Meet The Black Creatures

A musical act that aims to shake up all preconceived genres The Black Creatures is finding their own path in this musical world. Pulling elements from pop, rap, and house music the duo crashes through kinds of walls. Their latest release “Wild Echos” is out now. Give it a listen and learn about the two in our latest interview.

Self-portraits by, The Black Creatures

Would You Rather

your sense of smell or sense of hearing be a hundred times stronger? Why?

Xavier: Hearing for sure. Like, since smell and taste are so interconnected... what if you don't like the way your mouth tastes? You literally couldn't be around people, I feel like... Like, "Sorry, I have to go; I can taste you and it's awful."

Jade: Hearing for me, too. Mostly just because I think it can improve my music abilities, tuning instruments, etc...

Some questions with The Black Creatures

What was the creative process for your latest album Wild Echoes? As a duo, what does your collaborative process look like?

Jade: The process looks like an undying, chaotic push toward the next step - whatever that may be. I say chaotic because it looks like missed meals, missed sleep, getting into a complete mode... especially for Xavier, who like just spends huge chunks of time in front of his computer finishing tracks. For me it looks like sitting at the dining room table for hours with my journal, working out during practice, uh... losing my mind, I don't know. It's a lot of focusing and refocusing for us, in the creation of Wild Echoes and our other projects.

Was there a catalyst that brought The Black Creatures together?

Both: Green lipstick called "Serpentine." Everything sort of fell into place, but it took 7 years to get to this point... Still from the first SoundCloud upload, the push for progress came really naturally to us.

If you could be on any reality TV show, what would it be and why?

Xavier: Flavor of Love, probably. That shit would be funny. I wouldn't want to date Flavor Flav, but that show was just so wild... Like in an experiment, you need a control group. I volunteer to be that person. I'd just be on the B footage contextualizing how out-of-control the contestants are getting and how Flav is on some bullshit.

Jade: I would want to be a judge on Master Chef with Gordon Ramsay. I'm not very competitive, and I love trying food. COVID put such a damper on my "Let me get a bite of that" grind that I'm really sure it's withdrawals at this point. Wish I could just eat food with people all the time, but safely.

What is the best book you’ve most recently read? Was it any good?

Xavier: All The Birds In The Sky by Charlie Jane Anders. I liked how they talk about conventional sci-fi fantasy while also making it relevant in the modern context. It's cool. One of the main characters is like a likeable, street Elon Musk. Kind of. The other is a college drop-out witch and... I really enjoyed it. You should check it out.

Jade: The Disposessed by Ursula K LeGuinn. This book was written by a queer woman in the 60s, her other books deal with polyamory and anarchy and they turn things like culture and ownership on their heads while also exploring many widely held beliefs about those things. It's cool. Very sci-fi. There's some uncomfortable, high-intensity parts of the book and those are imperative for me when choosing a good book. Honestly, I didn't read much until the last couple years.

What do you want the audience to take away from your latest release Wild Echoes?

Jade: I want Wild Echoes to seem incredibly personal for listeners. I want them to be able to take away any and all of the catharsis they can get, mostly because we don't want people to feel like they're looking for something specific when listening. Like saying "Yeah, it's supposed to be a two-stepping song only," can diminish the listener's ability to interpret the album reflective.

How are your house plants doing?

Xavier: That's a good question...
Jade: Listen, I got a bone to pick with this cat I'm living with now. He's such a weird cat... And one of the many eclectic aspects of his personality is that he will destroy all plants at all costs. Even a cactus. So all my plants are at a partner's house for the winter.

You have said before that you don't categorize your music into any specific genre. Do you think that genres are limiting to an artist?

Xavier: I think genres are a great way for artists to hold themselves to a gold standard, challenge themselves to achieve a certain type of sound while also making use of all the tools they have access to.
Jade: I use genres as a search engine term to help me discover new music, but for anyone who is a fan of rap or rock, you know how broad the music within a genre can be. I think genres aren't necessarily limiting, because they can be a starting point for someone exploring or figuring out their style.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Xavier: Choice is a facsimile of freedom. Because if you have to choose anything at all, then you're already restricted.
Jade: Please follow us on Instagram and Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel, and keep a look out for updates. We've got a lot of buns in the oven or whatever.
Xavier: Ew.

The Black Creatures