MUSIC | Terrible Twos : HUNTERS

It’s a new age for music. As more and more people decide to flip off the Man and follow the dream of playing music and touring – the logistics seem to lie in very different extremes: being truly independent and being corporately backed. Of course, we all know what corporate backing and packaging looks like (i.e., Britney, Rihanna… any boy band in existence) but on the independent front the story not only changes face, but wears many hats. 

Enter, Hunters. Derek Watson, 29 and Isabel Almeida, 28 are a duo from Brooklyn, brought together by a mutual hunger for music, but mainly an incomparable chemistry.  After a few demos, and bringing their writing styles together, one of their first gigs was a New Year’s party at Bard College and after playing an energetic, somewhat drunken set, couldn’t wait to produce more material. Isabel remarks, “When we first started working together, we were kinda just doing it for the fun…and if it didn’t work out it was fine. Because it was so easy to work together, that’s why we kept going. …Somehow we just worked really well together.”

It’s been two years playing and writing together, and the duo anticipate the release of their first full length album, sometime next year. “We keep delaying our recording, because every time were about to go record, we get a bunch of shows or something….but we have a bunch of stuff ready to record.” Isabel says. What of touring and the road? Derek says,“We’ve toured all over the place. We’ve been to Canada…the South. I think playing outside of New York is one of the best things [about touring], you get to see different versions of cities and meet new people…it’s always fun.”

And then there’s the music. Which is all about them. “I feel like our music is really wrapped up in our interaction with each other, says Derek.  Isabel continues to say, “It’s like therapy in a way…sometimes you get in touch with emotions, you’re not even aware of.” 

In order to get the music out, they consider themselves, self-sustaining, doing nearly everything with their own two hands— writing, producing, most of their booking — themselves and rallying up friends and colleagues to help make the rest happen. In terms of the music industry (which continues to change), they relish the control they DO have. “I know that there’s a lot of changes in the music industry, there’s a lot of drawbacks on one side…but I think on another side, I think it’s cool in way that artists have way more control of their work. I think it’s really cool and important to have more control over your art.”

Words | Moeima Dukuly