It would be hard to talk about the past five years of forward-thinking, internet-native music without talking about quannnic. Though the artist is still in their early 20s, their discography charts developments in the kind of guitar music that is more likely to be created on GarageBand than in the garage. Starting with digicore and rap before moving to a computer-led take on shoegaze that has now become a stylistic hallmark, quannnic has helped to incubate a new rock language, one free to mutate and warp with outside influences and new developments in technology. 

Their forthcoming album, Warbrained, continues to explore more dissonant and maximal avenues; on the occasion of the release, we thought it might be fun to go back, way back, and ask the artist about musical memories. We talk about some of their formative influences, touring with Slowdive, and more. Spongebob even gets mentioned. Read the piece below. Warbrained is out next Friday on deadAir.

Can you remember any early music you heard that made a major impression on you?

quannnic: Yeah. I remember being obsessed with this David Bowie live performance I had on DVD when I was about five years old. It was him covering Simon & Garfunkel's “America.” Pretty funny, I remember crying when I found out he was British. I obviously am not upset at that anymore.

What was your first brush with underground music, whatever that means to you, either online or in real space?

Finding Bladee on YouTube in middle school. I didn’t understand it at first but when it clicked, all I wanted to make was Drain Gang type music.

What was it like to listen to Bladee for the first time? When did that music really “click” for you?

Listening to Bladee for the first time kind of tripped me out because it felt like I couldn't even process what I was listening to. It only clicked when I got into producing and I understood how great the production and flows were.

What led you to want to start making music yourself? Can you remember the first track you made and what program you made it on?

I wanted to create something of my own, and not just know other people’s songs on guitar. I started by making beats on Ableton when I was about 13, and started writing actual music at 15.

Can you remember what some of your first songs or beats sounded like?

My first beats sounded like “Travis Scott type beats” on YouTube if they were made by a complete noob.

What was the music scene like growing up in Florida?

Cover bands with about two original songs, at least in the “scene” that I was around … There are some great bands here now, but yeah. Tribute bands and sets full of covers from the 80s.

What are your feelings about genre? Do you think about rock history or rap history at all when you are making music? How important is that to you?

I love music history, I love hearing stories about studio sessions of my favorite albums, but I don’t think about it while I’m creating my own music. I think it does inspire me beforehand though.

You did two tours with Slowdive. What was that experience like? Did you learn anything from spending so much time with some real legends?

They are definitely legendary. I learned that I will never get tired of “40 Days.” What an incredible song, and it's even better live.

Any good memories from those Slowdive tours? What was your favorite city to play?

The two Brooklyn nights were incredible. My fav memory was discovering the arcade room with my friend Rome, who plays drums in the touring band.

In what ways is your upcoming album different from other releases in your discography? Are there new things inspiring you?

I think Warbrained accurately represents how I write music currently. Whether it be dissonant chords or overly blown distortion like on Aviator. As for new things inspiring me, I love Autolux. I’m sure you can tell.

Yeah, Autolux is a great band that I feel like has been getting properly rated recently. What is it about Autolux that is so good to you?

I love everything about Future Perfect. Mainly how crunchy the drums are in the mix, and the balance of that and the rest of the band. It’s incredible.

Do you have any dream collaborations? What makes them such a dream?

I would love to work with Julian Casablancas. I feel like he is capable of creating anything. I listen to “Instant Crush” every day.

Any non-musical influences at the moment?

It could be anything, really. I’ll see a cool building in public and try to write a concept for it. It could even be Spongebob. I don’t know. Everything is inspiring.