Three Music Thingz with comets near me

Holy moley, it's another rendition of Three Music Thingz, the blogseries where I ask musicians for three thingz that are essential to their music-making.

Today we have comets near me! A self-described "tweemo" duo based in San Jose, CA, comets near me just put out a cozy four-track EP called Don't Pick The Flowers; its press release details how band members Maria and Kyle met and bonded over a shared love of Bright Eyes, which feels extremely apropos considering the release's folkish twang, hushed vocals, and vividly intimate storytelling...it's giving me I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning vibes and I'm digging it.

I love the final song "Purgatory," which picks up the pace and cranks the ennui ("Like a ghost out in the graveyard or the stamps on an old postcard / I've got nowhere I can go, haunted by what used to be") but avoids bruising the listener with too much aggression—the drums are gentle, and Maria and Kyle's voices trade off pleasantly, softening any bitterness, like the candy coating on an ibuprofen tablet.

comets near me shared their three thingz with the blog...read them in 3, 2, 1...

1. Levity
   It's always been our approach in life to deal with hardship with lightness and humor, so that philosophy carries through to our music too. That's what makes us part twee / part emo—or "tweemo." There's often this underlying sadness in our sound that's juxtaposed by a playful simplicity. They're able to coexist because of levity. A lot of our influences write about hopelessness with no light at the end of the tunnel. Our approach is more so—"I'm sad. But maybe I'll get better. Maybe not though? Either way, might as well laugh at the ridiculousness of it all."
2. Curiosity
   We're pretty curious about the world, the people we interact with and the music of the past, present and future. This curiosity is what inspires us to challenge ourselves lyrically and sonically. If we find that element is missing from us, our art suffers. It's not easy to stay curious when we're all told to focus on our day-to-day responsibilities all the time, but it's definitely a priority for us.
3. Not trying
   When someone asked Charles Bukowski how he creates, he said, “Don’t try. Don’t work. It’s there. It’s been looking right at us, aching to kick out of the closed womb."
   
   Art and inspiration is around us at all times and like Bukowski, we don't believe you need to look for it. Our band name was birthed after we saw a comet in the sky. Our EP Don't Pick the Flowers came to us after we got yelled at by a park ranger for picking flowers. The other day, we were writing a song about a pirate simply because there was a guy outside of our window dressed like one. Everything we create is the result of not reaching for something, but instead, letting the world happen around us and letting creativity find us.

Thank you comets near me! Check out the Don't Pick The Flowers EP. And thanks for reading I Enjoy Music, if you like it, tell a friend.