“Will You Come” by the experimental electro-pop female duo Trust the Mask is a luscious, synth-intensive song that succeeds at being entertaining while urging listeners to let go and accept their free selves. We had the pleasure of interviewing Trust the Mask, and here’s what they had to say:
Q: I like the name of this duo – Trust the Mask. What inspired this name?
TRUST THE MASK (VITTORIA): When we decided to take the group forward, we did it with the specific intention of expressing a concept that reflected us. Elisa and I are “normal” girls, we have an office job that has little to do with creativity. For society, we wear a mask, both at work and in interpersonal relationships, which we can only remove when we are musicians and singers instead. When we are Trust the Mask and wear the face jewels that Elisa creates, we are actually totally ourselves. We want to make those who follow us aware of the importance of their individual uniqueness.
Q: I love how effortlessly exhilarating “Will you come?” sounds! Did you have a clear direction/idea of how you wanted it to sound before you started creating it or did it come to you in bits and pieces?
TRUST THE MASK (VITTORIA): From the very beginning, this piece really had to be light and carefree. It was supposed to tell a bubbly, uninhibited story so we knew from the start that the beat had to be fast and punchy. The lyrics were also clear from the beginning, we had a definite story to tell! In short, what came out represents exactly what we had envisioned : )
Q: What do you think is the best part about being musicians? If you weren’t doing this, what else could you see yourselves possibly enjoying?
TRUST THE MASK (ELISA): The beauty of writing music is that there are no rules, there is complete freedom of expression. It’s a non-one-way process, when I write a song initially it’s me shaping the sounds and giving it a shape, but the creative process itself and the result of it at some point seem to take over and shape me, my personality, and my being.
(VITTORIA): I think the most beautiful part is being able to give a form to an emotion or a thought. The songs make the concepts real, and it is wonderful to see that other people can understand and empathize with them.
Another beautiful part of being a musician then, is that it allows you to meet new people all the time and create a network of relationships that no other job allows you to do.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the electronic music scene in Italy?
TRUST THE MASK (ELISA): Actually, we both listen to very little Italian music. We have not yet found an Italian artist that fully reflects the sound research we would like to hear. However, we like to immerse ourselves in the music of Fabio Fabio, Populous, or Cemento Atlantico, especially because of the very refined sounds and rhythmic patterns that recall the rituals of remote peoples.
Q: I read you have an upcoming album. What’s your favorite song on the album? Why?
TRUST THE MASK (ELISA): “Juniper” is my favorite song of the album because this track took a huge amount of effort from both of us. It was one of the first songs we wrote together, it had a whole other style, completely different sounds. Yet there was always something we wanted to change until in Bronson residency the song suddenly took its final shape. I love the way in the verses the voice expresses both firmness and contempt at the same time, it reminds me of Lorde’s way of singing, while in the chorus feelings like nostalgia and sadness for a relationship that has just broken emerge.
(VITTORIA): I think out of all of them my favorite is “Unsaid”. I like it because it is an essential, sparse song that has its strength in emotionality. I’m particularly fond of it because we built it and thought of it as a performance, and when we recorded it (also during the residency) we respected that.
What you will hear in Idiom, in fact, is a “good first.” Every time I listen to it I seem to go back to that moment where Elisa and I would give each other the go-ahead for the changes in the song with our eyes. Is a beautiful and sharp memory.
Q: What’s one song that can always put you in a good mood?
TRUST THE MASK (ELISA): “Spiegel im spiegel” by Arvo Part, when I have bad thoughts I listen to it and I start thinking everything goes right. It relaxes me in a way that no other song can do.
(VITTORIA): This is a difficult question. Maybe “Cosmic Love”, by Florence+The Machine. Is both a sweet and strong song, it manages to get the energy going while remaining extremely elegant. It always makes me smile 🙂
Interviewed by Zoey King
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