London based CATBEAR are forging their own path as indie music women artists. Best friends Zoe Konez on lead guitar and vocals, and Sarah Smith on drums and vocals make up the band. Born out of the London grrrl movement in 2010, they have grown and developed CATBEAR from its teenage identity, Cat Bear Tree, into making self-assured, bold music. The empowered DIY duo records in Zoe’s home studio, as well as self-producing, and self-releasing their music. Their songs combine the retro synths of the ’80s with the ’90s riot grrrl attitude.
CATBEAR wants to be an inspiration for young women and LGBTQ+ people like themselves to take control of their music. The duo wants to inspire them to do anything they want. For example, form a band, become a drummer, a guitarist, or record, and produce your own music. For example, Zoe teaches music production and is passionate about leveling the playing field in the music industry. She put out a call on her social media recently, offering pointers to women starting out in producing.
Zoe and Sarah say CATBEAR is the basis of their friendship which has enabled them to survive the ups and downs of band life, relationships, and finding time to prioritize music-making. Furthermore, their only agenda is to make music for their own enjoyment and have fun doing it.
They released their latest single, Love and War, on April 24th. COVID-19 has made working together difficult as they are living in different houses. However, when they can be back in the same room together, they’ll be working on new ideas and material.
I recently interviewed by email Zoe and Sarah about the success of their singles, production process, their roots in the London grrrr riot movement, using bras for sound insulation in the studio, and so much more.
Congratulations on the success of your single, “Unrequited Love” having racked up 10K streams since its release in October. What have you learned from the experience of getting this many streams so far?
It’s been amazing that it connects with people. We’ve had some really positive feedback. Billy from The Subways has become a fan and he’s done an acoustic cover which just blows our minds!
What was your strategy for achieving that many streams? If you didn’t have one, how were you able to accomplish it?
We’re a DIY act so we spent time getting in touch with people that we thought would like us and the song, and letting them know it’s out. But we were really lucky that it connected with people and they wrote about it or added it to playlists. We could have spent a thousand pounds on a press campaign but decided to save the money and be genuine and try to connect with people on a personal level.. and it worked!
Explain your production process.
Zoe does most of the production but with input from Sarah to get her take on things. Zoe’s got a home studio where she records and produces everything. We get in her wardrobe and surround ourselves with bras for sound insulation – how about that for women empowerment!
What have you learned with self-producing and self-releasing your music in a male-dominated industry?
Yes, it’s male-dominated but we know some kick-ass female producers and it’s been really great to feel part of a community of super-skilled women. There will always be times we feel less recognised or acknowledged, and all women in the music industry have a list of horror stories, but there are a growing number of initiatives to support women, and the more women get together and boost each other, the better.
Zoe: You teach music production on a degree course and have said that you are passionate about leveling the playing field in music production. What is your strategy for accomplishing this?
I recently put out a call on my social media for women to get in touch if they are just starting out in the world of producing music and I’d give them some pointers. I think it’s important to share knowledge and to give each other a foot up to where we can. There are so many barriers in the music industry, so I am particularly interested in supporting women and LGBTQ+ people to feel confident to launch into this world.
In a professional and teaching environment, it’s important for me to create a safe space for everyone, to pick up on any casually discriminative comments, and to actively promote equality within educational settings.
What has been the biggest challenge of your music career so far? How did you deal with it?
The biggest challenge has been working out how to play live as a duo. When we started as a threesome called Cat Bear Tree, we were a more guitar/drums/bass live set up. But now with our big production sound, we’re working on how to get the best performance and the right sound.
How was CATBEAR born out of the London grrrl movement in the mid-2010s? And how did it evolve from its teenage identity as Cat Bear Tree?
Zoe: I wanted to form a girl band and be in a band with women as it made me feel more comfortable after some less pleasant experiences being in bands as the only female and I just wanted to have fun with it – we have had some really fun times.
Sarah: I was bored of playing with boys in bands. They were annoying! I think we felt like a special crew as we were a minority – it was kind of fun fighting to be heard.
Tell me what the ups and downs of band life are and your advice on how to survive it.
Finding time to meet up and work on music together is hard. We both have other jobs so it’s difficult to prioritise music-making. But the basis of CATBEAR is our friendship and having a laugh, so we try and make sure we keep it lighthearted and fun.
What is your favorite instrument to play when you perform and why?
Traditionally Zoe would play guitar and Sarah would play drums but at the moment we’re working on diversifying our live set so that when we hit the stage again we might be playing a bit differently – watch this space!
Explain your songwriting process.
Sometimes it starts with a concept sometimes it’s a riff. Sometimes we write the lyrics first and sometimes the music comes first. It really depends. Once we’ve got a bare track laid out we get together and record the vocals. And once that’s finished Zoe will produce it and send it off to be mixed and mastered. I guess the subject of most of our songs are about heartbreak and love, usually with some tension and frustration, and a play-off between light and dark.
How do you think women artists can be better supported in the music industry?
Well, things like Indie Music Women are really supportive and there are lots of new initiatives and groups for women musicians and women working in the music business. The more women out there, not conforming to traditional expectations, just being themselves and being recognised and acknowledged, the more younger generations will see it’s ok to be themselves and to enter the music industry with confidence.
What does it mean to you personally to be indie women artists?
It means that we can forge our own path and make our own creative and marketing decisions but keep having fun whilst we do it.
What projects are you currently working on?
We’ve got our new single Love and War coming out on 24th April. It’s difficult to work on other stuff together because we’re in different houses right now. But as soon as we can we’ll be back in the same room working on new material. We’ve got some ideas already started so there’s more on its way!
Thank you, CATBEAR, for the opportunity to interview you!
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Official Audio Video: CATBEAR – Love And War