Q&A: PET ME returns with hooky ‘fierce femme riot pop’ single

Back in February 2020, right before the world shut down, PET ME released its remarkable debut EP at Mac’s Bar. Now, the self-described “fierce femme riot pop” band, returns Monday (Feb. 21) with a hooky new single, “Ghost.” The group, which comprises Allie Hunt (guitar), Quinn Endicott (bass), Vikki Vera (vocals, lyrics), Jen Campbell (drums, backup vocals), is also set to play the 2022 Stoopfest lineup in April. 

What has the band been up to since the last release in early 2020?

Vikki: We wanted to be safe and responsible, so we didn’t meet up much. We planned to go on tour to build our following, but COVID hit right after our EP came out. Still, we managed to do some writing and recording. And Jen joined the band as drummer!

Quinn: With COVID we want to be responsible to our community and not contribute to spread, but playing out and the social aspect of music is a big motivator for me personally. It’s been difficult.

Allie: COVID kind of made me take a look at my music fundamentals again. I went hard learning some music theory I’d been putting off for years. Having that time with no shows or playing in bands has really helped me become a better musician. 

Vikki: We seem to write best when we can meet up in person and we have gigs to look forward to, so those things were off the table for a while. I know my mental health has suffered and I had to use all the coping skills I could come up with. But we’re still here, we’re still writing and we’ve got some brilliant stuff in the works. 

Jen: We’ve been working on writing new songs of the Midwest emo and grimy punk variety. We also have another banger single in the works right now that’s in the mixing stage.

Your new single is “Ghost.” What inspired it? 

Vikki: The lyrics were inspired by a message I read in an advice column from someone who thought they had made the right life choices but still felt empty inside, jumping from one unfulfilling job or relationship to another. They talked about feeling alienated and rudderless, and I think they specifically mentioned feeling like a ghost. There’s a call-out to a Kurt Vonnegut quote about being careful who you pretend to be. Allie had written a beautiful guitar riff that seemed to fit the lyrics that were taking shape, and the song grew from there. 

Quinn: We’ve got a lot of different reactions to “Ghost.” I think it’s because it speaks to some pretty universal experiences, like: aging, the depersonalization of depression and the fundamental insecurity of trying to be cool.

Did returning to the studio feel pretty good?

Allie: It felt great to see familiar faces again, but also weird because of COVID. 

Vikki: It was recorded and mixed locally by Nick LaForge, and it was amazing being able to work with them again. They’re so good at what they do and they really knew how to get the best out of us and the song. Grey Matter pitched in to record gang vocals and Tyler Floyd did the mastering. Allie’s guitar parts were recorded on a gorgeous seafoam green amp that Allie built. It sounds incredible!

Jen:  It was my first time being recorded in a studio. I loved Nick’s enthusiasm with the song and it was fun to add little textures like the drums building intensity at the end of the song. We even added beads on the cymbal at one point. Backups were also fun. I loved bouncing off ideas with Vikki and having the freedom to add something to the song.

Vikki: Our songs really seem to grow through collaboration. It’s one of the things I love most about working with my bandmates. Everybody brings something unique and has a creative input. We play around and experiment with a lot of different ideas and see what gels. 

What are you up to when you’re not working on music? 

Jen: Drinking lots of tea and cuddling my dog. 

Allie: I build amps and pedals. Most of my hobbies revolve around music. 

Quinn: I like hanging out with my partners and our dogs. Lately, I read a lot and play “Cyberpunk.”

Vikki: During the pandemic, I learned how to make art on an iPad. For practice, I drew the band members as cartoon characters, riffing on a Gorillaz album cover. I learned how to screen print and made some PET ME shirts. I’ve also started learning how to do animation and made a short animation of the “Ghost” cover art with a clip from the song. It was super fun.

What’s inspiring your songwriting the most these days? 

Allie: I don’t know if it comes out in PET ME, but I’ve been doing a deep dive into old R&B lately. I love the vibe it has. Been listening to a lot of Motown and Stax records. 

Quinn: When we were writing this song I was listening to a lot of The Shins, Spoon and Shearwater. 

Jen: Any raw bands out there that absolutely lose their freaking minds live. It’s impossible for me not to see local bands without feeling inspired in some way. Also, female-fronted/queer bands. 

Vikki: Emo when I want it loud, lo-fi beats or shoegaze when I want it quiet. I’ve been listening to a lot of Francoise Hardy lately, too. It’s fun trying to sing in French.

One last thing, where did the band name PET ME come from?

Allie: A sticker on top of my amp. 

Vikki: We were in band practice and I looked down at Allie’s amp. It had a sticker on it with a dog collar or something. It was captioned “Pet Me.” I looked up and said, “what about PET ME?”

Listen at: petme.bandcamp.com