The Garden

By Rachelyn Remz

Obsessions are strange things and can sometimes become uncontrollable, hard to explain (like The Strokes song) heartbreaking and annoyingly enjoyable. It doesn't matter what it is about or when you'll have one, but everyone is GUARANTEED an obsession.

My latest obsession are the Shears twins, also known as The Garden, who have been floating around the media for quite some time. They're long-legged, black-indulged, floppy-haired and have the 'I don't care' attitude, which is the best way to go about things in our confusing world.
The band 'The Garden' is made up by the two twins, Wyatt (bass and vocals) and Fletcher (drums) Shears, who are signed to Burger Records and both have side projects. Wyatt's is 'Enjoy' which sounds quite different to The Garden sound and could be classed as '80's funky music', or something like that, but Wyatt says that he has no influence from the 80's WHAT-SO-EVER. Fletcher's is 'Puzzle', which again, sounds very different to The Garden and you could say that it sounds much like his brother's side project, but I don't know if I have the right to say that.
Their debut album 'The Life and Times of a Paperclip' was released mid - 2013 and even though they are still a relatively un-heard of band, it did boost their popularity. You could describe The Garden's music as 'punk rock' but as the twins have explained in various interviews, they didn't feel as though they had to be categorised into a genre that already existed, so they created their own. Vada Vada, which is them in their own world. They even have their own dance. The song, Vada Vada, is very very fast paced and seeing it live online looks quite intense as you never know what speed it's going to be played at. It consists of the lyrics 'I want to do the vada vada vada vada. Let's do the vada vada vada vada. Vada-vada, vada vada vada vada vada. Vada-vada, vada vada vada vada vada vada.' Brilliant.
All of their songs are only about a minute long, the longest on their album being 1 minute 36. I think it's great that they're quite short because it keeps you excited, eager to hear more. All songs are played really really fast which is something that has been influenced by their father's music.

I sometimes imagine what it would be like to see them live. I've watched clips online of their gigs and have seen the mentality of it all and how exciting it looks. All the jumping around probably wouldn't be ideal for a 5ft 2 fourteen year old but that wouldn't matter - the thrill of it all would almost distract everyone from everything else that would be going on around them, hopefully that excludes the music. The Garden are actually setting off to Europe tomorrow to play some shows. Unfortunately, many are 18+ which restricts a lot of people (including me) but hopefully they will be back soon with some all ages gigs (the constant wish for fans of various bands).  


Another unsurprising fact is that both Shears twins are also models. Long, skinny legs seem to get you everywhere these days. They explain in an interview with 'The Fashion Law' (read here) that 'a guy named Patrick' spotted them during a gig and 'emailed some people'. These people happened to be the managers at Yves Saint Laurent and soon enough, both twins were walking down the catwalk for the Men's Fall/Winter 2013 collection. Wyatt opened the show and Fletcher closed it. The best decision Hedi Slimane has ever made. You can relive the whole show here. As always, there is a campaign for every season at YSL and the Winter/Fall '13 was done by The Garden. It showcases various shots and drawings of Wyatt and Fletcher, with the band's 'What We Are' playing in the background. You can watch that here. 

A short documentary was recently made about the twins, who share the influence of their father's music, being in their own universe and how they were forced to play roller hockey. It's a wonderful short video which makes me like the band even more. 
It must be terrifying to have long flowy hair, long skinny legs, an intriguing personality, a twin AND be the dream of many teenage girls. I don't know how The Garden do it.

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-Amy 

Quick Chat with The Aquadolls

The Aquadolls Interview

The Aquadolls were formed in early 2012 by lead vocalist/guitarist Melissa Brooks, then later that year were signed onto Burger Records' label. From their formation in January 2012, they have released many little EPs and demos on their bandcamp. 

This band doesn't sound like they should still be alive and making music; they sound like a surf rock band from the late 20th century (still sounding great though). 
Despite their lyrics and vocals being dominated by females, there is only one girl member  Melissa. She is joined by Ryan Frailich on vocals/guitar, Josh Crawford on bass, and Colin Moore on drums. Recently, they released their 15 track album 'Stoked for you' on their bandcamp, promising a 'full length LP out this summer'. That's something to look forward to. I talked to Melissa about the Vivian Girls, girl power and her hatred for school.

• Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer some questions. When I think of The Aquadolls, words such as summer and quirky really come to mind. How would you guys describe your sound?
Rolling out of bed at noon, racing to the garage to plug in my guitar and jam, turning up the fuzz all the way.

• You guys recently embarked on a tour with Kate Nash. What did you think of the reception from the crowd?
It was such an honor to share the stage with Kate Nash! She is incredible and so empowering. Her fans were very welcoming towards us and it seems like the crowd reacted well to the shows. I saw lots of dancing. It was good times for sure.

• What’s the craziest thing that’s ever happened to you guys while you’ve been performing?
Someone came up on stage in the middle of the song and kissed me on the cheek and then dove off the stage. That was pretty cool.

• What are your feelings towards the recent sad news of the Vivian Girls break up?
I must admit that I am not surprised due to their lack of shows in the past year, however, they have left behind so many good songs that inspired many people, including myself. I remember the first time I listened to Vivian Girls. I was 15 and coming out of a bad phase where all I listened to was terrible screamo bands and shopped extensively at Hot Topic. I heard their song "Tell The World" and instantly loved it! I would watch countless interviews and music videos and live performances. They really inspired me to create my own version of the Vivian Girls. If I hadn't of discovered them, The Aquadolls would sound really different. I am also huge fans of their other projects (The Babies, La Sera, Cassie Ramone, 
Upset) and am excited to hear the new stuff they come up with. It's such an honor to be able to play with them at their final show in Los Angeles!

• What would you hope someone would feel after listening to your music?
I can't really say. I suppose it depends on the listener. I would just hope that people enjoy it.

• You’re the soundtrack to many teenagers’ summers but what songs remind you of vivid memories from 2013?
Looking back to last summer, I remember listening to Bleached "Ride Your Heart" album a lot. San Francisco by Foxygen, Royals by Lorde, and a lot of Charli XCX as well.

• I love the feel of girl power to the band. What are your views on sexism within the music industry?
The music scene we're in is generally male dominated. I know that some people don't take this band seriously due to the fact that it is female fronted. It seems like I make a lot of people uncomfortable for some reason, and I don't understand why, but apparently I tend to "steal the show" and be "self-centered". If performing my ass off and rocking harder than you could ever do in your dreams makes me self-centered, hah, okay. If a guy was doing it, no one would say anything. Just because I have boobs doesn't mean I shouldn't be taken seriously. I think it's about time for girls to come to the front. We shouldn't be afraid to express ourselves. We shouldn't fear judgment. Let us be who we are, and only God can judge us. Plus, girls rule.


• Finally, your song ‘I hate school’ is very relatable to a majority of our audience, so is there any advice to our teenage readers to get them through school ?
I have always disliked school. Back in high school, I was the "weird girl". I would hang out in the band room a lot and go in practice rooms to play piano and work on songs I was writing. I would always try to escape everyone. School dances were a joke. The teachers seemed as if they would rather be on vacation. It just feels like a waste of time to me. For the teens out there who hate school as much as me, I know school sucks, but it goes by fast. Learn to escape from the things that make you uncomfortable. Find something positive within it.


- Nina , @s0ultrippin
(Thanks to Holly for writing the fabulous intro x)