Princesses, Good Girls, and Pink Glitter: Cowboy Boy Discusses Their Latest EP
You know what 2022 needs? More bands that make you want to gleefully leap around your bedroom, like a little pre-adolescent gazelle. Fortunately, the LA-based power pop duo Cowboy Boy have grabbed their sugary treats and musical accoutrements, and come to the rescue. Originally founded in 2017, Olivia Maria (the band’s main vocalist and keyboardist) and Mike Nevin (the band’s guitarist, bassist and drummer) joined forces to create a discography full of “vibrant and punchy” tracks, following both member’s prior experience in creating music. Now, they have two EPs to their name and officially signed to Get Better Records in 2021, with their most recent double-EP GOOD GIRL being released in mid-2021. Editor Caitlin Andrews was given the lovely opportunity to speak with Olivia about the future of Cowboy Boy and their latest release.
Caitlin Andrews: Hi, Olivia! How are you doing?
Olivia Maria: “I’m doing well! Very happy to have the opportunity to chat with you about the band!”
CA: Can you tell us a little bit about your “pink glittery” power pop band, Cowboy Boy, and musical partnership with co-creator Mike Nevin? What inspired you to establish a band together?
OM: “Mike and I had been best friends for a number of years before we started this project, and I had so much admirationfor him musically that it was really a dream come true that he said yes to being in a band with me. I had been involved ina number of musical projects leading up to the formation of the band that were all really fun, but nothing felt like it was trulymine until I started this project and challenged myself to write songs that were as authentic to me as they possibly could be. I don’t think I could have done that with anyone but Mike.”
CA: Late last year, you had a gig at Junior High (LA) with Suzie True and Maddie Ross. How has it felt to be able to perform live shows again following the aftermath of the pandemic?
OM: “It’s been really amazing to perform live again after having been away from it for so long. There is this renewed sense of excitement and gratitude that has been really palpable for me, and for folks in other bands that I’ve discussed this with, for both the bands playing and for the audience as well. It feels to me like everyone is just really grateful to be present for live music again. The safety of the band and anyone who comes out to see us is the most important thing in the world so things are rather touch-and-go right now as far as booking shows, but it’s been incredible to safely play the shows we’ve been able to play.”
CA: Your double EP, GOOD GIRL (2021) has a track dedicated to Brandon Flowers of the band The Killers. Who would you consider your main musical inspirations, and how have they influenced the development of your musical style? In which artists or genres do your tastes differ from your collaborator Mike Nevin (if at all)?
OM: “I wonder how many people have named a song after Brandon Flowers. Someone should play him every song named after him and he can pick the one he likes best. Something I think is really cool about being in a band with Mike is that we both came to the table with a load of different musical influences, but we overlap in all the right spots to make something really cool together. A lot of my favourite music is made by folks who have lots of diverse influences and it’s the confluence of all those different styles and genres that makes their output so interesting, and I’d like to think that Mike and I are always striving for that sweet spot as well. The first song Mike and I ever fully recorded together was a cover of “Townie” by Mitski, which feels relevant to this question.”
CA: Previously you’ve stated, “... sometimes you have to make yourself really uncomfortable to make art that you’re excited about.” Which track on this album made you the most uncomfortable, and which track was the most rewarding?
OM: “This is a great question. Without a doubt, the song on GOOD GIRL that makes me the most uncomfortable is “Gemini Slander,” so much so that I would’ve cut it from the record had Mike not talked me down. Thank goodness he did, because it rips. I like to joke that the entirety of GOOD GIRL is just me being in roast mode, and I think “Gemini Slander” is the most pointed and distilled version of that. Making this album is the most vulnerable and terrifying and like, emotionally eviscerating thing I’ve ever done, and it was really hard to know that releasing these songs into the world was very likely going to hurt people that I love. I had a lot of come-to-Jesus talks with close friends who reminded me that these stories about my life were mine to tell, and I’ve kept that advice close to my heart. I think the song that made me the most uncomfortable and the song that was the most rewarding are both the same.”
CA: What does a ‘day in the life’ look like for you, especially in relation to your additional full-time career in digital marketing?
OM: “Right now, a day in the life for me looks really similar to how I imagine it looks for other bands - waiting and planning and crossing our fingers that everything we’ve got cooking is actually going to happen. I’m so fortunate to have built my career in digital marketing to work in tandem with my music, in the sense that they both kind of nourish each other. That’s really helpful when you’re in a band because in the age of social media you’re already your own de facto marketing team, so I’m just applying the same skills across the board. Feels a lot weirder to do it for your own band than it does to do it for other people though.”
CA: If you had to curate a playlist that contained a song that represented each year of your life for the past ten years, which tracks would be included?
OM: “This is so hard! I’m not sure about what songs I would consider to be like, a metaphor for my life but I’ll pick songs that I associate with each of those years -
1. “God Only Knows” - The Beach Boys
2. “Lust For Life” - Girls
3. “Francis Forever” - Mitski
4. “Hounds of Love” - Kate Bush
5. “Sorry” - Justin Bieber
6. “Drew Barrymore” - SZA
7. “Pink in the Night” - Mitski
8. “Thread” - Now, Now
9. “Drunk II” - Mannequin Pussy
10. “Mystery” - Turnstile
Damn, kind of a sick playlist honestly.”
CA: Have you always known you wanted to be in the music business? When was the first moment you thought, “There could be something here”?
OM: “I don’t know that I always wanted to be in the music business necessarily, but I was pretty young when I realised that there wasn’t a feeling in the world that compared to how I felt when I was making music. I daydreamed a lot as a kid about what being in a band was going to be like, and I’m happy to report that it’s very much as cool as I thought it was gonna be.”
CA: What’s one thing you wish people knew about Cowboy Boy?
OM: “That we’re an industry plant. Just kidding. I hope people know how beyond grateful we are to anybody who has listened to the record, talked to us about it, come to a show, grabbed a copy, shown us support in any form.”
CA: If you had to provide a motto, mantra or piece of advice that best encompassed the intentions behind the band, what would it be?
OM: “Be mean to me at your own risk, because you might end up having an album written about you.”
CA: Do you have any new releases or touring scheduled for 2022 and beyond?
OM: “I almost don’t want to say anything because I’m terrified of jinxing it, but if everything goes according to plan we’ll be on tour on the east coast of the US this spring. More info on that soon!”
CA: Where can we find you, and stream your latest release, GOOD GIRL?
OM: “You can find us on pretty much all social media, anywhere you stream your music, and you can buy our record on Bandcamp or on the Get Better Records website! There’s really never been a better time to directly support your favourite artists if you have the means, and buying music is a great way to do that. I don’t even mean our record specifically, just support the bands you love! Throw your favourite song on a playlist and give it to your crush, spread the word about music you think is cool because it means the world to little baby bands like us!”
Periphery Magazine thanks Olivia Maria for her contribution, and wishes her luck with future releases! You can find Cowboy Boy on social media and streaming platforms here: