Q&A: From Twin Peaks to Tape Machines, the Making of Boyish’s ‘Gun’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
Photo by Ali Scharf
THERE’S A FLICKER OF NEON, THE HUM OF A RACETRACK IN THE DISTANCE — and the echo of fireworks in the night; welcome to Gun, the fictional town at the heart of Boyish’s upcoming album. Born from hazy road trips, a surfing injury and late-night marathons of Twin Peaks, it’s evident that Gun isn’t just an album, but rather an immersive experience and feeling.
The album marks a turning point for Claire Altendahl and India Shore, who stepped out of their Brooklyn apartment and into an analog studio in Tuxedo park to create the next chapter of their musical journey. Recording to tape for the first time encouraged them to make bolder and faster choices, where they found the grit, texture, and immediacy they’d been chasing.
Like the town itself, Gun is somewhat surreal, stitched together from vivid characters, moody landscapes, and the strange chaos of touring across America. Their recent single “Jumbos” pulls you into a major part of this imagined world, while “BIG,” out today, hits with towering guitars and sweeping strings. Today, the duo announced that Gun will be out on September 12.
We sat down with Claire and India to talk about the world of Gun, its unexpected origins, and how they plan to bring it to life on stage. Read below for more.
Photo by Brian Karlsson
LUNA: Let’s talk about Gun. It’s set in a fictional town inspired by road trips and a surfing injury. What was the first image or moment that sparked the idea?
INDIA SHORE: We were watching a lot of Twin Peaks, which set the mood. We wrote “BIG” right after that. Then we watched Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Flashdance, Billy Elliot, Thelma and Louise, and Love Lies Bleeding. Those films shaped the imagery and backdrop.
LUNA: And the surfing injury?
SHORE: I was surfing—if you can call it that—jumped off my board, hit the sand, and broke my leg. I couldn’t walk for three months, so I had a lot of time to sit and think. The idea came to me during that time.
LUNA: Glad you’re okay! Gun is your first project made outside a laptop, recorded in Tuxedo Park. How did working in that space and on analog gear change the sound?
CLAIRE ALTENDAHL: It was amazing. We’d self-produced everything but wanted someone to help bring our vision fully to life. Recording to tape felt impossible at first, but then we met Loren [Humphrey] who works entirely analog. He guided us through the process. Tape forces you to make quick, permanent decisions, unlike a laptop where you can tweak endlessly. It gave our sound glue, texture, and exactly the quality we wanted.
LUNA: It sounds great. That permanence adds something.
ALTENDAHL: It brought back a certain musicianship. If I messed up halfway through a take, I’d start again. We recorded a lot live—me on guitar while Loren drummed—which made it more dynamic than programming drums like before.
LUNA: You’ve mentioned that you wanted the album to feel like stepping into a place. How did that shape writing and sequencing?
SHORE: It made it clear what belonged and what didn’t. We had parameters, so it was easy to tell if something took us out of the world. There’s a chronological story to the sequence.
ALTENDAHL: At first, we didn’t know what we were writing—just that we wanted it loud and world-like. As songs came in, we added characters. Halfway through, we started seeing the characters clearly, and the world became defined. That made it easy to tell if something fit.
LUNA: When making your single “Jumbos,” how did certain settings (like mentions of London and LA) shape the story?
SHORE: The lyrics started before the concept, so the London reference is a bit out of place. We finished it after going to Jumbo’s Clown Room, which has such a mood—like it’s lost in time. In our fictional town, Jumbo’s could definitely exist.
LUNA: I loved the live video with the dancer from Jumbo’s. How did you bring the song’s mood to life visually?
SHORE: We considered filming in Jumbo’s but wanted it more ambiguous.
ALTENDAHL: We didn’t want it to take you out of the world. We kept a reference with Gabrielle, a dancer from Jumbo’s, and drew from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. We wanted it to make sense without being too on the nose.
LUNA: Your next single “BIG” comes out next. What can you share?
ALTENDAHL: It was the first song we wrote for the album, right after a long tour. There was a guitar part in the demo that India said felt like the album’s theme—very Twin Peaks. Recording it live gave it new life. We added huge guitars and live strings, which was a dream.
LUNA: I loved the music video with the big fire.
ALTENDAHL: There was no plan with that. We were filming on a farm, and the owner insisted on lighting a massive pile of wood. It was during a heat wave, 100 degrees, and he’d soaked it in gasoline. When it went up, the heat was unbearable [laughs].
LUNA: Now I want to take it back to when you started Boyish as a pandemic project in your apartment. How does this chapter feel different from your earlier work?
SHORE: It’s changed a lot. After touring our music for a couple years, we were both a bit bored of what we’d made so far and wanted to try something different. What we had didn’t feel like it lined up with who we were anymore. This album feels much more in line with how I feel now.
ALTENDAHL: It’s the album we always wanted to make but were scared of—worried about what if no one liked it because it’s a little weird—and unsure how to execute it.
LUNA: Well, it came together beautifully. You’ve also collaborated and toured with artists like King Princess and Claud. What’s something you’ve learned from those experiences that stuck with you while making Gun?
ALTENDAHL: Touring and seeing so much of the country has changed me. Before, I’d only seen a few states. Now I’ve been to almost all of them, and you see so many different ways people live. We’ve passed through abandoned towns, met unusual people, and seen strange things—like a small plane emergency landing in a snowstorm near Albuquerque. I’m fascinated by towns that were bustling decades ago but are now almost empty. Those experiences definitely shaped Gun. I know the fictional town because I’ve driven through it so many times.
LUNA: If fans could spend one night in Gun, what would they see, hear, and feel?
SHORE: They’d probably go to Jumbo’s. There’s a racetrack, lots of fireworks, and a big Fourth of July celebration over the track.
LUNA: And they’d be asking if that sound was a gun or a firework.
SHORE: Exactly [laughs].
LUNA: How are you planning to bring the atmosphere of Gun to life on tour? Any special visuals or set design?
SHORE: Ideally, it would be fully immersive—almost like theatre—with on-theme staff and bits throughout the show. We’re not sure if we can pull it all off, but we have some big moments planned.
Photo by Nicole Teckchandani
