Jigsaw Youth Interview

We sat down with Jigsaw Youth which is comprised of Maria (bass), Alex (drums), and Nastacha (guitar).  Growing up in the hustle and bustle of NYC Jigsaw Youth has a lot of ambition.  Since there are so many different styles of music that stem from the city, it was hard for the band to figure out how to be different and how to make their mark on the scene.  They grind every single day to get where they are today.

I don’t think about it, I just be about it.

Maria claims that New York is kinda grimy and fast-paced which has inspired them to write the type of music that they put out.  Maria grew up listening to a lot of Cuban, 60’s psychedelic, and punk music form different decades.  Nastacha cites Zepplin, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam as influences.  But once Nastacha heard Black Flag everything spiraled out of control. 

They all cite the Riot Grrrl movement of the 90's definitely as a huge inspiration, especially Bikini Kill.  Their band name is actually the name of a Bikini Kill song.  They got permission from the band to use the name.  After meeting with the members of Bikini Kill they were told to “take over New York.”

Nastacha and Maria actually met off Tumblr.  So, they decided to meet in real life.  They met in down-town Manhattan and they were already writing songs together following the initial meeting.  Nastacha and Alex met in marching band at Wagner College and ever since then the three of them have been inseparable.

 Won’t fit your definition.

Their music combines melody and a dark grungy fast-paced rhythm to create their signature sound.  On their EP, Sorry for the Distortion, was the next step for them.  The music became more intricate and there were more layers in the production process.  It took about two years before the EP came out and was written when Nastacha was going to college.  She says that she is always thinking about what’s next, she says “it’s old to me already.”  At the same time, once they are going through the production process the songs sound even better than they could have imagined.

They came up with the name of their EP since they were rehearsing at Rustic Music and Nastacha blew up the amp.  She thinks this happened because the amp couldn’t handle her pedal board.  When this happened, she said “sorry for the distortion” which just stuck as the name of the EP.

I don’t make music for it not to be heard.

Their goals for the future are to hit the studio and approaching it like 90’s style Smashing Pumpkins with a lot of layering.  And of course, tour!  Texas, California, Canada, etc.  Maria and Alex are out of school and Nastacha will be graduating this year.  They would love to gain more exposure and get out there in the industry.  They put every single once of themselves into what they do, and it is definitely paying off.

Follow the band on Instagram and check out their music on Spotify