Nicole: I was a classically trained dancer for 15+ years. Studying jazz, tap, and ballet when I was in elementary school, then focusing solely on ballet and contemporary dance from junior high into my early 20's.

Holiday: I love dance and I love movement modality. I don't see any inconsistency between dancing and playing rhythm instruments. We haven't heard of Barbee Killed Ken, but seems right up our alley!

Holiday: I became a bassist because the movement and rhythm spoke to me. It owns a feminine strength.

Nicole: As soon as I stopped dancing, I picked up drums (around age 22). I love drumming. It's so physical and challenging. You have to coincide two sets of limbs simultaneously (same as dance). So when everything is working harmoniously as it should, and you can feel that rhythm - there's nothing better.

I read where the tracks on your EP were recorded in a single take. How did you do engineering and recording of your EP?

Nicole: I have a home studio and have been engineering since 2009. I always have the drum kit mic'd up ready to go, and usually end up recording everything else direct. I'm not a big fan of amps. I really prefer a dry sound, so you have more options for treating it later; like a blank canvas. But yeah, as I record all the time, it was very natural and fun to record the Amoureux EP.

Holiday: The old fashioned way, by way of mouth and a keen ear.

Nicole: The EP is available as a digital album worldwide, through my label Neurotic Yell Records. We're leaving promotion in the very capable hands of the lovely Michelle King at Noisy Ghost PR. Oh, and I just remembered... we have a music video coming out very soon! It's a dance duet directed by Miles Crawford and choreographed by Kitty McNamee. It's such a beautiful video. We're very proud of it and can't wait to share it out in the ethers.

You have listed some pretty arcane influences: Williamsburg Bridge, Elysian Park, Erik Satie, Q Lazzarus, INXS, Pony Parades, Gary Oldman.  Can you talk about what inspires you about this eclectic list of influencers? Is there a nexus in what those acts do that influence your duo’s creative direction? And Gary Oldman? The actor?

Holiday: For our influences, we really took the core of what we both like that coincide. Nicole and I are both a little eccentric in our preferences. I find our influences reflect our individuality, the fact it's just not music that inspires us to create, it's innovation and imagination. Yes, Gary Oldman the actor. He just keeps it cool.....

Nicole: Gary Oldman forever!

Are you playing dates in the L.A. area or elsewhere?

Holiday: We are really focusing on being creative and putting out another EP asap.

Nicole: The live band phase isn't much of a priority right now. We're having too much fun writing and recording. Perhaps playing live will come later.

Are you pretty savvy to the L.A. scene in terms of booking and choices of venues? Where would be the best place to see you play?

Holiday: We have both been part of the music scene for many years and it's always thriving and interesting. As for venues, I'd love to play in an old beautiful haunted theater. That would be best for Amoureux.

In a live setting, what do you concentrate on doing to make your music come across as intended?

Nicole: I imagine it would entail another multi-instrumentalist or two. A strong connection with each other and our audience.

How do you keep from repeating yourselves while working within what might be a limiting format? Or do you see it that way?

Holiday: I personally don't see it that way, as I listen to music as a whole. But the intriguing part to me is always the dynamics of the rhythm section, so I don't see any limitations.

Holiday: I think we don't have any real expectations about how it has to be. We bring players in and let them be creative and write. We also foster the same environment for one another. In a live setting we would have to have other players or triggers.

Nicole: Amoureux's music is what it is because it's something Holiday and I do together. It's a manifestation of our combined creativity. If we started adding other people to the writing process, it would become something else. And we're happy with what it is now.

One might think that writing songs for Amoureux, particularly in your L.A. setting, might be a lot like designing, manufacturing, and preparing a product for presentation. Products typically say something about the consumers who buy them. What are your targets, or your objectives, when you visualize a new song?

Holiday: There has been occasions when we really have a focused intention. For 'Lost The Plot' we were discussing the Talking Heads 'This Must Be The Place' - the same core drums and 4 chord bass part. The magic is that it doesn't feel monotonous. Once we began to play and record the bass and drum parts, we agreed to have a song that sounded (to us) like driving down PCH on a summer evening. Something light and free and young. For "Your 20's Are For Wasting" we discussed the abandon of being young and lost, and how we were very close during those years- we wanted to impart chaos and lust and regret. So, in that way, we have objectives. How to tell a story not only though lyrics, but also the aural sense.

Who and where is your core audience?

Holiday: I hazard to guess, people who appreciate rawness and creativity.

Nicole: Anyone who connects to the music we're offering them.

What might you like to hear people say are the qualities that make Amoureux songs special and unique?

Holiday: I would truly hope people feel the sincerity and mending of heartbreak in the EP. Also, that it feels human and not too polished to relate to.

Nicole: It would be great if this EP encouraged people to see the beauty that lies in the imperfections we all have. And by embracing this idea, feeling comfortable enough to be their authentic selves. So in other words... "We've got high hopes... We've got high hopes... We've got high apple pie, in the sky hopes" ;-)

Do you have themes that you return to time and again? And, if so, do they reflect any particular ethos that Amoureux might represent as a voice in popular culture?

Holiday: As Amoureux is a relatively new project, I would convey that the "Never Young As Tonight" EP is thematically about heartbreak and reinvention. We have discussed putting a series of EPS out, each having a different theme.

Nicole: I guess the bass and drums element is a theme that would stay consistent. But other than that, we really look forward to exploring the different inspirations and influences that pop up as we write more songs.

Regarding career goals, what would you imagine to be the greatest thing that could happen for Amoureux? Is there a goal that you might feel really satisfied about achieving?

Holiday: I would hope that it would represent vulnerability and connection. The two things I find most inherent and most absent in our interaction today.

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