BLUFFING is a scrappy Brooklyn outfit that delivers quick, charming fistfuls of indie pop with a twist of punk. Their debut album, Sugar Coated Pills of Wisdom, was released on PaperCup Music this past April, and it’s a swift and dizzying introduction to the noisy quartet. Made up of equal parts distortion, carefree energy, and delicious pop hooks, BLUFFING’s 10-song, 17-minute frenzy continues to generate some well-deserved buzzed.
In sticking with brevity, we compiled a few key questions to get a better feel for this raucous bunch. They don’t want to waste our time, and we don’t want to waste yours, so check out our little chat about forming the band, their writing process, and playing the local circuit in Brooklyn.
BLUFFING started a drums-and-guitar duo and later evolved into a quartet to round out the sound. Can you tell me how you two (Olivia and Jon) met? And what’s the story behind the band name?
We met at a show that one of Jon’s older projects, Banzai, was playing at Brooklyn Lyceum in 2008 and we’ve been friends ever since. In March of 2012, we decided to join forces and write music together. It’s been great so far because we’re pretty much always on the same page about our goals. The name BLUFFING comes from the song “Bluffing Game” by a band called 50 Million (whose songwriter now plays in Shellshag).
People must mention this all the time, but I’ve seen on your Facebook and your label’s Bandcamp that BLUFFING focuses on crafting songs that are no longer than two minutes. Are these strict parameters something you’re going to work with indefinitely, or is this just a concept you’re tinkering with for now?
It was more of a songwriting challenge that we toyed with in the beginning and less of a gimmick. We consciously make the songs so short because the idea is that the listener will want to hear the song over and over again, but if either of us felt that a song should be longer it wouldn’t be an issue. It also happens that most of the music we were influenced by for this album are mostly short pop and/or punk influenced songs.
With that in mind, what’s your songwriting process like? Can you guys intuitively feel that two-minute mark or do you have to write, record, and scale back? How does all of that impact your live shows?
We both write our own songs and then come together and share what we’ve done. Since we can have really different song writing styles, Jon writes all the lead guitar lines so that there is some sort of common denominator between the two voices. We both end songs when we feel that they should be over, so it’s definitely more intuitive. Our live shows usually end up being high energy, awkward and fun because our set is so short. Most of our set is sometimes just devoted to the two of us deciding what to play, but we’ve been pretty good about writing set lists lately, so we’re getting much better at staying below the 20 minute mark.
What’s your favorite venue to play at in Brooklyn?
We were both really lucky to grow up within the DIY music community in Brooklyn, so it’s really difficult to say. Each one can have such a different vibe that makes them really fun in their own way. Probably our top three, in no particular order, would be Death By Audio, Silent Barn and Shea Stadium. All three venues are really devoted to ensuring a good time. R.I.P. Big Snow Buffalo Lodge, Emet, Market Hotel, 285 Kent & teh Olive Garden.
What was one of your most memorable shows on your SXSW tour?
Everything’s starting to come together nicely, so we’re really excited. All of SXSW was pretty amazing because we got to tour with our buddies Heeney and The Gradients (in an 11-seater van commandeered by the great Maverick Imman), as well as hang out with our homies in Slonk Donkerson and other band/label friends ranging from Black Bell to Exploding in Sound to Texas is Funny to Community/Chinquapin Records. The most insane and memorable show we played was Black Bell’s day-long showcase, at the Sailor Jerry tent at The Gypsy Lounge.
Interview by Justin Davis. Give him some tips on how to be a better actor @yeahjustindavis.
Photographed by Cheryl Georgette Arent for Issue #2. Follow her Twitter @bohemianforest
