With “Eye For an Eye” out now, we took some time to hear from 37 Houses. Read below to learn more about 37 Houses, the story behind “Eye For an Eye,” and what’s to come.
Hi! Let’s start with how did the band’s name come about?
Jeremy: Hi! Excited to be here. You know that is something we never answer. I would pose the question back, what does that name mean to you? No wrong answers.
Erin: What is a band name if not a conversation starter.
How and when did the full quartet form after the initial debut recording?
Jeremy: Initially this project started as a way for Erin and I to have some outlet while quarantined together in 2020. She had a strong musical theater and singing background and I had been songwriting for years, but wasn’t (and still am not) much of a singer. Match made in heaven really. After we started to get serious about making this all real we assembled a band of some of my favorite musicians I have worked with over the years. we got the full band together in October, 24 and the final lineup came together about Jan 25. I really wanted to capture the full band sound and vibe on the second record, and I am really happy with how that all came together.
Erin: As all bands do, we took a few iterations to get to the quartet we now have today. Finding the right group was an exercise in both musical compatibility and personality meshing. If we can jam but we don’t feel the same about a cheese pull, this isn’t gonna work out. Luckily, we found synergy across both zones and now we have the sweetest musical family.
How would you all describe your band’s sound to readers who may not be familiar with you all?
Jeremy: Rock and roll. More specifically late ’90s/early 2000s indie punk, I think if you dig Libertines, Metric, Pretty Girls Make Graves, Strokes, and Los Campesinos, you’d be in good company here.
Erin: My vocal background adds an interesting layer to the genre we occupy as well. We’ve been compared to Florence and the Machine, but make it punk.
Who are some of your band’s main musical influences?
Jeremy: Well, see above really. I think there is some early 2000s emo in there too as well as some light post hardcore influences creeping in from time to time. I really listened to a lot of Modest Mouse’s Long Drive album, Los Campesinos’ “No Blues,” Strokes’ “Reptilia” and Brand New’s “Devil and God” when I was crafting this album. But at the same time, I was listening to Swing Kids and Lightning Bolt and Minor Threat, so it all kinda went in the pot.
Erin: From a vocal perspective, I try to bring in shimmers of Karen O’s dgaf silly vocal stylings, adding some sizzle to otherwise brassy and powerful melodies.
What’s one of the proudest moments of your group’s music career so far?
Jeremy: I can tell you the moment that sticks with me. We were playing Petes Candy store in Brooklyn to an absolutely packed crowd and we played the song, “Shadow Puppets,” live for the first time. The place lit up and the whole venue was shaking because everyone was dancing in unison at the end. It hit exactly like I had envisioned and the whole band was just so locked in that night. It was what this music is supposed to feel like and it was magical.
Erin: Exact same answer, the energy in the room was electric and everyone in the room felt like they were part of the same wavelength in that moment.
What would you all say are the greatest lessons that you’ve all learned so far?
Jeremy: Just do it with authenticity and the real ones will find you.
Erin: If something doesn’t work out, trust that something better is just around the corner if you stick to your guns.
Now onto “Eye For an Eye.” What inspired this song?
Jeremy: Musically, I started with what ended up being the baseline and just started humming it in the shower one day. I got out and started playing it with Erin and the basic concept for the song came together pretty quickly after that.
Erin: This was the rare case of instrumentation coming before any concept of lyrics. We workshopped some bass/guitar interlocking melodies one day and then built the song around that.
What is “Eye For an Eye” about?
Jeremy: Well, this record is about Erin and I and our journey from non-monogamy to monogamy to polyamory over the course of our relationship. I wrote “Eye For an Eye” after I broke up with my girlfriend at the time because Erin and I had agreed to be monogamous. It was a huge sacrifice, but that is what you do when you love and care about someone. It is just more complex when you love and care about everyone involved. I was willing to be monogamous because it was so important in that moment, but as I say in the lyrics “I dream of a day we realize this world ain’t worth saving,” I could live like that , but I knew it was not an expression of either of our true selves and I knew there was a day when we would go beyond the old world that monogamy represented and build a more actualized future. And…we did.
Erin: This song in particular is about the tension that builds over time when a conflict persists in relationship. This journey we went through took years to travel and there was a consistent undercurrent of frustration between both of us through that time because we couldn’t live in the conflicting truths we both wanted for our relationship. This song demonstrates that even though the background tension may be present for months and even years between partners, there is still an undeniable and essential love that keeps that relationship alive. That love is the light at the end of the tunnel that pushes each partner through the muck and into healing day by day.
What was the creative process like when making “Eye For an Eye?”
Jeremy: We rented a cabin in Colorado mountains and recorded the whole album in 4 days. Some of the songs that we had demoed and put on the Strangers EP already but most of the songs the band were hearing for the first time within a few hours of getting final takes. “Eye for an Eye” was one of those. I showed the band how it went and worked with Ryan a bit to get the right drum feel and we just started rolling. Sean has a really good sense for where to sit in the arrangement and we developed a great vibe together through this process. I don’t think we spent more than two hours from showing the band the song to having the take.
Erin: There was about 20 minutes of noodling between myself, Sean and Jeremy getting the guitar and bass parts sorted and complementary and then we locked the eff in and recorded the song right then and there.
How long did it take to complete the recording of the new album?
Jeremy: Four days to do all the instruments live and then we did about two days of vocal recording so it was pretty quick. I really wanted to capture the live feeling of the band so there are very few additional tracks or punch ins on this record. It is really just a record of what happened over those few days.
Erin: The album title, When and How It Happened, is both a summation of the conflict that makes up the songs of the record as well as the recording process itself. For the former, the when and how was arduous, drawn out, and painful. For the latter, it was quick, dirty, and a whirlwind.
What do you all hope fans take away from “Eye For an Eye” and your band’s music in general?
Jeremy: You know, I hope everyone takes something unique and special away. I think “Eye for an Eye” and the album in general deals with things that are maybe not totally relatable to people from a narrative perspective, but is very relatable from an emotional and human level. I think there is so much power in the collective unconscious, and I just hope that I can connect to people in a way that feels meaningful to them. After all, art is what you think it is.
Erin: I hope people feel seen and heard for the non-normative parts they contain. Not all of our listeners will have experiences with non-monogamy, but all listeners know what it feels like to feel misunderstood, alone, unworthy, in love, often all at once. I hope our music gives people permission to feel like their alternative ways of being are valuable.
What’s next for you all? Are you all working on any upcoming projects, or do you all have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?
Jeremy: Yeah! we have a few SF shows coming up at the Eagle on February 26 and May 21and have a few legs of tour coming up spring/summer, so we’re really looking forward to getting in front of people and letting the band speak for itself. Also so excited to share the full record, It is really meaningful to me and I think what we captured of the band just being a band in a room is so vibrant and live. I really think people will connect with it.
Erin: Next steps are getting the chance to share this record that we are so proud of with the world! I can’t wait to get out there and sing these songs this year, to connect people with this piece of art that is so special to us and finding a sense of community as we do so.
Where can we follow you all on social media?
Before you all go, let’s ask an off-topic question. If you were trapped on a desert island with only one record, what would it be?
Jeremy: 1974 David Bowie Live Album.
Erin: Beyonce’s 4.
Thank you all for the great interview; wish you all much continued success!
