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- [00:00]
A
Foreign. You're listening to all of it on wnyc. I'm Alison Stewart. Annie derusso released her anticipated debut album, Super Pedestrian. And NPR says the album has, quote, no skips and calls the record a glorious debut. She's been on tour for years with some of the biggest names in indie music, from Haim to Samia, but now she is by herself on a. Annie's songwriting is both confessional and fun, full of introspective songs, straight talk, and some pure rock and roll. Super Pedestrian is out now, and we're joined by Annie derusso, who's gonna perform live for us in studio. Hi, Annie.
- [00:47]
B
Hi. Thanks so much for having me.
- [00:48]
A
Okay, what are we gonna hear first?
- [00:50]
B
We're gonna play a song called Wearing Pants.
- [00:52]
A
You wanna set this up a little bit or just play it?
- [00:55]
B
You know what? Sure, I'll set it up. This song I wrote back in Nashville in July during a month I like to call party July.
- [01:04]
A
We'll talk about that in a minute.
- [01:06]
B
Okay, great. Okay. Can't wait. With my good friend Rustin Kelly. And today, playing the part of Rustin Kelly is Eden Joel.
- [01:13]
A
All right, let's listen.
- [01:33]
C
Started wearing pants again Body is awake but my brain is dead Flies on the walls Gunshots over East Park Find them when they fall Covering my backyar. Started picking up again Left for the last song can't see how it ends He's a shark among men he kissed me in the kitchen break I never bend I'm drunk and I don't listen Now. I love pain as it's settling and I went to your show God, I wish that I didn't love the sound of water as it's swallowing me. Hate the way my new room smells I keep picturing the guy who just moved out Was he drinking in the bed? Did his girlfriend hate him? The air is thick and gray from burning all his sa I can't breathe I love pain as it's settling and I went to your show God, I wish that I didn't love the sound of water as it swallowed me whole. I love pain as it's settling and I think I said too much God, I wish that I didn't love the sound of water as it swallowing me Sat wearing pants again well, I think I like the way they fit.
- [05:20]
A
That was Annie derusso. You have a beautiful tone.
- [05:25]
B
Thank you so much.
- [05:25]
A
Your voice, especially when you hit those high notes. It's just this beautiful round tone. When did you discover you could sing?
- [05:33]
B
That's an awesome question. I think I Always hoped I could because I love to sing, but, yeah, I didn't really know I could when I was younger. No one in my family does music. I just always loved to sing. I kind of started playing the guitar, but I didn't practice that much. I only wanted to play it so I could sing. So then I kind of switched to doing vocal lessons and stuff like that when I was probably 11. And then I actually joined the Young People's Chorus of New York City when I was like, 13 or something. 12. 13. And I feel like that was very formative for me and really learning how to sing.
- [06:13]
A
What do you remember from that time that you still use with your voice?
- [06:18]
B
I think that kind of the. The breathing techniques, especially for choral music, is like, really, it's, like, very important. And also when you're singing in a chorus, you have to kind of almost like, homogenize your tone a little bit so that it's not too sticky. You want it to sound like a unit, and I think that's a very, very helpful skill.
- [06:45]
A
When you decided to put out your debut album, what did you decide? You wrote? A list of non negotiables?
- [06:52]
B
Yeah, I did.
- [06:53]
A
What did you want on that list?
- [06:55]
B
So I wanted every word on the album to be a word I would stand by for as long as possible. I mean, it's hard to say forever, but for as long as possible. And every sound on the album, I really. My whole thing with the album. Eden is here, who actually, like, made the album with me. We worked on it together. Hi. But I mean, a lot. What did we talk about? We talked about no stone unturned. That was huge. Yeah, we. Yeah, we talked a lot about standing by all the words you were saying and not trying to. Kind of trying to stay with the blinders up and not just making stuff that we were stoked about and not, like, necessarily thinking about how it was gonna be received, I guess. Yeah, it was very much like, let's just make stuff that we think is cool and not worry about what, you know, other people are gonna think is cool, which is shocking. Shockingly tough to do sometimes.
- [07:52]
A
Why was that hard?
- [07:54]
B
I'm. Well, I mean, I think the instinct is you want people to think that your music is cool, you know, And I think especially having come up, like, as a woman in the indie music scene in Nashville, like, there was something that I felt like in the past that I'd felt like, I really want to prove that. Like, you know, instead of just being like, a singer, songwriter or something like that, I really Want to prove that I can be, like, a cool rock musician, you know, and a cool whatever. And that never serves me to, like, try to make something that specific people are gonna think is cool, you know, I feel like what has always served me is to just make and served me in the sense of, like, I just love the stuff at that point, if I just make stuff that I think is cool. And we were so hyped. Neither of us had done a lot of production before, and we kind of started with the song Legs on the record, and we just stayed up all night one night working on it, and we felt like we discovered something. Like, it felt like we were kids again. And that was kind of the thing we wanted to hold on to when making the record.
- [08:55]
A
How did you want people to be introduced to your music or to discover your music who had never heard you before?
- [09:01]
B
Like, what would be my ideal way? Yeah, honestly, I really love playing live, so I think opening for people is kind of the. My favorite way that people discover my music. I feel like my live show is a really great introduction to the project.
- [09:19]
A
My guest is Annie DeRusso. She's performing from her debut album, Super Pedestrian. It's out now. Like you said, you toured a lot with Haim and Samia. What did you learn from touring with those acts and observing them that you thought that's important? I should know, that I should keep that in the back of my mind.
- [09:42]
B
Wow. I feel like. Yeah, that's another amazing thing about opening. I honestly love opening. I've been lucky to open for so many of my favorite artists, and they've all taught me different things. I mean, I feel like Samya is such a great example of someone who really delivers each word to the audience. And the words are obviously so important in her music, and I learned that from her. And honestly, a lot about health on the road and vocal health and stuff like that has been very important to learn from all different people I've toured with. I mean, also just, like, understanding how to put on a show and how long you want the set list to be and where to. You know, it is challenging to. Especially now that I have a record out, I have, like, a bigger discography than ever. To create the flow of a show is very challenging to try and have the moments where it's big and small. And I feel like I learned that a lot from the different people that I've toured with.
- [10:45]
A
You mentioned Party July.
- [10:48]
B
Yes.
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A
At the top of this interview. Sure, sure.
- [10:50]
B
Right at the top.
- [10:51]
A
So tell me a little bit about what Happened during Party July.
- [10:55]
B
I would love to. So party July was July 2023. I had just gotten off tour for my EP and we were on tour for a long time, like two and a half months or something like that. And I don't drink or smoke on tour because I don't want to get sick. And I'd kind of just been in this phase when I was writing that EP and when I was touring it, I was just kind of nose to the ground. Like, I wasn't. I didn't really feel like I was living. I was just thinking about making stuff, which I don't think is really a great way to make stuff, to be honest. And I learned that because also I was on tour with, like, 10 of my friends. There was a band from Nashville also opening for us. And so it was just like 11 of us running around the country for, like, two months. But I had to be like, such a bummer because I couldn't hang or do anything. I had to go to sleep and stuff. So I was like, when we get back to Nashville, it's Party July because I want my turn, you know, I want to hang. I want to do the whole thing. The rest of us were, like, exhausted and tired and ate, and I was like, no, no, no. And honestly, I also knew that I had to kind of start thinking about my debut record. And in the past, I'd gotten back from touring like, okay, I need to write, and then just gotten so depressed because I'm just from going with, you know, going around with 11 people all the time, to being completely alone and being like, what do I want to write about? That time we drove through Texas, like, there's nothing to write about. Like, you know, so I basically just was like, I'm gonna start living life, partying a little bit, you know, living like a 23 year old. And that's kind of what I did. I just did a bunch of stuff. It wasn't just partying. I was just saying yes to things instead of being like, no, I've got to stay home and write. I was like, why don't I go do stuff? And writing became. I wrote, you know, three or four of the songs from the record in Party July. Well, because you had experience, I had something to say. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- [12:52]
A
Let's listen to another song. Annie Derusso, what are we gonna listen to next?
- [12:56]
B
This next song, I'm Going to Tune My Guitar, is a song called Back in Town. Oh, I like this song. Thanks. And this is not a party July1. I think this was. This was an October piece. This is in peaceful October. But, yeah, this is just about. It's a yearning song. You know, about wanting to give someone your all if they would just let you. But also not really saying that and acting like you don't care at all, you know?
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A
This is Annie Derusso.
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B
This is called Back in Town.
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C
Swore I would take to my grave the fact I changed my flood out of Chicago just so I'd see you one more time. Met you at that beach you love on the north side you told me.
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B
Your friend says I've got pretty eyes.
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C
But you don't tell your friends you love me all the time now you're somewhere and I letting me down again yeah, I know I should know but now I heard from a friend you're still sleeping around but give me a call when you're back in town I wanna give you my all when you're back in town when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back when you're, you're back I hope you don't think I'm just waiting around but give me a call and you're back in town. Well, I keep sending you books I know you'll never read Guess it's all I can give that's not all of me Wrote some things in the margins I hoped you might see it but they just sit in your room where I'd kill to be I've never been in your room and it's killing me when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back when you're back back, you're back I hope you don't think I'm just waiting around but give me a call when you're back in town. Wanna call you up just to see where you're at Saw it in your eyes that night the train was packe you know I'd be your girl if you would only ask don't tell me everything Just tell me when you're back heard you're back in town I can't handle this if you want me now you know where I live. When you're when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back when you're back, you're back I hope you don't think I'm just waiting around but give me a call when you're back in town Wanna call you up just to see where you're at? Saw it in your eyes at night the train was packed? You know I'd be your girlfri if you would only ask. Don't tell me everything Just tell me when you're back.
- [17:30]
A
That was Annie Derusso. Her new album is called Super Pedestrian. I can't wait till you're older. And you write a song called I don't care that you're back in town.
- [17:40]
B
Next album. Next album.
- [17:42]
A
That made me think of it. It's one of the things I loved about it. Cause I remember that feeling of the person just, you can't wait till they're back in town. And now I'm like, oh, what.
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B
Like, miss me with that? I don't care.
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A
You're from New York, right? Croton and Hudson. And then you went down to Nashville?
- [17:59]
B
Yep.
- [18:00]
A
And then you just moved to Queens?
- [18:02]
B
I did, yeah.
- [18:03]
A
Why did you want to come back to New York?
- [18:05]
B
I kind of always knew I would at some point. My family's still in New York and I have a lot of friends here. And honestly, I just love it here. And after Party July and everything, where I took my. My break to write the record. That was the first time I was in Nashville for a while after I'd graduated college. And since, because I was touring pretty extensively up to that point. And when I got back there, it was honestly really great to be there and write my record. But I realized I was kind of just taking that same walk every day, you know, seeing all the same people and lovely people. But I thought, I think I could do this later in life. I think right now I want to live at maybe a higher frequency. And I just felt like all the days were starting to blend together. So about a year ago, my best friend from childhood had a room open up in her apartment in Chinatown. And I was like, okay, I'll just sublet for January. But as soon as I got here, I was like, I feel so engaged with life. And I never moved back. I kind of just sublet around this year and yeah, just moved to Queens.
- [19:17]
A
How has your writing changed since you've moved to New York?
- [19:20]
B
Honestly, this year was a lot of touring for me, which is always a little bit hard writing wise. But it was really fun to write with the people in my band. I mean, New York is very exciting to write about because I feel like every day is so different and there's so many things to do all of the time and so much to observe. It's honestly, like just a much wider spectrum. And I feel like what I'm learning is to figure out where to focus in.
- [19:55]
A
I want to get to your last song so we don't run out of time. What are you going to play for us?
- [19:59]
B
We are going to play a newer song. This came out on the deluxe version of the record in last month, but we actually just wrote it in like August and finished it in November. So it was a pretty quick turnaround. And I think it kind of has more of the juice of what's going on writing wise for me these days. The New York juice. New York juice for sure.
- [20:31]
A
Yeah.
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B
This song is called muck.
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A
This is muck. And this is Annie derusso and eden, right?
- [20:36]
B
Yes. Good job.
- [20:37]
A
Thank you.
- [20:41]
B
All right, here we go. Scary. We were practicing this in the apartment this morning. Kind of just all right.
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C
I told you yesterday swimming in the hudson you went and spread my legs letting all the muck in the day's getting shorter again I'm spending a mo on you you're meeting me at the station don't know what I wanna do I guess what's wrong is when we're kissing we can't talk but when we're talking we can't kiss I watch your lips but I love the things you say and when I'm gone and we can't kiss and we can't talk it's just my thoughts you're just my thoughts you're all mine you're I think about. We're making out our departures my blood drying on your hand it's always been so much harder and I'm starting to understand I guess what's wrong is when we're kissing we can't talk but when we're talking we can't kiss I watch your lips but I love the things you said and when I'm gone and we can't kiss and we can't talk it's just my thoughts you're just my thoughts you're all mine you're all I think about I don't think about the road when I'm driving but I think about death when I'm flying I don't think about the song when I'm writing I just think about you I don't think about my breath til I'm running I don't think about love till I'm lovin And I don't think about sex when we're muckin I just think about. I only think about you, you, you I guess what's wrong is when we're kissing, we can't talk, but when we're talking, we can't kiss. I watch your lips? Cause you're all I think about.
- [23:37]
A
You did it. That was Annie Derusso and Eden Joel, who are laughing. You'll tell me. Why are you laughing?
- [23:46]
B
No, no, no. We just had such a great time. It was just the best. I'm like, did I curse on that or. No, I don't. I don't think you did. I don't think so. All right.
- [23:55]
A
They don't seem that concerned in the control room. They said no thumbs up.
- [23:59]
B
I am shocked. Thank you so much. This was awesome.
- [24:02]
A
The name of the album is Super Pedestrian. Thanks for coming in.
- [24:05]
B
Thanks for having us.
- [24:11]
A
This is Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, the science Friday team has been reporting high quality science and technology news, making science fun for curious people by covering everything from the outer reaches of space to the rapidly changing world of AI to the tiniest microbes in our bodies. Audiences trust our show because they know we're driven by a mission to inform and serve listeners first and foremost with important news they won't get anywhere else. And our sponsors benefit from benefit from that halo effect. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.