Coco Barracuda recently wrote on Instagram: “my songs have a hard, fuck-you feel this past year.” This week she posted a brand-new track called “XVIII.” It’s very well-produced and the emotions are incredibly powerful. Coco Barracuda is making some of the best music on the East Coast right now.
[cw: allusion to sexual assault]
How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you before?
Vocal-driven, spacious electronic. Lush with lots of reverb and ambience. Dark with crunchy, bass heavy beats. It’s tough to describe your own sound. I call it cathedral pop.
What gear/software/techniques did you use in making this recording?
I have a Fender Strat through a small USB interface into my MacBook. I use an M-Audio KeyRig 49 that I found for $8! Then I have this USB microphone taped to a canoe paddle and jammed into a step ladder for a makeshift mic stand.
XVIII is the first song I’ve released using Logic Pro X and Native Instruments Komplete rather than GarageBand (with Logic & Mainstage jam packs).
I’m not really proficient at physical instruments and don’t know music theory or anything. I’ve always made do and learned just enough to be able to put an idea or a feeling out there. I’m probably under selling myself, though, because I’ve definitely accumulated a lot of technical knowledge over the years.
What mood or mental state do you hope to evoke in the listener with this music?
Most of my songs center on trying to dig out and articulate my secret insecurities, fears and traumas, particularly as a woman. It seems so selfish sometimes, but I think there’s healing in sharing our experiences. In XVIII in particular, I was exploring personal trauma, toxic masculinity and vulnerability as a gift.
Find Coco Barracuda online:
https://www.facebook.com/cocobarracudahalifax/
http://www.soundcloud.com/cocobarracuda
http://www.instagram.com/cocobarracuda
http://cocobarracuda.tumblr.com
