What got you interested in music?
Skyler Cocco: It started out really young; my dad was a musician too, so we had recording equipment around. Me and one of my childhood friends would be downstairs making these ridiculous songs all the time and we'd be writing stuff and I would always take control and lay down the guitar parts and record them and I'd set up the mics and everything and it sort of just became a game to me. So, I started really focusing on it and every day I'd be working on music. Eventually I started working on it on the computer and it kind of took off and here it is, writing songs all the time.
Do you remember the first song you wrote?
The first song that I wrote is ridiculous. It was a really silly song with one of my friends and we actually produced it ourselves but we were 10 or 11 so we didn't really know what we were doing, I think it was called "Why Do You" and it was like, 'why do you always complain?'. [Laughs] Those were the lyrics.
But, the first song that I actually wrote and released, I think I was 16 or 17 and I think it's actually on my Bandcamp still; I redid it a couple years ago. That was like the one song I had, the song I took to Purchase - I went to Purchase College by the way - but when I got there I was talking to different people and everyone had music, all these different musicians were there and they had bands and everything, but I had that one song to show people, and it was called "I Don't Love You". I think I have it on my Bandcamp.
Which artists or bands are you influenced by?
Definitely Grimes, she just released a new album, but I've been following her since a really long time ago, maybe five years ago, when she had a lot of early stuff. I just like her as an artist, you know, she does everything herself and she does work with other people, but she mainly produces and mixes her own stuff and it's just really inspiring because I do that too. I've dealt with people all the time - some men in general - who are producers who always think that I'm just singing my songs. They know that I'm writing them too, but sometimes they just don't assume that I'm producing my own music and it's a struggle sometimes, because I feel like I'm putting a lot of work into my music and for it to be downplayed to just being a singer it's just, it's shitty.
But, I like Grimes, I really like Tame Impala - it's like psychedelic, really cool, funk kind of music. I like Soundgarden a lot, I like all random types of music. It's very, very random genres, mixed into one.
Is there a track you're hooked on right now?
Yeah, actually just heard this song, it's by a Swedish band, it's called "The Open Road" by Postiljonen. I just heard it last night actually and I haven't stopped playing it.
How would you define your sound?
My sound is like an alternative, pop, grunge frenzy. There's a sense of pop in it, but it's mostly pretty heavy rock music with pop style melodies and songwriting.
What inspired your latest single "Some Nerve"?
Well, a lot of my writing is me just being crazy and being way too self-involved [laughs] like, in my head I'll just be thinking of the most ridiculous scenarios and I'll sort of think of a lot of memories of myself and it'll drive me insane. It's just like, when you think of something you did two years ago and you're like 'why the hell am I thinking about this,' so that song is kind of me telling myself, this has got to stop, you've infuriated yourself to no end. A lot of people think that song is about a relationship or me yelling at someone, but it's actually completely internal.
Is that indicative of what we can expect to hear on the forthcoming album?
Yeah, absolutely. The album is called Reverie, so it's all about my own dreams and my mind just kind of a taste of what's going on in my head and I've put into music and my writing.
Could you describe Reverie a bit more?
I feel like the lyric content is really descriptive of the actual sounds in it. It's really lush with lots of guitars building a wall of sound and lots of really dreamy, spacious textures in it; that also sort of describes the songs, because the songs are about lots of different dream-like situations. Reverie itself is all about a dream.
What do you hope people are able to take away from your music?
I hope that they see it as a really human album. It's very relatable, but it's not necessarily about specific relationships or encounters, it's a very personal album and I want people to reflect on themselves. Music isn't always about writing about love or personal relationships, it's kind of more discovering yourself.