A well-timed bath may have a greater impact on one’s mood than exercise (or so says science). Prinze George tap into the same relaxing effect of pulling your head under warm water on their latest single, “Thunder In My Head,” off their new EP Airborne. Over Kenny Grimm’s cool production and Isabelle De Leon’s liquid beats, vocalist Naomi Almquist coos, “I am only sweet / when you are next to me / and resting on my knee.”
The video for the song, premiering today on Audiofemme, finds Almquist sitting in a tub as the scenery around her changes, her sultry lyrics enough to generate a little steam on their own. While the EP’s previous single, “Mind Over,” was a clubby, operatic affair (sung in French, no less), “Thunder In My Head” embraces simplicity (and feels ripe for a remix).
Watch “Thunder In My Head” and read our interview with Naomi below:
AF: You grew up in Prince George’s County and played together in a rock band named Kinheads. What subject matter did you focus on during that project?
NA: “Kinheads” was a rock fusion project. We were a five-, sometimes six-piece. Our current drummer, Isabelle, was also in our old band and she is jazz trained, so that was a component that was pretty different for your typical rock band. We had a killer bass player and Kenny and his brother Erik played guitar/keys. There was a lot going on sonically, but we were just having fun. We took turns writing and experimenting with different styles and ended up with a wide array of rock fusion.
AF: How would you describe each person’s role in Prinze George?
NA: Kenny is the producer and plays almost all the instruments. I handle the vocals, and Isabelle and Kenny work together on a blend of electronic and acoustic drums.
AF: You’ve said previously that your lyrics are based on your own personal relationships. Is this true for your new EP?
NA: It is. It’s much easier to write what you know. Sometimes I have fun embellishing the truth, or playing more of a narrator role, but for this EP in particular I was addressing my relationships with specific people at a specific time.
AF: Did ya’ll have any particular feel or focus for Airborne?
NA: Kenny started the track for “Airborne” when we were on a flight to Minneapolis, where our manager lives and where we tracked our first album. Both the setting and the title that Kenny chose for the track, before there were vocals, informed what I came up with. It’s a love song about a hypothetical plane crash. We are partners in every way and we’ve been through a lot. I wrote it about us.
AF: What’s changed since your debut album, Illiterate Synth Pop? In terms of the band as a whole and where you each are emotionally as artists.
NA: We’re older. We’re less in our heads, I think. We are creating more content and better content in less time, because we’ve kept at it. We have lived more life… we’ve all grown as people, together, over time; all of that informs the music.
AF: Tell us about your single “Thunder In My Head.” I’m dying to know what the bathtub is all about…
NA: Haha! The bathtub idea came to me as a visual expression of what it’s like to perform a song to the public that makes you feel naked. I’m sharing this intimate experience, I’m having this private moment in all of these outdoor spaces, and while my experience is personal and terrifying and feels magnanimous, I’m just one person in the wilderness. The spaces are bigger than I am and by the end of the song; my individual experience becomes a collective one.
AF: What can fans expect from a Prinze George show? Is there an impromptu element to your live show or do you stay true to your recordings?
NA: I think Isabelle is probably the most exciting element of our live show. We sound solid live, but she is the most exciting performer to watch. I have my moments too, but I tend to focus on just being a sound when we’re performing. Kenny exists somewhere in between.
Prinze George’s latest EP Airborne is out now.
