Part 1

Name: Little Brain
Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, producer
Current release: Little Brain's new single "New Normal" is out now. It is part of his album Not if But When.
Recommendations:
1. State and Revolution by V. Lenin
2. Kill The Messenger (Film 2014)
bonus: Mr. Robot

If you enjoyed this Little Brain interview and would like to keep up to date with his music, visit him on Soundcloud.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

Not much honestly. Sometimes I get chills, but mostly I listen to music while I’m driving - so thankfully with my eyes open.

Entering new worlds and escapism through music have always exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to listening to and creating music?

I enjoy the exact opposite, actually. While I’ll agree that everything has its place and purpose, I tend to gravitate more towards music and art, which is saying something meaningful about something raw and real. Something that is happening in the world and is important.

I think art’s purpose in society is to be critical of the status quo and, specifically, positions of power. In a lot of ways, it’s the only socially acceptable way to critique those elements while saying what you truly feel while broadcasting it to an audience.

I think the worlds I most enjoy highlight contradictions that can be observed in the real world by anyone. That’s what makes art that resonates with people in a way that abstract surrealism just doesn’t do for me or most working-class people.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience?

My friend, Davy from elementary school, is the son of Dave Lombardo from Slayer, and that had the biggest impact in terms of completely normalizing heavy music. But even then, I loved politically motivated music.

Green Day’s American Idiot dropped when I was in middle school, and the whole anti-war era of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan was my intro on geo-politics.



System of A Down, and Rage Against The Machine were also huge influences that just made me see the world in a way I hadn’t understood before. And the more I read, the more I understood that everything about US imperialism and global hegemonic capitalism was real, not just edgy art …

The first year of highschool, I met Tim and he got me into a ton of music. The first song I learned on drums was “Scentless Apprentice” by Nirvana with him.



A few years later my mom told Gabe, a singer/guitarist that had tried out for our band, that I could sing. He invited me over one day, and it was the first time I saw the process of recording guitar/vocals, and I was hooked.

I started getting into electronic music after highschool, bought a maschine, and that’s when I wrote the first iterations of the songs I’m coming out with now.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Music was everything to me then. I lived in the desert, and everyone was miserable. It was hot, there weren’t any opportunities or good influences for the youth, and everyone’s parents had to commute an hour or more just to make a living. House shows and catching bands on their way to Vegas from LA or vice versa was the only way to see anything from out of town, so that’s basically all anyone did.

But when I saw Slayer from the drum rack at the Grove in Anaheim my sophomore year, and saw someone running around the pit with a giant burning American flag, I knew that I wanted to make music, and play shows.

What’s changed since? Accepting the fact that we don’t live in a meritocracy and artists without insane marketing budgets still have bills and rent to pay. I’m also proud to be a member of the working class. A lot of people use art to try and escape from its clutches, but I don’t ever want to distance myself from where I come from, or inflate my image to appeal to rich people or people who dream of being rich.

I think the working class makes the world run, and that is badass.

How would you describe your own relationship with your instrument, tools or equipment?

Anxiety lol. Looking for new samples gives me anxiety. Making new sounds gives me anxiety. I still really love playing with drums. But making something I think is cool eases that anxiety a bit.

Music making is really only “fun” for me when I’ve written the lyrics/vocals. Everything is subject to change if the vocal part doesn’t make sense with it.

Music feels like working on a puzzle. At first it's weird, and you don’t know where to start. You make some decisions, and based on that you sort of play around with what’s available and the further along you get, the better it feels but the harder it becomes to finish.

I’m pretty sure everyone feels like this and just lies about it because FINISHING music is what’s fun, and feels great, but is the hardest stage to get to. Especially when you’re a neurodivergent perfectionist like I am.

Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I’m a very “big picture” person. Politics shapes my whole world view, my art, my personality. I see everything through the lens of “who controls their own situation, and who doesn’t.” It’s been pretty reliable in gauging who deserves more criticism in any conflict.

I also have a special interest in current events and so when I feel inspired to write something, it’s probably because a major world event is making me feel something, and I see the opportunity to re-interpret it through a creative perspective. It puts me at odds sometimes because as the saying goes, “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.”

In the rare instance when geo-politics chills out, I don’t have much to write about, but it’s still a good thing when it does.

Are you acting out parts of your personality in your music which you couldn't or wouldn't in your daily life? If so, which are these? What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music?

Yes. Very much so. I wear a mask for this exact reason, but I still say and act the same way in person. I have pretty good foresight, and judging from the trajectory our country is headed in, I don’t necessarily want just anyone being able to spot me on the street.

With that said, I am extremely opinionated, mask or not, and so the mask sort of lets me lean into  more of who I am. I see it more like, the character I play is very much who I am and how I see the world, but framed in the most extreme way possible.

I’m trying to blend shock and awe, with making total sense and being honest, as a juxtaposition. The best anti-heros make the most amount of sense.

If music is a language, what can we communicate with it? How do you deal with misunderstandings?

I let art be my form of extremism because it’s probably more healthy but you can do whatever you want. And the great part is that there’s someone else out there who will love it.

What’s true about misunderstandings and music is as long as you’re LISTENING to whoever you’re communicating with, and you’re being as clear as possible, you’ll be able to navigate anything. That goes for jamming, song writing, arguing, debating, loving ... All of it.