The Curls are returning this 4/20 with a fantastically warped single and video that shapes into a politically solvent acid trip. Bringing in the whole Curls extended family, including a guest vocal and flute track from Fran’s Maria Jacobsen, “Nu-Country” seems to have arrived right as parts of the country are losing their minds with protests against stay at home measures and the line between sanity and the unreal are beginning to blur. We caught up with Curls brainstem Mick Fansler from his home in the nethers of Chicago’s underground to talk about the new single, the fantastical visual video, and the not so far apart connection between Trump and Amy Schumer.       

Get over to bandcamp and buy “Nu-Country” for $1 ! All proceeds go to Greater Chicago Food Depository!

MF: Mick Fansler

The Curls have always had a bit of a social commentary edge. Your new single "Nu-Country" takes a bit of a serious turn from some of the tongue in cheek humor in the past to really speculate where we may be headed. Besides the obvious fear we all have at this moment, what could you say precipitated this shift?

MF: The worlds on fucking fire! Seems like a good time to take a break from writing personal narrative songs or abstract goofs. Or maybe not! I like goofs. I don’t know. I’ve always been obsessive about politics and comedy but find it hard to translate in song without sounding like an insufferable dope. I think we’ve socially and politically been heading in this absurd, terrifying direction for a long time now. But the masks have really come off now as far as our institutions go and a lot of people seem to be noticing so maybe it’s a good time to make art about that. 

There is also quite a political/social stance taken within the song. What is the connection you see between Trump and Amy Schumer?

MF: I’ve been thinking about this. Other than the flawless rhyme scheme of Schumer & tumor (Chuck Schumer was too clunky), I think there is some connection to be made. They both seem to represent a dumbing down of expectations in their respective fields. The sort of characters you expect to be around in the end times. The stakes are obviously higher in Trump’s case. But I mean disregarding how uniquely stupid and offensive he is, Trump’s not any worse than Bush, and someone like Biden isn’t far behind in my opinion. Trump has a lot of work to do to catch up to the destruction Bush/Cheney unleashed on the world. I’m sure we will see him at a ball game with Ellen within the next 10 years. 

Maria Jacobson of Fran guests on the track, how did this relationship come about?

MF: I’ve known Maria for awhile now. Funny enough, I think the first time we properly hung out was at my wedding. We’ve collaborated in live settings a few times over the years since then. She performed with us at Pitchfork. When I recorded & listened back to the initial voice memo demo of “Nu-Country” I immediately thought of Maria and texted her. So grateful to have her on this. The song is immensely better because of her vocals and flute shreds. I think she may be my favorite singer. I’m a Fran superfan!

The video is as gorgeous as it is strange. Who did the animation and how long does something like that take to put together?

MF: Alex Jensen animated and orchestrated everything you see in the video. I think I contributed by saying I was hoping for some weird ass apocalypse type shit. He’s worked with us and our friends Woongi in the past. I still haven’t met him in person. Mysterious! Though, my wife ran into him at a pizza parlor the night Bernie won Iowa. I think he’s brilliant. I‘ll have to ask him how long this took. Does anyone say pizza “parlor” anymore?

You all have had several members come and go in the last two years. Is it ever tough to keep it going with such change, or do you view it as a collective experience and just let the vibes of each person influence the nature of the group?

MF: I think it keeps things a bit interesting. New people coming in inevitably creates new style and feeling in the music that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. Wild! Seems like the past few years we’ve always had a few members sliding in and out at any given time. My wife Jan and I are the only proper OG’s left. She added all of the amazing brass parts to this track. Having said that, we’ve been a pretty steady and nuclear group since October now when Steve Plock joined on drums. Matt Puhr has been with us on bass for awhile now. But there’s a lot of people that have been in the band or otherwise that I continue to make music with. Chris Coleslaw (Tobacco City) was an original Curl and he plays guitar on this, came out on tour with us in December too. Rami Atassi has played guitar with us on and off for years and he helped engineer and produce the track with Caleb Willitz. Nora Barton (PLANCHETTE, Mucca Pazza) came in and recorded some wild cello tracks too. All long time friends and collaborators. Seems dumb to limit everything to the confines of a few people. But at the same time I do crave the consistency of a solid four piece band. I like it all!

What's up next for The Curls? Is "Nu-Country" a one off or should we expect an album this year?

MF: We were supposed to begin tracking a new full length record with Dave (Vettraino) last weekend but obviously that’s on hold now. We have some wild plans for this one. We’ll see. I doubt the album will be finished, let alone come out this year now but who knows! But it is written and I can guarantee right now, and many people are saying this, it will be our finest work to date. As for “Nu-Country,” I would describe it as a one-off. Honestly, a bit of a stretch to call it a Curls tune, but when you spend years cultivating mass name recognition and numerous critical accolades under one banner, you have to milk it for all it’s worth. We’ll probably release some more one-offs throughout quarantine. All the proceeds we get through bandcamp etc., for this and all upcoming releases, will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository. 

The first thing you're going to do when we're all allowed to go outside again?

MF: I’m going to Tastee Freez with my friends, then getting proper drunk and taking a naked dip in the Humboldt Park lagoon. Fucking paradise!