Name: NOBRO
Members: Kathryn McCaughey, Karolane Carbonneau, Sarah Dion, Lisandre Bourdages
Interviewee: Kathryn McCaughey
Nationality: Canadian  
Current release: NOBRO's new single "Who The Hell Am I?" is out via Dine Alone. Their full-length album Set Your Pusy Free will follow on October 27th 2023. Order your physical copy here.
Recommendations: I am currently reading The Brothers Karamazov and if I could recommend my favourite book it would be Minor Characters by Joyce Johnson.

If you enjoyed this NOBRO interview and would like to keep up to date with the band and their music, visit their official homepage. The group are also on Instagram, and Facebook.  



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?

Never really thought about it. I kinda just enjoy doing menial tasks more when there’s good music.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

You can definitely get to the centre of who you are through being an artist—and it is a never ending process, which is daunting and also exciting.

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?

I wasn’t exposed to too many different kinds of music at that age.

However, I did realize pretty early on that I loved electric guitar.

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 have no idea. I am driven by urges beyond my control.

How would you describe your own relationship with your instrument, tools or equipment – is it an extension of your self/body, a partner and companion, a creative catalyst, a challenge to be overcome, something else entirely?

I could definitely treat my things better.

I feel like my bass and guitars have battle wounds and scars all over them. I’m not particularly interested in keeping things in mint condition.

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

Absolutely. It’s fun to feel free to say and do things you wouldn’t normally be able to do in your day to day.

Being in the service industry you force a smile and concede. But in music you can tell people to “fuck off” and nobody is getting fired.

Music is a language, but like any language, it can lead to misunderstandings. In which way has your own work – or the work of artists you like or admire - been misunderstood? How do you deal with this?

I think that any kind of fame will warp a person’s perception of an artist. For me, the misunderstanding happens when an artist tries to express themselves but then is felt universally. Everyone can interpret anything in their own way. It can be a blessing and a curse—a double edged sword.

You can get pigeonholed as an artist because people develop expectations, which can ultimately lead to disappointment.

Making music, in the beginning, is often playful and about discovery. How do you retain a sense of playfulness as things become more professionalised and how do you still draw surprises from equipment, instruments, approaches and formats you may be very familiar with?  

Do not take yourself too seriously.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I love a cat’s purr and the sound of the ocean.

I don’t know if I would describe them as musical, it’s more like deeper frequencies that feel soothing.

There seems to be an increasing trend to capture music in numbers, from waveforms via recommendation algorithms up to deciphering the code of hit songs. What aspects of music do you feel can be captured through numbers, and which can not?

It can capture how “popular” you are. It doesn’t necessarily correlate to success such as financial success or live performance success.

It does make you feel good when you can see how many people are listening … and on the flip side it can also make you feel incredibly discouraged.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

Sure. It can make you stop and think about your decisions or quietly reflect on the events that are happening in the world right now.

We can surround us with sound every second of the day. The great pianist Glenn Gould even considered this the ultimate delight. How do you see that yourself and what importance does silence hold? What role do headphones play for you in this regard?

I very seldom listen to music outside of making it. I use noise cancelling headphones just to turn everything else down.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

Of course. I make a cup of coffee usually in the morning before my brain has had a chance to turn on. And when I make music I try to make my brain responsible for my actions and intentions.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values which don't appear to have any emotional connotation. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a seemingly counterintuitive way – and what, do you think, is happening here?

Can’t say that I have one.

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I mean I wish success in music wouldn’t depend on whether or not you go viral on TikTok.