Anyone who’s grown up with brothers and sisters knows about the drama of bickering and scuffles at home.
But when siblings Sydney, Jamie, Noah and Graham Sierota fought or argued with raised voices, they probably did it in harmony. The three brothers and one sister compose Echosmith, an indie rock band with infectious, upbeat songs that have become chart-toppers and crowd favorites.
The band is Warner Brothers’ latest addition to its roster of hit makers.
Echosmith’s debut album, “Talking Dreams,” is the type you’d want playing on repeat. The first track, a summer party anthem called “Come Together,” has a heart-pounding, feet-tickling, irresistible beat. “Cool Kids,” meanwhile is soulful and introspective; it’s a song that has created ripples around the globe, resonating among the youth everywhere.
The Inquirer Super was on the phone recently with Echosmith’s Los Angeles-based lead singer Sydney, who talked about sibling rivalry (or the lack of it), growing up in an artsy family, and cool kids.
What’s it like for you guys to have a jam session?
It depends. Every time is different for us, and every song is different, which keeps it fresh, so you don’t get sick of doing the same routine all the time. We just try to have fun with it and not take it too seriously. But we also take time enough to know what we’re doing is totally what we wanna do and that we’re not rushing ourselves to be done with something.
We all have a part in the writing; we take our time deciding what ends up being recorded.
You and your siblings must have grown up bickering and all that stuff. Does order of birth come into play when making decisions?
(Laughs) We learned to make it so there’s not just one person in charge and there’s voting for every decision that has to be made, which is really helpful ’cause I think in bands, that’s one of the biggest mistakes you can make where only one person gets to decide what happens. Of course, we have our moments when we fight or we disagree, but we’ve been doing this for so long that it happens less as time passes.
How did you create your first album?
It was recorded in LA. That was a really fun experience. We did it for a few months, then we’d play shows in between, take breaks, and that was a fun way of doing the album because we got to see what songs people like. That was a great process for us.
Did all of you grow up interested in music?
We all picked up instruments and loved music from the start, which is a cool thing because what we’ve loved doing since we can remember is our job now. Our dad’s a songwriter, our mom’s a visual artist, so it was a very artsy family. We started the band six years ago.
Do you have a favorite track?
I think my favorite has changed a couple of times. My favorite song that I wrote on the album is “Tell Her You Love Her.” That song means a lot to me; obviously it’s about love, but it’s not just about relationships, it can be about friendships and family. I think people don’t love just one person like a significant other, that’s not how love is. Love is bigger than what most people realize, and that song is talking about having the opportunity to tell someone how much you love them, how much you appreciate them.
Were you cool kids while growing up?
(Laughs) We were all going to school and had our own ways of connecting with people. You know we try to be nice to everyone, and usually that works. People who are typically popular in movies are mean and all that stuff, but people who are really nice to everyone, they’re popular, too. I think popularity is a form of opinion.
Do you think you guys are cool now?
I think that, like popularity, cool is also an opinion. Even when you think a celebrity is so cool, you’ll have someone who thinks that celebrity is the worst person in the world. That’s one thing to remember about “coolness”—I think to have accepted who we are and really embraced that… I think to do that makes you the best that you are, and that’s probably what makes you cool, if you’re being yourself.
What sort of response have you received about “Cool Kids”?
We’ve gotten a lot of responses, which is cool because it’s not just limited to kids. All sorts of people of all ages relate to the song. It’s a cool thing to see old people, young people and everyone in between reach out and talk about how the song changed their lives. To see a song you wrote resonate across the globe has been an awesome experience.
Are we seeing you in the Philippines anytime soon?
Yeah! We’re planning on coming eventually, we’re not sure exactly when, but we’ll definitely make it there very soon. It’s been cool—the response from the Philippines. It’s really fun to see it grow on social media.
You grew up with social media fully formed, unlike some bands that started without it and are trying to get used to it. How does social media affect you as a band?
I try to connect with people and that’s the purpose of social media. I think it’s fun to try and read every tweet and respond when we can. But I also think that it’s important not to use it as a diary because not everyone in the world needs to know your every problem and every struggle that you have. I think that’s why it’s called personal business (laughs).
We don’t use it for complaining and stuff like that. We try not to do that because an angry tweet or post is not enjoyable to see. We just try and use it to connect with our fans and friends.
What’s your favorite social media platform?
I kinda go in between Instagram and Twitter, but if I have to pick one, I would have to say Instagram ’cause I love taking pictures and looking at them.
What’s your favorite Instagram post?
It’s fun to Instagram random stuff, ’cause we tour in all sorts of places now. I think it’s fun to take photos of where we are, like cool sunsets in the desert while driving. It’s fun to post stuff like that, and posting nature photos because those never get old.
You mentioned having come from an artsy family. Do you have other artistic pursuits?
We try all sorts of things, but I think we all have fallen in love with music specifically. We’ve tried, but art is not our gift (laughs). Music is what we’re made to do and I think it’s awesome we’re doing it now.
What are you working on next?
We’re just touring and promoting the album; we’re planning on going international soon. It’ll be really fun to go to the Philippines and other places.
“Talking Dreams” is available on iTunes.