Features Shiny Toy Guns

Californian uber-indie types Seventeen Evergreen have just released their debut single ‘Haven’t Been Yourself’. It’s taken from forthcoming album ‘Life Embarrasses Me On Planet Earth’, set for release on 2nd April. We asked them to introduce themselves and explain a little more…

Your name rhymes. Do you know of any other bands whose name rhymes?
Milli Vanilli.

Your debut album was, as you say, influenced by living between a deaf senior citizens’ home and AA building - do you think it would have been markedly different if this hadn’t been the case?
The album wasn’t necessarily influenced by this situation aside from the fact that early on we could make lots of noise between these buildings and some of the bizarre people that straggled into our studio have been unforgettable and strangely haunting.

The album has received quite a lot of positive press - how important is this to you as a band?
It’s only important to us in the way that the journalist, at least partially, gets where we are coming from which in turn gives the listener a fair chance to listen to the music and do the same.

You’ve been compared to quite a few different acts (your US label lists both Pavement and Air, for example). What’s the strangest comparison you’ve ever had?
Field Mice was a bit strange, but on the other end of the musical spectrum from them, it’s been early 90’s grunge references, someone recently said ‘experimental grunge’, huh??

And the most flattering?
The Beatles is most highly flattering and it’s come up a time or two.

Do you have any festival plans this year?
To play some! Dates are being booked in UK and Japan for the summer!!

Finally, any new/upcoming bands you think DIY readers should listen to?
check out Arlo Hero, Love Vigilante, Hottub and Ashley Eriksson.