Little Fuss pose ‘20 Questions’ on the ability to fall in love with a stranger
Boston art-pop duo of Olivia Martinez and Cody Von Lehmden unveil the official music video to their latest single on July 8
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Little Fuss’ debut album set for Fall 2022 self-release
BOSTON, MA [July 8, 2022] -- Can two people fall in love after asking each other “20 Questions”? Can one person fall in love with a band after hearing a single song? The first query is asked by Little Fuss in the Boston duo’s artful new single, now streaming on all major platforms with the official music video release on Friday, July 8. The second question, well, that’s up to the listener.
But Little Fuss make it easy to find a new favorite band.
The songwriting and production duo of Olivia Martinez and Cody Von Lehmden have created a summer splash with their effervescent new single, as “20 Questions” provides a bridge between last fall’s debut EP Hazy and the pair’s forthcoming debut album Girls at Parties. The two Ohio natives formed Little Fuss in Boston after meeting via a chance encounter studying abroad in Spain, and together Martinez and Von Lehmden create a world of pitch-perfect DIY pop that swirls across genres and easy categorization. It’s engaging music that confronts and consoles, and in the case of “20 Questions,” Little Fuss utilized hip-hop inspired drums with spacey guitars and EDM-style low end to create their unique take on danceable pop music.
And across the glossy sheen of the music is an undertow-like lyrical current that draws its inspiration not just from love, but “Modern Love.”
“The lyrics to ‘20 Questions’ were inspired by a New York Times column – ‘Modern Love’ – which discussed a psychological experiment done in the 1990s by Arthur Aron, Ph.D., Elaine Aron, Ph.D., and other researchers,” say Little Fuss. “The experiment used 36 increasingly personal questions to determine whether complete strangers could fall in love. As someone who prefers getting to know people intimately (Breakfast Club-style) as opposed to partaking in the formality of dates, Olivia found this very interesting and combined it with the game 20 Questions, applying the experimental idea to a pop song setting.”
The result is a self-produced and propulsive tune that expands upon Little Fuss’ unique take on art-pop, while offering a more polished and focused edge. The duo wrote the song shortly after moving to Boston in the middle of winter, recording ideas in between panicked attempts to contain the aggressive leaks in their decrepit apartment. They spent months finessing the specific instrumental parts and sounds after locking in the track’s core early on in the songwriting process. It’s another display of the musical chemistry of Martinez and Von Lehmden, first showcased on Hazy, and now elevated once more with the total earworm that is “20 Questions.”
“Since the songwriting backbone of Little Fuss consists of just two people, we are in a unique position in which the arrangement of our songs doesn’t necessarily have to conform to a typical ‘rock band’ format,” admit Little Fuss. “This, along with the fact that we record 100 percent of our songs in our bedroom, allows us to lean into combining various genres.”
As Little Fuss both evolve both as a band and creatives, the idea behind the “20 Questions” music video was to give a portal into what it’s like to experience their live show, where they perform as a quintet. Directed by Little Fuss and Remington Strecker, the visual was filmed during a DIY house show back in February at The Greenhouse, utilizing both digital and analog formats – and “later combining them in a way that felt like a cohesive and real documentation of the show,” they add. For the shoot, Little Fuss threw a party and set up a DIY music venue space entirely themselves, including installing sound equipment, proper lighting, and decorating the space. It was also their first headlining show, and the “most energetic show that we’ve played so far.”
True to the fickle nature of DIY spaces, the venue has since shut down, making “20 Questions” a sort of time-capsule for a time not at all far ago.
“This song and video represent our DIY approach to being a band more than any other release,” Little Fuss note. “We spent almost a year working on the song itself and threw our first house show to shoot the video. Overall, we have decided to keep everything as DIY and independent as possible while still treating our music with the seriousness and conceptual creativity of a signed band with more resources than we currently have. With the right team of supportive friends, it’s amazing what you can create yourselves.”
All one needs to do is ask.
Media Contact: Please direct all press inquiries to LIttle Fuss at littlefussband@gmail.com or Michael Marotta at michael@publisist.co.
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‘20 Questions’ press blurb:
The lyrics of “20 Questions” were inspired by a New York Times column (“Modern Love”), which discusses a psychological experiment done in the 1990s by Arthur Aron, Ph.D., Elaine Aron, Ph.D., and other researchers. The experiment used 36 increasingly personal questions to determine whether complete strangers could fall in love. As someone who prefers getting to know people intimately (Breakfast Club-style) as opposed to partaking in the formality of dates, Little Fuss’ Olivia Martinez found this very interesting and combined it with the game 20 Questions, applying the experimental idea to a pop song setting.
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‘20 Questions’ single artwork:
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Little Fuss is:
Olivia Martinez and Cody Von Lehmden
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‘20 Questions’ production credits:
Written by Olivia Martinez and Cody Von Lehmden
Produced by Cody Von Lehmden, Olivia Martinez, and Joel Blaeser
Mixed by Joel Blaeser
Mastered by Dave Gardner
Video directed by Little Fuss and Remington Strecker
Cameras operated by Erina McSweeney and Remington Strecker
Lighting by Tyler Hudson
Edited by Remington Strecker
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The music of Little Fuss can be heard and found on:
Atwood Magazine, Beach Park FM (Brazil), Boston Emissions, BumbleBee Radio, Chalk Pit, Cidade FM (Brazil), Jovem Pan FM (Brazil), Mogg Blog, Mystic Sons, PopMuzik (Sweden), Roadie Music, Sinusoidal Music, Sound of Boston, The Other Side Reviews, UncertainFM, When The Horn Blows, York Calling, and other fine publications and radio programs.
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Media praise for Little Fuss:
“Sweet sounds and searing sentiments come to the fore in Little Fuss' debut EP Hazy, a radiant indie pop outpouring that magnifies the intimate space of an introverted mind.” _Atwood Magazine
“Combining guitars, synths and Martinez’s rich vocals, Hazy shows sophistication and maturity that far transcends the newbie status of Little Fuss. Touching on relationships, isolation, inner turmoil and empowerment, the duo stand up as a group to be reckoned with on various levels.” _Other Side Reviews
“‘20 Questions’ showcases what the scene has come to expect from the band: tight pop melodies, shimmering production, and intelligent lyrical content. …This could very well be the scene’s pop song of the summer.” _617 Music Reviews
“Hazy makes for a wonderfully bold and adventurous listen. Channeling the same dynamic alt-pop direction that so many have explored in recent years, the new four-track collection shows that they are very much an act worth keeping an eye on.” _Mystic Sons
“Through the Little Fuss project, this Boston-based duo intends to create art pop with a polished facade. The current single draws inspiration from an essay with questions developed by psychologists to see if two strangers can fall in love. An exciting concept in a cruel pop song here is 20 Questions.” _PopMuzik
“‘Dear Aria’ builds up a sense of expectation with punchy, pulsating synths and stripped back arrangement that hinges on hip-hop-like bass. Despite the angst of the subject matter, the track is characterized by its playful, upbeat tone and ethereal vocals, aided by the candor of Little Fuss’ DIY approach.” _Chalk Pit
“But to classify this collection [2021 EP Hazy] as one genre would do it a disservice. The songs repeatedly bounce around, blending notes of ‘80s synth-pop, alternative rock, and electronic indie throughout its four-song course. Thankfully, whichever genre Little Fuss feel like dipping into, they ultimately settle into their own unique take on pop-rock. The duo experiment with possibilities of a concrete sound while remaining focused and polished.” _Sound of Boston
Press Contact: michael@publisist.co or littlefussbandband@gmail.com
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