LA alt/rock duo Plastic Rhino returns with a powerful new single, “TAKEITALL,” a track that boldly pushes musical boundaries by fusing dubstep and EDM elements with the band’s signature edgy, industrial hard rock sound. Following the momentum of their previous release, “I Rise,” which was recorded at the prestigious Real World Producer Camp, Plastic Rhino continues to evolve, delivering a genre-defying soundscape that challenges conventions and demands attention.
So, Atara, welcome to Femme Metal Webzine. How are you, and how is this period treating you?
I’m great. Everything is great. My band just released a new song, and it’s been a really exciting time right now.
The new single “TAKEITALL” from Plastic Rhino
So, your new single “TAKEITALL” — how was the experience of producing it?
Very fun because it’s funny — this song was an idea for when we went to Real World Studios to the producer camp back in November. This song idea was originally supposed to be for the producer camp. I went in with my guitarist, Jack Glazer, and our producer, Tom, and I was like, here’s my song idea. What do you guys think?
Tom was, “Oh my God, I hear all this cool stuff and EDM elements, and oh my God, we could do a dubstep drop.” And I was like, “Oh wait, okay, never mind. I don’t think that’s going to work for Real World. Let’s have this be our second single, and we’ll just come up with something completely different at Real World Studios.” And that’s exactly what happened.
The origin of the EDM elements
Nice. You said it has some EDM elements also. And you also stated in the press release, this song has pushed your musical boundaries. In which way did it push the boundaries, musically speaking?
It just opened up a whole new creative world for our sound as a band. We pushed things and did things that we’ve never done in the past. We just went there. Instead of just taking tiny little elements and putting them in the song, we were like, “Let’s just go full throttle in this direction” and do this whole dubstep drop at the end. We took some risks, and I think it worked out.
Plastic Rhino and the Real World producer camp
You mentioned that for the previous single, “I Rise”, you worked with the Real World producer camp. How was working there, and what is the most important lesson you learned?
The recording there was incredible. It was the coolest musical experience of our lives. We learned so much about the recording process — what it’s like to be in a world-class studio using all of their technology and different rooms set up to create the biggest and best songs in the world. That was pretty insane.
Getting to work with these top names in the British music scene was incredible. Everyone was so kind and generous with their knowledge and wanted to help you make the best of yourself. It was such a cool experience.
Los Angeles vs. United Kingdom
Living in Los Angeles can sometimes feel very isolating in the music world, sadly, because everyone’s in such high competition. We’ve found a great music community here that supports one another, but it’s small. So, going over there and experiencing that with the biggest names — it was a stark contrast. Jack and I were both very emotional. It was amazing.
Going from that recording experience changed our outlook on everything and music in general. This song was already recorded back in August, so it was already in the works. We came back, finished it up with our producer Tom, and got some additional production help from our friend Ron. We went in with this newer sense of clarity about music — how you need to push the boundaries and not be comfortable.
Pushing Plastic Rhino musical boundaries
So, from what I got, the experience at the Real World producer camp also pushed Plastic Rhinos’ musical boundaries. So it was a consequence, in a way?
Yeah. It was something we both needed to light the musical fire again, so that we want to keep creating music. We’ve been doing it for so long, you kind of get burned out and think, “Why am I still doing this?” You need new inputs sometimes to understand, “Am I doing all these things correctly?” or “Do I need to take a step back and get a new perspective?”
It was exactly what was needed. We were taken out of our comfort zone and put in a situation where we had no idea what to expect. That uncomfortable ride was the best thing for us.
The shooting of “TAKEITALL”
Also, you shot a great video for “TAKEITALL”. I really love it. How was shooting it?
It was the funniest day. Everyone in the video brought their A-game, 100 percent. Everyone knew what to contribute and what we were trying to do. All our amazing dancer-actors, who are our friends, I’m so impressed with their acting chops. Our star, Jasmine Day, is incredible at everything she does. Everyone created these hilarious characters that were so much fun to shoot. Our amazing director, Ron Geffen, edited it so beautifully. It came out amazing and funny. I hope everyone enjoys it and watches it.
Plastic Rhino works at the Real World producer camp
I want to ask about “I Rise”, since you were in a camp with other artists and professionals. It feels more collaborative. How was it to share ideas back and forth during the session? Because usually, you go to the studio, you’re with the band, and that’s it. You were with quite a lot of people, and there was ongoing interaction and feedback.
Yeah. That was amazing because it was people from all over the world, all different levels of artistry and music genres. Everyone brought something different to the table, and working in that environment was so unique. If you listen to the compilation album, every team’s song is very different.
Everyone was so supportive. We all gave feedback to each other and were rooting for one another. It was such an uplifting place to be as a musician. We made lifelong friends and fans. It was incredible.
“Now, it’s all about singles — one song at a time”
Back in December, you released “I Rise”, now “TAKEITALL”. What are the next steps in terms of musical releases? It feels like you’re introducing a new era of Plastic Rhinos — is a full-length coming?
I think we’re going to release at least two more songs this year, then release a new EP, and hopefully just keep going. It’s step-by-step. Every song is a journey of its own. It’s nice to slow down now. It didn’t used to be this way — you’d release a whole album or EP at once and hope everyone digested every song.
Now, it’s all about singles — one song at a time. We want to give each song space. It’s nice slowing down and focusing on one song, making sure it’s as good as it can be. Instead of saying, “We have four great songs, three okay ones — that’s an album,” now we’re like, “The next song has to be better than the last two.” It’s a lot of pressure, but good pressure.
Future Plans
About these songs — are you planning to accompany them with videos?
I imagine yes. We try to have a music video for each of our songs. For me, growing up with MTV, that’s just what you did. You released a song and…
MTV. I remember those times.
Yeah. I grew up in a world where you had to have visuals to match the music.
Nostalgia moment
Back then, the video was sometimes more effective than the song. Not to diminish the song, but think of the ’90s — so many one-hit wonders. I still remember Alanis Morissette’s Ironic video.
Yeah. What sticks with you over time isn’t necessarily the song, but the visual element — the music video is what remains in your head.
Just her driving in that car, and at the end it gets stuck. I still remember it.
See? That’s our generation.
I don’t know if this generation can associate a song with a video the same way.
Yeah. MTV isn’t a thing anymore. Now musicians release music videos on YouTube. For big artists like Lady Gaga, you still see huge visuals — dancing, choreography — and that leaves a mark. So it still happens, but not through television like we had. It’s a bummer, but you can still leave a mark with a music video.
Yeah. I agree. I want to thank you for your time.
Salutations
I hope you enjoyed the interview, and I wish you a nice day.
Well, thank you so much for your time. I appreciate you talking with me.