you don’t just listen to one song off Neil Young’s on The Beach album on vinyl- you listen to the whole thing!!
The genre of Folk / Blues is often one that lyrically (and literally) revolves around hardships that become the source from which all narratives throughout the record are born. Within the album were some tracks focusing exclusively on bitter experiences and harsh ordeals that you have endured?
Absolutely. Passing of loved ones is also represented on the track 'This Is Not The End'.
The thing about Jep and Dep is both myself and Jess have had tumultuous and poison relationships in our past lives so it’s an easy well to draw from. In general most humans suck.
A lot of Jess's solo vocal songs are very steeped in metaphors but her pure emotion really brings something otherworldly to the album. It’s about the sake of the song with Jep and Dep- not about how to market a sound.
One to never stand still, as you traverse through styles of music and dabble in different art forms , what lines of continuities have remained from your previous outfits that have made their way into Jep and Dep and where have that drastically diverged?
Working and working- developing sounds. It’s something Gerling did and something I do with my solo project (working on my solo album number 2 at the moment). Producing and recording most of my music is also something that’s a continuity as well - aesthetically and aurally. Naturally your skills improve and change with technology available- I still produced lots of different styles of music but what I release is another story.
Given the alt folk genre and your earlier career in the rock /punk scene, is this album and style of music something that could only be achieved having matured through the ranks and amassed the expertise that would have made a record like this in your earlier days impossible until now?
Hah- I don’t think so. I think Jep and Dep is Jessica and my band - we write all the songs so this album could only have been achieved with us two! Also I can play guitar and sing properly now- I think that makes a BIG difference. Lol....the punk spirt continues through our DIY attitude- I mean I run our own label (No Drums Records) and oversee most aspects of the label- I even make vinyl boxes out of recycled boxes to send out our vinyl purchases all around the world. I record and produce the music- we do all the photos and most of the film clips/art together - I don’t think maturing through the ranks has anything to do with it - I am blissfully unaware of any ranks!!!
Cruel Moon off the new record really highlights Jep’s beautiful vocals and the video clip is another in a long line of black and white recordings. This monochrome approach is something of a signature style for Jep and Dep. What is it that draws you to this black and white theme?
From the get go we just loved the Noir Black and White style- it just suits our music and aesthetic - just a world without colour seems poetic to us.
Dynamic duos who are actual relationships brings to mind bands such as Yo La Tango, Stereolab Arcade Fire, Tennis and Boss Hog. Is there a heightened sense of awareness when formulating tracks considering the closeness of your relationship?
No not really- I think we are a bit hard on each other to be honest as it’s so involved but the end result sounds pretty great so it’s worth the scratchy moments. Touring is easier and so is working out financial stuff- touring with your partner is perfect as far as I’m concerned.
On a technical level, is your weapon of choice crucially important in delivery the sound that you are after taking into account how intimate and stripped-down the music is?
Yeah it’s very important. Performance and atmosphere is also important for us- as we are only two voices and one acoustic guitar you can really play with the nuances and vibe that is happening on stage - if people come to our show and listen to the music it really is a wonderful trip. Our two voices sound really enchanting together and the finger picked guitar adds the percussion. It’s very orchestral sometimes even though there are only three things on stage.
Having recently launched the LP and performed a string of shows, what is on the horizon for the remainder of 2017 and moving into the new year?
Playing shows and promoting our new album.
As the record is on our own label and is not available on any streaming services- exclusively on our Bandcamp accounts - you can buy the album on vinyl, compact disc or digitally- we need to promote the record the old fashioned way - by shows and word of mouth.
The vinyl version of our album sounds great by the way.
So come and check out our live show and buy the record- old school.
