SISTER SPECIES "LIGHT EXCHANGES" REVIEW

I’m officially baptizing Sister Species as the Slipknot of chamber pop! For those of you who don’t know what I mean by that, Sister Species flouts the traditional three or four member line up, much like Slipknot, and instead has seven awesome musicians. All these individuals combine to create a compositional sound that is full and lush, and just plain good!
Chamber pop is this kinda rock music with an emphasis on melody and texture, and also draws from 60’s orchestra pop. Fronted by accordionist/songwriter Emily Kastrul, Trumpetists Jake Baldwin, Noah Ophoven-Baldwin and Sten Johnson, guitarist Willow Waters, bassist Ryan Hays and drummer Lars Johnson, this septet is known for their thoughtful, dynamic arrangements and opulent three-part trumpet harmonies. “Light Exchanges” will be their third full length album which they chose to bring to us as a gift in the middle of the despair that life in quarantine may cause — scratch that, definitely causes.
This album feels like being inside a warm bubble where nothing can hurt or touch you. I mean, quarantine am I right? But lousy Co-VID-19 jokes aside, it’s a beautifully compilated album. It feels like finally going outside and smelling the fresh air on a sunny day, or a soft breeze on the face, that’s the kind of comfy feel it gives you.
Emily composes authentic and effervescent songs that are like life itself, taking the bad with the good, like in the first song “Heat Death (Hold Me Here)”, the song has a lovely and danceable melody, yet she talks about dreaming of the other side and feeling lost. Even so, her voice is pure silk, perfectly harmonized yet not pretentious.
Now let’s talk about the big protagonists in this band, which in most bands are a big “No-No” but here works like a charm: The Trumpets! This album features a 3-part trumpet section. Some would say this instrument is solely for jazz purposes, but let me tell you, if it wasn’t for them, these stories just wouldn’t feel the same. They definitely hit the spot on nostalgia for the 60’s, but are not intruders at all, which I can say is great teamwork.
My favorite song is track five, “Start With The Mess.” I really love nostalgic songs, sorry all I can’t help it! This song has these really longing verses, but it gets pop-ish in the chorus and is just perfect. It’s something you can sing out loud in the car when you’re on a road trip (I strongly encourage you to stay at home) or when you’re cooking breakfast.
I really enjoyed “Light Exchanges” by Sister Species; it gave me a sense of “Hygge” which is the Danish expression for a mood of coziness and comfortable conviviality with feelings of wellness and contentment.

<a href="http://sisterspecies.bandcamp.com/album/light-exchanges">Light Exchanges by Sister Species</a>

Sister Species:
Emily Kastrul (she/they) - accordion, vocals, songwriting
Willow Waters (she/they) - guitar, backing vocals
Ryan Hays (he/him) - bass
Lars Johnson (he/him) - drums
Jake Baldwin (he/him) - trumpet
Sten Johnson (he/him) - trumpet
Noah Ophoven-Baldwin (he/him) - trumpet

(Melodic Noise) How's your day going?
(Sister Species) So good! Excited to have our new album out ~and~ my strawberries are allllmost ripe in my garden.

(MN) What is your formed/origin story?
(SS) I started Sister Species in 2011 when I moved home to Minneapolis from college in Portland, OR. Describing two species that are as closely related as possible while still being considered distinct, the name Sister Species is a nod to my biologist/gardener background, and reflects my interest in making work concerned with relationships, place, and boundaries. Even in my earliest songwriting, I’d use the natural world as a container or mirror of my own emotional terrain.
Sister Species began with myself on accordion and my younger sibling Abby Kastrul on guitar (they amicably left the band after our last record to pursue their awesome baking business). We had a rotating cast of other players and mostly played anarchist benefits and house shows. My earlier writing with the band has a much stronger folk influence.
In 2014 we started playing with a 3-part-trumpet section, and after playing with a number of different people, in 2015 we settled into our line up of Noah, Jake, Sten, Ryan, and Lars. When Abby left in 2019 to bake full time, Willow joined on guitar + harmonies.
The growth of the band has been really organic, and based off of intimate relationships-- everyone in the band has lived with at least one other person in the band, and a lot of us cross-pollinate in each others’ other projects. Outside of this project, we all play in different groups-- drone, brass bands, funk, pop, folk-- and all of this lends to an interesting music dialogue. We push each other and have a shared commitment to writing orchestrations that feel good, sound good, and surprise us.

(MN) How do you describe your genre?
(SS) chamber pop :) “alternative” also cool by us

(MN) Label?
(SS) DIY 4ever bb

(MN) What is the story behind the album title?
(SS) The album title comes from the 3rd track on the album, also called “Light Exchanges.” There’s a lot of attention throughout the album on slowing down & staying put & noticing, as well as on the details of our daily lives. In writing the songs I was thinking about how all of these small actions -- these light exchanges-- add up to create our lives. So throughout the record you hear a lot about everyday things that we touch -- hammers, ladders, garlic, sheets, our own bodies, etc.

(MN) Lyrically what stands out on the album?
(SS) There’s a lot of tactiles imagery (“hold me here” / “put your hands on my face” / “I want you on my skin like onion & garlic”) & references to the natural world (cottonwood trees / magnolia buds/ the spring & thaw).

(MN) What was the inspiration behind the album?
(SS) Magnolias in bloom ; riding my bike home later at night ; weeding my garden ; a friend’s tattoo ; the Mississippi river ; procrastinating from cleaning my room ; the V’ahavta ; feelings ; the end of the universe; bonsai plants ; choosing to stay

(MN) What do you hope people take away from the album?
(SS) With the album there is a lot of ~holding~ and also a lot of ~releasing~ -- I hope that people can find something they want to hold or something they want to let go of.

(MN) Is there something that connects the songs together?
(SS) There’s a lot of movement on this record-- it travels from a pop song about the inevitable heat death of the universe to a drone song about cottonwood trees. All of the arrangements were made thoughtfully, and that thoughtfulness is a thread throughout the album.

(MN) Are you locals or transplants?
(SS) Mostly local-- I grew up in Minneapolis, Sten & Lars in St. Paul, Willow in Southern MN, Noah in Roseville. Jake grew up in the PNW and moved here in high school & Ryan grew up in Des Moines.

(MN) What are some of your influences and Minnesota influences?
(SS) We were recently on KFAI’s “Desert Islands” show and they made a mix tape of some of our favorite albums

(MN) Who are some of your favorite current Twin Cities artists?
(SS) Loud Sun, Robot Slide, Dua Saleh, Har-di-Har, Sarah White, Theo Langason, Eric Mayson… too many good ones to name!

(MN) What is your favorite venue to play and see shows at in Twin Cities?
(SS) Moon Palace Books! So intimate, so punk, so pizza.
The Cedar! Such a beautiful, warm sounding room, and so many cool different acts.
The Eagles Club! One of the last shows I went to before the pandemic hit here was in the tiny room at the Eagles Club. So special.

(MN) What can fans expect when they come to your shows?
(SS) A lot of trumpets, likely sequins, probably some people with their kids, probably some people with their parents, teenagers if I can convince my students to come

(MN) Do you have a favorite or crazy memory of playing a show?
(SS) We played a really fun sold-out show with Sessa this fall at Moon Palace.

(MN) Who are your dream tour-mates?
(SS) I really love Caley Conway (Milwaukee musician) & we’ve often fantasized about taking our two bands on the road together. Someday!

(MN) Other hobbies?
(SS) I’m a serious gardener / seed saver / monarch raiser… I had to start a separate instagram account for my monarch + flowers pics (@petals.n.pupas)

(MN) What do you like about living in the Twin Cities?
(SS) Strong sense of community, puppets, the Mississippi river, inspiring activist communities. And hanging out with my parents :)

(MN) Is there anything that sets the Twin Cities scene apart from places you've toured?
(SS) I love how people are so willing to play with and support other musicians regardless of genre. Like.. we’ve shared bills with metal bands, hip-hop artists, dancers, all types of different acts. This might exist in other places, too, but it’s especially strong here.

(MN) What are your favorite places to grab food or drink in the Twin Cities?
(SS) Geek Love Cafe, Seward Cafe, Matchbox, Pineda, Hard Times, Modern Times, On’s…

(MN) What are the band's plans for the future?
(SS) We’re excited to revel in the joy of having released “Light Exchanges”! We’re getting it pressed to vinyl so we’re looking forward to that. Trying not to think tooooo far ahead right now.

(MN) Is there anyone you'd like to thank or shout out?
(SS) Shout out to my students at Menlo Park Academy :)

Keep up with all things Sister Species at their Website, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook

Review by: Maureen Cruz, Writer @MaureenEtoile
Interview and edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner @PlaylistTC