Introducing Interview: Tetish

Tel Aviv-based electro-indie duo, Tetish (Etan Salomon and Itai Shitrit) have been receiving acclaim within their local music scene for a number of years, and are now set to release their dynamic debut album. Both classically trained musicians, they pride themselves on fusing together eclectic influences ranging from traditional middle-eastern music to more contemporary rock.

We caught up with Etan and Itai to find out more about their influences, and their love of Louis CK…

When did you first realise you wanted to make music?
Itai: I first realised I want to make music when I was 9. I got a Beatles tape and got completely addicted to it. I imagined myself playing, writing and singing like them.
Etan: I knew I’d be on stage in some way since my parents are both performers, and that’s the world I’ve known since I was a child. The decision to make music my profession came when I was about 17.

You’ve had recent success lately getting your music played on radio state side and recent press here in the UK, was that always the main aim for Tetish starting out?
To be honest, Tetish started by chance. We played together and we were always good friends, but we were both focused on our individual projects. One day Etan played a song she wrote, and we started to develop it. Then we worked on another, and gradually started writing together. We applied for CMW in Toronto and got in when we didn’t know anything about the future. After the experience of flying over, playing and receiving amazing feedback- we knew recording and using the momentum was our next step.

Indie-Pop has so many sub-genres – but how would you describe your sound?
Indie Pop really is a very rich and varied world. After struggling with that question for a while, we started describing our music as “Electro Power Pop”. Power Pop is basically strong beats with pop oriented vocals, and the electro stands for out extensive use of electronic features and synths.

What/who are your main musical influences?
We’re influenced by many artists, such as: St.Vincent, Arcade Fire, Queens of the Stone Age, Sussane Sundfore and Radiohead. Artists with amazing song-writing, and updated and innovative musical production. We’re also influenced by artists like Peter Gabriel, The Cardigans and The Beatles. We both come from a classical background so that’s in there too, and we also take in a lot of Middle Eastern features from the surroundings we live in.

Your self-titled debut album is about to be released – what are the themes running through the album?
The theme in the album is mostly relationships – relationships between us, the connection between belief and courage, like in ‘Shipwreck’ and ‘Luck’. We also deal with more complex relationships and connections: between acceptance and criticism, reliance and independence, like in ‘Playing House’ and ‘I Don’t Mind’.

If you could jettison one of your songs along with a message into space, for some distant race to hear, what song would you choose and what would the message be?
Probably: “I wish, I wish I’ve known you” from our song ‘Winter’.

Finally, if you could play at any celebrity’s birthday party, who would that be and why?
We’d love to play at Louis C.K’s birthday party! We think he’s a modern philosopher – one of the wisest and funniest men around. We get excited just from the thought of having a beer with him!

Good choice! And huge thanks to Tetish for answering our questions!

The debut self-titled album from Tetish is out 28 July on Solarie Records.