Inside The Bubble: Exclusive Interview With Keep For Cheap

Heavens to Betsy we got another solid gold record to get all googly-eyed to. The new single “Losing” by Keep For Cheap is one of the best songs released this summer. Rooted in rock and roll, the song branches into a blue-stringed, prairie-pop saga. The instruments and vocals throttle together to coalesce into raw emotion. This is actually the second part to a double feature single. The first song, “Forgive Me”, was released several months ago.

The songs were recorded at the same time and are apparently two sides of the same coin. Both have a thundering roll of drums and guitar that the band is known for. Keep For Cheap has stated that these two songs will be the last of that familiar sound. The band is metamorphizing into a self-described heightened level of refinement to their music production.

We recently caught up with vocalist Kate, and the rest of the group to ask them about their sound, music, and future. They were kind enough to answer our questions. Read the interview below.

The Band

Bubblingbox: First things first, how did you come up with the name of the band?

Keep For Cheap: We were just spitballing and using words that we thought sounded cute, and keep for cheap was the most coherent thing we came up with.

Bubblingbox: We understand you all are alumni of a historic university that was built before the civil war, tell us about your experience there?

Kate: It’s true! Four of us (Ted, Kate, Bert, Autumn) went to Hamline (we’ve all since graduated, Lydia goes to the U of M). Ted, Autumn, and I sang together in the A Cappella choir which sparked our musical connection. We all had great experiences in the choir and made lots of lovely friends at Hamline!

Bubblingbox: What is the layout of the band, who does what?

Kate: Autumn and I both sing and switch between playing guitar and bass. Bert and Ted play guitar as well, and Lydia plays the drums. Autumn and I write the lyrics and basic structure/chords of the songs, then we bring them to the band to fill them out and mess with the form and dynamics.

Watch the official video for the song “Forgive Me” below.

The Music

Bubblingbox: Tell us about the new song, how was it conceived?

Kate: I usually write songs to get feelings off of my chest and this one was no different! The song is pretty straightforward in what it’s about – the hesitance to go for something that you want and ultimately losing it. Musically, we were in a very Country phase of our writing and that really shows through. I wanted the music to reflect the slow yet steady progression of the situation I was in, as well as its interruption and implosion.

Bubblingbox: We understand the single “Losing” is sort of a last look at the type of music you started playing as a band, what inspired the change?

Keep For Cheap: Getting more comfortable with each other and our instruments has really enabled us to reach farther musically and in our songwriting. Our writing has also, naturally, shifted to reflect our more recent musical influences! Some artists we’ve been inspired by recently are Waxahatchee, Big Thief, Tiny Mouse, Hop Along, Tom Petty, and Jay Som.

Bubblingbox: What will you sound like in your new form, what will be different?

Keep For Cheap: Our sound still has many of its original pillars, like the twang, powerful guitars, driving rhythms, and focus on the vocals. We feel like our writing has just matured.  Our new songs are a bit more restrained and carefully arranged, and we recently began working with a producer who is taking our recorded sound up a notch.

Bubblingbox: Where is the band located? Do you perform live locally?

Kate: We all live in the Twin Cities! Everyone but me lives in Minneapolis, I’m over in Saint Paul. We do perform locally and we love to share the stage with other local bands! We have never really toured but are looking forward to doing that sometime in the future.

Listen to the single “Losing” by pressing the button below.

The Future

Bubblingbox: Did the pandemic change the way you make music? What’s different about the band in 2021?

Kate: From a writing standpoint, definitely. There was suddenly a need to find inspiration without leaving the house and experiencing things, and for me, this led to a lot of introspection and recollection in an attempt to find some material. Or it could go the other way, where I would inadvertently get a bit too introspective and need to write to get out of that space. Overall, writing got even more emotional for me somehow. As a band, our process for putting full arrangements together hasn’t really changed. That said, as we’ve all gotten more comfortable with arranging songs together, it’s become more collaborative.

Bubblingbox: We know musicians are constantly pressed about new music but we have to ask, is there an album or EP in the works?

Keep For Cheap: Yes!! We recently finished recording our debut LP and we are SO excited about these songs. It was recorded by Con Davison whose vision and talents we really appreciate!

Bubblingbox: What do you want your fans to know about your music?

Keep For Cheap: We feel these songs so deeply and are so grateful to anyone out there who feels them too! We really hope that our music provides comfort and joy to people who need it ❤

This is one of the most talented bands we’ve heard. The electro-magnetism of these five individuals fit perfectly together like Voltron. We are excited to see what the transformation will sound like. Maybe the group will go from lions to cars, we certainly hope so. We would like to thank Keep For Cheap for the interview. We wish them the very best in all future endeavors.