The Gods Themselves are from Seattle, Washington, but more importantly, they’re a duo serving up some serious nostalgia from back in the day. Their new album New Excuse sounds like The B-52’s meets Blondie. While the record is in 2020, the sounds of disco and synth are straight out of the 80’s. The polished vocals are a product of the modern era, but each tone or drum track beat shows how true to the core The Gods Themselves are when it comes to their “art-punk bravado” style. In an Q&A with the band, the trio discuss their favorite tracks off the album, the making of the record, how the band came to fruition and how they’re holding up during these times. You can listen to the record on Spotify here.
How did you two meet and come up with the project The Gods Themselves?
Dustin: Astra and I met at a Halloween show at the old Fun House here in Seattle. We were in different bands then, but had chemistry right away. Later Astra saw me perform at The Seattle Elvis Invitational (I took third place). She was impressed enough to ask me to join TGT. So the short story is that Elvis brought us together.
Astra: Let me add that the first time I asked Dustin to join he turned me down. I had to go back and beg and plead him to give it a shot. The world is a better place now that he did.
Tell me a little bit about your album New Excuse.
Dustin: We worked very hard to elevate our game in every way. We wanted this to be our best album, so the focus was on writing our best songs and playing as tightly as we could. Astra and I even took singing lessons together to understand the best way to blend our voices. Stephen Hague really challenged us in a good way. He polished and streamlined the sound and songs. I love the big, shiny sound of the record. It reminds me of my favorite 80’s records.
Astra: True. New Excuse is by far the hardest we’ve worked on an album. Not only did we put a lot into preparing and creating these songs, we spent a ton of time revising and refining. So much was learned in this process. We are better songwriters and musicians because of it! We each wrote about ½ of the songs on NE. The album in it’s entirety is a great example of how we introduce an idea and collaborate to create something even better.
Who or what are some of your influences?
Astra: Talking Heads, B-52’s, Duran Duran, Giorgio Moroder, Nile Rodgers.
Dustin: I love The Police, Duran Duran, The Fixx, INXS. Danceable New Wave.
Favorite song and why off the record?
Astra: Wow, that’s a tough one. I love “Heartbeat” for the production Stephen Hague laid down in post, and I love “Saved” for the dance quality it possesses. But I think “Talking” is my favorite all around because it really showcases how well we play together as a group, giving each other the space and room to play in a complimentary way.
Dustin: A favorite of my own songs on the album is “Mixtape”. It feels like a cut from a John Hughes soundtrack. Teenage me would have loved it. I really love how Subliminal Message turned out, too. It went thru a number of changes and just kept getting better and tougher. I’m proud of all the songs. I think it really holds together as an album.
How are you keeping sane during COVID?
Astra: Playing music, listening, learning and Ben and Jerry’s Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Core Ice Cream.
Dustin: Joe Bob Briggs The Last Drive-In on Shudder. The We Hate Movies Podcast. Taking guitar lessons online. Endless masturbation.
What are your plans for the future?
We’re playing a livestream on June 26th from The High Dive. We are donating all proceeds to the Equal Justice Initiative. Here’s a link.
We’ll be releasing some cool new videos as the summer goes on as well.
