Q&A: Intimatchine to play EP release show at Rickshaw Stop

Intimatchine is the fascinating synth-based project of Los Angeles couple Chelsey Holland and Christopher Wormald. The duo is releasing its debut EP this month titled I’ll Eat You Last, which is available for pre-order from Bandcamp.

Intimatchine will celebrate its official cassette release by playing a show this Sunday at Rickshaw Stop with Soft Metals and Max + Mara. We caught up with Holland and Wormald via email to discuss their history, current EP, and plans for the future.

The Bay Bridged: For those who don’t know, what is Intimatchine?

Chelsey Holland: It is the name for our music collaboration that derives from the combination of real and imaginary dramas that originate from our real life relationship.

TBB: How long have you two been collaborating on music?

CH: We’ve been working on music since the beginning of our relationship in 2009 so it’s been roughly 5 years. We didn’t start performing until January of last year. That’s half a decade of working on music and then we started all over after sharing it with audiences. It had to be compatible and our music from 5 years ago was not compatible with the relationship we wanted to portray and create with listeners. It was private, now it’s…personal.

TBB: Is it hard to separate your personal relationship from your musical relationship?

CH: We are musicians first, and lovers second. These two instances are hard to separate because of our current domestic situation. Things like kitchen and bedroom dramas routinely infiltrate our creative process.

TBB: How has your relationship with technology influenced your creative process?

CH: Technology enabled us to maintain a long distance relationship–which is how we began seeing each other in 2009. The internet and all of its social platforms informed the ways we could be intimate. The content that we archived through iChat, email, file transfers, and video have played a significant role in the development of our music. Very spooky.

TBB: Where can we hear your latest EP, I’ll Eat You Last?

CH: We are releasing the EP on a limited run of cassettes, which can now be pre-ordered on our Bandcamp. They will be available at our upcoming shows and orders begin shipping out on the 7th. The full EP will also stream online but not until the end of April. We have our first single, “Do Me”, on SoundCloud and our first music video “Are You Rich?” on YouTube–hoping everyone can enjoy the clips and previews we’ll be infiltrating the interweb in the meantime.

TBB: Does theater influence your art in any other ways beyond your latest EP title?

CH: The theatre is a very sentimental place. It’s where I learned a lot of my moves. I want to stick to the original plan and be on Broadway someday. Chris would come to all my plays in college, and he’d videotape these monologues I made up. The theatre taught me a lot about discipline and it continues to serves as this emotional outlet. From what I can see in our music, the theatre and our high regard for stage presence inspires role play, movement, and improvisation. That’s it though. You can shoot us once we start covering Liza Minnelli’s “Losing My Mind”…

TBB: What is your current live setup like? Will you be bringing out the theremin?

CH: We try to keep a minimal setup with two Dave Smith tabletop synths, the DX7ii, vocal and keyboard fx processors, a Korg sampler, computer, and electric guitar. Most of our setup time is dedicated to untangling wires. No theremin for this show. That’s sacred.

TBB: How would you describe your unique role within the Los Angeles industrial / dark wave scene?

CH: We don’t exist.

TBB: How will you choose to spend your free time (if any) while visiting San Francisco?

CH: I’m a Cal Berkeley alumni so I am hoping we can spend some time walking the halls where I tried to slit my wrists. Chris, what do you want to do?

Christopher Wormald: Eat Cheeseboard, ride the train, and pass out in Dolores Park.

TBB: Finally, what does Intimatchine have in store for the remainder of 2014 and beyond?

CH: Sunday night with Soft Metals and Max + Mara will be our cassette release show. It’s a 5 track EP that includes 3 exclusive B-side remixes, which aren’t available online. We have two 7″ projects underway, one is through Everythingischemical.com‘s virtual compliation and the other is with our friends GLAARE, a doom metal group from LA. Other than that, we’re just playing shows, forging friendships, and making pornos.