When Faunas made their first record six years ago, they were in a mood. Genevieve Ludwig and Erin McCarley alternated between guitar and drums as they screamed the five punky songs on the EP, which they awarded a title that can’t be repeated in polite company.
“When we made the last record, it was shortly after the last president was elected. We had, like, physical anger. It was a cathartic release to make angry music,” says Ludwig as she and her musical partner sit at a Takoma Park sidewalk cafe.
The local duo went on hiatus after that, more for personal reasons than musical ones. “Then Gen reached out to me and sent a voice memo of ‘Sally’s High Priestess,’” which would become a track on their new album, says McCarley. “Obviously, it was a big departure from the way we were writing songs before, and what they sounded like.”
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The result was “Paint the Birds,” a new eight-song digital release with styles ranging from the lilting folk-rock of “Avid” to the grungier but still pretty “Waxing Moon.” Faunas is still a twosome, but their sound is more layered. Ludwig and McCarley play a wider range of instruments, and their parts are supplemented by guitar lines and vocal harmonies by Owen Wuerker, who recorded and produced the sessions, and Emma Baker (also of Flasher). Both Wuerker and Barker were members of Big Hush, a band that also included Ludwig.
Faunas are still working out how to reproduce their new sound onstage. “What matters to me is that Erin and I are the core of Faunas,” Ludwig says. “And there will be people rotating in and out to support the music we’re creating.”
McCarley, who says she really wants a permanent bass player, doesn’t entirely share Ludwig’s vision for the band. “I crave stability,” she says with a laugh.
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Whatever the long-term plan, the sound will be fuller when Faunas perform Saturday at Comet Ping Pong. “Everyone who contributed to the album is playing the record release show,” Ludwig reveals. “At least for this one show, we’ll be able to have the songs sound the most like they did on the record.”
Ludwig, the principal songwriter, names Kurt Vile, the Cranberries and Aimee Mann among her influences. But she also gives a lot of credit to McCarley. “Erin and I write collaboratively,” she says. “I have a lot of material, but I really struggle to edit and figure out how songs should go. I’ve found Erin helps figure out what goes where. Even though I’m writing the lyrics and the general melody, Erin contributes a lot of song structure.”
McCarley also plays synth on the record, part of a realignment where Ludwig gave up playing drums and McCarley largely abandoned guitar. “When we met back up, we had a conversation and agreed that we found our best moments previously to be when she was playing guitar and I was playing drums,” McCarley recalls. “So moving forward, maybe we would just stick with those roles.”
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“I do miss that creative outlet a little bit,” she adds, “but I think through the synth I can put my melodic spin on things.”
“I had a lot of fun playing the drums,” says Ludwig as McCarley chuckles. “But I think we all agree it’s not a great idea.”
For anyone disappointed by the new release’s gentler style, McCarley notes that the “Paint the Birds” sessions yielded two harder-edged songs that weren’t included because they didn’t fit what she calls “a very cohesive emotional arc.” The songs will be included as bonus tracks for anyone who buys the album on Bandcamp.
“The next album could sound completely different,” McCarley muses. “I still want to play rock songs. I want to do both.”
“I think it can be really tricky to be a band that does a lot of different things. And make that into a cohesive sound,” she says. “But I’d like to figure out how.”
July 15 at 10 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. cometpingpong.com/livemusic. $15.
correction
A previous version of this story misspelled musician Emma Baker's last name. The story has been corrected.
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