By Izzi Bavis

On January 11, 2021, I talked with Worthitpurchase, a duo composed of Omar Akrouche and Nicole Rowe from the West Coast. In a conference call, we discussed their inspirations for their recent release, Dizzy Age, their future projects and their favorite breakfast. 

While Akrouche drove from Oakland to Los Angeles and Rowe at home, the pair shared their origin story, noting a Soundcloud song brought them together.

“I recorded this one song and put it on SoundCloud and Omar sent me a cover that he did of it. I was like, “This is amazing, you should sing on it instead of me and then we could just release the song together.” And so I went over to his house, and we just recorded in his bedroom.” Rowe remembered. 

The DIY aesthetic of Rowe's early SoundCloud releases are clear in Dizzy Age. Akrouche unpacked both his and Rowe's favorite song on the record, “Prospect Heights.”

“We just force each other to do things when we run out of energy to do them. I was just done with that song. I was like, “Nicole, I cannot write a chorus part, you have to.” I think pressure like that on each other is the only way that we kind of get through things sometimes. And it can feel really rewarding when we look back.” Akrouche explained. 

The record was written prior to the current pandemic but the music stands the changes. On the song, Rowe sings about feelings of confusion and groundlessness:

You run around around

Looking for something that can't be found

All over town

It's really turning me inside out

Beneath the ground

I remember how we came about

I'm not sure what I'm here for

I'm just somebody for you to feel for

Looking forward to 2021, a year that will (hopefully) bring about change and hopefulness, Rowe talked about what she learned from 2020. 

“I like to plan out my whole life to feel some sort of stability. But I can't do that anymore because we have no idea what the future is gonna look like. So I think I've been learning to just let go of things a little bit and calm down and be okay with the fact that I don't always have control over everything in my life.” Rowe said. 

After releasing Dizzy Age and a music video partially shot on Zoom for their track “Gladly Fading,” Worthitpurchase is working on their next project that will focus on more themes from the current pandemic. 

To close out the interview, Akrouche and Rowe described their dream breakfast. Akrouche chose black coffee and a pastry while Rowe opted for soup. 

To hear the entirety of the interview, check it out on SoundCloud: