Today on the Mixtape Questionnaire is LA band The Singles, who are visiting Austin with the world-saving power of bright, glammy power-pop. They’ll be playing tonight, August 19th, at Hotel Vegas, as part of a tour to support their newest album, Look How Fast a Heart Can Break, which we think is also the name of a Rob Thomas song. We asked them some questions to be answered with songs, and you can find the results (and a playlist gathering up their tracks) below.
Jake Muncy for Ovrld: How would y’all describe your style of music?
Nicky Veltman of The Singles: Balls out heartache.
Ovrld: How do you feel about coming to Austin? Is this your first time through?
Nicky: We’re definitely stoked to get back to Austin. We had a great show there earlier this year, followed by a river of margaritas, and some two-step with the locals. It was a pretty great night.
Ovrld: What song do you hear that just inspires you to want to make good music?
Vince Frederick of the Singles: “Every Little Step” by Bobby Brown
Ovrld: What’s the best thing you’ve ever seen performed live?
Vince: The Macarena
Nicky: I’ve seen too many bands to even know where to begin with this one. Paul McCartney playing “Something” at Dodger Stadium last week would be a recent best thing for me.
Ovrld: For a new listener, what song of yours would you recommend to introduce them to the Singles?
Nicky: “(She’s Got) A Heart Of Stone”
Ovrld: After a long day, what do you want to listen to to get pumped for a show?
Nicky: Captain Beefheart “Safe As Milk” or anything by Bowie or T. Rex.
Ovrld: Who is your dream opener, and what song would you want them to play first?
Vince: Van Halen – “Panama”
Nicky: The Who – “I Can’t Explain”
Ovrld: What song best encapsulates the experience you want Austinites to have at your show on Tuesday?
Vince: “I Touch Myself” by the Divinyls
Nicky: “Rock You Like A Hurricane” by Scorpions
Ovrld: What is your favorite song to perform live?
Vince: “Our Last Goodbye”
Nicky: “Waited So Long”
Ovrld: If you could pick one song to have been written and performed by the Singles, what would it be?
Vince: “Believe” by Cher. We need that big hit scratch.
Nicky: “Brown Sugar” by the Rolling Stones.
Jake Muncy is a freelance writer, editor, and poet living in Austin, TX. In addition to writing for Ovrld, he is the Games Editor of Loser City and his writing can be found anywhere else he can convince people to post it. You can contact him by email or twitter, where he tweets regularly about video games, the Mountain Goats, and sandwiches. He has very strong feelings about Kanye West.