The Courtneys are a trio of astrological harmony. Jen Twynn Payne (Gemini), Sydney Koke (Virgo) and Courtney Loove (Pisces) play Flying Nun-inspired slacker pop with an unspoken, telepathic connection one could only achieve with a little heavenly influence.
“It’s a compatible triad, but also challenging,” says bassist Koke. “We’re very different from one another, but when we work together we can achieve great things.”
Meet The Courtneys, Vancouver’s secret slow-burn success.
I caught up with the ladies on a rainy Sunday at their East Van jam space to talk existential astrology, meeting their heroes Down Under, and the healing powers of ramen noodles.
The heavenly trio formed nearly five years ago. Koke had just moved back from North Carolina, where she had been studying neuroscience at Duke University, looking to take a break from the relentless life of a scientist.
“There was a secret drum kit in the basement of my laboratory at Duke and I had the key to it,” she says. “I’d set up some of my solutions to oxidize then run down and play drums for half an hour, then run up and do the experiment.”
Meanwhile, Payne had retired from her stint on drums with Mac DeMarco’s first band, the legendary Makeout Videotape, and met Loove after a chance encounter at a mutual friend’s (Loove’s boyfriend) house. The rest, as they say, was written in the stars.
Their debut LP was recorded at Noise Floor with Jordan Koop, and released on Hockey Dad Records in 2013, giving us gems like “K.C. Reeves”, in which the girls chant-spell the name of Keanu Reeves over a frantic post-punk beat, and “90210”, a guided punk meditation that brings to mind Sonic Youth, The Clean and a yogic mantra all at once. Two singles followed as they took their particular brand of sunny, nostalgia-infused music all over North America on their big break tour with pop stars Tegan and Sara (Payne’s cousins).
“Doing the Tegan and Sara tour was the ultimate experience to see what that corporate music world is like,” says guitarist Loove of the tour. “There’s some amazing things about it, and there’s some disheartening things about it.”
The band also went to Australia and New Zealand, where they spent most of February this year.
“We got to meet some of our heroes, and we actually met a lot of un-Australasia related heroes on the tour, so it was very inspiring.” says Koke. “We ran into J Mascis and got to talk to him, and we actually met [tiny vocalist Yolanda of] Die Antwoord at one of our shows!” she laughs. “She told us to take care of each other. A wise woman. She said she liked our vibe.”
There they also met the people behind the legendary New Zealand post-punk label Flying Nun Records, responsible for bands like The Verlaines, Straightjacket Fits, and The Clean. The Courtneys count the label as one their biggest inspirations, and Flying Nun helped the band book the New Zealand leg of their tour.
With a slow ascension, The Courtneys are becoming one of Vancouver’s greatest success stories, albeit reluctantly.
“Because there isn’t a professional career aspiration, there’s not as much tension for someone to be like ‘you’re fucking up my life plan! I’m really mad at you because this is what I really want’. We make sure there’s none of that!” says Koke.
The other two are quick to agree.
“The band has always been more of a friendship to me, then like, a band,” says Payne. “Every time that we’re taking something too seriously, we have to step back.”
While The Courtneys’ music may fall under the “slacker pop” category, they come across as anything but. Every Sunday, like the one I am intruding on, is strictly dedicated to band activities, “It’s like church” says Loove. They check in with each other if tension arises, and seem genuinely happy to be doing what they love. There is no moping or brooding in The Courtneys, just laughter, respectful communication and overall good vibes. It is wildly refreshing.
“We go to the Y, and go to yoga and the hot tub every Sunday after band practice, and have ramen.” says Koke. “Sunday is only for band shit. We’re not allowed to do anything else that day.”
The afternoon is aging, and it is time to let the girls get back to work. They are currently in pre-production for the next record, a process that started as soon as their first one came out. In May they will return to Noise Floor studios to record their second LP, a record they collectively describe as “awesome”.
One can sense that this is only the beginning for this band, the compatible triad destined for greatness. There’s no telling where they will be one year from now, but hey, if it isn’t touring Japan (a shared aspiration), heading back Down Under or another big time pop tour, that’s OK. They will always have Sundays at the Y.
“Writing music together as a group is really hard you have to feel good about your relationship because [that’s a big part of it],” says Koke. “You can’t be mad at someone when you’re in a hot tub. And ramen... ramen is like a hot tub that you eat!”
My kind of ladies.
