The FADER Interview

When Porter Robinson released his debut EP Spitfire on Skrillex’s label Owsla in 2011, he was heralded as a dubstep artist looking beyond the high-intensity trappings of the genre with a compositional skill that matched his ambitions. His debut album Worlds, released in 2014, fulfilled that promise. There was a strong sense of sci-fi fantasy lore to each of the songs, as if they were movie themes made in the furthest reaches of our solar system. It seemed like Porter Robinson knew exactly what he was doing and how to do it, which is why what came next was so surprising: he got stuck.

Nearly seven years after releasing Worlds, Porter Robinson is back with his sophomore project Nurture. It’s a beautiful album, filled with little moments of joy and wonder, and it serves as an introduction to Porter Robinson the pop artist. Just before the album’s release, The FADER’s Jordan Darville spoke with Robinson about how he got himself on the road to Nurture by meeting his heroes in Japan, making the writing process a key part of the album’s sound, and how the global pandemic affected the record.

The FADER Interview: Porter Robinson

Marie Ulven, the 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Norway better known as girl in red, writes music that sounds as volatile, passionate, and dramatic as the final scene from a great romance film. Her early songs about queer identity — singles like 2017’s “we fell in love in october” and 2018’s “i wanna be your girlfriend” — amassed hundreds of millions of streams, and they turned  Ulven into a Gen-Z it-girl, with the phrase “do you listen to girl in red?” becoming code for young queer girls to ask other girls if they like girls. In April, girl in red released her debut album if i could make it go quiet. Ulven retains her diaristic lyricism on the album, refusing to sand down the rough edges of heartbreak or mental health struggles. At the same time, girl in red pushes into the future, maximizing each element of her sound, whether it’s blinding guitar pop bombast or tender, aching balladry. A few days before the release of the album, The FADER’s Jordan Darville caught up with Ulven to talk about how working on her mental health makes her a better songwriter, what she learned about love from creating if i could make it go quiet, and the music she’s been working on since.

The FADER Interview: girl in red

It’s been almost a decade since Kero Kero Bonito — the trio of Sarah Midori Perry, Gus Lobban and Jamie Bulled — released their first single on Soundcloud. They picked up a cult following online in their early years, with fans locking into the band’s incisive and almost cartoonish proto-hyperpop vision. And since then they’ve built a large and committed fanbase while imagining new musical and thematic parameters — without veering from their core principles. Their latest EP Civilisation II (the sequel to 2019’s Civilisation I) pulls together ambitious dream pop, analog mythology, and urgent observations on humanity into three of their sharpest songs yet. Ahead of its release, The FADER’s Salvatore Maicki caught up with the band remotely to discuss how the project came together, the thrill of revisiting that early aesthetic to soundtrack the video game Bugsnax, and the challenges of realizing pop potential.

The FADER Interview: Kero Kero Bonito

Toronto R&B star Charlotte Day Wilson tells The FADER’s Jordan Darville about learning new skills, navigating the music industry on her own terms, and two very key, very different influences.

The FADER Interview: Charlotte Day Wilson

Atlanta-based indie singer-songwriter Faye Webster catches up with The FADER’s Shaad D’Souza to talk about finding inspiration in happiness, releasing a record on her birthday, and her favorite games.

The FADER Interview: Faye Webster

George Clarke and Kerry McCoy of blackgaze titans Deafheaven tell The FADER's Editorial Director Alex Robert Ross about the band's first decade, their ability to turn off the critical noise when they need to, and Clark's struggles in inventing a new voice from scratch on new album Infinite Granite.

The FADER Interview: Deafheaven

Sixteen-year-old pop phenom Glaive tells The FADER's Alex Robert Ross about his unexpected rise to fame through lockdown, the way his process has changed as he's gone from his bedroom in North Carolina to studios in L.A., and his mom's favorite song on All Dogs Go To Heaven.

The FADER Interview: Glaive

The FADER's Jordan Darville talks to Holly Herndon about Holly+, her new deepfake "digital twin."

The FADER Interview: Holly Herndon

Uruguayan-American indie artist Juan Wauters talks to The FADER's Editorial Director Alex Robert Ross about the importance of radio, the need for collaboration in lockdown, and the unconventional process behind his new album Real Life Situations.

The FADER Interview: Juan Wauters

Lucy Dacus calls The FADER’s Alex Robert Ross from her home in Philadelphia, where she moved shortly before lockdowns swept across the States, to talk about the way her relationship to a song changes before it’s released, the challenges of writing autobiography, and her unlikely spiritual journey to Tarot.

The FADER Interview: Lucy Dacus

Mike Hadreas, a.k.a. Perfume Genius, tells The FADER’s Shaad D’Souza about his new Substack, his excellent last album Set My Heart On Fire Immediately, and his music for the 2019 dance piece The Sun Still Burns Here.

The FADER Interview: Perfume Genius

Rostam Batmanglij sits down with The FADER's Salvatore Maicki to talk about the the techniques and conversations that shaped his new album, Changephobia, into his loosest and liveliest yet.

The FADER Interview: Rostam

Sharon Van Etten and Angel Olsen talk to The FADER's Shaad D'Souza about how they first connected, the fast-intersecting worlds of pop and indie, and the heartland rock power of their new single “Like I Used To.”

The FADER Interview: Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen

London rapper and DJ Shygirl talks to The FADER’s Salvatore Maicki to talk about the aftermath of her last EP ALIAS, the challenges of filming her new short film BLU, and her many current textural fascinations.

The FADER Interview: Shygirl

Mackenzie Scott, better known as Torres, tells Alex Robert Ross about time, space, past lives, and her new album Thirstier.

The FADER Interview: Torres

The FADER's Editorial Director Alex Robert Ross catches up with Turnstile's Brendan Yates to talk about the band's experimental instincts, their return to the road after a long hiatus, and the experience of recording their wild new album GLOW ON on a farm in the middle of nowhere.

The FADER Interview: Turnstile

Flying Lotus tells The FADER's David Renshaw about adapting his sound for his new Netflix series Yasuke, his deep love of anime, and how LaKieth Stanfield came to be an honorary member of the Brainfeeder crew.

The FADER Interview: Flying Lotus

The FADER is the definitive voice of emerging music and the lifestyle that surrounds it. Through in-depth reporting and a distinct street sensibility, The FADER aggressively covers the most dynamic breadth of music and style emanating from the fringes of the mainstream to the heart of the underground. The FADER is the authority on what's next.