Meet Pop-duo Electric Guest

Smooth and creative, pop-duo Electric Guest are a group that’s expertly making a unique music landscape for listeners everywhere. Made up of members Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton, the two were first roommates, writing and creating material on the side. After officially forming the group in 2011, Electric Guest made their debut with their album Mondo. Facing creative roadblocks during the making of their second record, Matthew and Asa pursued side projects – with the latter writing for Portugal. The Man, Carly Rae Jepsen, and television projects. During this period, the two would work on their own music as well, releasing their sophomore album Plural in 2017.

When it comes to their recently released third album KIN, the pair stripped down and went back to basics. Carefully crafted and unapologetic, each track is a beautiful blend of different genres, quality lyrical content, and impeccable vocals from Asa. Ending 2019 with a bang with their new album and video for their single ‘More’, we can’t wait to see what else Electric Guest has in store for the new year.

We got to chat with Asa about everything from their initial start, their boundless sound and so much more…

Taking it back a little, how did you two initially link up? 

I met Matthew in L.A. when I was living in Dangermouse’s old house. The house was a revolving door of different kids in bands, and he had come over to play drums on someone else’s album. He heard me playing some demo of mine and walked into my room, and then over the course of that year, he came over all the time.

When deciding on stage names, how did you guys land on Electric Guest? 

 When I got kicked out of high school, I went to a boot camp to get my life together. There was a Dunkin’ Doughnuts near the grounds, and on our one free day a week, I struck up a bit of a friendship with an older woman who worked there. She was a spiritual person and a bit of a weirdo. We hit it off, and at one point, she told me always to remember that I was an Electric Guest of the universe. It stuck, I guess.

Your music is just out of this world, blending different genres. When you two are creating new tracks, how do you two come up with the sound? 

We try to be specific about what elements we use. I never want anything to be too on the nose. I’d rather have the music be confusing in terms of genre, then I would have it be clearly put into a category(although, I think every record label we’ve worked with has been frustrated by that). I’m not really into mimicking certain decades that I admire because I doubt I’ll be able to match what’s already been recorded plus, I like at least attempting to be original. For me, that’s one of the most compelling parts about creating music.

 Is there a genre that you two are particularly feeling right now?

I’m listening to a lot of Christmas music, ha. I’m a massive nerd, I guess.

You guys have written for other artists, including Portugal. The Man and Carly Rae Jepsen. What’re the easiest and hardest aspects of writing for other artists 

The easiest aspect is that you don’t have to make it as personal as it is when you write for yourself. You can care less in a good way. The hardest part is when you disagree about the direction of a song. But at the end of the day, you have to allow the artist to express their vision.

It’s time to talk about your latest album, KIN, fantastic work! How did this record come to fruition? 

Thanks! We wrote it over the course of a year, and it was easily the most fun I’ve had writing an album. We tried to get back to that space we were in as kids when we first started making music. It was more about having fun and being creative than over-intellectualizing the process. If we weren’t having fun, we would usually stop for the day.  

‘Max It Out’ and ‘More’ are huge favorites right now. Is there a track that holds a special place in your heart? 

I like “Max It Out” too. That was one of the first songs I wrote. I remember sending the demo to a friend early on and him texting me back that it was the “best song about credit card debt” he’d ever heard. It’s definitely not about credit card debt. 

With this decade coming to a close, what do you want to achieve in the next? 

A decade is a long time. I just to continue to grow as a person and not close my heart or mind, as people seem to do. These are hard times for us in America and globally, and I want to stay the course and follow the light instead of succumbing to fear. I also want to write some hits.