After establishing themselves with a wealth of bold and dynamic offerings throughout 2022, emerging San Francisco-based duo Moxxy Jones return for the new year to deliver their soaring new single 'Change My Mind'.
Collaborating with esteemed vocalist Isabelle for the release, 'Change My Mind' makes for an incredibly warm and euphoric listen. Capturing more of that broad and uplifting alt-pop aesthetic they have been building for themselves since they first began, they are returning with one of their most impactful cuts to date here.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has inspired them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Frank: Definitely the piano. According to my parents, I started playing when I was 3 with my grandmother being my piano teacher. I remember quitting at about 8 years old and then I started teaching myself to play again at about 12.
Milan: It was guitar. I had piano lessons and always enjoyed listening to my mom play piano at home. But, I never really gravitated to the instrument. Despite what Frank may think, most people don’t look cool playing piano. It wasn’t until I heard my friend playing Nirvana riffs on a crappy Ibanez guitar that I realised that I could do that too. I grabbed an old acoustic from the closet at home and have been playing ever since.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Frank: I listened to two different extremes - heavy metal and singer/songwriter. My first concert was actually Anthrax, but I ended up seeing Billy Joel not too long after that, too.
Milan: Early on it was hip hop, hard rock and metal. My first concert was Guns N’ Roses. Growing up, Portland had an amazing, supportive and inventive music scene. I was constantly in the clubs listening to bands, most of which never went anywhere outside of Portland. But, they were so amazing and influential. Then, I discovered the Wax Trax label and Nine Inch Nails and fell in love with industrial music and other electronic music.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Frank: I remember coming home with a bunch of hair metal albums all at once: Europe’s “The Final Countdown,” Whitesnake’s self-titled “Whitesnake,” and Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet.”
Milan: I was going on vacation with my best friend and his dad. His dad took us to the store and told us we could each get one album for the trip to listen to. He got Pearl Jam’s Ten and I got U2’s Achtung Baby. We swapped the albums back and forth and I just remembered having my mind completely blown away by both of them. It seems like so much of what I love was cemented in those two records and they were the starting point to exploring tons of music.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Frank: There are so many! But the one that I never get tired of - largely for its heart-wrenching lyrics and harmonic simplicity - is “Somebody Else” by The 1975. It captures a very specific emotion incredibly well. If I were to think about my singer/songwriter history, however, I’d have to say “Prelude / Angry Young Man” by Billy Joel because the intro piano part is insane and the lyrics seem to really capture the emotion of being a tortured soul (which I think most musicians feel at some point); I also think we’re never going to see a radio song with vocals that start a full 2 minutes in.
Milan: “Say Yes” by Elliott Smith. His songs encapsulate so much feeling and authenticity. The mix of sadness and hope, holding on at the edge. Those are all things I carry with me and try to accomplish in Moxxy Jones. He was also the hometown hero and I remember thinking that if he could be someone coming from here, I could be too.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Frank: I try to clear my mind of everything and just see what happens when I sit at the piano. Ideally, I also make sure I’m in a very dark room and have this be very late at night, which is when I find I’m most creative. I also don’t try to force anything because I’ve found that when I force creativity, I end up with music that lacks heart.
Milan: I’m very much of the belief that art comes through work rather than waiting for divine inspiration. You get dressed, you show up and you put the time in. Some days I feel like putting on a drum beat and playing guitar. Other days, I have an idea for a synth melody that I try to figure out. Other days I’ll start by messing around with something Frank has sent me.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Frank: I’ve really been into pop from the last decade because it blends some really great melodies and harmonic progressions with modern instrumentation and production. Within that genre, I’ve been listening to Great Good Fine Okay, Vacation Manor, The Strike, Electric Guest, and, Panama Wedding.
Milan: I saw Amyl and the Sniffers last year in LA and they were amazing. Amyl and Turnstile have been on heavy rotation for me recently. I’ve had a bit of a punk rock phase. I don’t know why it took so long to discover but I’ve also been listening to Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly a lot. The new Gorillaz is fantastic and I’ve also gone down the rabbit hole of exploring Japanese City Pop.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Frank: I know it’s a bit hokey, but I re-taught myself piano with the help of Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits 1 and 2. Because of that, and because Billy Joel has such a presence in NY (where I grew up), it would be amazing opening up for him.
Milan: I’d say Taylor Swift or The Weeknd. They’re both absolutely amazing artists doing their own things and I want to play a stadium!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Frank: Being able to express yourself through music. I absolutely love being on stage and seeing how an audience is reacting to my music, but equally love being locked away in my home studio and writing something that might not even ever be heard by anyone.
Milan: I’m in love with the sonics. I find immense joy in just the sound of a reverb drenched amp or a synth. If you can then get a melody with that, it’s such a rewarding feeling. I can feel it in my teeth. Then, crafting that into a song where you’re able to tell a story and make someone feel something is special. It’s people connecting to people and we need more of that.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Frank: Hearing in your head where you want to take a song, but not being able to translate it right away because you’re not near your instruments. And then when you finally get there, the creative spark may have passed. The other frustrating part is having writer’s block when you feel like you have a lot to express, but it just won’t come up.
Milan: Time. There’s a lot of regular life that gets in the way. Our process for making music requires a lot of experimenting, throwing things away and picking them back up again. That process takes a lot of time and there never seems to be enough time to get through the list of ideas and things to try. The frustration is that you feel that you’re being held back from reaching your full potential.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Frank: Write what you love, not what you think people want to hear. While it’s definitely possible to manufacture a song that people would like, and I’ve done that many times, it’s never as fulfilling as writing something for the simple sake of expressing yourself. In fact, some of my favourite songs are those that no one will ever hear.
Milan: “You should practise your rhythm, you’re a bit sloppy.”
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Moxxy Jones' new single 'Change My Mind' ft. Isabelle is available to stream now. Check it out in the player below.