Twin Pixie - Convicted of Arson
Music is, especially since the internet boom of the twenty-first century, an ever-changing and mutating thing. I am constantly learning about new sub-genres and tiny forks in the road. If you know anything about metal music, for instance, you’ll know there are more types of metal than there are represented in the periodic table. In any case, we’re talking about pop, which has possibly even more sub-genres than any other kind of music. Recently I was alerted to ‘hyper-pop’ in a duo called Twin Pixie.
Twin Pixie. TJ Cole and Aiv Rubino.
Twin Pixie are made up of friends Aiv Rubino and TJ Cole, are based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and are natural explorers in the realm of electronic music. Twin Pixie can be seen repurposing children’s toy keyboards or refurbishing older equipment to meet their needs in the modern age. Their TikTok account sees Aiv and TJ performing brief covers of ‘What The Hell’ by Avril Lavigne and Carly Rae Jepsen’s ‘I Really Like You’, the latter featuring one of their toy keyboards.
The duo also created music for Twitch streamer @WhoIsAlyss, which sounds like the theme for a detective show, if the detectives were supernatural beings. They’ve been working on an album for the past couple of years which is due in 2022, of which they’ve released three singles so far. Each one would support charity work via Bandcamp, their first is entitled ‘Lunacy’ and was released in July 2020.
Twin Pixie’s debut single begins with atmospheric vocals in multiple layers, beneath which is a twinkling synth, but is soon cut in by another synth with a grittier edge. This would serve as Lunacy’s bassline throughout, which can be seen performed briefly by Aiv Rubino in a TikTok performance video. The drum machine setting for this track is light and not at all forceful or driving, remaining unchanged as the song progresses, though augmented by handclaps in the chorus. The division of labour is unclear across the music, where Twin Pixie are credited together with writing, performing, production, mixing and mastering Lunacy.
TJ Cole’s vocal has had a lot of time and energy put into their production, that much is clear. For the chorus, it sounds like each line is recorded separately, ‘undermoon, undernight (oh!), oh baby let me devour your light, carve our hearts anew, oh baby (uh huh).’ TJ Cole injects soul into some lines, while almost whispering others, or changing pace entirely. It’s really a fascinating beginning to the Twin Pixie canon.
Released in January, ‘Astrology’ is the next single from the Twins. The overall pace of their second release is more considered than Lunacy. There’s more going on in the rhythm department where handclaps hold down the beat, and toms bounce between it, while there is yet more percussion sizzling and rebounding off the stereo field. Here, Twin Pixie’s mix is all part of the excitement of Astrology. As you think the track is fading out, you realise we’re only halfway through, and we hear more of TJ Cole’s soulful voice. Their use of backing vocals in this song is really infectious, particularly in the chorus:
‘Empty out my head and fill it up with stars (please, please, please). I’ll wish upon a way to make this somehow ours (oh, please). Your translucent eyes make me cry, take your gentle hand, undo my fragile scars (i might be). Oh please, vanish all this lovely dread (oh, i might be), wanting to keep all that you said, leave the night sky, long for sunrise (begging). Help me find the way to turn the signs to our hearts.’
And what yearning and poetic lyrics, arguably diving deeper than their debut. It would be interesting to see a Twin Pixie live performance, not only to experience the energy of these songs in person, but to see how the musical tasks are separated between Aiv Rubino and Cole. Would Aiv perform backing vocals? Are the drums live or on a track? It’s even possible to imagine their sound (particularly on Astrology) expanded with live strings, or choral vocals. It has a heavenly edge that is more than fleeting.
Twin Pixie’s latest single ‘Firestarter’ is noticeably more aggressive, where sustained static opens the proceedings and goes straight into the chorus: ‘I’ve got it sinister, lavender, vinegar, I see right through your lies, time to start a fire.’ TJ packs the words in with vocal stylings they haven’t revealed before, rolling off the words at a rapping pace.
The music too is more fitting of the lyrical content, with the sound of unnerving church organ built up by layers of crushing bass synth. Even the light drum sound of Lunacy is abandoned for a something bigger, beginning with a heartbeat like the soundtrack to an unmade horror movie. The only semblance of Twin Pixie’s twinkling keyboards come under a more muted vocal that opens with the brilliant line, ‘smoke inhalation elation’ and later rhymes with exhilaration, dehydration and vexation. Firestarter is no uncontrollable ejection of anger, but a carefully written and worded retort in response to pain felt, dealt with the force of memories not easily forgotten.
Twin Pixie’s music releases so far show that their music is a spectrum, and that Aiv Rubino and TJ Cole are capable of sounds both damning and beautiful. This really is such a tantalising glimpse into what their debut album will be. Read on for our Q&A with Aiv and TJ where we ask about their arsenal of equipment, the charities they’ve supported with these singles, gigging, and their upcoming album.
Twin Pixie. TJ Cole and Aiv Rubino.
1. Your new single, 'Firestarter' is inspired by sexist and repressive cultures, was there a specific event or moment that really contributed to the themes in this song?
Aiv Rubino: I feel that it's difficult to point to a singular moment or event -- there have been far too many, honestly. Certainly the time we shared in Montreal in school together was deeply traumatic for the both of us. Without going into too much detail, that whole year of experiences coincided with us starting the band together, and so tackling the way we were treated felt really important for us.
TJ Cole: Yes, our first year of friendship was while we were in school, and that program not only made us feel unseen but the potential to not be safe. We ended up leaving that program together, and around the time when we made that decision, we started brainstorming for the song that became Firestarter. I think this is the first time I’ve allowed myself a musical space to express anger, but that’s after a lifetime of built-up experiences living as a queer and feminine person.
2. TJ, I've seen photos and videos of you surrounded by equipment, what's your favourite bit of gear to use when recording or performing?
TJ: Aiv and I both produce everything together, but because of COVID we have been quarantined from one another. I’ve been holding onto most of our gear and Aiv and I work via Zoom calls.
I personally love all the behind-the-scenes work of building sounds, so I love Roland’s Gaia SH-01 synth because it’s great at building up sounds from scratch. Aiv has also been turning cute cheap childrens’ music toys into instruments we can directly record out of, and I love using these fun, less conventional, visually stimulating gadgets. I’m also currently getting excited about Xfer’s digital synth, Serum. We use a lot of audio plugins on everything, and the Black Box by Plugin Alliance is probably my favorite for its versatility, it can make anything sparkle and pop.
This makes it sound like we have loads and loads of gear, but the reality is that our project is very budgeted. We just try to find the few pieces that really resonate with us and learn them inside-out.
I’m currently in the market for a new vocal mic though, would love suggestions.
3. You donated a portion of the proceeds from your debut single 'Lunacy' to YASP, would you tell us more about why you chose to support this organisation?
Aiv: For our first release we had decided to support a local Philadelphia group that was engaged with prison system reform in some way. The organizations we were looking at donating to had already received a lot of support, and recommended YASP as an organization that was in need. We appreciated their mission, providing an artistic space for incarcerated youth, and so it just felt right.
TJ: We also wanted to support POC-run organizations, and it’s incredible that this is also a youth-run group. I think with every release, we want to find ways to support communities that are asking for help. For the first month of Firestarter’s release, we’ll be donating 30% of Bandcamp proceeds to G.L.I.T.S. (Gays & Lesbians Living In A Transgender Society) a “grassroots organization dedicated to supporting the LGBTQIA+ community on a global scale”.
4. Similarly, 'Astrology' supported Philadelphia community refrigerator organisations, who in particular did you help out?
TJ: We supported the Mama Tee Community Fridge project in Philadelphia. Another POC-run organization, they are putting up and stocking community refrigerators in response to the pandemic and are very thoughtful in choosing which neighborhoods to do this in.
5. You also wrote some music for Twitch streamer AlyssMay, did she approach you first with an idea of the kind of sound she wanted?
Aiv: I had become friends with Alyss (now WhoIsAlyss on Twitch) through her streams, and she approached us to write some music for her YouTube channel that fit her underwater-dreamy channel aesthetic. She sent a few sample tracks of the kind of atmosphere that she had in mind - I believe there was a song from the video game Final Fantasy X, for example. So we spent a little bit digesting what she sent us, wrote two short snippets of musical ideas, and she picked her favorite of them to expand out into the final track.
TJ: It was fun to fake operatic singing for this.
6. Aiv, I saw you both undertaking surgery on your Korg DSS-1 keyboard, what was the nature of the procedures performed?
Aiv: I had bought the Korg DSS-1 from a friend of a friend who was moving away from Philadelphia and didn't want to have to transport it with him - it's a real monster of a keyboard both in size and weight. It originally came out in 1986, and loading samples onto the keyboard required the use of a built-in floppy drive. Nowadays, people have started producing devices that plug in the same slot as floppy drives but instead use an SD card to store data. A single SD card can hold thousands of floppy disks, so it's really ideal. There was also a chipped key on the keyboard we ended up replacing too!
TJ: Aiv loves finding ways to perform surgery on instruments. And she’s brilliant at it, I’m just the assistant.
7. Caitlin Peck did the cover-art used for 'Lunacy' and 'Astrology'. If she were to turn that artwork into a music video, what would that look like?
TJ: We’ve definitely fantasized about her artwork coming to life, and not just the artwork she created for our project. We adore her entire visual world. I want to respond as I have so many ideas, but I also don’t want to give anything away.
8. We're almost halfway through 2021, if you can believe that? What have you both been listening to this year?
Aiv: I've been living with SOPHIE's music a good bit this year, but other than that I haven't been listening to much music this year, unfortunately. I'm searching for that next obsession.
TJ: Aiv is quite picky, in a good way. I guess I am too. Since we’ve started releasing our music, I’ve been connecting online with some really interesting artists that are also at the beginning stages of releasing their music. Some of my current favorites are Olive Louise and Meet The Bug. I’ve also been on a Kate Bush kick (especially The Dreaming album), and I’ve been trying to scream like her. Also SOPHIE, we both deeply connect to SOPHIE’s work.
9. Twin Pixie has obviously done a lot of recording, but have you been able to play any gigs yet? What would the ultimate Twin Pixie gig look like?
TJ: We’ve technically only played one gig, years before COVID, but it was part of an art collective. The two of us created a performative witch-seance piece, which included singing and playing synths. We haven’t played a gig with Twin Pixie songs, and I’m quite nervous. But I hope we can find ways to foster a fun, safe space that makes queers and women in particular forget about the outside world. Hopefully there will be much dancing and mischief making.
10. You've been working on your debut album for the past couple of years, how would you describe the sound people will hear?
Aiv: No matter the mood of each song, I experience something that feels like biting into a fresh fruit. It's a kind of taste-color that binds the album together for me.
TJ: We’re both definitely working to make the album very colorful and sensory. But I also think there’s a strong connection to conjuring something of the past and merging it with something futuristic. We’ve taken direct inspiration from children’s nursery rhymes, alchemy, astrology etc, but want to place it in a hyper-sensory electronically rooted world. While we hope people can unpack more with every listen, we also hope that people can just passively dance to it, because that’s another enriching kind of musical experience.
Aiv: There are also small moments where a shared love of an artist’s music peek through: a little Björk influence here, a Daft Punk moment there, etc.
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Purchase Twin Pixie’s music on their Bandcamp page in a digital format of your choice.
For more information about Twin Pixie, visit their official website.
Follow Twin Pixie on Facebook @twinpixieband, Twitter @pixie_twin, and on Instagram and TikTok @twinpixiemagic.
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