By José Gandue @Gandour. Photos from the Las Kellies archive
The expression used to title the new album by this Argentine girl duo ("Suck on this tangerine", in this case translated into English, Suck this tangerine) is a phrase that is usually thrown at someone to warn them that they should eat their words, who, faced with the evidence, cannot respond with the same nonsense. In other parts of Latin America, they say things like "spin that top on my fingernail," "suck on this," or "how did that make your face?" Anyway, the exclamation is fitting as the title of a fun album they just released. The Kellies on digital platforms under the British label Fire Records, the same as Sebadoh, The Lemonheads and Black Lips, among others. Suck this tangerine It is a compilation of Post-punk style songs with simple construction, featuring sharp, high-pitched guitars that go straight to the heart of the matter. The moment the first note sounds, the urge to stop and shake your body relentlessly becomes irresistible. The prestigious English publication NME states that The Kellies «"They have what is clearly an encyclopedic understanding of all the best bits of new wave on both sides of the Atlantic, plus the strength to throw the rule book out the window and, sometimes, sound like themselves.". Due to the ongoing pandemic, their UK tour scheduled for these days has been cancelled. For that reason, we have located the members of the band, Ceci and Sil, In their respective homes, in quarantine, in the province of Buenos Aires, available for a threesome chat via WhatsApp:
How would you describe the current sound of Las Kellies?
Sil: Quite classic, danceable.
Ceci: I think it's raw and groovie and with attack.
And if they had to use a label to make that description, what epithet would they use?
Ceci: Killer
Silvia Sharp beat, Something like that would be
Ceci: Oooh! I like that one!
Tell me a little bit about the band's history, please.
Sil: Well, we started in 2005. We met at a show by a mutual friend. I was messing around with another friend, and we wanted to start a band. That day we met her, we brought her in, and she immediately came up with a lot of songs that ended up on our first album, Shaking Dog.
Ceci: Yes, we rehearsed in my parents' garage. We'd take down and put back together all the backline for each rehearsal because the garage was used for the car—it was a real drag. We left the equipment and the drums in the living room, and my mom wasn't keen on it at all (they're those immaculate, barely-lived-in living rooms).
Sil: (Laughs) I didn't remember that we used to take everything apart for every rehearsal. How crazy.
Ceci: Yes, that was really wanting it.
Sil: We're rehearsing in the same garage now, but we've got a cool room set up, and Ceci's mom is thrilled that we're playing there!
Sil: Well, a lot of things happened in between. A lot of rooms.
Ceci: Yes, so we went back to the real, real origins.
The first album, what was the experience of going into the studio like?
Sil: It's a laugh, really.
Ceci: We didn't even know how to plug in a plug.
Sil: We recorded all the instruments together, which was a lot of fun. I don't remember much, just that we were laughing our heads off.
Ceci: Sometimes we'd forget the cables. Once, Jose, one of our first bass players, forgot her bass for a show, imagine that.
How was the public received at that time?
Ceci: Wow, the first show was a total success.
Sil: I think it was our best time. All our musician friends couldn't believe what we were doing. They were blown away. The first shows were so much fun. We dressed up and brought out this really cheeky, joyful energy.
When did you feel things got a little more serious?
Ceci: Maybe when we signed with Fire.
Sil: Yes, I think the same. That's when we realized we had a real band, it wasn't just a joke anymore.
Ceci: It's like we started wanting to play better and not be so silly. on stage. So we put more rehearsal into our lives, especially when we compose and before recording an album.
How did Fire Records come to you?
Ceci: For one booking agent We had someone in France named Julie Tippex. She spoke to Fire and they wanted to sign a contract that's still in place today (and will continue until the next album).
It's not easy to hear about a British label signing a Latin band, what do you think they saw in you to give you that contract?
Sil: It's just that we're not very Latina (laughs). I think our music partly reflects our place in the world, but it has a lot of tradition behind it in the UK, and I suppose that mix of post-punk and Argentine exoticism seemed interesting to them.
Ceci: I think people like that we sing in English and the post punk feeling. When we play in England, from north to south, people tell us they remember their youth. We have a lot of middle-aged punk fans.
Oh really?
Sil: Yes, when we play there, you can tell we carry a lot of nostalgia with us. They're always so grateful that we're playing the music they listened to in their youth. We're keeping it alive.
What are their shows like now?
Sil: Now the shows are less outrageous and "fun," but musically, they're more devastating than before. We're not exactly virtuosos on our instruments, but we know how to get a good sound out of them, and make the songs sound good, you know.
Ceci: Sure, we know how to make it sound big somehow.
Tell me about this latest album, Suck this Tangerine. Let's start with the title: Will the English understand the meaning of the original phrase?
Ceci: I don't know, but it makes me laugh a lot.
Sil: I did some research a while ago, and I do think they understand or have a similar phrase. The idea was to dispel that stigma surrounding the album title. In Argentina, it's a very common, very practical phrase. My grandmother used it all the time.
What was the production process like for this album?
Ceci: We started composing the drums and bass at the same time, with many rehearsals, and recorded both instruments simultaneously. Then we went back to the studio to compose and rehearse the guitar and percussion, We went to Panchi's studio again and recorded guitar and percussion.
Sil: And then we composed the vocals and recorded them in Ceci's studio.
Ceci: With a fantastic microphone that Julito, a great guy, lent me, and then we gave the material to Ivi who mixed it. That's how it came about, on the fly.
At this point, they're supposed to be touring the UK. How are they handling things since the quarantine started?
Sil: Tomorrow we were going to take the plane, yeah, totally crazy.
Ceci: Ugh, it's a drag, but there's no other way and it's better to be here than in the middle of the madness over there.
Sil: I'm somewhat grateful that the situation didn't catch us while we were there, because I see that the Brits They don't take it as seriously as we do here. Here, if you go out to buy bread, a policeman comes and tells you, "Please hurry up and go back home." But it's a real shame to have to postpone it.
Ceci: The issue is reassembling it
Sil: Yes, it's going to be complicated. This was the ideal time because of the album's release.
And in the meantime, what do they do?
Ceci: I'm a photographer, that's my job, so I was photoshopping And I've finished some work, now I hope to get paid, quack! I also painted some photography backdrops and took some really nice photos of the ceramics I make with a friend using those backdrops—backdrops I've wanted to paint for ages and I don't know why I didn't get around to it.
Sil: I work from home, so my life hasn't changed much. I'm working the same as always, only we're not getting together. It's all virtual.
What are they going to do as soon as the quarantine ends?
Ceci: Looking for a job.
Sil: Go see my family. So boring (laughs). I'd like to go to the movies or a museum.
Ceci: We could rehearse, but there's no rush. But we were really intense with rehearsals until we decided to cancel the tour.
Sil: We were coming with good training.
