The Suzan is a charming, all-female pop rock band operating out of Brooklyn by way of Japan. Their first major release, Golden Week For The Poco Poco Beat, received many positive reviews online, helping bolster their status in the indie scene. Later, they were featured in a Verizon Wireless commercial for NFL Mobile in 2011 and as a part of Dell’s Create.Work.Inspire campaign, which gave them some well-deserved visibility. Simply put, The Suzan’s music is irresistible fun, and you’d be doing yourself a favor by getting acquainted with it. Recently, I had the chance to sit down with The Suzan and discuss how they got here and where they’re going.
When did you first come to New York?
The first time we came to New York was five years ago to play a show.
And you live here now?
Yeah, since about three years ago.
What was the transition like between Japan and here?
In Tokyo, it’s almost entirely Japanese people, but here in New York there are people of every race. And the indie scene back home is very small––there are some small venues bands can play, but it’s all pretty underground, not major. A lot of the people are into pop and J-pop instead.
MySpace was critical in the genesis of your first full length album, Golden Week for the Poco Poco Beat. Do you think social media has contributed to the band’s success?
Yeah. Using MySpace gave us the chance to come to New York and record with Bjorn [of Peter Bjorn and John], so I think it’s very important. We share our activity with fans or let them know about upcoming shows and things on Facebook whenever we can.
Have you guys had any other interesting experiences using social media?
Oh! On Twitter, Mark Ronson mentioned us. He said he loved The Suzan’s music. He really liked our cover of the song “Animal” by Miike Snow. We were very happy about that.
Could you explain where the title Golden Week for the Poco Poco Beat originated from?
[Laughs] Okay, so, Golden Week is the Japanese holiday, for one week. Maybe you don’t have anything like that here. It could only be in Japan. But it’s in May and it has a few celebration days, like the Emperor’s Birthday and Child’s Day. It was made by the Government because the Japanese people are busy, really busy.And “Poco Poco Beat?”
[Laughs] Then “Poco Poco Beat” doesn’t really mean anything. For the drum parts in our songs, we use a lot of tom toms, and we thought that they sort of made the sound “poco poco” when played.So, is it like a celebration of that sound?
Um, yeah? [laughs].
Who are some of your favorite acts that have been on tour with you?
Chromeo! They’re so much fun. We toured with them two or three years ago. And Dave’s brother, A-Trak, is our boss. We’re on his label – Fool’s Gold. And Peter Bjorn and John, of course.
And who are you dying to share a stage with?
Beyoncé! [Laughs]
Are you currently working on your sophomore album?
We’re making a new album now, but our next single should come out in August, hopefully. It will be a digital single, and it’s called “Moving On.”
Do you have a release date for it?
Our next album may come out this winter, or spring 2014, I’m not sure. We’re working with Bjorn again, and he’s a very good producer, so he’s naturally very busy, and that affects our schedule.
Do you have a title for it?
Not yet.
How do you think it will sound differently from Golden Week?
There will be more pop songs, but we were also trying to make something new, so we incorporated other genres and sounds, like reggae. And our playing skills are better now [laughs].
[Laughs] Better now?
Yeah. Our first album was released four, five years ago, so we recorded it like six years ago. We didn’t have skills then [laughs]. Now we’re better.
Who are you listening to these days?
Beyoncé, Kanye West… Justin Bieber [laughs]. Um, J-pop… and K-pop. Do you know K-pop?
Like Korean pop?
Yeah! And we also listen to Brooklyn indie bands. Basically all kinds of music from around the world.
I noticed all of your songs are sung in English. Do you think you would ever sing songs in Japanese?
No, probably not.
Why is that?
We like to sing in English because our music… our songs don’t fit that well in the Japanese language. Japanese is flat, very flat. It doesn’t have rhythm. It’s harder to write a song in Japanese.
What’s your reaction to when critics associate The Suzan with the riot grrrl scene?
So, what do we think of the riot grrl scene, or…?
I mean, some people think that you’re a part of it. What do you think of that?
Good? [Laughs] We don’t care, but I don’t think we’re riot grrls. We just do what we want to do. We don’t care about being all-female. We just want to be a band.
So no political statement?
No.
Your show this past Thursday at the Brooklyn Museum was your last official show with your bassist Ikue. Do you have someone lined up to fill in on bass, or are you currently looking?
We are thinking right now, and practicing.
As three?
Yes.
Do you think it will stay that way?
Yes, maybe in the future. We’re still practicing at it right now. We’re going to give it a try.
What are you guys most looking forward to in the near future?
Our next album… and we go back to Japan in October. We have a tour there. Oh, and our next single!
Click here to purchase “Moving On,” the latest single from The Suzan, released on September 9th.
The Suzan
Facebook
Twitter
MySpace
Interview by Justin Davis. Follow him on Twitter at @yeahjustindavis
Photos by Koa Pennock. Follow him on Twitter at @koapennock
Style by Phil Gomez. Follow him on Twitter at @styledbyphil
