MM: And you bring your paper mâché friends with you on tour too?

BT: We do! Originally I was making new creatures for each show/tour but people got really attached to “The Bug,” who’s like our main guy. People seem to really resonate with The Bug! And we’ve got a new character now who’s a DJ and is The Bug’s best friend—he kinda represents us leaning into the electronic side of music.

CC: Europe does have a different cast of characters for logistical reasons… The Bug’s nose won’t fit in luggage. But on our last tour we did build a bug over there that lives there now so Europe will at least have their own The Bug now!

MM: I’m obsessed with WORLDWIDE! When it came to making a new album what was that process like for you?

CC: This was a whole new experience for us for many reasons. Super Snooper was basically just a compilation of re-recordings of demos and home recordings that we had floating around, so WORLDWIDE feels like our real debut. We spent two months in the winter after getting back from a tour just writing and demoing songs for it.

BT: We never really considered working with a producer… like ever. But working with John Congleton (who’s produced the likes of St. Vincent and Mannequin Pussy) was awesome. It was such a true moment of growth for us as a band to let someone else in and give up the full control we’ve had in the past. I had some imposter syndrome for sure and we started to wonder like what did people really like about the first batch of songs? We had to question like what do we really want to make and what do we want to sound like.

CC: The imposter syndrome was real for sure, and we only had one week in the studio, but we just put our trust into John and it all worked out better than we could’ve imagined.

MM: Do you have a favourite song or thing about WORLDWIDE?

BT: The songs “WORLDWIDE” and “STAR69” feel a little bit different for us and that happened because I bought this cheap-ass drum machine for $14 from this used book store. I pulled it out while we were recording and it just kinda launched us into this different direction. We even play with a drum track live now which we’d never thought of doing before.

CC: I had always dreamed of SNOOPER being so much bigger than it was and having a bunch of people on stage like other bands that inspire me do. But we can’t even afford a tour manager or touring sound person so… drum tracks is it. For now!

BT: Making these songs got us really excited to make the next album. I know that sounds funny because WORLDWIDE is just coming out, but the fun is just beginning for us. We’ve gotten to a point where we’re less concerned with recording songs that we could reproduce live—we’ll figure that out later!

MM: You’re from Nashville—what’s the music scene like there now?

CC: It feels kind of isolated, it’s not quite the Midwest, it’s not quite the East Coast, and it’s not quite the South you know? It’s a very incestuous scene but in a nice way haha. You’ll play in a bunch of different bands with the same dudes for years.

BT: The South is so politically fucked up that there’s a really strong DIY presence and people are really trying to make shit happen! The southern hospitality is real here and people who care REALLY care. There’s an angst and anger that comes from being in places where you feel like you want to get the F out of there, but at the same time it’s so sweet to be a part of that community that does care and is fighting for change.

MM: I think at this point I’m legally required to ask everyone I interview—what are you currently Fangirling over?

BT: I am Fangirling over Freak Nature Puppets in LA—shout out—they do these amazing puppets for shows and are just really awesome!
CC: I’m always Fangirling over music and in the past year I’ve been really obsessed with Machine Girl, The Garden, Crack Cloud, and Femtanyl—also from Canada!

BT: I also really like Feeble Little Horse! I just keep coming back to them. You gotta check them out!

We end our convo collectively Fangirling over our mutual friend Jemina Pearl, frontwoman of one of my favourite bands Be Your Own Pet, and how Blair used to babysit her kids. I could easily chat with Blair and Connor forever, but it’s now time for them to take the stage and open for The freaking Hives!

Two giant cardboard speakers painted black with lights rigged on the inside stood tall on either side of the stage. In the middle of the stage was a giant road light with functioning red, yellow, and green lights—also made of cardboard. The band came running onto the stage as all the lights started flashing and the energy only grew from there.

To say SNOOPER goes hard is an understatement—they literally don’t stop from the first beat to the very last. From Blair’s literal aerobics on stage to Connor’s many jumps off his amp, the entire live band is impressive to watch. They ripped through songs old and new with ease and power. They even played my favourite song off of WORLDWIDE: “Company Car.” I can see why The Hives would want them to open—they really bring the energy!

Leaving the venue that night, I felt like I had been chewed up and spat out by the collective power of SNOOPER and The Hives—and I mean that as the highest compliment.