Indiana’s self-described “twee pop” band Wishy, composed of Nina (guitar and lead vocals), Kevin (guitar and lead vocals), Dimitri (guitar and vocals), Mitch (bass), and Connor (drums), are rising stars. They sat down with WRBB’s Grace Sawin to chat about their songwriting process, “woo” eras, the great state of Indiana, upcoming projects, and karaoke before their debut AfterHours performance.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Grace Sawin: You guys started off as solo artists, specifically Kevin and Nina. How was the process of collaborating? Were there any difficulties combining two distinct sounds or do you prefer that merge? Maybe it challenges you in new ways?

Nina: Kevin had asked me to form a twee pop band when I was in college. But I was living in Bloomington, Indiana, and he was in Muncie at the time. And it just never worked out that way—I moved away and then came back. I feel like we definitely each knew about the other's solo music projects, but I think we developed a respect for each other's sounds. And a big reason why when we started collaborating more was because we thought, “hey, I fuck with your music.”


Kevin: There's not a lot of compromise that happens when we're collaborating on songs, because we both just kind of fuck with the same idea.

Do you have respective songwriting processes and then come together?

Kevin: We mostly write separately, but I've been writing more collaboratively lately. Or, I kind of wrote the songs, and then we would jam it out with the band and figure out the structure of everything. And as far as with the band, some of the songs on the album are songs that we basically wrote together. For some songs, a big part of them was playing with the whole band to get a vibe for it.

But yeah, we usually just kind of write separately.

Nina. I think we're definitely making a point to actually write together more for the next record. There's been a couple songs where Kevin will do the music, I'll do the lyrics. Or we’ll just send each other demos back and forth sometimes.

So you weren’t necessarily clashing in that collaboration, your styles complement one another?

Kevin: Yeah, I don't know if we ever really clash. Maybe one day!

Kevin: No, we're all just really good friends, we just get along so well.

Connor: We're basically just the perfect band.

I want to talk a little bit about your debut album, “777.” Is the cover a reference to the angel number?

Kevin: It is. I mean, not like super specifically, but that's a big part of it. But also, you know, three sevens—you get three sevens in a row in a slot machine, it’s a lucky number.

Nina: Yeah, I feel like 777 is like the biggest angel number in terms of how universal it seems. I feel like ever since people have gotten into angel numbers, that’s definitely a trending thing now. I feel like I usually see 777 tattoos or shirts. A hat.

Connor: We would see it out in public everywhere.

Mitch: Now I take pictures of billboards, it’s weird.

Do you guys believe in angel numbers, or do you have any superstitions or any things you do that you believe brings you good luck?

Nina: I don't really have any superstitions, but sometimes it's fun to read about angel numbers or repeatedly see things in public and think, “oh, the universe is talking to me.”

Kevin: I feel like I'll have phases where I'm more superstitious or more in my “woo” era. I'll be like, “oh my God, my angels are literally talking to me right now.” And then other times I'll be like, “whatever.”

Kevin: It's fun to think about. At the end of the day, it's good to have your mindset focused on something positive. I think that's what it's all about in the end, anyway. Where do you focus your intention and your energy? I think we're pretty optimistic people.

When you're talking about these “woo” eras, do you feel like that seeps into your songwriting?

Kevin: Sometimes, I think so. I feel like every time I try to write something that has some spiritual element to it, it presents itself in anything I write, but I mostly like to write lyrics to have fun with it and not take it super seriously. It creeps in there sometimes, but I'm not always sure where.

Nina: It's fun to be very hyperbolic in songwriting; over exaggerated, I guess I should say. I feel like Kevin really leans into it with bratty 90s pop punk type vocals on some songs. I think it’s fun to be over the top.

A lot of the themes on that album revolve around really complicated feelings of love. Are those themes you typically gravitate towards?

Kevin: Yeah, I think just with the territory of the kind of music that this band does, it feels natural to write songs that are a little melancholy, but still indulgent and romantic; it feels like what the songs usually call for. Not that it's what occupies my mind 24/7, but it's sort of a fun, cathartic vibe to get into and sing about. Because, you know, love is complicated.

The guitar is a really central element in so many of your songs. Do you tend to write lyrics kind of centered around the melody?

Kevin: I think generally, yeah. It's really hard for me to just come up with a melody if there isn't some kind of melody already in the guitar riff, or at least an impression of the melody. It's hard to say, because sometimes it’ll just jump out like, “oh, the melody is right there, it's easy.” But then other times I'll have a song written for months and I cannot think of the first fucking note to sing for what I'm playing. Because everything I try sounds stupid. But then I realize that what I thought sounded stupid actually sounds good and I'm just being really critical.

Kevin: Yeah, I'll be like, “well, here's like the melody I was kind of thinking about,” and they'll be like, “it sounds good.” And I'm like, “sounds good, thanks, guys.” Or I'll ask Nina to write a melody because I really like all the melodies that Nina writes.

Nina: That's kind of my strong suit. He’s really good at writing the actual music, like guitar parts and stuff. I feel a lot better writing lyrics and melodies.

When developing your sound, which you mentioned is very reflective of ‘90s rock, are there any artists that were really formative that you find yourselves taking inspiration from?

Kevin: To beat the dead horse, The Sundays are probably the biggest inspiration mutually between Nina and I. Maybe not the biggest, but very crucial. We listened to the whole album of theirs driving up in the van today. When we were starting this band, we made a point to make something like The Sundays or My Bloody Valentine.

Nina: I think it started as a shoegaze concept, but then it kind of evolved.

Kevin: A twee, rock concept. Oasis is a big influence on a lot of parts of it. There's some songs that sound like Jimmy Eat World or Third Eye Blind. But then some that sound like Slow Dive. That's a big one. There's this band from the 90s called Lilys that I was really obsessed with for a long time, which I got really into when I first started writing music in high school, and that really influenced how I write a lot of melodies.

A lot of your previous coverage has categorized your music as dream pop or indie rock, and the term “kaleidoscope” is a common descriptor. Do you strongly associate with those labels, or do you try not to actively categorize yourselves?

Nina: Yeah, I don't know. We make music that we think sounds good.

Kevin: It's fun to embrace the kaleidoscopic approach and not feel bound to any sort of genre. We'll have a full shoegaze moment, and then we’ll have a full twee power pop moment that has nary a trace of shoegaze.

Connor: You're not looking at any shoes. Yeah, I don't know.

Mitch: I find I honestly say it a lot—shoegaze or power pop or dream pop. But that's usually just when people ask to give them a description, I wouldn't say that we fall into the category, that’s what we try to do.

Nina: We're just trying to be ourselves, to be authentic.

Kevin: A lot of the bands we take inspiration from fall under those categories, so it makes sense.

You guys are going on tour soon. How does it feel going from recording music, working together, creating these songs, versus performing in front of a live audience and connecting with people in person?

Kevin: It’s so fun, I love it. I mean, it's two different worlds. When we first started this band, we were mostly just playing shows, so playing live is more of our meat and potatoes.

Nina: We didn't release anything for almost a year, until our first single.

Connor: There’s a couple of songs we had to work on live, because when you’re in the studio you can make it sound like whatever you want it to. Trying to recapture that sound live is a little more difficult. We have a drum pad and tracks we can play though now.

Kevin: It's so much fun, though. I used to get so hung up on making a live performance sound as close to the recording as possible. Now I realize it’s better to embrace the uniqueness of the live version of any of our songs.

Nina: I don't think that’s what it's about. They're different versions of each other.

Connor: Pretty much all of us, we started just playing shows. And we’ve grown a lot—we all come from different bands, so it’s kind of natural.

Mitch: It definitely wasn't like a studio feel, it’s mostly that live feeling.

Kevin: There's a lot of songs that we've recorded that we haven't learned with the band.

Nina: They were just songs that me and Kevin wrote in LA and played the instruments in there.

Connor: We'd like to bridge that gap a little more, but, you know, you can’t learn it.

Kevin: Once we all quit our jobs and this is our full time gig, then we can start practicing more consistently.

Kevin: Up till now, it's been okay. I just quit my job for this tour that we're about to go on. And I'm going to see whether or not I'll go back when next year rolls around. But yeah, it's been all right.

Nina: Thankfully, all of our jobs have been very lenient with us going on tour. I mean, we all have different work schedules, but for the most part, it's been fine. It can be difficult sometimes. Even for a one off show during the week, it can be difficult. For this show, I had to take yesterday off and then tomorrow and then Friday off because we’re driving home.

Kevin: Living in Indiana is pretty nice and affordable, though. You don’t have to work your ass off, and we all live in houses.

It’s definitely a better cost of living.

Wishy expressed some of the highest levels of enthusiasm for Indiana ever recorded.


Kevin: We don't have to rent a practice space or anything, we can practice at my house. Demetri has a studio that we practice at a lot. We love the stu.

Are there any new projects you're working on at the moment?

Kevin: No collabs on the radar, but we are finishing up this EP that we're going to put out next year of B-sides; leftover stuff from the last album and EP. And then just writing for LP2, which we’re hoping to record next year.

Are there any questions you wish people would ask you, or anything you feel we skipped over?

Connor: I don't know, how'd you guys get so good at hackysack?

Kevin: Yeah, some fun facts about the band. We love to play hackysack.

Nina: One of mine is “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders. That's my big one.

Kevin: I just did “Everything She Wants” by Wham recently, I think it's going to be a new staple for me, it's crazy.

Nina: He does a really good “Give Me One Reason to Stay Here” by Tracy Chapman. He goes hard. This drummer's got pipes. D’s got some pipes.

Mitch what’s your go to? I don’t think I’ve ever heard you sing. I’ve only heard you do “Tequila.”

Mitch: Four out of the five of us love singing. I like to watch. If the room's empty and you guys are gone, too, and I'm alone, I'll do it.

Mitch: No, he tries to get in the shower.

Mitch: I’ll mouth the words. There's a lot of shame.

Kevin: That's our next project, actually. We're helping Mitch unlearn the shame. That's the next collaboration.

We’re actually just going to do a short set today, and then the rest is karaoke. We're going to be the backing band. “Oh, sorry, we don't know that one. Do you happen to know “Shiny Happy People” by R.E.M.? We just learned that one, it’s awesome.”

Mitch: I will say, I don't think we've had a bad interview. It'd be kind of fun one day to get a really shitty interviewer asking really rude and invasive questions. Like, “why does your music suck? I heard you have allegations.”

Wishy “Woo’s” AfterHours

Texas-based artist, Liv.e (pronounced Liv) headlined the Ghoulish Get-Down, alongside Boston acts Winkler and John Rosenboro. She sat down with WRBB’s Grace Sawin to discuss her songwriting process, failing to fit into one genre, and touring over sushi.

Grace Sawin: You’re from Dallas - do you claim that as your hometown? Do you think that it has influenced your music at all, or have the people inside it influenced you?

Liv.e: It’s definitely all of the above. Yes, I guess I do claim it as my hometown; I’m not ashamed. And yeah, I would say my experiences have shaped the way I sound - the way I talk.

My friends and family have definitely played a big role in my music. I feel like I should start lying in interviews. My dad's a musician, my brother’s a musician, so I feel like I tried to avoid doing music because of that.

I was going to college for design objects, which is under architecture, and I remember thinking, “I can’t afford these materials, I can’t afford anything here.” And I was just like, alright I think it's time to stop avoiding what I'm actually good at.

You just released your sophomore album, Girl in the Half Pearl - what did the process of making that look like for you?

Chaos. I would say lots of cognitive dissonance. It was pretty dark, but fun. Just a lot of my shadows. I feel like sometimes I write, sometimes I journal. That or, you know, sometimes I’ll just free write and I’ll grab something from that. But it honestly just depends on if I’m feeling it or not. Writing is so much easier than speaking. Singing - well I don’t even consider myself a singer - but expressing myself in that way helps me alot because words aren’t always enough.

Does that process feel somewhat cathartic?

I was listening to your new album and I really like how you play with sound - there was some cool layering and the production was very unique. Some people have described your sound as “experimental R&B,” would you agree with that label?

Honestly, there are times where I’m like, “oh, I want to make this one specific thing,” but I know I never make one specific thing, it’s always a combination of something. So I don’t really know, I think I just let people say what they want. But to label it, it’s been electronic; that’s one of the themes. That’s what I’ve been on tour around, so it’s kind of been in relation to that.

Do you think your sound has shifted from your older music, even unintentionally? Does your sound reflect different stages in your life?

Oh definitely. It’s funny because there are parts of things I used to do that I kind of miss and vice versa - things I don’t like anymore. It’s always evolving; I’m always learning new things and trying to reach out. I feel like I was more naive when I dropped my first album. I don’t know if I’m naive now, but maybe I am; everyone’s a little naive, but I do think I have a little bit more wisdom now. I think I’m more focused on the process - how do I express this feeling in a way that’s not far out of reach?

You’re closing up your tour right now, can you tell me about that experience?

It’s been awesome, honestly, I’ve been feeling really blessed. I’ve been all around the world - everywhere except Africa and Asia and Russia. Germany maybe. Switzerland.

I feel deserving; I’m glad I’m doing exactly what I wanted to do and seeing things I definitely wanted to see in a way that’s really feasible for me. And I get to share that with people around me - I travel with a trio overseas. We’ve been to so many places over the summer, like Australia, Japan, and we went to Italy a couple of times. It was just fire. I think my favorite so far has been Sydney - we played an EDM venue, which was perfect for the set. I mean the lights, the sound, the crowd; everybody was tripping.

You said you feel deserving on tour - do you have a preference between the process of making music or touring; does one feel more fulfilling?

I think both are pretty fulfilling - the process of research, you know, researching myself and trying to figure out what I’m going to do and putting the puzzle pieces together is as invigorating as going on tour. Tour is more of the physicality - I feel like “oh my god I’m seeing something different every day.” Honestly, being on tour for five months was such a dopamine lift that when you get off of it, it sucks. I feel like I’ve been seeking that thrill since. I don’t know how I feel about touring yet, but if I keep going and going and going, maybe I’ll never get tired.

Another thing I love - a lot of touring is me interpreting the album differently; just bumping heads with people and seeing how we can make it more suited for us.

I wanted to circle back to when you started touring - I know you were featured on Earl Sweatshirt’s album and toured with him, could you tell me a little bit about that?

He heard one of my first little EPs called “Hoop Dreams” and he just hit me in the DM’s and was like “this is so tight, come on tour,” and I was like “oh, ok sure,” and that was that. I love how we met because honestly people around me were really big fans of Earl, but that wasn’t my thing. He’s a great guy, and that was really my introduction to touring, which was crazy. There’s a kind of luxury that comes with it. Although, it wasn’t awesome like Pharrell, like we were on a stainless steel tour bus, but it was so fun and I’m so glad he hit me up. Touring is exhausting - every day you’re moving and doing something new and it gets pretty tiring - but to be able to do it with people makes it fun and frivolous. We didn’t even go overseas but we went to so many places.

Are you working on any new music or projects right now?

The future looks like so many different things. I’m always doing something, even if it’s not an album. See me outside, no worries.

Liv.e highly recommended the food at Symphony Sushi, rating the miso soup a 10 (“obviously”), the yellowtail serrano a solid 8, and the spring rolls only a 4. She definitely wouldn’t recommend the milk tea with boba though, which she spit out almost immediately.

Q&A with Liv.e, WRBB's Ghoulish Get-Down Headliner

Among the masses of bar hoppers decked out in green that dominated the Fenway neighborhood this past weekend, fans lined up in front of the House of Blues for the indie-rock band Inhaler, based in Dublin. Fans dawned cowboy hats adorned with various references, like “Boston in Ecstasy,” a pun on the band’s song “Dublin in Ecstasy.” 

Recently, Inhaler has risen in popularity, experiencing a new wave of fans since the release of their sophomore album 

released last month. School friends turned bandmates, the band is comprised of Elijah Hewson (lead vocals and guitar), Robert Keating (bass), Josh Jenkinson (guitar), and Ryan McMahon (drums).

Southern California natives Sun Room kicked the show off, filling the room with their 60’s inspired surf rock sound. With Luke Asgian on lead vocals and guitar, Max Pinamonti on bass, Ashton Minnich on guitar, and Gibby Anderson on drums, the boys brought the summer heat to a chilly March night. The band sang hits including “Crashed My Bike,” featured in the second season of the Netflix show “Outer Banks,” “Sol Del Sur,” and “Cadillac,” the lead single off their new EP 

. Concert-goers typically exhibit significantly more enthusiasm for the headliners, but the energy in the room was electric - fans shook the floor as they danced to the addictive sound and passionately sang along. Although their set was only around 35 minutes long, Sun Room was a tough act to follow.

At 9 p.m., without saying a word, the Inhaler boys began their set with “These Are The Days,” the lead single off of 

True to their lyrics, “these are the days that follow you home,” the single gave a perfect taste of the 90 minute set ahead.

 They charged through with fan favorites from their first album, including “My Honest Face,” a single released initially in 2019 then again in 2021 after melodic and lyrical adjustment. “Just To Keep You Satisfied,” the 

 opener, was one of the songs I was most excited for as it quickly became one of our favorites off the new album. The repetitive “la’s” of the chorus were even more fun live; an easy lyric for those who’ve never heard the song before to catch on to. To state it simply, I was not disappointed by the live rendition.

In true St. Patrick’s Day fashion, Boston became one of the lucky cities who experienced “The Things I Do” live – a fan favorite yet inconsistent part of the set list. The fans’ screams after the first couple notes should be proof enough that the song deserves to be a setlist staple.

Next, Jenkinson switched out his electric guitar for an acoustic one, the only time in the show it happened, in preparation for “My King Will Be Kind.” Known for the iconic lyric “I f***ing hate that b***h,” the instrumentals and vocals cut out during the second verse, allowing fans to release any pent up emotions.

“Love Will Get You There” was another tune I was especially excited for, as it was the song that truly made me a fan of theirs. As the second single from the new album, its catchy chorus and uplifting lyrics perfectly encapsulates Inhaler’s sound.

One of the things that drew me into the fandom is the unique way the band interacts with fans. Mid-show, Hewson made sure to keep fans entertained, asking what they got up to the previous night, “debauchery?” and suggesting McMahon do a backflip. The chemistry between the boys is undeniable, made obvious through the number of jokes they crack and the cowboy hats they tease one another with.

As McMahon hit his kick drum, fans knew exactly what song was next. “Who’s Your Money On” is a dance pop song from their debut album and a staple of their setlist, truly showcasing their range. During every live performance - whether headlining, supporting, or at a festival - Hewson makes the crowd jump to the beat. After about four minutes of pure energy, the drum beat stops and hypnotizing guitar fills its place, giving us a moment to catch our breath. The final two minutes of this song, called “Plastic House,” is always a beautiful moment in their live shows. Boston did not disappoint, as everyone turned on their phone flashlights and allowed for Hewson’s vocals to ring clear. The disco ball hanging above reflected the fan-made light and allowed for a bit of calm, a sharp juxtaposition from the energy seconds before.

“Cheer Up Baby,” a love letter to the fans, was the perfect message to follow the emotional lyrics from the song prior. Hewson sings, “Cheer up baby / you’re not on your own,” as the four boys exited the stage.

Cheers of “encore” quickly followed their departure, and after a couple minutes of anticipation and an outfit change by Hewson and Keating, they took the stage once again for their final two songs. “If You’re Gonna Break My Heart,” the third single on 

was first. An ode to the folk music they frequently find themselves enjoying during their North American tour, the song differs from their usual music, but was enjoyable nonetheless.

They closed with “It Won’t Always Be Like This”; a testament to the audience’s individual struggles and the perfect sentiment to wrap up an emotional roller coaster of a performance.

Overall, Inhaler sounded just as good live, arguably better, as they do on recording, and their high energy performance and infectious personalities made for a show like no other.