LIGHTS OFF
When I first came across the music of NUEX, a DC-based electro-pop duo, I couldn’t help but comment to myself on how different and unique it sounded. It certainly did not sound like the music I usually find myself listening to. But with the sultry vocals of Camille Michelle Gray and polished production of drummer/producer Teddy Aitkins, there’s just something about their soundscape. It’s dreamy, it’s haunting, and quite intentionally, it’s out-of-this-world.
NUEX, with a name drawing from the French word for “heavens, sky, clouds”, materialize a dreamy vibe with dark, mysterious undertones. Their lyrics reflect the moodiness of their tunes– a “serendipitous” occurrence that is said to draw on inspiration on the moody contemplations of life and its sometimes ugly outcomes. I had the chance to get a peek into the headspace of these two new artists and catch up with them about the creation of their latest EP, Affectus. See what they had to say below:
TMN: The dark and emotive mood that comes through in your music isn’t something I hear all too often. How did you come to land upon this sound for your musical identity?
Camille: I think Teddy and I just share an inclination for depth and profundity that naturally comes across in his production and in my lyric writing. Purely serendipity to me! We never *tried* to be deep or moody, we just both see music as an outlet to have those conversations.
Teddy: I agree with her 100%. We both have incredibly diverse taste in music, from funk to classical. I’m not sure why our music turns out the way it does but 80% of the time, when I lay hands on the piano and we begin writing a song, it just turns into the more moody dark sound. I guess it’s our bodies way of getting out our own “dark passengers”.
TMN: I feel like I hear a little bit of Kavinsky or maybe even Gesaffelstein in your music. Can you share some insight on your influences and inspirations?
Camille: The Kavinsky reference is fabulous, he is one of my favorites. I won’t bore you with my musical influences, too exhaustive to list! So I’ll pivot and say one of my deepest influences is the ugliness of human emotion. I know it sounds vague or maybe pretentious, but I use music and songwriting as a way to explore and question those baser, nastier and darker emotions and to draw some meaning and purpose from them. And then the end product is a lyric or a melody or a song, a way to beautify what is otherwise difficult to feel. Calling the EP Affectus, Latin for emotion/mood, is symbolic of that process.
TMN: How did you two meet and decide to make music together?
Camille: One very vague posting on Craigslist! And to be honest, the start was very rocky, with Teddy and I trying to reconcile our wants and our style. The only thing that really solidified us as a duo was when I wrote Lights Off. Then I was like “Ok, wow, I like this and I like this direction.” Never looked back.
Teddy: Yea, I agree. When I first sent her the song, I don’t think she was really feeling it. I wrote it with a different genre in mind I think. We weren’t sure of our sound or what direction we were going. We just knew wanted to make music. But once I heard what Camille had done to the song, I knew we had something magical.
TMN: What’s your creative process like when it comes to recording new songs?
Camille: I wish I could say we always sit down together in the same room and vibe off of something, which we sometimes do. But honestly we do a lot of things remotely, both because we are busy and because we enjoy creating in solitude. So Teddy’ll send me some music he created by himself, I will write to and record it by myself, and then it becomes what you hear on the EP, a combined identity of its own.
Teddy: Yea, I think it’s mainly because we love doing what we do in solitude. We still do create together and do a lot of things together. But I think we just enjoy being alone when we create. Also there is something fun about creating something and going to your partner in crime and being like “check out this thought or sound. Lets build on it”. Then we go back and forth in our own space and make it happen. Maybe we both have a lot of anxiety and silly thoughts and creating is our way of dealing. So it feels more natural for us doing it the way we do.
TMN: Some of your lyrics are pretty heavy stuff. What’s the inspiration behind them?
Camille: Life. And how wack it can be. And how beautiful it can be. And how in-between those two things it usually is. One of our main themes as a band is space and the Universe. I write a lot from the perspective of trying to marry mundane human happenings to something larger than life, hoping to make our experience here seem more meaningful than it appears.
TMN: Is there anything else you’d like the listeners to know about Affectus?
Camille: That it took four years for it to get here! Such a long journey. Like it’s only five songs, but behind it all–so much blood, sweat and tears. Also that it is merely our introduction to the world. We have plenty else in store and are excited to be kicking the door open now.
Teddy: The music does the talking. *said in a Michael Jackson voice*
