Daisy the Great Reveals the Story Behind Their New Album All You Need Is Time

We've always loved Brooklyn-based indie-pop duo Daisy the Great and their thoughtful, humorous approach to songwriting, and in their sophomore album All You Need Is Time,  it's clear the two are at the top of their game.

The duo consists of Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker, who aren't just masters when it comes to quirky, relatable songwriting, but also the force behind some of our favorite harmonies in recent years. New songs including "Aluminum" and "Easy," made it apparent the two are more in sync, personally and musically, than ever before, and the rest of All You Need Is Time follows in the footsteps of those glorious tracks. We had the pleasure of chatting with the duo all about the new album, the story it tells, and how Daisy the Great has grown over their time making music together.

Sweety High: What does the album name All You Need Is Time mean to you both? Why did that feel like the perfect title for this collection of songs?

Daisy the Great: This collection of songs was written over about four years and we think writing these songs over time has been a huge part of processing who we are as individuals. We start the album with a song called "Time Machine" and ask the question, "If I go back, will I do it all the same again?" and we end the album with a song called "Smile Pretty Girl" which asks, "Is this how you want to be remembered?" Both of these questions are rooted in considering what to do with the time that you have. We wanted to explore the idea that time can expand and contract depending on where you're at and capture the feeling of time slipping through your fingers as well as the moments in life that feel endless.

 

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SH: What would you say are the main themes of All You Need Is Time?

Daisy the Great: Finding your place in the world, self-perception, getting older, longing for understanding, feeling stuck, patience, love, purpose, loneliness, self-actualization, relationship with creativity, change.

 

SH: What kind of journey do you hope to take listeners on with the album?

Daisy the Great: We want the listeners to time travel with us into little pockets of life. Hopefully, there can be moments of reflection on the listener's past, some insight into their present and some hope for the future. There's definitely an emotional journey throughout the album, with peaks and valleys that hopefully leads to some form of catharsis or perspective and calmness with yourself by the end.

 

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SH: How have you both found time to be a healing force in your lives?

Daisy the Great: This is such an interesting question because we think time can feel like a curse: there's not enough, we can't go back, we lose friends and family and memories fade, etc. At the same time, time is a constant that we can trust in for granting us the gifts of understanding and wisdom and moments to process and breathe and grow.

As an example, there was a time where I, Mina, was absolutely undoubtedly in love, and that love didn't end up working out the way I predicted. I saw my future disappear and become a wall in front of me. My heart was broken and I felt like there was no way forward. I found comfort in the idea that the love might come back even though it was never going to, at least not in the way that it existed at the time. Over time and with space, I gained perspective on the relationship. The fog began to clear, and I was able to breathe and keep moving with the knowledge that I would be okay and that I am capable of deep, deep love. I gained some perspective on how I act in love and how I could potentially love better in the future. I now have a new friendship with this person after much time and space, that is still deeply rooted in love, but it is something new and it is something easier, and something that can only exist because of everything that has happened up until now. My past, present and future exist in this relationship.

 

SH: What are your favorite songs on the album? Why?

Daisy the Great: We always say our favorite song is "Time Machine." We think it's the best song we've ever written and might be the best song we'll ever write. We love the way it builds and we love the lyrics. It feels epic to us, and it's super fun to perform. We always end our live set with it, and we started our album with it. We based the whole album around it and starting with it allows the listener to listen to all of the songs through the lens of time. Other favorites are "Routine" (some of our favorite lyrics), "Aluminum" (we love the vibe and the meaning) and "Tell Me Have You Been Dancing" (heartbreaking). We honestly love all of them. It's hard to pick your favorite baby. Really really proud of this album as a whole.

 

SH: How do you feel that you've both grown, personally and musically, since I'm Not Getting Any Taller? How have you grown as friends and bandmates?

Daisy the Great: We think our songwriting has gotten more focused and intentional, but still has a lot of playful roots. We think we've become better performers and musicians over time, mostly through years of performing and practice and writing. Our sound has gotten bigger and we think we are taking more risks. We wrote a lot of I'm Not Getting Any Taller before we started performing live as much, and once we began performing more often, we started to write songs that felt really good to perform with a live band in mind. We performed a lot of these songs for years before we recorded them, which made them feel very lived in by the time we went into the studio. So much love went into this record. We love each other and our bandmates so much and it's been almost seven years and we've only gotten closer and better at communicating. Excited to see what we do next.

 

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SH: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Daisy the Great: Come see us live! We have fun.

 

If you love learning the stories behind great new music, click HERE to read our interview with American Idol runner-up HunterGirl on "Hometown Out of Me."