If we give your record an 8.5 then you know we are gonna be chasing you for an interview. We demand answers, we need to know more about you – how, what, why and when. Royal Baths’ sophomore, Better Luck Next Life, is one such album. The San Francisco duo relocated to New York and recorded a record full of scuffed 60s garage and Velvet Underground undertones – we cornered one half of the duo, Mr Jeremy Cox, and demanded feedback.

Bowlegs: Firstly, Congratulations on a great album. How close is Better Luck Next Life to the record you had in mind when you started writing it?

Jeremy: Thanks! We didn’t have a clear idea of what the record would sound like until after we’d finished tracking. Our focus for the material was primarily song-by-song; more writing and structure oriented than any sort of abstract vision. Tracking was mostly done live, with vocals and guitar overdubs added where necessary. So in terms of vision, it was pretty open-ended.
 
Bowlegs: Your relocation from San Francisco to Brooklyn seems to have suited you. Can you see yourselves settling there or is moving around in your nature?

Jeremy: We love Brooklyn and will probably be there for a while. We are in the middle a four-month tour right now though, and there’s really no end in sight, so I don’t see us spending much time in any hometown we may choose.

Bowlegs: What previous experience did you have of New York that led you to up sticks and head over there?

Jeremy: We’ve found New York to be a very enchanting and romantic city – traits we feed off of during our writing process – so naturally we inclined to come explore. San Francisco is equally as charming, but we needed a break from the West Coast. Also, prior to moving, we’d been through New York on tour a few times, and found that the kids seem to be pretty receptive to what we play, which continues to hold true.
 
Bowlegs: Litanies and this album are, in no bad way, fairly raw affairs. If time and means were less of an obstacle when recording, would we hear a whole different Royal Baths record?

Jeremy: I think we have an inherently raw sound that has nothing to do with the production of our records. That being said, we are not stuck on one theme or sound, and certainly if we had the means, we would explore a more dynamic and perhaps delicate recording process.
 
Bowlegs: Who, and why, do you run new material past before letting it loose on a wider audience?

Jeremy: We tend to give our songs a yes or no before formally presenting them to anybody. Of course, there are occasions where people will hear a song of ours during practice and give us hope for material we may have otherwise ditched.

Bowlegs: With all that goes on around you in New York, do you get involved in other projects or does Royal Baths get all your attention?

Jeremy: Jigmae and I focus solely on Royal Baths. Our drummer, John Rau, has a noise project called ladyshapes, and before he moved out to NYC to play with us, he was in a band called XDS. Our bassist, Turner Halsey, plays guitar for Caged Animals sometimes.

Bowlegs: During your time in NYC have you come across any bands that we should be on the lookout for? 

Jeremy: Deadbeat is an awesome hardcore band who we’ve had the good fortune of becoming acquainted with. They don’t get nearly as much attention as they deserve.

Bowlegs: Fatos Marishta has made a couple of pretty impressive promos with you. Can we expect to see more from him in the future? How did you meet?

Jeremy: We met Fatos through a mutual friend in Brooklyn. He’s done a lot of our press photos and the videos for Black Sheep and Faster Harder. He has a good eye and too much patience. Gives great foot massages too. Certainly look out for more collaborations with him in the future.

Bowlegs: Your songs sound like a tantalizing live proposition. Do you mess with them much on the road or try to keep them true to the album versions?

Jeremy: I know we can easily be interpreted as a jam band, but most of what we play is structurally calculated and discussed. Though, there are portions of our songs that we extend or cut short depending on how intrigued with them we’re feeling at the time.

-Interview by Steve Manser Knight-