On Thursday April 6, 2023 popular music group Similar Kind stopped in on Midtown Campus for an interview on WXCI 91.7 with DJ Mr. President. Similar Kind is an indie pop band based in Norwalk, Connecticut. The band’s discography currently consists of two EPs and eight singles, with a brand new track soon to be released entitled “Face to Face.” 

Their music features a soft yet captivating quality that pulls listeners right into the sound It is no wonder why fans have gravitated towards their newest EP Commercial Break released in 2022, and are highly anticipating the new releases that are to come.  

I had the pleasure of being a part of the interview and meeting guitarist Ben McNamara and lead vocalist Julia Breen. Both band members were immediately very kind and laid back as everyone got prepared to go live, with casual conversation of video games kicking off the conversation before going on air.  

The group is currently beginning their second tour, having recently finished up their first tour with fellow indie band Post Sex Nachos. When asked about the process of creating their setlist on tour, and whether it is the same at every show, guitarist McNamara revealed that they are trying to play different versions of songs at every venue as they have gotten more comfortable with touring. However, it was made clear that the setlist is typically made by vocalist Breen. They described how balancing the setlist has been a learning curve for her, specifically in taking vocal rest.  

Breen went on to reveal that she had recently gone to a speech pathologist and found out that she has developed Muscle Tension Dysphonia. Which they went on to explain basically means that they use their throat too much in order to perform. 

Muscle Tension Dysphonia, also known as MTD, has to do with the muscles around the voice box, and specifically the larynx. It occurs when the vocal muscles get too tight, which causes the voice to not work effectively. MTD is the most common voice disorder, which proves to be a challenge when you are a professional vocalist.   

 “I can’t sing this song tonight so we’ll pick this setlist that doesn’t have it,” Breen said as she explained the process of what it’s like to balance this vocal disorder with having to play shows. Both musicians described how they would rather have multiple setlists prepared instead of simply taking a song off for the night. They would rather the show be the best experience possible for everybody.  

McNamara joked that all he has to worry about is not breaking his hands, while their drummer, Miles Dominici, always seems to want to make jokes about breaking his legs. That wouldn’t be very effective for performing, unless of course he recorded his drum parts to be played live.  

The two musicians also discussed the evolution of their work since their first EP Faces and Places, and how they’ve grown working together. McNamara explained that it has gotten way better for the group, stating that there’s more confidence and less emotion when bringing different song ideas to the table. He also joked that they make more stuff so as to not have to listen to the first EP.  

The band appears to be more proud of the new tracks they work on in comparison. They made it clear that they don’t dislike the old work; they just listened back to and hear problems that they would now fix. Breen talked about how it would be cool to be able to re-record some of the old songs from that EP, because they play them often on tour, to allow the song to take on a new form. While talking about how they would love to make a remix of their single “Maria,” she also threw around the idea of a remaster in ten years.   

When asked if a full studio album is still in the works, the band members explained that for now they will be focusing on creating more singles. Breen pointed out that singles seem to be “what music is going towards right now.” It appears as though the thought of making a full studio album is still not off the table, but McNamara explained that they’re going to “take time for an album.” Essentially, they seemed to be in agreement that an album would happen over the course of time, and right now they are focused on playing more shows.  

Later in the interview they also discussed their production process. For the first two years of Similar Kind the guitarist had been going to college in Nashville and the band was sort of operating in a long distance format.   

McNamara joked that their song “Parked Car Conversations” originally sounded “like a Walmart commercial” and he would think to himself “What’s going on over there?” It is clear that  functioning as a band from long distance was a tricky process because his opinion would be given after some production.  

The guitarist went on to talk about his work with engineering on the newer tracks, specifically their newest song “Face to Face,” and the tracking involved on the song. He described this single as a step in a new direction: the song has more of an indie rock influence than they have ever leaned into before. McNamara also explained that there is no synth to be heard unless you listen very closely.   

The song was described as having been “done on a whim.” With the bandmates swapping instruments, the drums were recorded with three mics and the guitar was recorded at the same time when they went into the studio. Creating this new song was a very fast process.  

The band is no stranger to playing around with their sound. In their early song “Lost and Lonely” they used the sound of water going into a glass and in “Game Show” the shaker heard in the song was really a sugar packet. During the recording process they even sampled Miles slapping his stomach. While it was unclear which song that had ended up on, it is clear the band is not afraid to get creative about playing with their sound. 

When asked if engineering adds a personal element to the experience of creating the music, McNamara answered that yes it does, but he doesn’t like to take his work home with him or get attached, and instead he leaves it in the studio for him to pick up the next day. He explained that if you’re too involved with the song you’re going to hate it and in his experience if their producer Kenny decides to make changes and it’s a completely new song the next day, that’s okay.  

 They are also not afraid to bring back old recordings and utilize them for later projects. “Thanks For Listening!” which was the ending track of their EP Commercial Break was actually recorded in 2019 and never used for their project at that time.  

When discussing the experience of touring and what they’ve learned starting off with Post Sex Nachos, McNamara described the band as “a lot of fun.” Breen began to detail an early show in Illinois where they estimated around four people listening to the actual set and maybe four other people in the bar. However, what stuck out about that night was a girl asking to be spit on and another college girl rapping outside of the venue.  

Specifically two of their favorite places that they enjoyed visiting on tour were Columbus and St. Louis, Missouri.  

The two explained that they wish they had brought sleeping bags, because a lot of the time they were sleeping on the floor. At one point they stayed in a college student’s apartment. McNamara recommended trying to get as much sleep as you can. Similar Kind played a show in Atlanta where you could feel the band was affected. The group had barely slept and had to shower at the venue. They said during that show, the energy was just gone.  

One of the other things that they learned was the balance of wanting to party and wanting to chill.That’s not to say that they haven’t had fun and chaotic experiences throughout their time touring. Their experience in Illinois was only the start to hearing about different fan interactions that they have encountered during their time doing live shows. The band played a show at Trinity College last year, and as explained in the interview, was somewhat chaotic with winter jackets having to be worn in the cold, and lots of lightsabers being involved.  

Due to scheduling delays, the show didn’t happen until around midnight, a lot of the students were hammered. Because of this, a lot of the interactions with the crowd didn’t go well. A student even came up on stage and began to freestyle over “Seasons.” There was also the added chaos of a beer being offered to Breen only to have it taken back and later passed back to her, after which they made a comment about not accepting drink from strangers, and the student got very offended.  

Outside of seeing fans on stage, Breen said that most of the time their interactions have been friends of friends who have seen their shows. So when being asked for a picture by a stranger on the Subway it was a new experience. The vocalist went on to talk about how they will go to shows  to listen to music and see people wearing their shirts, it’s definitely a surreal experience for the band.   

McNamara had an early experience of getting recognized where he was going to the gas station. A man yelled “Yo, you’re in Similar Kind,” and started playing their song “Seasons” at full volume. The guitarist went on to say “like the music don’t like me,” Breen went on to joke that they “like the attention.” To which McNamara responded that she had “lead singer syndrome.” It is clear to see that the members of this band have a good banter between them and are truly friends able to bring their talents together to make music that they all deeply care about and love.  

The band is set to play at University of Connecticut tonight, April 7, 2023, for the university’s recurring music festival UConnic. When asked about other music festivals they would like to play, Sound to Sound in Bridgeport specifically came up. Breen also mentioned musical influences that she has looked up to throughout her career including artists like One Direction, and The 1975, who are a part of the record label Dirty Hit. McNamara mentioned Yeah Yeahs Yeah’s as a musical influence as well. 

Both Breen and McNamara are very excited for tonight, with this being one of the biggest gigs that they have played. Over 6,000 people are expected to attend. The two were also understandably nervous, with Breen saying that they can know what the vibes of the crowd will be, but they are unsure about how to control it and interact with people when you’re playing a show at that large of a scale. McNamara said that they will know by the first song if they’re into it or not. He said that the show will have to be “the best 30 minutes [they’ve] ever played.”  

The band is also looking forward to their New Haven show at the State House on April 29th. Fans can expect much more in the future with new music coming every few months, and according to McNamara “more music, more shows, and more fun.” The band can’t wait to play more shows and “mess around and find out” about what comes next. 

By the end of the interview it was clear that both Julia Breen and Ben McNamara of Similar Kind are incredibly driven and down to earth. The true passion for music and the love that they have for performing was incredibly apparent throughout the conversation.  

Their UCONN performance is sure to be a great show, for more information on the band and to buy tickets to any of their upcoming shows you can visit their tour website or follow the band on Instagram @similarkind.