Photo by Chloe Gonzales
Before we caught the electrifying duo on tour (read our coverage here!), UCLA Radio got to sit down with Matt Stephenson of Machine Girl in an exclusive interview. The project, created in 2012, has taken on many forms: hardcore, electronic, breakcore, and more. Throughout the interview, we banter with Matt about Machine Girl’s new project, MG Ultra, how the fans have connected with the project, and touring.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity purposes
Interviewed by Elaina Marino & Chloe Gonzales
Chloe: You guys have been on tour for a bit. How do you feel at this point on tour? Have there been any transformations?
Matt: It feels good so far. There’s a transformation in terms of the live set, between songs changing, getting swapped out, and getting used to performing the songs. Every live set is always slightly different, so adjusting to that. Everything right now is going pretty smoothly and the show has been great, so we’re feeling pretty good.
Elaina: How has performing songs off of MG Ultra been compared to performances of your other songs?
Matt: It’s still the same type of performance that’s been done for the past couple of years — high energy. The only difference is maybe slightly more melodic vocals than just total screaming. Other than that, there’s no drastic difference.
Chloe: We noticed that the lyrics are much more prominent on MG Ultra than in the past, especially your older discography. What inspired you to go more lyrical? Were there any writers that inspired you?
Matt: I wanted to write stuff that was more vocally focused, even more so than the last couple of records. And to put the lyrics and vocals kind of front and center was definitely intentional. In terms of influences, I would say Philip K Dick, a sci-fi writer who has written a lot about the future and the way that technology affects experimental reality and vanity. Thematically, the album touches on a lot of that, on sanity, reality, and the manipulation of that via technology.
Elaina: Has your relationship to sanity or sanity-slash-reality always been a part of Machine Girl, or is that just this latest album?
Matt: It’s been there since Gemini, but it’s definitely more in the forefront on this record than anything else.
Elaina: Have fans connected to the music in that way, whether it be this new album or previous, as a mental health outlet or expression?
Matt: Oh, absolutely. I’ve gotten people that came up to me and they’re like “your music means so much to me” and “it’s helping me through such tough times.” Some people have been like “you’re the reason I’m still here” and “your music gave me the will to go on.” So, it’s definitely resonated with people.
Chloe: That must be an amazing feeling. That definitely resonated with people like us, too. On those lines, we were wondering if you had thoughts on the trans community embracing the music?
Matt: Back when I started the project, these issues were not even spoken about and I never picked the name [Machine Girl] because of that. I had my own reasons for choosing the name, but I do believe that there is a musical connection that’s been made between the very loud, fast, abrasive, breakcore and the trans community. I think that for specifically a lot of young trans women, being a project called Machine Girl, and that there’s someone who doesn’t look like a traditionally femme person that it’s also the reason it connected, but that’s just my theory. It could be anything, but that’s what I think. Just like I was saying with the mental health stuff, I’m honored that the trans community has connected to the music.
Elaina: Thank you, it does mean a lot to the both of us. In other interviews, you talked about the online community, like the official Discord server. Have there been any memorable interactions with fans on this recent leg of touring? How has that community shifted in any way during this new era?
Matt: I wouldn’t say anything drastic. The last time there was a noticeable shift was during the post-COVID tour. The fanbase then was much more noticeably younger and more of a fandom than it was before. There hasn’t been any crazy fan interaction, which can go both ways, but after the shows, the fans I’ve interacted with have been very sweet. That’s usually signing a record or, now that I think about it, someone asked me to sign their leg and then they got the signature tattooed on them.
Elaina: When you’re touring, have you been able to connect or try to dive into the smaller artists and scenes in the cities where you’re touring?
Matt: No, not really. The only city I can really say that about is New York. I do feel also because I’m older now, I just don’t go out nearly as much as I used to. I’ve met a lot of the younger artists in New York still doing really cool, interesting shit and the little scenes are brewing and popping off there. It’s great to see; I think post-COVID in New York and a lot of the country we lost a lot of spaces for music scenes to really flourish. A lot of DIY spaces were shutting down and that really sucks — I hope we can get a lot of that back. But yeah, when I’m on tour, it’s really hard to tap into the scenes and such. Honestly because I have no choice but to play at these big venues, these big Live Nation venues, that’s so obviously disconnected from whatever’s happening locally.
Chloe: For sure. And how does playing in those Live Nation venues differ from playing in these more DIY spaces? Is the dynamic with your audiences different?
Matt: Yeah, back in the day we played house shows and places where there was no stage or in a warehouse, and everyone’s on the floor, people are spilling over onto the equipment. I obviously do miss that a lot. There’s pros and cons. I mean now it’s much more consistent. I don’t need to worry about my equipment breaking because someone fell on it or the sound system being completely garbage. So it’s more consistent, more professional, but there’s an element of the connection between the audience and us that is literally and figuratively more distant now.
Chloe: I can definitely understand that disconnect. I’ve heard from other bands, too, how they agree with you in terms of sound quality not being as good, but how it feels very real to just be in there, right in the face with the audience and having them just crowd around you.
Matt: And I’ll always be doing smaller projects on the side. I’ll still get a taste of that. But for Machine Girl, that era is over.
Elaina: Has Machine Girl changed with this push of distance and isolation, not going out, not being as connected with fans? Did that affect the album? Like, how it would sound if you were writing for certain spaces?
Matt: I think it did a little bit. I mean, I wrote a chunk of the album before going on tour with 100 gecs, and I wrote the latter half after. A lot of it was written almost because of playing in these giant venues and seeing 100 gecs perform, while at the same time taking a hiatus from playing shows. So it was interesting, because it definitely came out of a place of isolation and disconnections.
Chloe: Did playing with 100 gecs inspire your album at all then?
Matt: Yeah, definitely, I mean I described MG Ultra as the Machine Girl pop album. Totally was inspired by our time with them and seeing them perform their last album every night for six weeks.
Elaina: How would you describe them performing the album?
Matt: It was great. It made me really appreciate the songs on it and understand the power of those songs. They definitely did a really good job of translating those tracks for a live setting.
Elaina: We were also wondering about your connection to the artists that are opening. I know you’ve collaborated with one of the members of Kill Alters for Prolaps.
Matt: When we were in late high school, early college, Sean [the other member of Machine Girl] and I were obsessed with Lightning Bolt and saw them many times. So bringing them on this tour was a very surreal but amazing opportunity.
Chloe: You guys also signed with record label, Future Classic. How has that been versus with previous labels?
Matt: We never actually signed to a label before, so this was the first time that we’ve done that. And it’s different, there are pros and cons. It’s similar to the difference between the DIY spaces and the big professional venues. There’s a professionalism that’s there that I really appreciate and that has allowed for the physical record to come out, beautifully designed and everything. But, there’s a learning curve to it for sure and making sure, as an artist, that you’re still the one making all the creative calls. That’s definitely a lesson that I learned quickly once we started working on the promotional side of this record.
Elaina: Have you maintained a good level of control, with this record specifically?
Matt: It’s not like it was compromised, but definitely there were certain choices that had an effect not on the music but just on the rollout of the record. I allowed them [the label] to make certain calls and roll out certain tracks before the record release — there were basically just singles that we went back and forth on and ultimately I allowed them to choose which ones to drop first, since I never even put singles out before. It’s not like anything got fucked up or whatever, but I think for everyone involved, myself and the label, it was a learning experience for all of us. You know, the next time we put more shit out to not be afraid to drop the freaky cool shit, you know? And because we kind of dropped the poppiest tracks first, I think that it freaked a lot of Machine Girl fans out because they were like, “what the hell is this?” not understanding that the singles were kind of outliers on the whole record. But it is what it is and again it’s not like anything was artistically compromised.
Chloe: I see. Were you nervous then about fan’s initial reactions being like, “what the fuck?”
Matt: Yeah it sucks, working really hard on something and then you have a bunch of kids online being like, “man this shit sucks!”
Elaina: I think describing this record as a whole as the poppiest Machine Girl has been, what does pop music mean to you? Is it a sound for you?
Matt: My definition and idea of pop music is still out of touch with what it is now, which is probably why it didn’t even register that way for most people. I mean pop music is like catchy hooks and a certain fun element that should be there to me.
Elaina: What is the perfect pop song for you?
Matt: There are so many I could choose but I’ll say “Steal My Sunshine” by LEN. It’s incredible. For me, it’s all the shit I grew up with in the late 90s, early 2000s — all just the perfect pop music to me.
—
Chloe: Is there something that you wished you were asked in interviews?
Matt: Maybe, how are you doing?
Elaina: How are you doing?
Matt: Right now? Doing good. We have a day off!
—
Elaina: The tour has also had the election happen during it. How has that affected you and/or the tour?
Matt: I’ll be honest, we already went through this in 2016, because we were on tour then when Trump won the first time. And that colored that tour heavily because of the shock of that election. And then there was the Ghost Ship fire that happened and a couple of people died. And then there was a crackdown on DIY spaces all over the country. So while we were on tour, venues that were playing were getting shut down. That was really intense. I feel the way probably a lot of people feel, depressing and exhausted. I was half expecting him to win so I wasn’t really shocked. And this tour, I think for us and a lot of people kind of coming out and there’s sort of this escapism. It’s obviously very cathartic for ourselves and for the kids coming out to these shows.
Elaina: And what’s your relationship with the idea of escapism?
Matt: I think everyone engages with that and that it’s different for everyone. I think that to some degree, music is almost always an escape, even if it’s politically charged music, it ultimately still has an escape from whatever you’re experiencing. It creates a fantasy of some kind, even if it’s like the fantasy of fighting back against authority. The thing is, it’s just a matter of taking that fantasy and trying to turn it into some kind of reality. And that’s a choice left up to each individual person.
Elaina: Especially in this recent album, I think Machine Girl in general has a political bent. What are your thoughts on the idea that has been political art of artists specifically talking politics versus putting it into one’s art.
Matt: I think all art is somewhat political, whether people realize it or not. It says a lot, depending on what your art is, and there’s more front-facing political music and then music where it’s more of a feeling than it is someone lyrically telling you what their politics are. But I think most music is liberating. But also, I think it’s up to each artist to make the call because I also don’t think every artist needs to constantly be talking about politics and saying shit. A lot of people don’t know what they’re talking about. And I think that there’s also an issue with social media and stuff, too, where people talk too much and don’t listen.
—
Chloe: We usually ask for our last question what your DJ name would be, as this is a radio station. However, we know that you have one, DJ Chaotic Ugly! So alternatively, we were wondering if you were to have a show on the air, what would you do for your show?
Matt: It would probably be like a variety hour, probably music and then interview with people but not just musicians, just like random people. Maybe having different animal calls throughout the show and teaching people about different animals. And maybe have some kind of ASMR in there.
