So Sensitive
Photo: Ashlyn Hubenak, edited by Cam Perkins.
Meet So Sensitive
Sometimes people tell me I’m too sensitive. You know what I say? Y’all need to get more in touch with your emotions. Do some meditation. Take a bubble bath. Figure out all those feelings and don’t yell at people when they bump into you on the subway. We’re all miserable there. Don’t make it worse.
You know what isn’t miserable? This band.
So Sensitive brings us all the good kinds of airy and breathy and dreamy and synthy pop sounds that would be perfect for a night of drinking a bottle of wine and charging your crystals.
Below, we discuss the hierarchy of animals, grappling with labels, and her love of elderly ladies.
Grab some pinot and get to reading.
Some questions with Max Pain and the Groovies
What has been a recent innovation in music that you admire?
Keith: I'm drawn to the risk taking that is currently happening in pop music.
Was there anything you learned while recording your 2019 album “Bedroom Drama”? Was there anything about the process that surprised you?
Keith: I learned that pop music is extremely hard to make. It's hard find a balance of subversion and familiarity. I also found I could never be Max Martin. Pop songs have a weird magic.
What is the story behind the photography on the cover of your 2019 album “Bedroom Drama”?
Kira: A friend showed me her photos because he thought I'd like them and he was right. I just emailed the artist, Jennifer Brommer and asked if we could use one of the images. I love old women. I think they should be a much more visible and powerful part of our world. I am terrified of the process of aging, but being old seems like liberation.
If you couldn’t say “musician,” what would you call yourself and why?
Kira: I actually struggle with that term anyhow. I usually say “artist” which both undermines and elevates me in some ways. I'm insecure because I'm not a technical musician. I don't have any sort of background in theory. I feel I'm more of a curator, a collector of feelings and ideas and I let sounds move through me.
What goes into translating your sound to a live performance?
Keith: We decide what is possible to play live and what isn't. I play live drums and an ableton push that I use to play parts live and trigger sounds. Kira plays keys, but I set up my ableton set to automatically change the keyboard sounds for each part of the song that she plays. I wish I could use more hardware synths but it just isn't feasible right now. It's an evolving challenge given that we're just two people.
What is the creative process like between the two of you?
Kira: Historically we've worked very separately. We've always tried to have an ongoing dialogue about what we're trying to do and accomplish, the thesis of each record, but the actual making occurs individually. We'll each chip away at a song by ourselves. However, we're trying to change that for what we're currently working on. It's a process because we're neither of us are accustomed to being so vulnerable in front of another person, but it's a space that we're interested in inhabiting so wish us luck.
What are your top five favorite animals?
Kira:
Cats
Penguins
Elephants
Cows
Sheep
I love all animals and ranking them on a hierarchy feels hard for me. I cherish them all and never want any of them to feel pain.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Kira: I hate networking. Whatever that means. I'm bad at it and find it exhausting. I like being cozy at home.
Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)
Kira: I find it astonishing and moving that anyone cares about anything we've ever done.