Words by Aria Cabello
Photos by Liliet Reyes
Born and bred on the debaucherous streets of New York City, HOMADE invites you into their gritty and whimsical world through confrontational rock and roll. Formed by singer and bassist Lola Daehler and drummer Koko Williams in 2021, they later recruited lead guitarist Suzie Ciftcikal and rhythm guitarist Maya Ruth. The group’s feminist and DIY ethos is paid homage in the band’s name, a play on “homemade,” in a post-ironic era where traditionalist housewives are making a comeback.
The new music video for their 2022 single “Blue Fish” was produced, directed and edited by Daehler with co-director and DP, Yuri Bong. “A big inspiration for the music video was Lunachicks,” Daehler tells me over a Friday afternoon phone call. “They had a very similar upbringing to us, almost all of the girls went to LaGaurdia [High School] and were just, like, nasty and running around the city and being bad all the time.” The video features the band jamming in their apartment as fake blood runs down the singer’s legs. They wanted the video to capture their real-life antics, with shots of them “just having fun together”. The blue-tinted fish-eye cinematography makes the viewer feel like a fish in a bowl that is being bullied by a band of pissed-off hot girls. Along with scenes of the members playing their instruments on the beach and the song’s surfy guitars, the tongue-in-cheek video captures the theme of the song beautifully and directly.
Much like their live performances, everything the band does seems to demand attention. “The heart of HOMADE is to be big and loud and not embarrassed about it,” says Daehler. With influences like The Breeders and Jack Off Jill, the group has an undeniably feminist backbone. They frequently share the stage with NYC scene-legends and friends Pretty Sick, Stella Rose and Hello Mary, who are all female-driven bands. When they aren’t playing, they spend their time going to local shows to support other women. “We get excited whenever there’s other girls on stage, especially younger girls. We like to be in the crowd cheering them on,” says Ruth. “We want to show people that there’s a place for everybody. We’re totally out to protect. Lola will fight someone to make sure a girl is okay at a show.”
Approaching their three-year anniversary, HOMADE reflects on their evolution, moving and growing as twenty-somethings, individually and together. “I feel like a completely different person than when we started. You know, we’re women – we don’t jam with guys, we jam with each other. Women are extremely communicative. It’s like being in a room filled with water, you know, everything is out on the surface constantly,” Daehler waxes poetic. Having gone through the pains that often come with being both business partners and best friends, they feel like they are at a point where they all speak the same unspoken language.
The band is hosting a free release party for the “Blue Fish” music video on Monday in East Village, Manhattan featuring a live set along with Le Bang and DJs Kyota, Fast Divorce and itg.url.
