Tempo Talks: A Conversation with Lotion Princess
THE RELEASE
The Washington, D.C.-based indie-pop group Lotion Princess has released their newest song, "Reassurance." Lotion Princess, comprising Sasha Snoad, Tommy Sherrod, and Andrew Grossman, mesmerizes listeners with their hypotonic and expansive sound. This ethereal indie-pop song, which was released on June 9th, covers issues of mental health awareness, relationships, and self-worth. Lotion Princess offers a real and sincere musical experience that connects with audiences on a deep level.
"Reassurance" explores the difficulties of looking for assurance in partnerships. The protagonist's fears and the toll they have on their emotional wellbeing are captured in the lyrics, which reflect a desperate yearning for reassurance. The song exudes an honest sense of vulnerability and guilt with touching background vocals and sincere apologies. With finesse, Lotion Princess explores the subject of OCD and its effects, bringing to light the difficulties that many people experience. The song "Reassurance" acts as a potent anthem, expressing a need for self-care and recovery as well as the panic felt during the OCD cycle. This alluring tune showcases Lotion Princess' talent for writing reflective and emotionally resonant music.
THE INTERVIEW
What song or moment in time sparked your passion for music?
My first concert was Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis’s band before she branched out under her own name. The experience of being at the show was nothing I’d ever felt before. The power she held on stage, how captivated everyone was by her and the music. It was this collective experience of being in love with the moment. She threw a plastic ball filled with glitter into the audience, and everyone played “keep the ball up” until it landed on stage, and somehow bounced above the drummer during a climactic moment of “Silver Lining,” one of their best songs. He popped the ball with his drumstick and glitter showered him and the stage. It was the single coolest thing I’d ever seen, and I was hooked on music - I wanted to be present for as many moments like that as I could, and ultimately, be up on that stage.
If you had to create a Mount Rushmore of inspiration, what four individuals molded the artist you are today?
Lucius, both of them! For their harmonies and the empathy in their music.
Bon Iver, because music is medicine. Sylvan Esso/Amelia Meath because of the joy she exudes when she performs and the power of her performance to make people feel that joy.
How does your creative process work from the moment you develop the idea to the completion of the record?
I write as a way to process my emotions. I heard someone say recently that they write songs to discover what they’re actually feeling and I related so hard to that. If I’m feeling shitty and don’t really understand it, I’ll go write a song. It’s literally like a different person speaking from inside my body, speaking the truth of the feelings of the moment to me, so I can understand. This is why my songs are always so sad! I don’t have this same urge when I’m not struggling. Once the song is written, I share it with my bandmates. If we’re together in-person, we’ll play around with it, maybe move some sections around, do some editing together. If we’re working remotely, Tommy might produce the song and send it back to me. Then I often re-write it in reaction to what he’s come up with.
When we have a song ready to go, we always want to play it live before recording. Once it’s in the rotation and we feel ready to record, Tommy records us in his home studio. We’ll work with someone to mix and master the track. Lately we’ve been working with this amazing London-based mixer/producer/engineer Luke Burgoyne. He really rocks. We’ll go back and forth with a few mixes before it’s finalized and the voila! We have a track, and we’ll share it with the world.
As for this release, who is the producer and what about the production moved you?
We just released a single called, “Reassurance,” and we have an EP coming out soon too. Tommy has taken the lead on the production, with Andrew producing all the synth parts. They’re both amazing and such talented guys. The dynamics and emotional shifts throughout the tracks give them so much energy and emotion. I really appreciate how both Andrew and Tommy approach tracking a song - Tommy sees the big picture and kind of builds this container for it, and Andrew sees little moments and sprinkles in the sparkle and the intrigue.
When it comes to the songwriting on this record, what is the message you want to get across to your listeners?
“Reassurance” is about my OCD, so it’s deeply personal to me. It doesn’t really end on a positive note, but I guess my message is that it’s okay to not be okay, and you’re not alone! And relationships are hard and beautiful - we all bring so much to the table, and it’s not all pretty. Hard moments are inevitable, and painful, but we’re human and as a friend of mine once said, I can love myself through all my imperfections just the same way I love others through their imperfections. If you’re making that space for other people, you better make it for yourself too.
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