Last month I sat down and caught up with the SUNY Purchase band, Stupid Set Of Headphones after their first ever D.I.Y. show in the schools music building. Here’s a peak into our conversation about life, the Purchase College music scene, and their debut E.P., “Choose Your Own Adventure Novel”…

Who are you?

MATT: Stupid Set Of Headphones.

How was your first D.I.Y. show?

MATT: It was great, we had a great turnout.

A Lot of people showed up.

I think a lot of people had fun.

HOLLY: Once you can see that people are moving, it's like yeah we did it.

So who is stupid set of headphones?

MATT: I guess you can say me.

HOLLY: I’d say Matt.

TUNK: Primarily Matt.

Where did Stupid Set Of Headphones meet?

TUNK: Purchase College!

MATT: Well Danny was my roommate, we met Holly within the first few weeks of school. I feel like we met June by sorta just seeing them around alot.

JUNE: I saw you guys at stretching.

TUNK: Yeah we had mutual friends, and then we grew closer.

JUNE: Yeah, it wasn’t until the Lacquer Head and Flat Wings show that we started talking with Matt and Holly.

Tell me a bit about Purchase and its music scene.

MATT: It’s kinda spotty…

HOLLY: And eccentric…

I feel like Purchase College is a school where everyones got a punk rock band, everyones got their alternative-indie thing.

And I feel like if you're one of those bands at Purchase College and someone asks what you sound like, you’d say “I sound like a band at Purchase College” and then they'll understand exactly what you mean.

So I feel like it's easy to foster your creativity, but it's hard to make it stick out.

Where did the name “Stupid Set Of Headphones” come from?

TUNK: I had some headphones and I hated them, they were stupid as fuck.

MATT: I honestly don't know, it's mainly because of Koss Porta Pros.

HOLLY: Yeah Koss Porta Pros like… they're stupid, they dumb.

What are a few of your inspirations for music?

TUNK: Jimmy Chamberlain of The Smashing Pumpkins because he's my favorite drummer of all time, and I take away from a lot of the techniques he has and a lot of the things he does, and I love him and I love his drumming.

Also Smokey Joe, he was in Matthew's old band and he was a great drummer, and he can write some cool beats and I took a lot of inspiration from those. And that's what you hear in a lot of the first ep’s drumming sections, Smokey Joe.

Ode to Smokey Joe.

JUNE: Honestly I don't have a specific inspiration but a lot of punk and harcore, I'm not exactly sure how much of that subconsciously gets into what I write, through bass lines. But a lot of the inspiration comes from Matt, and Tunk, and Holly, like what are they doing and then how can I accent that and make what they're doing sound even better

HOLLY: The guitarist of Don Caballero and All The Pretty Things.

MATT: My friends!

What is your favorite song to perform?

MATT: Probably Log Lady Intro because I like the sample at the beginning.

HOLLY: I like New Jeans, I always liked New Jeans. It was the first one I learned how to play and it’s definitely stayed with me, especially with actually playing it live and the amount of shit I can do with it.

TUNK: It's gotta be ‘i'll admit’, it's a classic, it's nostalgic, and it's fun to play.

What are some places I can find Stupid Set Of Headphones when not performing?

TUNK: Third floor of the dining hall.

HOLLY: The music building, Matt and Danny’s dorm, probably watching curb or some shit.

JUNE: The bathroom.

HOLLY: Purchase College.

TUNK: Anywhere and everywhere.

JUNE: In your heart, in the darkest places where there's a light.

What is the pre-concert routine?

TUNK: For me it's a cigarette, a couple sips of water, and Where's Your Head At by 100 gecs.

HOLLY: I personally opt for a v8 and Where's Your Head At by 100 gecs.

MATT: Don't think about anything.

What are some things that makes Stupid Set Of Headphones smile?

HOLLY: Pretty things, my friends, Garfield.

MATT: Garfield for sure…

HOLLY: The funniest on the sunday paper.

MATT: Garfield, Sonic-

HOLLY: Sonic is awesome, Sonic’s hot as fuck.

MATT: Don't get me started on Pac-Man…

TUNK: I'm gonna have to say The Cocteau Twins and Temu.com.

What are some things we can expect from Stupid Set Of Headphones in the future?

TUNK: Projectile Vomit.

MATT: We have an E.P. called “Choose Your Own Adventure Novel” coming out, we recorded it with our friend Aidan.

HOLLY: –of Mildly Allergic–

More shows- More D.I.Y. shows to be specific. A lot of fucking around and finding out

TUNK: Joining Drain Gang.

MATT: And maybe more nakedness.

HOLLY: Especially on stage.

Enjoyed this article? Check out the Stupid Set Of Headphones instagram page and ours for current updates on the band and local music scene information. Don’t forget to stream Choose Your Own Adventure Novel by Stupid Set of Headphones, dropping March 15th!

A Conversation With Stupid Set Of Headphones!

(@stupidsetofheadphones)

Written/Photos by Benjamin Joseph