The Linda Lindas Talk ‘No Obligation,’ Meeting the Stones, and Drinking Hot Water

I’ve been doing the 617 Q&A series over at Vanyaland for quite some time now. Incredibly, it took until just a few months ago, with the electronic duo Phantogram, that I conducted it with more than one person. It’s hard enough keeping the pieces to a manageable length with a single interviewee, even with the restrictions in place of six questions, one recommendation, and a list of seven things from each artist. And while Phantogram went off without a hitch, my worries unfounded, I was extremely unsure about the prospect of four people at once, which was the case with The Linda Lindas recently.

Once again, I was surprised as it could not have gone better. The most challenging part, in retrospect, was how to keep the group engaged in our interview, with three of them still teenagers. And even that was cake, as the foursome is some of the most down-to-earth, grateful, and consistently awed at their career individuals I’ve encountered.

We covered a lot in our interview, from the earliest days when they were first discovered – performing in a library – to playing punk rock festivals in Japan alongside some of their heroes. They also each came up with a recommendation, ones that were wildly different from the others and interesting (drinking hot water for fun among them), before talking about seven of the coolest things to happen since becoming a band. Peep the piece, and take a look below at one of the singles from their excellent new LP, No Obligation.