Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler Share Musical Chemistry Like No Other

Back in February, Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler released brent ii, a follow-up to their 2019 brent EP. Featuring five tracks, including their latest hit single "this is how you fall in love," Zucker and Cutler wrote, recorded and produced their project in a secluded cabin in Connecticut. "When we were creating brent, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. brent kind of defined itself, so going into brent ii, we had a much better idea of what the project was going to be," Culter shares with HYPEBAE.

Other than his work with Cutler, Zucker has been honing his own sound over the past six years. Since signing with Republic Records in 2017, the artist has released four EPs along with breakthrough singles like "talk is overrated" featuring blackbear, "all the kids are depressed" and "comethru." Meanwhile, Cutler put her name on the map when she dropped her single "Your Shirt," the opening track for her debut EP Snow In October. 

Below, we talk to both artists about the production process behind brent ii, their upcoming solo projects and more. Read on for our conversation.

What would you say are the differences and similarities between brent and brent ii?

CC: When we were creating brent, we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. brent kind of defined itself, so going into brent ii, we had a much better idea of what the project was going to be. Sonically, I think they’re generally similar, although brent ii is definitely more organic.

"this is how you fall in love" speaks volumes. Can you elaborate on the story of this track? And do you have any advice for those who are scared of falling in love or commitment?

CC: Jeremy was actually recording me singing those intro ad-libs in "parent song" and he told me to just sing whatever came to mind. One of the first things out of my mouth was that line, "oh my love, side to side." We both loved that line so much that we dropped everything we were doing and sat down at the piano to write the song. We both have never written a song around a single line, so that was definitely a cool new experience. We also knew immediately that we wanted to write an iconic love song.

As for advice, I would definitely say that you got to risk it for the biscuit. Anything good in life comes from putting yourself out there, that’s just the nature of what it is. It’s super worth it to get to experience how it feels, and every heartbreak is a learning experience.

What are the inspirations for the songs on this second EP?

JZ: The biggest inspiration for this EP for me was the first EP Chelsea and I did together, brent. brent ii is very much a continuation of the first. The production is very heavily inspired by Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers and Two Hands by Big Thief.

Considering you both wrote, recorded and produced brent ii in the Connecticut cabin, how did the pandemic affect your creative processes?

JZ: We had a ton of time to really sit with the music, so Chelsea and I spent quite a while actually writing all of the songs. It was a lot of trial and error. We had all the time in the world to make brent ii. I think it just happened quicker because of the pandemic.

Out of the five songs, which one resonates with you the most?

CC: For me, it is definitely "this is how you fall in love." That one just feels really special to me.

JZ: My solo song "brooklyn boy" resonates with me the most. It’s a true quarantine song. And for me, it really documents a lot of the frustration and fantasy that came with spending a lot of time at home.

Do you both have any individual projects you’re working on that you can share with us?

CC: Safe to say I’m waist-deep in my sophomore album. It’s almost there.

JZ: I’m working on my sophomore album.

Are you two planning on collaborating again in the future?

CC: Definitely in some capacity, although I don’t really know what it might look like. I think at some point in our careers we’d both like to work on each other’s solo projects somehow.

JZ: Definitely sometime in the future, but right now we’re spending the majority of our time on our own projects.

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