What is the story behind your music moniker?
Mia likes to tell people to shut up.
How did you guys meet and how come you decided to start a band?
Hadley: We met on Swedish National Day 2012, in San Francisco during our time at SFSU. We bonded over Blink, Good Charlotte, Weezer and drugs. We independently moved to Oakland a year later and fell out of touch. In 2015, after I awoke from a coma, I texted Mia asking why we weren’t in a band, and that was Shutups.
Who do you look up to musically?
Hadley: Frank Ocean, Johnny Greenwood, Beth Gibbons, Richard James.
Mia: Dave Grohl is my drum hero. All around I love Rivers Cuomo, Karen O, Gary Numan, Danny Elfman, Darby Crash and Freddie Mercury.
Hadley: I second Dave Grohl as my drum hero.
What do you wish in the next step for your music?
Record labels, get at us. Also the east coast.
What was the last text message you wrote to each other?
Hadley: U r a depressed thot
Mia: True, toooo true
What did you last argue about?
Whether to eat inside or in the car at In-n-Out.
What did you last laugh about?
Toto covering Hash Pipe in response to Weezer covering Africa.
What’re your different personalities in the band?
Mia: I’m punk and simple, also no musical background. Hadley crosses the void from pop-punk to industrial techno and shit and is classically trained. We meet at the fine line of the circle.
What was your earliest memory of responding to music?
Hadley: I was 5 or 6, tuning the radio in my parent’s bedroom and came across a Mariachi station. It was the most colorful sound I had ever heard, total ear candy. I still haven’t satisfied that craving.
Mia: Crying to David Bowie’s “Life On Mars”, age 5.
If you could say that your last musical project had a theme what would that be?
EP4 was about not caring. We recorded and released it on cassette within a single month. Running over walking.
If you could be any instrument what would you be and why?
Hadley: String Bass. They spend most of their time resting.
Mia: A sexy ass Les Paul, cause duh.
Who is your biggest muse right now?
Hadley: Elliot Smith
Mia: Violet Chachki
When you first started making music, were you ever nervous to share?
Mia: I was so eager to play that I didn’t care. I was also out to piss people off, as I was a pissed off 16-year-old punk.
Hadley: Absolutely! I recorded hundreds of songs between 2010 and 2016, none of which were ever released. Shutups was an attempt to finally put something out there. I almost pulled EP1 off Bandcamp the day we released it, Mia convinced me otherwise, though I still can’t listen to it.
What does your family think of your path?
Mia: Hadley’s parents wish they could trade him for me hahahaha. My parents are rockers and love coming to shows.
Hadley: I don’t know anything about that. My parents are very supportive. I think that they think all I do is write, spend money and never eat, which is true.
What is the weirdest thing you ever think you were ever inspired by?
Hadley: Peeling sunburns.
Mia: You don’t wanna know.
Who would you like to sing a cappella with?
Mia: Rivers for sure, that falsetto! Or Spongebob (Ripped Pants song).
Hadley: I don’t know, Lil Yachty without autotune?
If you had to have someone write a song for you, who would it be?
Mia: Harry Nilsson
Hadley: Frank Black
Now can you leave us with a little message for all the heartbroken babies out there who are trying to get better?
Mia: Pain is certain, suffering is optional. Take care of your head and your friends and try to find the magic in life.
Hadley: Start a band.
photos / Kristy Benjamin
