Minneapolis-based POLIÇA shatters all notions that music with impact must come from either coast. The band weaves sharp songwriting with dynamic sound production, both in its live shows and in its sophomore LP Shulamith, whose extended version dropped this month. Its lyrics can be dark––"I'll dream of you, oh my strangler" purrs "LEADING TO DEATH"––even while the music makes you feel like you're watching the climax of a life-affirming movie. It's raw and eerie, yet optimistic. Tuesday night in New York, vocalist Channy Leaneagh, bassist Chris Bierden, and drummers Drew Christopherson and Ben Ivascu transfixed the crowd with a mix of icy vocals and electro-pop spirit (producer Ryan Olson of GAYNGS remained behind-the-scenes, if still audible in the group's sound). We caught up with the lead singer in Brooklyn about her teen style icons and the Minneapolis music scene.
WILLIAM NIXON: Tell me about the music scene in Minneapolis.
CHANNY LEANEAGH: I played downtown [with] like bluegrass, and folk stuff, and people heard me and I started playing in clubs. Then other musicians saw me and invited me to do things like GAYNGS and eventually POLIÇA. It’s very community-based. There is a lot of interplay between different scenes; it’s not quite as clique-y. It’s a wide range of genres and different types of people making music together. Marijuana Deathsquads is another band that I play with—it’s a good example of a real mish-mash and a lot of different people from different scenes like Crust punk, hip-hop, and people like me who are making noise and music together.
Is there anything characteristic of that scene and community that comes through in POLIÇA?
[POLIÇA] is very Minnesotan. It’s an example of a band where no one is really the leader and no one is really the last say. We all dance around each other and don’t step on each other. We let each other have a voice. Minnesota is known for being passive and sweet. It has that quality in the music—the way we make music is very much letting everybody have his turn.
Was your newest album inspired by any other places or spaces geographically?
Eau Claire, Wisconsin is a huge influence on POLIÇA because it’s the place where our producer [Ryan Olson] comes from—people like Bon Iver and a lot of bands in the Minneapolis scene come from there. So, it has a sound that is kind of small-town. Minneapolis in a lot of ways is a small town. It's not a competitive sound. POLIÇA doesn’t sound like other people because we are isolated in a small town.
Do you have any favorite thrift stores or vintage shops that contribute to your aesthetic?
There is a place called B Resale. There used to be a placed called Fried Bolonga that closed. If I’m going to get anything, it’s usually the Salvation Army.
What has the process been for creating your music videos?
“Lay Your Cards Out,” “
WILLIAM NIXON: Tell me about the music scene in Minneapolis.
CHANNY LEANEAGH: I played downtown [with] like bluegrass, and folk stuff, and people heard me and I started playing in clubs. Then other musicians saw me and invited me to do things like GAYNGS and eventually POLIÇA. It’s very community-based. There is a lot of interplay between different scenes; it’s not quite as clique-y. It’s a wide range of genres and different types of people making music together. Marijuana Deathsquads is another band that I play with—it’s a good example of a real mish-mash and a lot of different people from different scenes like Crust punk, hip-hop, and people like me who are making noise and music together.
Is there anything characteristic of that scene and community that comes through in POLIÇA?
[POLIÇA] is very Minnesotan. It’s an example of a band where no one is really the leader and no one is really the last say. We all dance around each other and don’t step on each other. We let each other have a voice. Minnesota is known for being passive and sweet. It has that quality in the music—the way we make music is very much letting everybody have his turn.
Was your newest album inspired by any other places or spaces geographically?
Eau Claire, Wisconsin is a huge influence on POLIÇA because it’s the place where our producer [Ryan Olson] comes from—people like Bon Iver and a lot of bands in the Minneapolis scene come from there. So, it has a sound that is kind of small-town. Minneapolis in a lot of ways is a small town. It's not a competitive sound. POLIÇA doesn’t sound like other people because we are isolated in a small town.
Do you have any favorite thrift stores or vintage shops that contribute to your aesthetic?
There is a place called B Resale. There used to be a placed called Fried Bolonga that closed. If I’m going to get anything, it’s usually the Salvation Army.
What has the process been for creating your music videos?
“Lay Your Cards Out,” “