YOUNG BOMBS + JORDY: INTERVIEW

by shauna hilferty

It really was summer in Brooklyn.

I made my way to the set of Young Bombs and JORDY’s music video for their latest single, aptly named “Summer in Brooklyn.” Through a couple very heavy studio doors and up a few flights of stairs, I found the trio on top of two stand alone speakers and a single small stool, all placed in front of a wall of old stereos and a hidden smoke machine. In the middle of their first wide shot take there was an obvious chemistry — they all had so much energy and bounced off one another very well. It is crazy to think that the pandemic was partially responsible for bringing this Vancouver-native remix duo and Los Angeles-based vocalist together.

Funnily enough, they had no idea that at the time of shooting the video, their newest project had over 100,000 streams. With Young Bombs’ success in remixing alongside singers such as Bazzi and Aloe Blacc, and JORDY’s rise as an emerging pop singer songwriter, this collaboration just made sense.

On behalf of Unclear Magazine, and with my film camera in hand, I had the pleasure of being on the set of “Summer in Brooklyn” and even got the chance to chat with them all about the project, The Great Gatsby, and Malibu Rum Punch.

How did this collaboration start?

Martin: “It was just by fate I guess. We’ve been working on a song — an instrumental, and we were looking for the perfect feature for it and just the perfect top line song to go with the energy of the instrumental. It was a very, like, 2021 COVID-esque situation where we put it out into the universe. We put the instrumental on TikTok and asked people to duet.”

Tristan: “I mean I was gonna answer ‘Tinder’ but... we’ll go with that.”

M: “We were seeking some really good vocals for the track. JORDY’s blew us away, it really stood out.”

JORDY: “I dueted their video and posted my little diddly of ‘Summer in Brooklyn’ and... they saw it!”

M: “We commented like, ‘Yo, this is so sick!’ We exchanged some messages back and forth and we were like, ‘Can you get in the studio ASAP and cut this,’ ‘cause obviously ‘Summer in Brooklyn,’ it’s summer now.”

T: “We were like, we need to put this out as soon as possible.”

M: “It was the perfect end of summer song that we could’ve hoped for, and he [gestures to Jordy] knocked it out of the park.”

J: “I’ve actually been a fan of theirs for a while too so like, in college they did an Alessia Cara remix of ‘Wild Things’ that I used to blast all the time. So when the opportunity came I was like I need to send them something, and so it worked out.”

Were you at all starstruck when you first met?

J: “I mean, it’s funny it’s like, I feel like we’ve heard of each other for so long and we’ve worked with so many of the same people, but like yeah, absolutely. It’s always really cool to work with people you’re a fan of, so it was a really cool moment for sure.”

That’s amazing! So you said it was COVID that brought you together. I was wondering, when you began the collaboration process, did the pandemic affect your abilities to collaborate? Was this in person, was it virtual?

M: “[Tristan and I] recorded the instrumental and [Jordy] recorded his vocals in LA and then sent us the files. It was honestly the quickest turnaround we’ve ever had.”

J: “After this year, we’ve all had experience working on Zoom and doing things remote, and sending things back and forth, and so at this point it just feels kind of normal.”

M: “Honestly, his takes were like perfect. It was not a whole ton of back and forth, like he sent it over and it was fire.”

And you were like, okay we’ll take this and run!

T: “[laughs] Like autotune is not necessary. We can throw that out.”

Initially, how did you begin writing the song and did you have it in mind that it would amass over 100,000 streams so quickly?

J: “Oh my god!”

M: “It has 100,000 streams already?!”

I did a little research.

[All laugh]

109,000 to be exact!

J: “I mean honestly, I think, all of us, as soon as I heard the instrumental, as soon as they heard the vocal, it’s a bop. It’s such a fun song, such a feel good song that when people hear they are just immediately happy. I think we’re all happy people are responding so well.”

T: “This is our first single back since COVID began basically, so we hadn’t released music in almost a year, so just for Martin and I it felt so good to put something out again and just kind of kick things off and get back in the game.”

What is your favorite lyric in “Summer In Brooklyn?”

J: “Hmm, I jotted down most of the lyrics I’d probably say. It’s so funny because when I write songs I love adding in those specific references. It's like ‘McCarran Saturdays,’ like the people that live in Brooklyn, they’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, McCarran Park!’ For me as a writer, it’s funny because I feel like I’ve had experiences where I’m like, ‘Is this too specific? People won’t know what this is.’ When you are very specific in your lyrics it kind of invites the listener in a little more to your own story. I think those specific moments are super fun.”

M: “Totally. It’s nostalgic in a way. Like hungover, driving to the beach. We’ve all been there, we’ve all done that. It encapsulates the summer.”

T: “Like when we made the instrumental, we wanted a real story-type lyric to it. We didn’t want some generic kind of dance thing that a lot of other people put out. The way that it came out turned out to be perfect.”

That’s awesome. Personally, as a listener, I like a narrative to a song because it’s deeper than just, you can dance to it, but you can also really think about it. It really resonates with you.

J: “Especially in the dance world, I feel like lyrics are still important, you know what I mean? Like people hearing stories. That was definitely a goal going into the project.”

If you had to pick three words to describe the song, what would they be?

T: “I’d say bubbly.”

J: “I was literally thinking of that!”

M: “I’d say fun.”

J: “Okay, bubbly, fun, and... summertime fresh.”

Well, we can make that one word.

T: “[laughs] Summertime ‘hyphen’ fresh.”

J: “Okay, fresh.”

Fresh, with a lot of H’s?

J: “Sure. So freshhhhh. Five H’s.”

This song is clearly made for dancing and having fun in the club. So what is your signature drink to get at the club?

T: “I’d say at this point Martin and I are big grey goose guys. We had one on our ride here.”

M: “We like to keep it clear. Tequila, vodka…”

T: “‘Cause when you wake up the next day to tour to the next city you gotta feel somewhat good. Somewhat shit, but somewhat good.”

It’s a duality, really.

J: “I was gonna say, I’m working with Malibu Rum, so if I don’t say Malibu I get in trouble.”

T: “[laughs] They will drop him.”

J: “Malibu rum punch!”

Advice for aspiring remixers turned to artists? And for artists and lyric writing in general?

T: “For remixers, stick to your sound. I think a lot of remixers try to do what’s hot or whatever, but if you’re doing something that’s unique and makes you stand out, stick to that. That’s what we tried to do when we were coming up, doing remixes, so I don’t know. That’d be my advice.”

M: “I would say also, we get hit up by a lot of aspiring young producers that are trying to figure out how to make music to begin with and you know, they want the quick, fast ‘how do you make the sound of this?’ Well, it’s a big process, take the time, go on YouTube. There’s an infinite amount of tutorials with so much good information on how to make cool sounds and once you can wrap your head around that, the world’s your oyster.”

J: “I guess from a songwriter, lyricist standpoint, I kind of agree. Stick to your intuition and your gut and do what feels good for you and don’t be afraid to try crazy things. Especially, if you’re in sessions with people, I feel like often writers are scared to bring up crazy ideas cause they’re like, ‘this could sound dumb,’ but sometimes those ideas are the best ones. So it’s like not being afraid to put stuff out there, you know.”

One more question, this is my favorite question to ask: if this song could be in any movie soundtrack, what would it be?

J: “Woah...”

T: “Like a movie that previously exists?”

Like a soundtrack! A movie that already exists and your song is in it.

M: “You know, this isn’t my favorite movie by any means, but you know The Great Gatsby?”

J: “Oh!”

Yeah!

M: “There’s that big party scene…”

In the house?

M: “Yeah!”

J: “That’s true!”

T: “I have another one, I don’t know if it’s in New York, but 500 Days of Summer.”

Really?

T: “I could see it happening in a scene somewhere.”

I love that movie actually. They have a karaoke scene, maybe when you’re walking in…

T: “You got Joseph Gordon Levitt singing, Zoe Deschanel standing there, yeah that’d be great.”

J: “Maybe New York Minute. Mary Kate and Ashley! Just like throwing it out there!”

Yes! That’s so good.

M: “Is that what the song was written for?”

T: “It’d be funny if we chose a dark New York movie.”

Like a film noir?

T: “Yeah, like Goodfellows, Taxi Driver.”

M: “Titanic right when the ship goes down.”