Die Spitz’s music is a whirlwind of kinetic teenage energy. Mixing elements of grunge, psychedelia, post-punk, epic metal and hooky indie rock, they’re a youthful smack in the teeth with zero pretence and even less filter. But being born in 2002-2003, what do they think of when we say ‘classic rock’?
“I feel nothing,” says drummer/vocalist/guitarist Chloe De St. Aubin, while in the background her bandmate Ellie Livingston (vocals/guitar) wails the chorus of Aerosmith’s Dream On.
“I feel nothing when I hear ‘classic rock’. I never listened to it,” adds guitarist/vocalist Ava Schrobilgen. “I was not allowed to listen to AC/DC or any kind of hair metal growing up, because my dad thought it was misogynistic. Of course, I love it now.”
“People are calling us ‘Austin legends’,” De St. Aubin says with a laugh. “Legends? Really? We’re all 22 and 23-years-old. Who knows, maybe we’re classic rock.”
This all sounds vaguely combative, but really it’s not. This is a tight-knit group - completed by bassist Kate Halter - who forged their friendships back in middle school, skateboarding and causing minor-league havoc. They formed Die Spitz during the pandemic with no goal except to have fun and make great music. And they’ve achieved both.
You get the feeling they’re here for a good time, not a long time. And in an age when almost every successful band rapidly wear out their welcome, it’s refreshing to have a band out there living in the now.
“Sometimes our industry plant, like, writes our music,” De St. Aubin deadpans, when asked about their writing process. “Sometimes Simon Cowell writes the music for us. Sometimes it’s AI. Sometimes we just go: ‘Write a sad song for us, AI.’ ChatGPT really does most of it.”
Die Spitz are currently touring their debut album Something to Consume, but if you’re looking for tales of bloody-knuckled backstage decadence, you’ve come to the wrong place.
“We’re boring as fuck,” claims De St. Aubin. “I played ball with Ava last night. And sometimes we play ‘fantasy’, where we pretend we’re doing something, because we don’t have the time to actually do it. Like sometimes we just pretend we’re drinking.”
Different eras apparently require different tactics. And like it is with the handful of Gen Z rock bands currently making a splash, Die Spitz are often burdened with the arduous task of saving rock’n’roll. Which they have no intention of doing.
“I don’t even know how you’d go about that,” Schrobilgen says, laughing. “But we’re not gonna do it.”
“It doesn’t even need any saving,” says De St. Aubin. “Rock’n’roll is fine. There’s King Gizzard, Amyl, Idles, there’s plenty of young bands out there doing their thing. I don’t know why people think young people don’t listen to rock or metal. Everybody we know listens to fucking Black Sabbath.”
Die Spitz's Something To Consume is out now via Third Man
