Interview: Daisy the Great Explore the Size of Their Sound with Sophomore Album 'All You Need Is Time'

‘All You Need Is Time,’ the next musical parable from Brooklyn-based indie pop duo Daisy The Great, promises larger-than-life live performance moments.

Stream: “Easy” – Daisy the Great

I would love to do a collab with every ‘90s punk band.

– Mina Walker, Daisy the Great

If modern music has taught us anything, it is that since its inception, adolescence, and maturity it has had constants.

As an uber fan of voice theatrics and vocal gymnastics, one constant I know to be true is this: Some of the most revered bands in history could not and cannot harmonize vocally.

Having this ability and being an outrageously-successful artist are not mutually exclusive is what I’m trying to say. There exists a small cross section of bands who, while they may be able to harmonize, do not sound harmonious.

Daisy the Great solves for this.

All You Need Is Time - Daisy The Great — All You Need Is Time – Daisy the Great

Speaking to the Brooklyn-based duo of Mina Walker and Kelley Dugan before their set at Firefly Music Festival this past September, it was evident they already shared the all-important thought harmonies that make a band great. They are concise, laugh easily, speak with intent and are just delightful.

But on stage later that day, that dedication to vocal harmony was undeniable. Their performance builds an altar to artists like Simon & Garfunkel and The Indigo Girls – not in the sense that they sound like or mimic them, but like them, they understand the art form of singing two different, but complimentary notes and it’s the cornerstone of their sound.

Daisy the Great regularly graces the pages of Atwood Magazine‘s Editor’s Picks and more. Their sophomore album All You Need Is Time arrives October 28th via S-Curve Records, and includes already released tracks “Glitter,” “Cry in the Mirror,” Aluminum,” “Liar,” and “Easy.”

I like the idea of making art and putting it out when it feels like the right time for YOU.

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:: **stream/purchase All You Need Is Time here** ::

A CONVERSATION WITH DAISY THE GREAT

Atwood Magazine: Do you cater your performance to a festival crowd differently than at a venue?

Mina Walker: Festivals are so cool because that’s a place where you get introduced to music. Festivals are fun because there are audience members who know who we are and some who don’t and it’s cool to meet new people.

Kelley Dugan: Festivals are fun because fans are going for a longer experience, so you have opportunities to find new artists. Festival crowds are excited to seek new music.

How do you feel COVID has affected festivals and festival crowds?

Mina Walker: With festivals in terms of safety, I feel like I was more nervous about inside shows than outside shows, so I think there’s something about having fresh air that is nice. There’s also something about dedicating your whole day to music. It’s different from going to a show.

Kelley Dugan: Coming out of a time where there was so much isolation and anxiety everyone missed going to shows. A lot of people will be excited to gather with a community, celebrate and feel that freedom and joy that comes from a festival.

Let's talk about the upcoming album and tour…

Mina Walker: We’re releasing an album on October 28 called All You Need Is Time, and I’m excited because we’ve been playing a lot of the songs on the album before they are out, so I’m excited to release the album and then go on tour and play songs that people have actually heard before.

Kelley Dugan: We’re going on tour November 8th with The Happy Fits, for about a month and a half playing really cool rooms like Webster Hall in New York, The Fonda in L.A., so those shows I’m really excited about. We’ve been playing a lot of the singles, so I’m excited to play some of the deep cuts of the record that are kind of a sneaky hit.

EMBRACING THE END TIMES WITH THE HAPPY FITS’ DYNAMIC, FEVERISH & CHARGED THIRD LP ‘UNDER THE SHADE OF GREEN’

:: FEATURE ::

What artists inspire you?

Mina Walker: I really admire Big Thief, Moses Sumney. It seems like they create very sacred spaces and respectful spaces and I hope as our shows grow that we have a respectful, engaged and dedicated audience and that comes from the artist and audience sharing energy. It feels like a very respected and artistic space that I would love to get to.

People like Mitski and Fiona Apple feel like they really take their time and their work is very thoughtful. I like the idea of making art and putting it out when it feels like the right time for YOU.

Kelley Dugan: I went to the same school as Lady Gaga and growing up have always looked up to her drive and endless creativity. I saw some of her shows growing up and it seemed like she had such a strong vision of what she wanted her show to be. Every record goes to a different place. She seems to be really in control.

Who are your artist peers and what is your relationship like?

Kelley Dugan: Our band mates have their own projects and we have a really lovely relationship with them and so respect their individual projects and honestly we learn from each other.

Mina Walker: Our friend Joey in the band Sipper is one. I’ve sat with him in a park for hours as he’s picked my brain.

On the album… is it a separation… did it feel creatively different?

Mina Walker: It’s an evolution I think. We started with a rock band base and added stuff to accentuate the vocals. We recorded everything in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.

Kelley Dugan: It definitely represents our live sound better than our other stuff that is out. In performing we found a different energy and freedom in our sound and the size of it. We were coming from a place of asking ourselves what we wanted to play live. We wrote the songs wanting the moment to feel big. A lot of the stuff we had out was super delicate.