Duo from Salzburg

Cousines Like Shit put the cart before the horse

Accidental career: Salzburg-based Cousines Like Shit only wanted to make a bit of music - now it's turning into much more.

(Bild: Seayou Records)

The two real-life cousins Hannah and Laura Breitfuß compose their first songs on a family vacation, launch their indie pop career via New York instead of Vienna and have already recorded their second album there. In the "Krone" interview, Laura and Hannah Breitfuß give us a closer look at their very special creative process.

And suddenly the big stage - that's what happened to Cousines Like Shit on a hot summer's day at Lido Sounds in Linz at the end of June. They opened a star-studded festival day nonchalantly in their summer outfits, with cool sunglasses and a casual slacker attitude, which most recently permeated their debut album "Avant Trash" and provided a fresh and nostalgic color in the local music sky. They didn't get to enjoy much of the festival; acts such as Kraftklub, Deichkind and K.I.Z. took to the stage without Hannah and Laura Breitfuß. "We were playing in St. Pölten the next day," they told the Krone in an interview, "we wanted to be fit for that." A high level of professionalism is important to the two artists. It makes no difference whether they play on big festival stages or in small basement clubs. "Playing in such sweltering heat is not easy, especially as our music is more suited to the evening. But it's not so bad, you just have to be adaptable."

Only now realized everything
The two musicians are actually cousins and grew up next door to each other in Salzburg-Liefering. The concept of the band was not at all planned, and the increasing success that has accompanied it for almost two years even less so. "It wasn't until we had our album in our hands that we actually realized that all of this was really serious," the two laugh in unison, "we never sat down and came up with some kind of master plan after we set up our career. Neither of us was ever going to cut back in other areas of life for the band, that was never the aim. Somehow it developed over time that we had less room for other things in life. You miss birthday parties or family celebrations because you're on stage somewhere with the band. But that's also nice and not a burden."

The pair wrote their first songs together a good ten years ago, using family vacations in Greece as a basis. In 2016, the working process became increasingly professional, but the two creative partners' blindly functioning unity began, curiously enough, in New York. They sent emails there with concert requests and actually got lucky. "In short, we went there because we thought we should perform there one day. Somehow everyone dreams of this city and it's always full of life. Everyone has their ideas about it from movies and series and sooner or later every artist wants to go on stage there." For the Cousines Like Shit, their naive first experience in the "Big Apple" was a formative one. The broad-footed duo showed no shyness and quickly networked.

Simply crossing the pond
"Everything that's happening with us now was born out of a certain longing dream," laughs Laura, "although it wasn't a dream per se, but rather a funny idea that we put into practice. We've already played in Vienna, but somehow our music didn't quite catch on there. So why not try it somewhere else? What could possibly go wrong? We were promised a gig and that was reason enough for us to book a flight. Then, quite by chance, we wrote to all possible clubs and got more opportunities. Within twelve days we had five gigs, then we rented a room in Manhattan and played a few more times." Last but not least, "Avant Trash" is responsible for the fact that the Prophet finally counts in their own country.

Musically, Cousines Like Shit, who appear on stage as a quartet, oscillate between alternative pop, slight grunge borrowings, 90s slacker sounds, an indie gesture and a lot of low-fi aesthetics. With the song "Barbie", they released the right song at the right moment last year - thanks to Margot Robbie. "Ziggy Ziggy" is a tribute to the unforgotten David Bowie. Other songs deal with the worries of their generation, the stress of everyday life, Tinder studs, love problems and the eternal search for a place in a society that has far too little patience and affection for culture. The different strengths make up the overall product. Hannah is the visual person who has very clear ideas in this respect. Laura, on the other hand, is the musical free spirit - the lyrics are written by the two of them together, which has always magically resulted in good songs.

Rocky and clubby
With the New York art-punk bands Gustaf and Bodega, the two also found prime examples for a possible career path of their own. After recording "Avant Trash" in Vienna, the finished second album was recorded in New York. "It will be released in 2025," the two announce, "we have definitely woven in more downtown punk influences and it will also be a bit more electronic. It will also be interesting live because we'll be able to play rockier and clubbier shows." The two relatives, who are still working outside the band, still don't really believe in a career. However, the signs are good and their popularity continues to grow. "The band is a top priority right now. When it's going well, you have to nurture it."

Various shows in Austria
A few Austrian dates have already been fixed for the near future. On August 31, they will be part of the Herbstlärm Festival in St. Johann and on September 13, they will play as the support act for My Ugly Clementine at the open-air area of the Vienna Arena. All detailed information and tickets for the individual events can be found at www.cousines-like-sh.it.