An Interview with: Ear Pwr

Indie electronic duo Ear Pwr are getting ready to release their label debut, Super Animal Bros. III, on Carpark Records. The album is scheduled to hit the street on May 12. The End of Irony spoke with both Sarah and Devin from the band to get the inside scoop on some of the pair's secrets.

TEoI: I heard you just moved to Baltimore. How is life different there than in North Carolina?
Sarah: Well, we haven't completely moved yet. Devin is still in school in North Carolina, but he graduates in May, and then we'll both be there! One big difference I've noticed, is that in North Carolina folks just don't give a fuck. You know, [they] wile out dirty south style. Shows in North Carolina get OUT OF CONTROL. I think this can be attributed in part to pre-gaming. We were in Baltimore on New Year's Eve, and around 2pm or so I mentioned to Gerrit (from Future Islands) that we needed to go to the liquor store so we could get the party started. He informed me that they don't roll that way in Baltimore.

TEoI: I feel like you tour less often than your peers (Future Island, for instance), but yet you guys have the easiest (and awesomest) setup. What's the reason for that? Or what are the challenges of touring for you?
Sarah: [Devin's schooling] has put great limitations on us, and we've done most of our touring while he's on summer break. Other than that touring is a breeze. We have a tiny amount of gear which allows us to travel in a small car, and we get along great! So we basically have it made.
Devin: As soon as i graduate we plan to tour forever!

TEoI: What gear is in inside of Devin's suitcase exactly?
Devin: It varies. Right now I have an analog synth sequencer, a sampler, a sine/square wave generator, a miniature kaos pad, a mixer, [and] a red light.

TEoI: You guys were recently signed to Carpark; it feel like a whole new chapter in Ear Pwr's book! Tell us a bit about what to expect on the new album.
Devin: New sounds. More sounds. Thicker sounds. I've been building my own synths and sampling them so things sound quite different. and the album is a bit more personal.
Sarah: As always, our songs are a web of beats that might make you dance, lyrics that might make you laugh, references to things from childhood, adolesence, and pop culture that some people might get, and inside jokes that only Devin and I understand. We just turned things up a notch and we experimented a lot.

TEoI: I notice the Carpark debut is all new material (unless I didn't look at the track list carefully enough). Any plans to do any sort of re-release of older songs (from self-released CD-Rs and such)?
Sarah: Carpark has digitally released both Tre Faux and I Like Tacos and Beach. For now we're going to continue making our own to sell at shows.
Devin: We've always wanted to have an I Like Tacos and Beach 7 inch; we'll see.

TEoI: There's a certain cuteness to a lot of Ear Pwr's songs. So, and be honest with me on this one, how many songs are about cats? Because, you know, it's hard for people to resist songs about kitties.
Sarah: Four: "Sophie," "Mani Cooper", "Cats Is People Too" & "Super Animal Bros. III."
Devin: If you're counting tigers as cats.

MP3: Ear Pwr - Future Eyes

www.earpwr.com