The Sweetest Condition

Leslie:  From Truth & Light, we transitioned into more upbeat, synth-driven electropop songs with a emotional undertone (that was me still dealing with my grief), but we also finally evoked some hopefulness and strength as we found our musical footing. Living in Nashville challenged us to raise the bar of our creativity and inspired us to rework and finesse the songs into something greater than their earlier demos. That’s why I believe Edge of the World has had as much success as it has. The songs are catchy, addictive and memorable industrial-strength synthpop tracks, striking a very personal, emotional cord in many of the listeners, and pulling others to the dance floor. There’s something for everyone on the album. 
Leslie:  The success of the debut album was overwhelming. It has encouraged us to keep writing, and keep challenging ourselves musically.”
Leslie:  'Knock Us Down' represents much of the context of the new album, We Defy Oblivion. It explores what it feels like when things hit a boiling point. The song is as much of a statement as it as a war cry. The lyrics question authority, religion and abuse, and answer with rebellion, retaliation and revolution. ‘Knock Us Down’ is my own personal ‘Bulls on Parade’ (Rage Against the Machine), so to speak. No matter how bad things get, we’re going to fight for what’s right. If you push us, we won’t fall down. Together, we’re stronger.
Leslie:  Jason and I both collected old public domain footage and compiled the video, but he was the mastermind who put the majority of it together. I included my own personality as well, especially the instances of dark humor (the fly, the knife throwing, and the girl who is forcibly clapping along in an auditorium as if she’s just not amused). Jason supplied the sexy scenes and riot footage. The flow of the video was intentional. It is meant to make you think, to make you a bit uneasy. ‘Knock Us Down’ is a commentary on the chaotic state of the world we’re in—that the horrors of our global past could easily happen again if we’re not careful. In the under current, though, it’s also my way of telling people to stop ‘slut shaming’ grown adults who choose not to have children.


Leslie:  For this album, I pushed myself vocally and lyrically more than I ever have before and channeled my anger, something I don’t often unleash on the world. Trent Reznor and Al Jourgensen were my spirit animals for this album. And for ‘Nein Nein Nein,’ my murder ballad as I call it, I also looked to Chibi of The Birthday Massacre for inspiration. She does such an amazing job of going between the sinister killer and the innocent young girl act in her music. That particular song gives me chills every time I hear it. It’s a very personal story, and it’s my way of feeding the revenge demon its prey.
Leslie:  The past year was a tough one for me personally. I felt a lot of frustrations with pressures being placed on me in my career, my relationships and life in general. I felt this frustration reverberating around me throughout the rest of the world too, in addition to an unyielding feeling of fear and anger against the atrocities being committed in the U.S. and globally. This album is my response to those in power (both politically and personally) who have led us astray. It’s my way of saying that humanity will not be treated like a doormat to be crushed and walked all over. We must protect the good still left out there, and tear down the old traditions that are no longer working, something which one of my heroes, Henry Rollins, also feels strongly about.
Leslie:  My personal favorite is ‘Depths of Hell.’ It’s my way of telling those lost to us that we will live on and keep making music and fighting the good fight. To those still with us who feel alone and on the brink of oblivion: Do not give up hope! If nothing else, let music be your legacy, your champion, and drag you from the depths of Hell. We DEFY Oblivion!
Leslie:  For both albums, we meticulously weaved together pieces of ourselves–our pasts, our ghosts and our dreams–to create the moods, the worlds in which each collection of songs live. To compare them would be like comparing your own children. We cannot love one more than the other. They are equally as meaningful in our eyes.