Crachat performed during Sled Island on Wednesday, 8:30pm at Dickens, and will be performing Thursday, 8pm at Palomino (Downstairs) & Friday, 5:50pm at Loophole Coffee Bar.
Interview conducted in collaboration with Reverie Magazine.
TRANSCRIPT:
Emma (CJSW)
Can you guys just start on this side? You can grab the mic and just say your first name.
Lyziane
Hi, I’m Lyziane.
Justine
Hello. I’m Justine.
Malou
I’m Malou.
Emma (CJSW)
Hi, lovely to meet you. Thank you so much for sitting down with me today. I am Em from CJSW, we’re so stoked to have you here in the city. You’re here in Calgary from Quebec City, right? What are some things you’re looking forward to being in Calgary right now?
Justine
Well, for us, well for me, I’d say just playing with local artists and local bands that we don’t know is really exciting, because we’re playing at Loophole on Friday, and I think it’s with two local bands or three. I’m not sure if the other one is also from here, but it’s kind of like a Riot Grrrl Friday, which is going to be awesome. So we’re really glad to play with them.
Lyziane
It’s our first time playing outside of the province of Quebec, so it’s a first trip for us. It’s really fun.
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, that’s super exciting. How’s the travel been so far? You guys having a good time?
Lyziane
It’s been pretty good. We’re already getting tired, but we’re fine.
Emma (CJSW)
It’ll be a long weekend, trust me, I’m already getting tired, and it’s only, like, day two. So you guys are playing at Loophole with PERRA, right?
Crachat
Yes.
Emma (CJSW)
Have you gotten the chance to meet them yet?
Justine
No, I haven’t met them, but I heard their music, and yeah, I’m pretty excited to play with them, for sure. Like I’ve read the magazine, REVERIE, or they wrote something about them.
Emma (CJSW)
I wrote that story!
Justine
Oh, you did.
Emma (CJSW)
I got to interview them.
Justine
Awesome. Super Rad.
Emma (CJSW)
They’re super cool, yeah, and they rock out, they rock out on stage. And so I’m really excited to see you, because that’s where I’m going to be as well, at Loophole on Friday. So, yeah, so are you doing anything in the city other than doing Sled Island, throwing any food you want to go and try or anything you want to see while you’re in Calgary?
Justine
Well, we’ve been to record stores, so we like to do that. And also we just signed our records there. We did a little shopping and just a browsing.
Lyziane
Yeah, we did it on Monday, because we played yesterday, we play tonight, we play tomorrow, so we did our shopping Monday, oh Tuesday, sorry Tuesday.
Emma (CJSW)
It’s gonna be a long weekend. Yeah, so kind of moving on. Can you tell me a little bit about how the band started, how you guys all got together?
Lyziane
It’s kind of funny story. I guess each on our own were thinking about music, having a project, but we just met at the bar, saying, ‘Oh, let’s start a band, like a chick band!’ And that’s how we started. But then after we had couple troubles starting to play. So we got a new drummer soon after, which is Malou. And then we started playing festivals, and we recorded last year. At the end of last year, yeah.
Emma (CJSW)
Your debut album, right?
Justine
Yes. And also, like, we didn’t know each other at all when we started the band. I didn’t know her. We just met, we just—
Lyziane
Yelled. Yelled at the bar. I said ‘Let’s start a band.’
Justine
‘Yes!’ And I was already playing, more like spaghetti music with another drummer, and, you know, we wanted to have other instruments in the band, as I would say. And, yeah, that’s where Liz happened—
Lyziane
That’s how we met Justine and I. And then Malou came a little bit after. Malou is actually, she was a student from Justine, so.
Emma (CJSW)
Oh, cool.
Justine
We really value, like, playing with a younger crowd, or for a younger crowd. So she was a good addition for us.
Lyziane
Yeah, she’s a perfect match. And, you know, she, we were looking for a drummer, and she was there, and she was pretty excited to be part of it.
Emma (CJSW)
Malou, how long have you been drumming for?
Malou
I’ve been drumming since I was 15. I’m 21 now, and I’ve been with the band for two years.
Emma (CJSW)
And so you were a student?
Malou
Yes, yeah.
Emma (CJSW)
What do you teach?
Justine
I teach music, and I also teach bands. We form bands with students, and then they play together. And then Malou, she wasn’t a student anymore. She was justinvolved in the organization that I work with. So she was volunteering. And it just happened that, you know, she was at the right place at the right time, which is awesome.
Emma (CJSW)
Sometimes it happens like that. It’s like fate, right? You get pulled together. I’d love to hear more about the recording of your debut album. I took a listen. It’s super rad. That was last year. You’re coming up on a year, right? Well, it was 2024?
Justine
Yeah. We recorded it last year in April I think? March, yeah, March. And then we launched it in October.
Emma (CJSW)
Amazing. And so can you take me through a little bit of the process? What were the ideas going into that album? How was the recording?
Justine
Well, at first the songs were already written and produced before we were at the studio. So it was mostly just find finding our sound and the aesthetic that wewanted to project into the album and the testing. Also like all kinds of effects that we we could try, but we wanted to do something natural, still. So not too many, like, I don’t know, how would you say…
Lyziane
Not too much studio work on it. Just keep it raw a little bit.
Justine
Yeah, and we also recorded live, because we can’t do it otherwise.
Emma (CJSW)
Oh, wow, yeah, that’s cool. And so you were really just learning each other’s sound, had you played shows before then though?
Crachat
Yes, yeah.
Emma (CJSW)
And so how did playing shows kind of come into the recording? You already had that sound developed in some way, or did it really change once you entered the recording suite?
Justine
We already knew what we wanted, but we took the time to work more, put in more work and efforts on, like, ‘Okay, this is exactly the sound I want.’
Lyziane
Yeah, and we had more control. Adding some feed and more noise. We had control over that, so that was great.
Justine
And better amps and guitars too.
Emma (CJSW)
It’s fun to see it come to life, right? Yes, like, it’s, it’s so much more meticulous, but it’s intentional, right? That’s how I see it.
Justine
Also, when you play shows you don’t really control the sound you’re projecting into the venue or the room because of the technician. You know, they all, they all have the different ears. But in the studio if I told the technician, ‘Oh, Malou plays like Meg White, and I want more bassy sound on like the floor and the bass drum,’ then he is going to make it sound exactly like what we want, which is really fun.
Emma (CJSW)
That’s so cool. Can you tell me a little bit—I saw that you kind of cited Bikini Kill, and it’s a lot of those inspirations. Can you tell me about how maybe you all inspire one another while you’re playing?
Lyziane
Well, Justine is the big artist. She writes the texts which are really good. So she brings a lot to the table.
Justine
Big brain.
Lyziane
And then us, Malou and I, we try to add our little touch, I guess, from us. So it’s really fun to see it come together that way.
Justine
Yeah, they do the arrangements, and I just compose at home and write the songs, and then I bring them at the rehearsals. And what is fun about that is we all have our limitations, so we work with that instead of pushing through, oh no, that’s what I want, and try to make it, make it work. So we kind of have a frame to, I don’t know how to say that.
Emma (CJSW)
Like collaborate together?
Justine
Well, you know, we have a frame, and we have only limitation…
Lyziane
Yeah, just we work with the limitation we have because we we don’t have all the same experience in music before joining the band, so we had to work around that for a while, and then we improve, and then it gets better.
Justine
Yeah, but I like that because it sounds more garage and, you know, like 60s rock. That’s what I like. And just basic drums and basic arrangements. It’s just it makes up our sound, which is the thing that I love about the band.
Lyziane
Also, we like to keep it simple, too.
Emma (CJSW)
I noticed that, yeah, and, but it works so well, though, because, yeah, it does go back to the roots. Yeah, you’re not making it too complicated, but it’s working.
Justine
Yeah, we have something to say, and we just scream it and we put music on it, and that’s it. It’s just, it’s punk.
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, absolutely. How is—because I’ve never been to Quebec—how is the punk scene there?
Justine
Well, it depends on the city, but for Quebec City, punk scene is mostly older.
Lyziane
There’s kind of two punk scenes. There’s the more skate punk for older generation, and then there’s more of the garage punk and street punk for the younger ones.
Justine
Yeah, it’s starting to grow more like as we the since we started, I think there’s a couple bands that started playing also. Which is great, because it was just getting older, the scene, but now it’s regenerating, which is awesome. And also more women are playing, which is great, because in Quebec City, like we’re missing that. And you know, no teenagers either are playing, because there’s no venues that allows them to play, because it’s mostly bars there, but we’re trying to change that. We want to play in high schools and cegepes, which is kind of like college and like youth houses or whatever they call it.
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, and I think that that’s so important, because it is a very male dominated scene. What about when you’re not on stage. If you’re at a show, what about a show makes you feel comfortable as a femme, being in the crowd in such a male dominated scene?
Justine
Well, for me, is seeing other women and other people like us. Just being there and being at the show for one and then, of course, if there’s other people than men playing, that’s great, you know, like, of course, I’m already going to be more excited about the show. That’s pretty much it.
Emma (CJSW)
Something that I really, really, really love about punk is that it’s very visually artistic as well. It’s very performance based, like your outfits right now! Can you talk to me a little bit about how like visual art, fashion, that kind of thing blends into your band identity?
Justine
Well, it’s funny you say that, because, actually, it’s not very artistic. Usually, like, punk shows that we go to, it’s mostly straight outfits, and everybody’s wearing black. Yeah, it’s really basic, but it’s the crowd that makes up the show, you know, because you see them, and it’s like, okay, this is the whole universe of punk is in the venue. You know, it’s not just the band, it’s the people who come to the show too. And for us, well, it like no one looks like us in Quebec City.
Lyziane
Yeah, we added some glitter to the punk. Yeah, we made it girly for us.
Justine
Yeah, we’re girls, and we like pink, and we like glitters, and we like putting on makeup and putting on costumes. I like to look like a princess sometimes. So, you know, it’s our band, so we do whatever we want. And if I want to look cute, well, I will. And that’s it, you know, I don’t have to think about, ‘Oh, I have to look punk and look cool so I can put on my show.’ No, that’s not it. And that’s the thing I like about being with two other girls in the band. It’s not the same atmosphere at all as it would be in another band. Yeah, honestly that’s something really cool that you say, because I find that the Calgary punk scene is so different, like all of the fans, even if they’re just in the back, I feel like I see them all dressed to the nines, like in whatever. And it’s very self expression-based, like people are wearing what they want to wear, but it looks punk, like they look cool. I’m always like, ‘Dang, yeah, awesome.’
Emma (CJSW)
I noticed people are really artsy here, or at least at the festival, and it’s a younger crowd too, which is fun. I feel like there’s more diversity here. But, you know, Quebec City is a small city too, so it’s evolving. This is, this is true. How do you think that you would maybe bring that from Calgary over to Quebec? Do you think that’s something you could do?
Justine
Well, just for one exposing our fans or the people who watch or listen to our music to this festival, and you know what, what we go see, the the shows that we see will probably just start to something, maybe, you know, like, ‘Oh, there’s other things going on.’ And it’s very colorful. It’s a very colorful festival, too.
Lyziane
Yeah, I guess the point of view in Quebec is a little bit that the English Canada is boring. So just with our stories and posts online, we can show that ‘No, stuff is happening outside of Quebec too. Art can live everywhere.’
Justine
Yeah, that’s super cool. I didn’t know that. That’s super cool. It’s like to hear it from the other side. Wow.
Malou
Yeah, in Montreal, it’s not the same either, like they have, they have more stuff. Too much going on in Montreal. I don’t like it.
Justine
Yeah, but there’s more diversity there and self expression also, it’s more present, I’d say in the big city. So I guess it just depends.
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, there was something I kind of want to loop back to. I noted it in my brain, but we moved on. You mentioned when you have something to say you want to say it, can you talk to me about some things that you want to communicate through your music?
Speaker 1
Yeah? Well, I guess it’s like all all the other punk bands. But you know, if I see like injustice or if I’m mad about something, then that’s what I’m gonna write about. And with what is fun is I can just scream it into a mic. Sadly, no one understands it here, but, you know, we try to explain it before we play.
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, that’s why I asked because it’s so cool, and I want to understand it.
Justine
Yeah, no, yeah. Well, we can talk about the songs if you want.
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, no, get into it. I want to hear it. Yeah. Talk about one of your favorite songs on your newest album?
Justine
Well, my favorite is “Pas de compromis” which is a song about not be put in, notwanting to be put in a box, and being whatever you want and if you want to change, well, you can, because you know, everything changes and fuck labels. That’s pretty much it.
Emma (CJSW)
You can always break outside of it, yes.
Justine
And you know, even not having a certain label, is having a label on you, like you always have to be put in a box nowadays. So I’m just singing about, ‘Hey, like, if I want to be that, I’ll be that.’ And if I want to be something else, then I will be something else. And, you know, just don’t try to close a box on me.
Lyziane
Yeah. Another song of ours is “P.M.S Nicotine,” which is a great song about like, being approached by someone you don’t want to be approached by. And so the lyrics are just like, I smoke all my cigarettes and then I just go crazy.
Justine
Don’t touch me. Don’t touch me. And no means no.
Emma (CJSW)
Yes, yes. I had an experience last night that happened to me. I was at a train station on my way home after being at a show because I was also at Sled Island last night. Yeah, being approached, I had my partner on the phone, and I was being like, ‘Please go away. I’m on the phone.’
Crachat
Oh, that’s too bad.
Emma (CJSW)
No, but now I’m gonna listen to your song and I’m gonna smoke all my cigarettes. I’m gonna fucking feel it!
Crachat
And you say, ‘Touche moi pas.’
Emma (CJSW)
Yeah, I’m gonna use that.
Malou
My favorite song on the album is “IATSE”. It’s about, well, iatse, it’s a company in Quebec that sets up stages and stuff, awesome, right? Yeah. And, you know, it’s a male dominated space. And, you know, there’s a lot of misogynistic comments and stuff. So it’s pretty much about that.
Justine
The message in the song is, ‘Don’t make jokes about women being fucking dogs or—’
Lyziane
Let’s not tolerate men being pigs.
Justine
Exactly, and just shut the fuck up.
Emma (CJSW)
Oh, that’s awesome. I’m gonna go and re listen to the album with this new knowledge, and I’m very excited to actually understand it. Touche moi pas, touche moi pas. Great. That’s everything I had for you. Just to chat with you today. Is there anything else you wanted to add?
Justine
Well, we’re opening tonight for The Mummies at Palomino, and then tomorrow at Loophole with the Medusas 4BPM and PERRA.
Emma (CJSW)
Awesome. You guys are gonna rock it. I’m so excited rock and roll.