Die Shiny Feature 

• Bryce Johnson
• Electro-pop duo Die Shiny embraces life’s absurdities

We all have ways of making it through hard times. Some of us bury our heads in the sand and try to ignore them; others try therapy, like responsible adults. No matter your coping strategy, it's important to try to laugh through the ridiculousness that is life. And no one wants to do that more with you than electro pop duo Die Shiny.

Callie Crofts and Zac Bryant are longtime musicians, and have been in different projects in the community for many years, but began dedicating all of their musical energy to Die Shiny in 2017. The project was born from the need to express a wide range of feelings that the two didn't feel like they could in past projects.

"My music always has an element of darkness," Crofts explained. "That's just a part of me, but I want it to be fun and not have to take itself too seriously." That's also where the name of the project came from—figuring out how to convey different moods with one title.

Die Shiny got off to a great start with their first single "Radio" dropped in 2019. Their debut EP Drugs, however, came out during peak pandemic times in Oct 2020. Not only was it a difficult time to be releasing music, but getting the EP together was also a challenge. Crofts and Bryant set up a Kickstarter for the project, and through generous backers and great producers, Drugs was able to hit streaming platforms.

Drugs is easy to get lost in—Crofts and Bryant are inspired by many different sounds and genres, and you can hear traces of those throughout the work. They love groups like Depeche Mode, the Cure and Nine Inch Nails, and sounds from these influences pop out in the most interesting ways on the EP. Synths and drum machines in conjunction with rock sounds have made Die Shiny's vision come to life. "It adds a lot of freedom to create different kinds of expressions," Crofts said.

While the EP is very interesting musically, it delves into some deep topics while still sounding lively and pleasant. "On Drugs, there's topics of addiction and excess and emptiness and longing," Crofts said. These types of themes don't stop here; in fact, Die Shiny's plan is to release several more EPs that will fit together as a whole concept album. "I love concept albums," Crofts said. "Every time I start writing groups of songs, I start trying to categorize them on how they fit together," she said.

The saga will continue with their Jan. 19 release Sex, which has been the most challenging in the series, according to Crofts. "It was the most intimidating concept for me because it's a loaded, complicated topic for a woman who grew up in a tiny, rural, conservative town in a religion full of rules and shame," she said. "On this album, there's themes of confidence, empowerment, liberation, as well as gender dysphoria."

Even though this collection was one of the most intimidating, the duo are glad they did it, and are very excited for listeners to experience it. "Some of the most empowering songs I've ever written are on it," Crofts said. "Some of these songs have been around since we first started talking about doing this project. They've been around a while," Bryant added.

Die Shiny will be supporting Sex with an EP release show on Thursday, Feb 1 at Urban Lounge. They're incredibly pumped for this event, as their opportunities for performing live have been quelled by the pandemic.

As Die Shiny continues to release their relatable yet delightful music, they hope listeners find joy in it and are able to reflect on life alongside them. "Honestly, our whole project is just a commentary on absurdity," Crofts said. "It's so absurd that we are randomly alive. We were boiled into being in this primordial soup, and somehow we also have the awareness that we're going to die. It's so silly and excruciating, hilarious and awful, and that's why I make music. I want to share that ridiculous humanness with people, and I want people to know that I really do see them. We really do see them and want to connect with listeners and laugh with them about this ridiculousness and cry with them about ridiculousness."

Listen to Sex anywhere you stream music this Friday, and grab tickets for the 21+ release show at 24tix.com.