Sir Chloe is the Dog: Interview with Dana Foote

Written for LADYGUNN

Photos by Shervin Lainez

The lead singer of the rising garage-rock pop-band sensation, Sir Chloe, gave some of their time to chat with LADYGUNN prior to the release of their new album, “I Am The Dog.” Dana Foote speaks on the origin of Sir Chloe, the development of the band’s sound, and the raptures of tour. Starting in May, Sir Chloe will be touring in Europe.

Sir Chloe’s earlier releases like “Michelle” and “Too Close” transcended the band in to rock stardom, but their sound is only maturing. As growing musicians, their rock is elevating to new levels. “I Am The Dog” will be out in the world for all to listen on May 19th.

— How did the band Sir Chloe form? What is the story behind the name “Sir Chloe”?

Sir Chloe started in college. I was a music student at a college called Bennington, and I got the band together because music students put on concerts as their senior thesis. That was how Teddy joined, who’s still in the band, he’s my lead guitarist and also we write together.

The name Sir Chloe came from… well you know my mom almost named me Chloe, and I’ve always really liked the name. I would use it when I would go out with my friends. Someone would come up and ask my name, and if I didn’t want to tell them I’d tell them my name was Chloe. It was kind of one of those back-up names. I wanted something androgynous, and I wanted a prefix that made it sound more kind of elegant. I toyed around with a couple and ended up on Sir.

— Who are some artists that influenced your production of the tracks on your upcoming album “I Am The Dog”?

I was going through a really big Shoegaze phase when we started this record. I was listening to a lot of Cocteau Twins, specifically the album “Four-Calendar Cafe.” A lot of Slowdive. A lot of Mojave 3. Also this band And The Kids. Listened to a lot of Pile. I was also listening to a lot of Hendrix, specifically the album “Axis: Bold As Love.”
Our first four songs; “Animal,” “Michelle,” “Too Close,” and “Walk You Home” were made with our college band. We recorded those first four songs just the four of us in a live session. A lot of that older stuff was undercooked, we were just working with what we had. We wanted to add more textures this time around, and since we were listening to a ton of Shoegaze we got super into synths for this one. We wanted to keep the guitars and our original band sound, but make the sound more lush and dense.

— Can you speak on the title “I Am The Dog”?

“I Am The Dog” was the first song that we wrote for the record. At the time I was living with this really violent dog, who I absolutely loved but you know… She had been through a lot and she was very reactive, and it became very dangerous to live in the same house. I had written that song about two months into living with her. I liked the title, I thought it was fun and you know cool.

— Can you describe your songwriting process as a collective?

Our writing process changed a lot during this record, but what we typically do is… I’ll write lyrics, melody, and I’ll write some chords and I’ll bring them to Teddy. He usually makes the chord progressions more intriguing or changes the shapes of the chords to make them bigger and more lush. He’s a really big jazz guy, so he’s got a real nose for harmony. During this album he was writing chord progressions as well, and then I would write lyrics and melodies over that. I write the vocal harmonies as well. Then the arranging used to be just Teddy and I, but during the process it was much more collaborative. We had studio musicians for this record, and a lot of it was letting them take the reigns. We had the privilege of working with some really talented musicians with really great perspectives, so they were bringing a lot to the table. Same with John who helped produce the album, he weighed in on a lot of the arrangements.

— Are your singles “Hooves” and “Salivate” good representatives for the rest of “I Am The Dog’s” sound as an album? 

That’s a good question. I think they are and they aren’t. I think there is a bit more of a range. We definitely have some of those harder loud-quiet songs that are more of a representation of our older stuff. We also have some sweet songs, and two slow weird ballads that are a little bit pervy and more stripped down. We have a kind of surf-rock song on there too. I would say the sounds are pretty cohesive, but the dynamics and the
feel changes throughout the record. It’s not all that violent and intense sound.

— In what ways has Sir Chloe’s sound evolved since the release of your first single in 2019?

A lot has changed. The writing has changed a lot. The writing became a lot more collaborative, while before I was writing most of the songs and Teddy came in for the rest of “Party Favors.” Listening back to our old stuff, it actually sounds a lot softer than what it felt like at the time. Our sound was a little bit more demure back then. Also, I think it does sound a bit raw and undercooked, because we were just four kids in a band working with what we had. Now, for this record, we had a lot more resources. A lot more instruments – it’s a privilege to get creative with different instruments. All we had before were guitars and drums. Our sound has gotten denser, over all there’s more going on, more layers. A lot of the sounds feel more intentional to me, it sounds more mature. We grew up a lot, and I think it comes through in the music.

— Your European tour is approaching! Which shows are you most looking forward to? Do you have any tracks you’re most looking forward to performing?

We’re really excited for Paris. Really excited for London. Also, we’re really excited for Poland! Poland was a real dark horse of an audience. The kids are amazing. Last year in Poland we had this really great promoter named Denis, in Warsaw specifically, who we were hoping to see again when we’re back in town. And the food! The food is amazing, and it’s such a beautiful city. Yeah, London is an amazing crowd too. In the U.S. rock died for a long time. People weren’t really playing guitar for quite some time. It’s really coming back, but guitars never went away in the UK. You’re playing in front of an audience who has been listening to music with guitars for quite some time. It’s a very different energy from the U.S. We’re looking forward to playing “Salivate,” that’s a really fun one. We’ve actually been playing it live for a while, we played that on our last Europe tour back in September. A lot of the new songs we have been playing live for some time, like “Should I” is another fun one. The loud ones are obviously pretty fun, but another song we’re looking forward to playing is “Obsession.” It’s just over half way through the album, and it’s my personal favorite on the record. It has dense harmonies.

— The last New York City show Sir Chloe had was as Baby’s Alright. Are you all excited to perform at New York City’s newest venue Racket?

Yeah we played at Baby’s in December with our friends Moon Kiss. Racket is in Chelsea, I live in Hell’s Kitchen so I’m excited to play at a venue that’s close to home! It’s always fun to play hometown shows.

— Which artist(s) would be Sir Chloe’s dream collaboration if that’s something you want as a band?

I am actually not sure about that one, I’d have to think! Collaborating with friends is always a good time. It’s like the apex of fun

— Would you be interested in cross-sectioning genres, or more so in participating in the revival of rock in the U.S.?

Oh yeah, absolutely! We listen to anything and everything, so any genre is fair game.

— If Sir Chloe never fortified, what do you dream you’d be doing today?

I’m not sure. I’d probably be working in a funeral home or something. I’m good at make-up. I think putting people in their favorite outfits, doing their hair, making them look all nice. I think that would suit me, it’s a creative pursuit.

— How would you pitch Sir Chloe to someone who has never listened to your music?

Garage-rock or Pop-rock.

Stylist: @styledbyphil / Makeup: @colbymakeup