Meet Russian Baths

I’m not the biggest bath person — despite the giant goblets of wine that always seem to be involved — but I sure can get behind this bath: Brooklyn’s own, Russian Baths.

In no way soapy or lukewarm, but somehow still serene, this crew makes imposing and intimate tunes that are well worth a listen. Nothing like some chaotic noise rock to soak away the stress of the world, am I right? We chatted with members Jess and Luke all things inspiration, pizza for life, and their first CDs. Check it out below!

THE OBSERVATORY: A Mad Lib by Russian Baths

Our class went on a field trip to a BLUE observatory. It was located on top of a STILLNESS, and it looked like a giant GAZE with a slit down its POINT. We went inside and looked through a FROCK and were able to see SOCIETIES in the sky that were millions of MOTHERS away. The men and women who SINK in the observatory are called SAUCES, and they are always watching for comets, eclipses, and shooting SHEDS. An eclipse occurs when a CRITTER comes between the earth and the PORTAL and everything gets GENTLE. Next week, we plan to FALL into the Museum of Modern SAUCE.

Would You Rather

If you could only eat burritos or pizza for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Luke: Oh, fuck. This has become a realistic question. I generally prefer pizza, but I need the calories, so burritos takes it.

Jess: My gut response is pizza, no hesitations or regrets.

Some questions with Russian Baths

What was the inspiration behind your album, Deepfake?

Luke: Two excruciatingly fraught years of emotional turmoil that swallowed us entirely, which looks like a day in paradise now. 

Jess: We wanted to make a collection of juxtapositions: dissonance and harmony, loudness and quiet, chaos and control; how could we play those things off of each other.

Luke: It's interesting, life sort of mirrored the same surgery at the time.

How has your sound developed or changed since your debut EP, Penance?

Jess: In the early days, "let's play it louder" got thrown around, A LOT. The loud parts were really loud. We've started to shed that.

Luke: The lyrics and vocals become increasingly significant with every take and subsequently, more difficult to figure out. 

What makes a performance a success to you?

Luke: When everything is played so perfectly, the mistakes become the music.

Jess: When we have fun.

Luke: Jess's take is better. 

What was the first CD, MP3 or album you ever bought? Has it influenced the music you are making today?

Luke: Oh, this is fun. I think it was either Europe's Final Countdown or a Queen single. I remain an exceedingly dramatic person.

Jess: I can't remember exactly, but it was either Aerosmith's Nine Lives or Spice Girls' Wannabe. My musical taste started off with a pretty wide range.

What has been your biggest high as a band?

Jess: I was pretty stoked when NPR put us in their SXSW list last year.

Luke: I think the best times were the hours Jess and I spent planning everything out instead of doing our jobs. 

What three things would you demand to be in your dressing room?

Jess: A pizza for me, a burrito for Luke, and nice lighting.

What is your dream neighborhood to live in, and why?

Luke: Antarctica. It's 2020 and the reasons are obvious.

Jess: North Brooklyn. I get a sense of home being near a maximum number of people who I care about, and this place does that for me. There are certainly things to dislike about NYC, but I'm pretty happy to say I'm living here anyway.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Luke: If we survive this current crisis, which is the worst time of our lives and the lives of a few generations, I think we owe it to each other to be better to each other, to demand a fairer world, to deliver more personal truth even when it's scary, to say "this is fucked" when we know it's fucked.

Jess: Thanks for listening!

Luke: That, too.