Shallowhalo at Gonzo’s – Photos by Lulú Rodriguez
Last Call is an interview series where I, Brittany Marino, ask talented folk all about their lasts: last time they did something, last time they felt something, etc. This time, I hopped onto zoom to chat with Allyson Camitta of Shallowhalo. We caught up before diving in.
Big things are in the works for NYC synth-pop duo Shallowhalo. The duo, comprised of Allyson Camitta and Ezra Tenenbaum, recently signed to Fool’s Gold Records and are set to release a 5 song EP on the label. Whimsy, euphoric vocals and colorful performances are just a few things you can expect from this eclectic twosome. And their music video for ‘Golden Thread’, which Alt Citizen has the honor of premiering, is a great display of that. Directed by Julia Jaspers, she follows the band through their day. If you enjoy taking strolls down the beach, Shallowhalo just might be the band for you.
Brittany: Last person you texted and what was it about?
Allyson: The last person I texted… Oh, I’m in this group chat called “Toxic ASMR Boyfriend.” And the last text, I was giving advice on how to give someone a hint that you want them to leave.
Brittany: Ohhh!
Allyson: If you’re hanging out with someone in your apartment, and you want to go to sleep, and you want to subtly kick someone out.
Allyson: So I said, the best way is to stretch your arms out, and yawn, and say “I’m really tired,” and the average human being would take that as a sign to leave (laughs).
Brittany: (laughing). Yeah. Ok, what if you want certain people to leave and then other people to stay? Do you have advice for that? That’s a dilemma I’ve been in, at an afters thing. I have some of my friends and a couple of people I don’t know as well. I really just want it to be me and my close friends. What’s your advice to get rid of some people but not everybody?
Allyson: Ooooo that’s a good one.
Brittany: Can you think of anything?
Allyson: Yeah definitely. I would start a group chat with the people that I do want to stay, and say “Hey, I’m gonna make a move, but you guys ignore it and stay.” Then I would go through with, you know, stretching my arms out and yawning…
Brittany: (laughs)
Allyson: Yeah I don’t know I guess, maybe everyone would have to leave though but maybe they could linger a little longer or actually leave and walk a block and come back.
Brittany: So one time, I don’t know if you know Johann, Promiseland Johann…
Allyson: Yeah I know Johann!
Brittany: Yeah, one time he texted us, it was me and someone else. He said, ”I want these other people to leave but you guys should stay because you guys are the homies”. So I saw that message and I was like, “Hey Johann! Is it ok if me and Bratt sleep over?” He was like “Yeah! Of course!” and I go “Awesome! We are sooo tired, we’re going to go to bed now.” He said, “Yeah me too. Ok, thanks everybody!” Then everybody left. We both “pretended” that we were heading to bed and we ended up staying up and hanging out more. So it’s the same idea as yours…
Allyson: Yes, it works!
Brittany: So, what was the last song you wrote or recorded? You could choose either, I know they could be different answers.
Allyson: Hmmm I wrote a demo last week. I just wrote it on my omnichord and made a voice memo, so I recorded it.
Brittany: Oh nice! Are you consistently writing music? I know you have an E.P. coming out?
Allyson: We have an E.P. coming out. We have a single in a couple of weeks and then we have the E.P. coming out April 5th. Yeah, I’m always writing. I’m always trying to keep that practice up because it’s definitely a muscle that you have to keep working out. So I force myself to write songs, even if I think it’s bad at the moment, just to keep the practice going of finishing things.
Brittany: Do you go through waves of inspiration? Where you feel more inspired and you’re constantly writing, and then other times when you can’t think of anything but you’re still trying to create something? Just so, like you say, keep that muscle moving?
Allyson: Yeah I have a working notes app, and I’ll just write random thoughts in it. That’s my, kind of my toolbox, for when I get stuck on what to write about. I’ll just go through my notes app and it’s just the most chaotic thoughts, and I’ll try to piece them together and make a cohesive storyline.
Brittany: Nice. Well actually speaking of notes app, I usually ask this question a little bit later, but one of my favorite questions to ask in this series is- what is your last note written in your notes app?
Allyson: Oooooo. Oh, so I have a working notes, just overall things that I like. Last night I was going down a rabbit hole watching all these Michel Gondry music videos. So I added a couple that really resonated with me to the list. I watched this music video for “Star Guitar” by Chemical Brothers, and it’s beautiful. It’s just one long shot, it’s like you’re sitting in a train, and the shot is looking outside the window, and it’s just fields and buildings passing by. That’s the whole music video. Going into it, I didn’t know what to expect. I was just watching it, and then I realized that all of the houses and the fields and the lighting and everything was going to the song, and I thought it was so beautiful.
Brittany: What was the last movie you watched?
Allyson: I watched “Zone of Interest” last night actually.
Brittany: Ok, thoughts? I have not seen that movie yet.
Allyson: It was beautiful. It was really intense and heavy, and the sound design was amazing, and I’m still processing it. I feel like it takes me a couple of days to fully process a movie.
Brittany: Where did you watch it?
Allyson: Williamsburg cinema.
Brittany: When was the last time you cried? Are you a crier?
Allyson: I am a crier! I surprisingly haven’t cried recently. The last time I can remember was a couple of weeks ago. I was in a K- hole in my bathroom, sitting on the floor, and I was closing my eyes and seeing all these really beautiful shapes and lines just passing by, and it made me cry tears of joy.
Brittany: What was the last concert you went to?
Allyson: The last concert I went to was my own concert. I don’t know if that counts? It was on Friday, at the new Knitting Factory. My management House of Feelings put on a show, it was Valentine’s Day themed, and it was really cute.
Brittany: What is the last thing that you splurged on?
Allyson: The last thing that I splurged on, actually, my laptop is sitting right on it. It’s the DDJ FLX4.
Brittany: Nice, okay. So, that’s kind of an investment, though.
Allyson: It’s an investment, yeah, I haven’t been spending that much…
Brittany: Those things are not cheap.
Allyson: Yeah, they’re not. But they’re definitely a lot cheaper than the full DJ setup.
Brittany: Is this your first personal one? I mean, I know you DJ a lot. Does Charlie bring one, do you usually use the one that’s in house, what’s up?
Allyson: We usually use the one that’s in house, and Charlie does have one. To practice, I usually just go to Pirate because you could just rent the studios hourly. But, I wanna start making mixes and recording them and making cute little videos for TikTok and stuff. I’m trying to be better at Tiktok, and I feel like it would be fun to mash up weird songs together.
Brittany: Hell yeah, yeah. Do you have a TikTok right now?
Allyson: I do, it’s @Shallowhaloxoxo, although I haven’t posted much recently. It’s my 2024 goal.
Brittany: I don’t make music or anything, so I don’t need to be a content creator. But I’m a big TikTok lurker! One of my 2024 goals is to stop spending as much time on TikTok because I would go into these holes of just scrolling for hours. It’s like, I just wasted an entire hour of my day scrolling on TikTok, but saw some pretty funny stuff.
Allyson: Oh, my God! I’m like the opposite. I will avoid even going on TikTok because, yeah, I have no self control and I definitely would be on it for hours at a time. So I just can’t even look at it if I’m not posting on it.
Brittany: What was the last restaurant you ate at?
Allyson: Oh, it was last night. I went to Dokebi before watching Zone of Interest.
Brittany: Okay, nice, and is that in Williamsburg? I haven’t been there.
Allyson: Yeah, it’s in Williamsburg. It’s this Korean restaurant, and I have a bunch of friends that work there. The food is really good! I like going there and eating and hanging out with friends.
Brittany: What did you get?
Allyson: I got the Sundubu, which is the Korean token stew. It’s my favorite.
Brittany: Okay, yeah, that sounds so good. Now, I want Korean food.
Allyson: Yeah, it’s my comfort food.
Brittany: I’m in Barcelona right now and I have not seen any Korean spots yet. I always like trying countries interpretations of other cuisines.
Allyson: Yeah, I am sure they have it. Although, if there’s not that many then I don’t know if I would really want to try it. I would want to try the popular stuff, the popular cuisine there.
Brittany: I always love to try that stuff. You know, different cuisines and other cities, because I’m crazy. Doesn’t mean it’s good. I remember one time, it was in San Sebastian in Spain years ago and I got Chinese food, and they had Jamón Serrano in the fried rice.
Allyson: That’s funny. I feel that way about Mcdonald’s. I have to try Mcdonalds when I go to other countries. I was just in Guatemala for Christmas… because my family is there. They had cheese pie instead of apple pie. It’s a hand held pie with sweet cheese in it. It was pretty good.
Brittany: Nice. Yeah, one of my best friends is the same way. I was just in Mexico City with him. He was like, we have to go into the Mcdonalds! I need to see what’s different on the menu! Where in Guatemala were you?
Allyson: I was in Antigua, Guatemala. Also, I spent some time in Guatemala City.
Brittany: Oh, amazing! I went to Antigua a couple of years ago. It’s so so beautiful. It’s surreal, just the volcano when you look down at the little town. Because it’s not a very big town, I don’t think it even qualifies for the city.
Allyson: Yeah it’s small.
Brittany: …and then just the volcano at the edge of it is so gorgeous.
Allyson: Yeah, there’s three volcanoes. You look in any direction and there’s a volcano, it’s insane. What were you there for?
Brittany: I went with my ex, he was born in Guatemala. His family used to live there, so we just went because he hadn’t been in years and wanted to go back. I’d never been, and it was just so so gorgeous. We also went to Lake Atitlan. Do you know where that is?
Allyson: (gasps)
Brittany: It’s a couple of hours away.
Allyson: I went there as well!
Brittany: Yeah, I also did horseback riding up, I think it was Volcan Pacaya?
Allyson: Oh, I’ve done that before!
Brittany: Yeah! Did you do the lava pizza at the top (giggling)?
Allyson: No, but I roasted marshmallows with the coal that emitted hot sulfurous air.
(both laugh)
Brittany: The pizza was very mediocre but because it was cooked with lava air, I guess, fumes, it was the best pizza I’ve ever had. As a New Yorker, I think I can say that.
Brittany: Yeah. What’s the last thing you obsessed over?
Allyson: A boy, definitely.
(both laugh)
Brittany: Okay. Thank you, honest answer!
Allyson: My typical obsessions are over people so, let’s leave it at that!
(both still laughing)
Brittany: I love an honest answer. Ok, the last embarrassing thing that happened? Doesn’t have to be to you necessarily. I feel second hand embarrassment, all the time. But, if there’s anything embarrassing that’s happened to you recently.
Allyson: Yeah! I don’t usually feel embarrassed. I think the last time I was really embarrassed was when I was in seventh grade. I was at a summer camp and I threw a pool party. I invited everyone at the summer camp to my pool party but I didn’t really know people. And then, throughout the day I would just randomly see the invites in the trash. And then, when it got to the pool party three people came, and it was really embarrassing. So since then, I don’t really get embarrassed anymore. I just stopped caring.
Brittany: I hear you.
Allyson: But! Actually, when it snowed a couple months ago, I went outside and I didn’t even make it down the block until I slipped on the black ice. One person saw, and of course I just got up immediately. I was like, “I’m fine!” Someone just looked on alarm, I just kept walking, I was fine! But, that was a little embarrassing.
Brittany: Last time you created something you were proud of?
Allyson: The last time I created something I was proud of is this music video that’s gonna come out in a couple weeks (out now!). For the song called, “You Are My Religion Now”, and I’m really proud of it. We collaborated with my friends Maria and Aria who directed and made the video. We did it with zero budget. We filmed it all at my apartment, using all of the fun costume-y clothes I have and it came out really cool, and there’s visual effects. I’m super proud of it.
Brittany: Amazing! How many people were on the team making this music video?
Allyson: There were, there were eight or nine of us. It’s kind of a big group.
Brittany: I mean, sure, big, but also not that big. Sometimes music videos can have a huge team of people. But, like you said you were doing this with no budget and in your apartment. Did it take more than one day?
Allyson: We filmed it in one day, but there was a lot of planning involved. Maria and Aria were super great with making… Damn! What’s it called when you make, oh, a treatment! They made a treatment for it, and we had a lot of meetings before to plan it out so everything went smoothly. Yeah, and then Serge, my friend, who does Drink More Water and my friend Swordes were both in the video, too. So it was just really fun to have friends involved.
