Introducing Seattle’s badass indie rebel, the fierce and unapologetic force of nature known as Iffin. With a voice that’ll make your heart ache and lyrics that cut through bullshit like a knife, she’s a goddamn powerhouse. Born and bred in the rainy streets of Seattle, she’s a no-nonsense, don’t-give-a-f*ck kind of artist who’s unafraid to challenge the status quo.
Infusing her music with a perfect blend of indie-pop and punk-rock grit, Iffin will take you on a wild ride through the depths of emotion and self-discovery. She’s not just another cookie-cutter musician; she’s a rebel with a cause, breaking free from society’s expectations and daring you to do the same.
When she’s not tearing up the stage, you can catch Iffin exploring the underground scene, throwing up her middle finger at the mainstream, or sipping whiskey like it’s water. So, buckle up, motherfckers, and join Iffin on this kickass journey of raw authenticity and unbridled passion. Get ready to have your mind blown and your soul awakened by this fierce indie queen. She’s not here to play nice – she’s here to leave a mark that’ll echo through the ages. Let’s fcking rock! 🤘😈🎸
Embracing the city’s iconic grunge heritage while infusing it with folk storytelling, her music takes listeners on a powerful journey through emotions and experiences. With a guitar in hand and a voice that carries the weight of the world, Iffin is a true embodiment of Seattle’s alternative spirit, forging a path that’s entirely her own in the vibrant indie music scene.
Her music is a captivating fusion of grunge and folk, weaving together the raw and rebellious energy of ’90s Seattle grunge with the heartfelt storytelling and acoustic elements of folk. Picture a raspy and hauntingly emotive voice, reminiscent of the grunge greats, evoking feelings of both vulnerability and defiance.
Her guitar playing is equally expressive, alternating between hard-hitting power chords and delicate fingerpicking patterns that accentuate the introspective and introspective nature of her lyrics. The sound is raw and unfiltered, capturing the essence of the gritty streets of Seattle.
In her grunge-inspired tracks, you’ll find that signature distorted guitar sound, coupled with driving rhythms that transport you back to the heyday of the grunge movement. The lyrics, often delving into themes of alienation, inner turmoil, and societal discontent, resonate with a generation seeking to make sense of their place in the world.
On the other hand, her folk-infused compositions take a gentler approach, revealing a more vulnerable side to her artistry. The acoustic melodies flow gracefully, providing a perfect canvas for her introspective storytelling. Her folk sound embraces themes of personal growth, love, and the beauty of nature, creating moments of solace and reflection.
In both grunge and folk songs, Iffin seamlessly blends her influences, crafting a sound that’s uniquely her own. It’s a raw and soulful journey, where every note and lyric bears the weight of her experiences and emotions, leaving audiences with an unforgettable and deeply resonant musical experience that pays homage to Seattle’s musical legacy while carving a path for the future.
The MusicManiac Finds Out
Q: Can you tell us about your musical background and how you got started in music?
A: Oh dear. I’ll try to keep this brief. I grew up in Boston where my dad was active in the indie rock scene throughout the 80s with a band called men and volts (my mom later joined too). He’s always been in bands and hung out with other guys in bands from that period, always taking gigs where they can find them and throwing big parties where they all got together and played for each other. So my brother and I were going to gigs since before we were born, and naturally we started a band as soon as possible, which for me was at age 10. We got our first gig when i was 11; My dad had let my brother and me jump on stage between sets and i guess we made enough of an impression on Rick Berlin (formerly of Orchestra Luna) that he booked us on the spot. that’ll be 22 years ago this December!
Q: What or who inspired you to pursue a career in music?
A: This is a funny question for me because it never felt like there was a choice involved. our family life always revolved around music and our many gigs. Summertime in our family was always about the big parties my dad’s music friends would throw where we all got to play for each other. Etc.
Q: How would you describe your music style or genre?
A: Oh God, I would love to know. I am recovering rock critic and since leaving those ambitions behind I’ve developed a strong distaste for the idea of genre altogether. Not to say i haven’t had my fun with it. In previous projects i usually tried to subvert genre with silly neologisms like “dandy punk” and “heavy petal” which still feel applicable to me. But since I’ve mellowed a bit with age, i try to be at least a little bit useful. the current term I’m using is “lesbian chambergaze” but i still feel like that’s missing the experimental elements that i feel set me apart. Just think of it as pop music where the song itself is the instrument.
Q: What’s the story behind your latest album or single?
A: I call it my “gay polemic.” I mean, Seattle is weird, man. Nothing makes that clearer than coming out as trans here. I was deeply involved in the north Seattle music community until i came out, and then practically all of those people just straight up chased me out. Since then I’ve had to start pretty much all over. Thankfully I’ve found a much stronger and more supportive community that doesn’t chill with my rapist so it’s gotten better. But you can imagine what a traumatic break that was, especially given how much socalled DIY bands supposedly stand on principle. So a lot of the songs I’ve been writing have documented the process of reckoning with that. This most recent EP, PICARO I, reflect several stages in that process, but i feel they express most clearly how far I’ve come since leaving all my cis normative bullshit behind, both as a songwriter/producer and as a person. This is basically the first thing I’ve released since i figured what it is i actually have to say, and whom i am saying it to. Not much of a story to the release itself. I had the songs ready and i wanted to put something out that was more up to date than the old stuff.
Q: Can you walk us through your songwriting process?
A: Usually it starts on guitar – I’ll stumble upon a chord progression or something, lay down a scratch track and then start fleshing it out. Lyrics generally come last – I can’t write without a melody, and I can’t settle on a melody if i haven’t figured out what the rhythm section is doing. Usually the bass takes the longest – it’s my first and best instrument, and generally winds up doing most of the heavy lifting in the finished arrangement.
Q: Are there any specific themes or messages you try to convey through your music?
A: I don’t want this to sound like a weasel answer, but I think the theme I return to most often is the political consequences of emotional ambivalence. usually I’m imagining some kind of conflict in which both parties feel aggrieved, and then deliberately creating confusion around which one is speaking from line to line in the song. Not to harp on this, but when my friendships were all blowing up after my transition, I couldn’t help being struck by how I was totally polarized from those people emotionally, but our emotional logic seemed identical. and once i noticed it there i was seeing it everywhere – we’ve relied so long on this charged, moralistic language to navigate conflict that we’ve forgotten how to actually make honest judgments and hold one another accountable for things. But what we have become great at is performing the desired response instead, in the interest of maintaining our social position, well past the point where it would align with morality or even logic. This is easy enough to recognize in say, electoral politics, where the idea of meaningful morality seems to have been abandoned altogether in favor of placating Nazis – yes, I’m looking at you Mayor Harrell and your murderous contingent – but I wanted to draw attention to the fact that the same forces are at work in socalled “punk” and leftist spaces like the ones I was in too. I guess you could call it the aestheticization of politics – aesthetics are morality, or they’re supposed to be, and we need to get on board while we still can. The first track on the EP articulates this the most clearly – “don’t act like it’s never crossed your mind/there has to be such a thing as crime.” It’s sarcasm – the speaker, a contemporary fascist in all but name – demands the performance of crime and punishment not out of moral rectitude but rather the desire to complete their emotional aesthetic, which is to say, blind spite. But the intention is hopeful. the solution to any problem the song presents is always to swallow your pride, face the truth, say the true thing even when it hurts to do it. The end of the song I talked about above ends on a turn into sincerity – “there must be something more to life/than crimes and what punishments suffice.” I believe in human imagination, but only inasmuch as we’re willing to use it y’know? I work with children and I tell them all the time, when you can choose to do something even when you don’t want to, THAT is the meaning of freedom. That’s my gay polemic in a nutshell I suppose.
Q: How do you feel your music has evolved over the years?
A: It would be difficult to think of a way in which it hasn’t! Luckily it’s all very well documented, for better or for worse. It’s funny, cause when I first got started writing songs I just wanted to write jangly shoegaze pop songs (tho i had sidelines in maudlin folk and rudimentary drone). Then I spent my twenties making cerebral art rock music. Now I’ve come around to doing all those things at once and I think I’ve finally got this figured out. It’s all been a matter of refining my technique and letting go of my fear of being judged for what I like and what moves I want to make. So I guess what’s different now is that I’ve become fully unstoppable.
