Interview with the band "Couch" | Kayla Boyette
Recently I interviewed the band Couch. They’re an alt-pop band from Boston Massachusetts that incorporates funk, pop, R&B, and rock music. Their second newest EP is Sunshower, a collection of six tracks accompanied by a 20-city national tour. The group consists of seven members: Tema Siegel (Lead Vocals), Zach Bankstein (Guitar), Jared Gozinsky (Drums), Will Griffin (Bass), Danny Silverston (Keys), Jeffery Pinker-Smith (Trumpet), and Eric Tarlen (Saxophone). I spoke solely with Silverston and Smith for the interview, but the conversation was lively even with just two of the members present!
When discussing the band’s formation, here’s what Silverston had to say.
“The band was sort of forming in its very initial stages, our guitar player named Zach had a concussion. And so the doctor's orders were that he should be pent up in his basement, you know, with low light on the couch. And so he would just have us over to jam and write music on his couch in the basement. And that's sort of what grounds the name couch in some sort of reality,” he said.
Sunshower, their latest EP, was followed by their latest single, "The Sweater Sessions" in February 2024. Sunshower is a beautiful mix of warm and expressive musical arrangements, with engaging lyrics that touch on themes of joy, love, life, and everything in between. But, before Sunshower, they had released a few singles.
“We kind of routed our tour around the release of three singles that just packaged together into its own little thing. But our previous project, an actual collection of songs, was our debut EP, which came out two and a half years ago now,” Smith said.
The meaning behind Sunshower’s name reflects a lot of their songs’ content. The reason Couch chose the name Sunshower is because all of the songs go back to this idea of how they are overall. While they are all very fortunate and grateful for the great things that are happening in their personal and musical lives, it's also a very stressful time. So the subject matter of the EP is just about dealing with these two conflicting thoughts: being grateful for the good things that are happening, but also being worried for your future in some ways.
Lastly, many fans on Elon’s campus wondered how to stay engaged and connect with the Band if they couldn’t see them during their most recent tour.
“The most important way you can support a band is by coming to their live shows and buying merch,” Silverston said.
Their online merch store recently launched as well after being in the works, so that’s another great way to show support for the band and their music. Silverston and Smith also noted reaching out to them on @Couch.theband on Instagram about songs fans enjoyed. But they also mention how, as they’ve grown in popularity, it's become harder to connect with friends. But, the band continues to encourage fans who attend their shows to come up and say hi!
Currently, Couch is on their Sunshower Tour, traveling to 24 different cities spanning from Massachusetts where the band was originally formed to Colorado! Unfortunately, they aren’t coming to North Carolina this time around, but who knows! Maybe they’ll be in NC during their 3rd tour. Only time will tell. For now, continue to follow Couch the band on Instagram @Couch.theband and Youtube under Couch.
Kayla Boyette
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