BY: Claire Borgelt

Since making their debut in 2015, Sextile's sharp, synth-fueled sound has transformed them into a magnetic force in today's LA underground scene. Their most recent album, Push, features fresh punk influences that put a colorful new spin on the electronic style they're best known for. We caught up with founding members Brady Keehn and Melissa Scaduto in Austin after watching them tear up the outdoor stage as a part of Hotel Vegas's Spring Break Boogie Kickoff showcase. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You've talked a lot about your influences on Push – it seems like you draw a lot of inspiration from the underground scene. What attracts you to that sound? 

Brady: I would say the freedom to be experimental. It's the ability to really test what's possible with sound and what we conceive as songs, and to find new ways of expressing yourself. I think that's more open in the underground scene than it is in conventional pop scenes.

Are there any artists that might not necessarily show up as sonic influences but who have impacted your outlook on the creative process more generally?

Melissa: Well, in terms of album art, Sarah Pardini, our friend that took the photo for Push, inspires me. I came up with the concept but I just knew she'd be able to do it. In terms of sound on this last record though, I got really obsessed with Primal Scream's record Screamadelica. They mix rock with rave stuff, basically. In general, 1989 Manchester, that baggy kind of stuff, was a big influence on record.

You do all the concepts for the music videos and merch too, right? Do you have ideas for those things as you're putting the songs together? Or is it something that comes afterwards? 

Melissa: Sometimes it comes right away. But sometimes I'll keep listening to the song and sort of figure out where I want to go with it. Other times, honestly, I go down a wormhole watching old music videos from bands that I love and sort of take notes about what I like. I'm constantly screenshotting things on my phone. So even if it's just like what other friends of mine on social media might post, if I think something's cool I'll add it to the bank of inspiration for things.

Do you have a favorite music video?

Melissa: Yeah, the Beastie Boys! “Sabotage” is like one of my favorite music videos of all time. It's so f*cking epic. I was a big fan of Spike Jonze at that time. The Fatboy Slim video he also did is so good.

Brady: It's really good. 

I know you're both involved with side projects too. Do you feel your independent work impacts the way you go about things for Sextile at all?

Brady: I think Melissa really took on the role of being a frontperson in a band in S Product. 

Melissa: Yeah, because I used to not sing in Sextile. I never wanted to be in the front at first. I was always afraid of it, to be totally honest with you. When we first started sextile, I volunteered to be the drummer! At first I was playing synth and I was like, ‘I don't want to do this' after our first show! Like, ‘I don't want to play synth. I don't know how to move behind this instrument! If I play drums, I don't have to worry about dancing because I'm just playing, right?' But I was younger, and I just lacked confidence that I have now. When we took a break from Sextile, I started S Product and it was natural that I was gonna have to sing. Honestly, after that, I didn't want to go back to the back. And then, I noticed that it's brought a lot more femmes to our shows, and I'm so grateful for that. The audience has changed rapidly. I mean, I've waited for girls to be in the front at our shows for a long time. And I love it. That inspires me to keep doing it. 

Brady: Yeah! I think for me, just practicing mixing and production has helped me become better. I've been able to work on that through my solo project and bring it into our collaborations together.

You two have very different delivery styles. How do you approach the writing process with that in mind? Do you have an idea of who might take on vocals for a track as you're writing it, or is that something you figure out later in the process? 

Melissa: Sometimes we do have an idea right away, like a baseline concept. For others, whoever comes up with lyrics first just starts putting them down. We don't usually say ‘oh, here's a song for you to sing.'

Brady: Well that's not always true… “Crassy Mel.” 

Melissa: Oh, yeah, “Crassy Mel.' That song warped into so many different things. It was originally written on guitar! You never know where it's gonna go. 

Brady: I had demo vocals, but I was like, ‘Melissa, you have something for this?' She took it and just made it better than I ever imagined.

Melissa: I just wrote a song about my resentments towards people with shitty behavior. And the lyrics are super petty. But I was listening to a lot of Cardi B at the time, and I loved how petty she was, in a clever way. With the way that she talks about kind of walking over her haters, I felt empowered. I was like, hell yeah, girl! Also… fellow New Yorker! She's awesome. She's always keeping it real. I wanted to write in the same way. 

Push does take a bit of a departure from some of your earlier work. What inspired that shift in sound? 

Brady: In terms of my contributions sonically, l was going through a depression over the pandemic. I like, fell out of a love of music for a little bit. In order to try to reconnect to why I made music in the first place I tried to dig back into what I liked about it as a kid, back when I decided it was something I wanted to do. A lot of my influences at the time stemmed from like, Brian Eno and using found sounds and samples. I was really inspired by drum and bass as a kid. I tried to bring the elements that were the catalysts for me even wanting to make music in the first place into this record. I was really into electronic music when I was growing up, you know, electronic music and hip hop, mostly. It wasn't really until I met Melissa I learned anything about rock and roll or punk rock.

I know you put the album together in a couple different locations. Do you feel those environments impacted the process for you? 

Brady: We went out to the desert to record. I think it'll be the last time we ever do that. The environment actually impacted us heavily. We slept for like the first three or four days we were there. It was very difficult for us to even get going. I guess that being from LA we're used to moving at a faster pace.

Melissa: It was weird! We were so dry and tired.

Brady: It wasn't until we realized that we had like three or four days left that we were like, ‘we gotta get going and get moving.' We pumped out a bunch of songs right then and there. But yeah, I think it'll be the last time we go out to Joshua Tree, at least to record. Maybe next time, someplace where we can see nightlife and a city. Somewhere with less silence. 

Is there anywhere you know you want to go next?

Melissa: We talked about France, but there's the jetlag. 

Brady: It's hard to say. Chicago? It's a really cool city. I mean, we've also really been liking Austin a lot! The people are really cool! 

Last question – what else do you really love to do besides make music? 

Melissa: My thing is clothes. I know that sounds corny, but it's a form of art to me. I love fashion. Like, I love the hunt of finding clothes. I ran a vintage clothing thing for a really long time. It's oversaturated now so the market is a little difficult, but I still just love thrifting. I can't help it. I grew up doing it with my mom. 

Brady: I can't really say there's too much for me outside of sound. I mean, I really, really enjoy sound. You know, I like movement. I like the idea of movement. But it's always mostly like sound design for me, and the discovery that comes from it.

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