1.) We’re super-stoked to be speaking today with acclaimed all-trans rock band extraordinaire, FOXCULT; greetings and salutations, gang! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, could you each say ‘hi’ and introduce yourselves to our ever-inquisitive readers? 

Ashley: Hey hi hello! I am Ashley, the guitarist and mad-woman behind Foxcult ha. I am also notoriously bad at talking about myself haha. 

Audrey: Hello, hello! I’m Audrey, the one that stomps around with a microphone and big hair, ha. I also oversee most of our production. The other two like to make fun of my exceedingly Great Lakes-tinged Canadian accent.

2.) Major kudos and accolades for your freshly-minted new single “GLACIER” which just premiered! Ashley, what inspired this showstopper of a tune?

Thank you so much! We are blown away by the reception so far. GLACIER actually has a bit of a history to it seeing as it was the one of the first songs that I actually wrote for FOXCULT. I have synesthesia, so when I write songs I start with a base color, usually inspired by a lead part I write, and that plays a really important role in the song writing process. Then I actually write a lot of the song in my head, adhering to this color I see, and then once I have a solid idea for a chorus, I will go back and record it. It’s such a weird thing to write out because I never realized how strange my writing process is ha. Lyrically, GLACIER at its core, was inspired by this notion that you’ve finally accomplished something you set out to do and you get to look back at yourself and recognize what you overcame to do so.

3.) Audrey, FOXCULT actually self-produced “GLACIER” (and did a brilliant job of it, we might add!). What are some of the pros to acting as your own producer? And are there any cons?

Ahh, thank you! Self-producing is nice for a lot of reasons, both creatively and logistically; obviously it means that we’re free to do what we’d like and make the calls ourselves when it comes to how our stuff comes together, and that’s an advantage with a process such as ours that involves a lot of very deliberate restructuring and rewriting before our stuff even enters final production. But beyond that, we were able to decide for ourselves the overall sound of the record, choose our own personnel to further hone in on what we were looking for, and handle the whole process ourselves which makes for a very authentic, but polished result.

In terms of cons, if anything it’s workload. Between engineering, tracking, editing, and mix prep, it’s a pretty hefty undertaking, but it’s definitely worth it; especially when crafting a very particular musical experience.
4.) Mia, how is “GLACIER” similar to some of the past music of FOXCULT such as “The Garden”? How is it different? 

When joining FOXCULT, I really wanted to take the already amazing sound that they had developed and further expand on that with my own ideas! So, GLACIER (the first single I wrote with the band) still has the driving post-hardcore inspired grooves similar to Haunted and The Garden, but also introduces some more metal inspired, hard-hitting fills and cymbal work!

5.) Audrey, Adventure Cat Records released “GLACIER”. What makes Adventure Cat the perfect home for FOXCULT and the music which the band creates?

Out of the gate, our team at Adventure Cat has been just lovely to work with. Really awesome, fun, enthusiastic folks that share the same excitement we as a band have about both our message and our music, while allowing us the creative freedom to make our tunes the way we’d like. It’s cool to be with a label that really feeds into that positive energy and keeps us wanting to create because we don’t feel like we’ve gotta stay locked in a box. Obviously it’s also awesome too as representatives of our community to be able to demonstrate, like, “Hey, there are labels out there that’ll sign trans bands/artists in this scene; have a go at it.”

6.) Ashley, what differentiates “GLACIER” from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene?

This is SO tough because there is some amazing music dropping this year! Honestly though, we feel like GLACIER fills a niche that has been vacant ever since bands like Armor For Sleep, Saosin and Circa Survive went on hiatus. While a few post hardcore bands are now starting to drop music again, there isn’t really any *new* bands trying to take up that mantle, you know? We approached the mixing/mastering process from a completely different viewpoint as well. A lot of bands nowadays want these pristine and almost robotic mixes, which isn’t bad, but we wanted to do something entirely different. Sonically, we take a LOT of influence from dreampop/shoegaze bands and mix that with our aggressive wall of sound style that people have grown to love and I feel like it helps us stand out.

7.) Mia, on the heels of the release of “GLACIER”, can fans look forward to catching FOXCULT on the touring/performing circuit?

While I can’t say too much just yet, everyone will be seeing a lot more of FOXCULT very soon! I promise it’ll be worth the wait! ^_^

8.) Audrey, with the release of the new single should we keep our eyes peeled for an EP or LP release from FOXCULT in the near future?

I don’t know, when does this interview run? Haha! We’ve got some stuff coming. I can’t give specifics, but yes, we’ve been cooking something up and we’re very excited about it.

9.) A question for all of you: Who inspires you musically?

Ashley: This is so tough but honestly Brendan & Colin from Circa Survive were instrumental in pushing me towards this ambient yet aggressive style of music. Outside of guitar though, it’s artists like Joe Hisaishi, Fujii Kaze, Explosions in the Sky and Polyenso that really help push my song writing to a higher level. Admittedly, I don’t listen to a ton of heavy music anymore (been around since the early 2000s Warped Tour days, so I got a bit burnt out on it) and should probably start again haha.

Audrey: Oh, there’s quite a few angles here. There are a few pretty undeniable influences I have personally like Billy Talent, Linkin Park (Mike Shinoda’s production, especially), Chevelle, Deftones… I’m also a pretty big metal gal, but lately I’ve definitely been listening to a lot more hardcore, especially melodic stuff like Hundredth (this has been well documented by now, haha!), Defeater, Touché Amoré, and such. Keeping them all sorted in terms of how to implement certain influences and ideas is certainly a fun challenge, but that’s what bandmates are for! Given both the crossover and contrast in our tastes as a band, it all ends up distilling very nicely into something fresh and unique.

Mia: Recently some of my favorite bands have been Imminence, Sleep Token, The Plot in You, Honey Revenge, The Home Team, The Devil Wears Prada, Ice Nine Kills and more! I also listen to a lot of Kpop.

10.) We had a blast watching the music video for “GLACIER”! Ashley, how involved were FOXCULT in creating this tour de force video?

We actually handled the entire video outside of filming it! From location scouting, finding the videographer and then producing it day of to post processing/editing, it was all done by us. We really take pride in being able to do as much DIY for the band as possible. 

11.) Mia, at the end of the day what do you hope listeners walk away with after giving “GLACIER” many-a spin on their hi-fi systems?

At the end of the  day, GLACIER is about the journey of coming to terms with one’s self. We hope to give the listeners a sense of belonging and self-acceptance! For our particular context in writing the song, a lot of it has to do with being trans,our journey in this  world, and the journey within ourselves!