By: Victoria Moorwood// Photos By: Lauren Brown//

Saara, Glenn and Chase make up BOYTOY, the Brooklyn-born band who makes addictive jams drifting somewhere between ‘60s surf rock and ‘90s grunge. The trio came together after their individual bands dissolved and their newfound voice quickly tore up New York. With a self-titled EP and album “Grackle” out, this quirky group is making waves fast. Here they talk about their road to success, musical inspirations, and what’s up next.

How has this journey been- from reconnecting in New York after your other bands (You Can Be A Wesley and Beast Make Bomb) ended- to an EP and album out?

Glenn: I definitely feel lucky to have been able to pick right up after the end of one project. I’ve questioned the quick transition before since sometimes it’s important to let things breathe, but I think the beauty of what we did with BOYTOY was being able to continue to create and have an outlet to experiment and find a new footing instead of ruminating in a sense of failure. Saara and I both had a similar mindset on what we wanted to do, and the core of it is to make music.

Saara: It’s nice to keep things in motion, especially now when there’s so much content in the world. I feel like we need to keep creating/touring/making to feel productive and stay on people’s minds. We’ve pretty much lived off of a 6-8 month plan, which seems to be working.

Chase: I’m so happy.

What lessons/ experiences did you take from your previous bands to make BOYTOY so successful?

G: Staying open to changes has been crucial for us, i.e. new members Chase Noelle (Thelma and The Sleaze) and sometimes Lena Simon (La Luz) or Jose Aybar (Las Rosas) on bass. We like the variety. Respect is important, understanding that being around people for extended periods of time doesn’t make them mind readers, and communication means patience. We try not to let quick moody quips escape at each other. Also, thick skin and a lot of joking around!

S: Be ready for anything at anytime. Have a flexible schedule. Put your band before your day job.

C: I CHECKED MY EGO!

People have said your musical direction changed from your EP to Grackle, do you agree? What can fans expect from BOYTOY in future projects?

G: I think it holds true with any band that you track their evolution through their records. We listen to so many different types of music and I think the blending has only just begun.

S: I love when you can see a natural evolution in bands’ records. Who wants to put the same thing out over and over again? I hope that with each record we continue to grow as songwriters and make interesting music that also makes you shake your ass uncontrollably.

C: TRANSCENDENTAL STATES. ASS SHAKERS.

Where do you think most of your lyrical & conceptual inspiration comes from?

G: We’ve got lighthearted songs about personalities you find in a bar, city mentalities, and sometimes lyrical content stems from trying to sort out whatever turmoil is sludging us around. Then sometimes I’ll be in a mood and just sit down and write out buzzwords that keep popping in my head and try and write a song around those.

S: Dreams, loves, flings, current events, the human and the mundane. Anything that tickles our pickles.

C: It’s 2017 and all I’m thinking about is dancing. Humanity deserves it. We need it.

What is each of your favorite genres to listen to?

G: Metal, Classics, Pop, Reggae, Disco, Old Dub, Blues, and Butt Rock.

S: Reggae music and Jamaican soul, Rock and Roll, Nuggets compilations, African and Cambodian jams from the 70s, Power Pop

C: 90s R&B

If you have different music tastes, where do you think it shows up in your music?

G: Literally everywhere.

S: It’s cool. A chorus in a song could remind us of one band and the verse reminds us of another. There’s never one specific sound thing that we strive for when making a song.  It’s always a melting pot of ideas and inspirations of what we’re all into.

C: My vocal runs are pretty SWV.

If you guys could collaborate with any artist or band, who would it be?

G: ‪Madonna, ‪Autolux, ‪Black Sabbath, CCR.

S: ‪Yo La Tengo, ‪Sonic Youth, Rolling Stones, ‪Joan Jett.

C: The Rascals, Paul Ngozi, Faces, ‪Cher (at Super Bowl 2035, the kickoff to our reunion tour. We’ll all be 60 years old in fishnets. ‪Cher will do that acrobatic trapeze thing with silk sheets).

What’s coming up in your future?

G: We have a show in San Diego February 18th with La Luz and then we’ll be recording LP2 the first two weeks of March. We’ll be touring back east in the spring so stay tuned! We have a fresh new 7″ we put out at the beginning of the year with Little Dickman Records and you can buy them at all of our shows!

S:  Europe in July 2017!

C: New videos are going to be earth shattering.

Final message to fans?

G: ‪Josie and the Pussycats is the best band ever!

S: Always dance the hardest.

C: Shine without abandon!!! The sun don’t give a f**k if it burns you!