interview: Orlando Swim Club

Fresh off the release of their album Phantom Weight, we spoke to Teddy Coppes about recording, snacks, and how we can better support disabled members of the DIY community.

The Grey Estates: Tell me a little about the meaning behind "Lock Jaw." What is the importance of the samples? And how did you decide on including the sounds of boxing?

Orlando Swim Club: "Lock Jaw" is just as much about the speaker's inner battles as it is about boxing.  I love using samples in my music as possible. If you listen close to the samples they can tell a bit more of the story, for this song specifically, boxing samples worked perfectly at telling the story.

How does the track fit into the rest of the album and what can we can expect from the full release?  

The album has different boxing themes sprinkled throughout its entirety. The rest of the album is very moody, and definitely tells a story. Hopefully it should all feel like one strange dream, when listened to as a whole.

For someone who has never heard your music before, how would you describe it? Feel free to use emojis and or GIFs. 

Oh gosh. Well my favorite thing its ever been describes as is "smallboi emo-folk"  I feel like that sums it up well.

You had mentioned to me about having cerebral palsy. How has that influenced your songwriting or your music work, if at all? And as listeners and members of the music community, what can we do to better support others with disabilities in our community? 

Absolutely. My disability has given me the drive to be the best musician I can be. It has definitely contributed to its fair share of obstacles with music, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. The best thing we can do as a community to show support for disabled folks, is to make our shows as accessible as possible. We would love to go to shows, it's just unfortunately not all of us can make it down those basement stairs.

What is the official OSC snack of choice?

Aldi brand cheese crackers and vanilla Coke

If you were throwing a festival, what bands would you want to play on it?

Nanna Grizol, The Mountain Goats, Dawes The Hotelier and Jenny Lewis

What advice would you give our readers? 

Never skip your breakfast :D