PHOTO COURTESY OF RAINNE
How did you two first come together and start making music?
JK: “It’s actually a fun story! RAINNE has been an official band for about 2 years now, but we’ve been playing together since college.”
AD: “We met at GRAMMY CAMP before we started college at USC (University of Southern California). We lived in the same dorm and had the same class schedule so quickly became inseparable. We’ve always had a strong friendship and worked really well together which definitely helps in a band situation.”
JK: “Deciding to become a band has been one of the most fulfilling decisions of our careers!”
You recently released your single “Psycho Killer”. Can you tell us a little about the song and how it came about?
AD: “‘Psycho Killer’ was a whirlwind to create. I met Petie Pizarro and PLAYDED (Patrick Ridgen) at a writing camp and we were put into a room together to write. Patrick pulled up this grungy bass synth on his computer, and almost instantly melody and lyric for the first verse came to me. Luckily Petie and Patrick weren’t scarred off by the crazy concept and we ended up having a blast writing ‘Psycho Killer’. We have a mutual love for Sia and Evanescence and decided to throw a bit of those references into the bridge for fun. We had a lot of fun running away with this crazy character we were creating. I love psychological thrillers and crime stories so that influenced the lyric quite a bit.”
JK: “I love that when we play shows now, Annie prefaces the performance of ‘Psycho Killer’ by mentioning that the song is not autobiographical. “
AD: “We just want to make it clear that we are not, in fact, psycho killers.”
You also released a music video for the song. How did you ensure that the video would really make the song come to life?
JK: “We really wanted a music video that would compliment the atmosphere of the song. We took inspiration from other dark-pop artists like Billie Eilish and Bishop Briggs. I feel like maintaining a dark color scheme and playing with effects really played off of the intense bass line that drives the groove of the song.”
Do you have any favorite memories from filming the video?
JK: “I just loved how DIY it was. We’re an independent band, and filming some of the scenes in Annie’s garage just gave it such a cool vibe. Working our way around various hurdles made us so proud of the video we were able to deliver!”
Where do you find most inspiration when writing?
AD: “There are tons of moments throughout the day that inspire song ideas. Sometimes it’s something someone said mid-conversation, or a poem, or a tumblr post, or a tv show. I love reading, and in books people often say things in a way that you wouldn’t in real life and that always sparks ideas for me. I love getting a new perspective on a common situation and writing from there.”
What can you tell us about your latest single, “Dirty Little Dream”?
AD: “We’re really excited to release ‘Dirty Little Dream’. It’s a dark pop song about lust and fantasy and where that might go too far. We had so much fun working with Petie and PLAYDED again on this production.”
JK: “I can tell you that I get a nice sax solo during the song! This is the first official song we’ve put out that will have a featured solo in it and I’m pretty stoked about that.”
Is there anything else that we can expect from you in the near future?
JK: “Definitely more touring! We thrive on stage, and we want get more tour dates in the books ASAP!”