“Being angry about this can feel a little childish, but it’s still a real and valid feeling that deserves to be heard,” shares the Los Angeles-based duo Fake Dad. Comprised of Andrea de Varona and Josh Ford, this pair brings their unique blend of bedroom synth pop and indie rock, seasoned with quirky synths and sun-soaked guitars, all the way from the buzzing streets of New York. Their latest single, “Crybaby,” dives into the ever-persistent allure of fame—a theme ubiquitous to anyone who has ever aspired to be recognized. The track poses questions about the nature of fame: Is it luck, hard work, or just a cycle of endless comparisons? With a humorous take, Fake Dad doesn’t just discuss fame; they poke at it with a stick, returning to their indie rock roots without getting lost in the seriousness of the subject.
In our interview, we talk about the inspiration behind “Crybaby,” explore the dynamics of their creative partnership, and discuss how they handle creative differences.
Photography by Orena Klein
“Crybaby” discusses the toxic cycle of seeking fame. Was there a specific moment that sparked this idea for you?
As cliche as it may sound, I think it was first and foremost our move to LA over the past year and experiencing the cultural differences in the music and creative scenes compared to their hometown of New York. Although we try not to compare ourselves to other artists it’s become harder and harder for everyone to ignore how many people in music are working with shortcuts—whether it’s who they know, where they grew up, or who their parents are. Being angry about this can feel a little childish, but it’s still a real and valid feeling that deserves to be heard. That’s why we explore it through a sort of bratty, caricature-like tone.
It’s really easy to fall victim here to the idea that if you do what those people do you can be like them and have their success but we wanted to explore in the song is the realization that you’ll be an outsider to those kinds of people.
Recently, I found myself deep in conversation about the modern chase for quick fame as opposed to the time-honored belief in hard work and dedication for achieving lasting success. Given your experiences and the themes in your music, what’s your stance on this debate? Do you align with the idea that true success comes from persistence and effort, or have your own journeys offered a different perspective?
It’s a hard question to answer because it draws into question the idea of what success even is. Is success a legacy? Making a difference in people’s lives? Having the money and freedom to do what you love? I think the answer is different for everyone, and therefore the answer to this question might differ from person to person. There is nothing wrong with quick fame and who are we to judge whether or not someone is deserving of that. It is easy to look around and pass judgments about whether or not someone has worked hard enough to get to where they are (and certainly at least some people haven’t) but I think it’s a road to nothing but resentment and unhappiness. The people who will really make a difference will become clear and retrospect and everyone who has ever gotten something you don’t think they deserve will only get so far if you are right about them. All we can really do is continue to work as hard as possible every day and hope that the world sees that work as meaningful and worth engaging with.
“Making music with someone you trust is one of the most intimate human art forms.”
In creating “Crybaby,” did you learn anything new about yourselves or your musical partnership?
Yes, definitely. Some songs are just effortless to write, and “Crybaby” was most definitely one of those. We went into the studio trying to build a song around a singular riff, and the second we found it, everything else just came pouring out. We love to explore things that might be frustrating or weighing us down in our music, but we also have a deep respect for and fascination with music that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Crybaby is saturated with that energy—we like to think you can hear how much fun we had making it.
It reminded us of why we love creating together so much in the first place—we have so much fun doing it and at on a good day it comes together so effortlessly. We believe our partnership (in life and music) brings out the best in each other and creating this song just further solidified that.
How do you overcome creative differences?
First of all, we have less and less creative differences as we continue to work together over the years. One of the things that is most fun about working together is how much we understand the other one’s creative intent. However, when we do have creative differences it’s the same as any good relationship: communication and compromise. If you truly trust your creative partner then you have to trust that your difference in opinion will result in something stronger that either of you would have thought of alone, not weaker. When we do come across these moments we each try out best to step back for a second, take a few breaths, and make sure we are actually hearing each other out. We then aim to maintain the sacred space that has allowed us to create so openly and intimately.
“Is success a legacy? Making a difference in people’s lives?… I think the answer is different for everyone.”
And what’s your favorite part of creating music together?
Just how deeply we understand each other because of the nature of our relationship. Making music and writing songs with another person is one of the most intimate human art forms and experiences outside of sex and…I’m honestly not sure what else. So to be able to do that with someone that you trust more than anyone else in the world is really special. It allows us to be vulnerable and open in our creative process in a way neither of us has ever been able to be with past collaborators. With this new project we’re currently working on, it honestly feels like some of the spaces and ideas we are exploring and spilling our guts about probably wouldn’t have even come out the way they have if we weren’t in the same room throughout every step of the process. Recently we have also been able to bring in a few new collaborators into this space and it has also been very cool to hear the way they experience us as a unit, working as one. We think it’s also aided in making those new collaborations all the more fruitful.
You’ve mentioned a shared goal to create music that understands people. Can you share a moment when you felt your music truly connected with someone?
One of the first memories that comes to mind was actually very early on soon after we released Fake Dad’s first ever fully recorded track on Soundcloud. It was called “What’s Wrong?” and a fan sent us a message on IG detailing how much the song meant to her and how it really helped her through this extremely difficult time in her life where she felt completely alone and misunderstood and like there was really no place in the world for her. She shared with us how the song was something she kept going back to when her suicidal thoughts were particularly bad and she said that she wasn’t sure where she’d end up if she hadn’t kept listened to the song on repeat. Reading the message brought tears to my eyes and made me feel so insanely grateful and proud of what we were doing because that’s really all we ever hope our music can do. Be there for the people who listen to it the way our favorite music was always there for us growing up when we were respectively dealing with our own battles with severe depression, anxiety, and other mental and emotional traumas.
“In the long term, the only thing that matters is building a life that makes you happy and sharing that happiness with people.”
What’s a day in the life of Fake Dad like?
Wake up at 3:45 am. Take a cold shower together. Feed our 8 cats. 3-mile run. Check on our eBay bids on ceramic clown statues. Feed the cats one more time. Lunch of a scooped-out bagel, untoasted, with the scooped-out bit toasted, re-inserted. Hot Yoga. Cats fed one more time. Watch RuPaul’s Drag Race roast compilation videos on YouTube for 3 hours. Check our email chain with eBay support about Clown statues that were not delivered in the condition they were represented as. Fall asleep with our limbs tangled together so our bodies form a perfect Yin-Yang symbol.
The most important thing in life?
Learning to listen to yourself! Not in like a “trust your anxious thoughts” kind of way, but in a “listening to your body and what it’s telling you” kind of way. In the long term, the only thing that matters is building a life that makes you happy and sharing that happiness with people. You can’t even begin to do that if you don’t really listen to your body when it tries to tell you how it feels about what’s happening around you.
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