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A few words about Miranda and The Beat—one of the primary rock groups over the last five years. Now based in the real swampland of New Orleans, the trio of Miranda Zipse (guitar and lead vocals), Dylan Fernandez (farfisa), and Alvin Jackson (bass) have been churning out wild and frenzied rock 'n' roll with the most notable elements—untamed, primal, and absolutely relentless. Written and recorded in just five days at King Khan's Moon Studios Rock 'n' Roll Vortex in a remote village on the German countryside, the group's second album Can't Take It is an articulate explosion with colorful organ playing, surging guitars, and vividly spewed vocals, all reminiscent of Lyres, The Pandoras, Destroy All Monsters, and Teenage Jesus and The Jerks. Ahead of the group's "secret acoustic" West Coast tour dates, we chatted with Zipse about The Beat’sevolution over the years, their recent move to the Deep South, and being held captive at tomahawk point by King Khan.
First tell me what you've been up to lately? What have you been listening to, reading, watching, or spending a lot of time doing?
Miranda Zipse: Alvin has been getting his secret country project ready (get ready for a worldwide hit, "Get High" in 2025), Dylan has been doing construction, rebuilding old abandoned houses here in NOLA, and I have been training Spatz the cat to be my familiar.
For our readers unfamiliar, tell us about the origins of Miranda and The Beat?
This band started in 2018 in out West as a duo. We moved to Brooklyn together and met Dylan and Alvin there and the rest is history!
What was it like making the move across the country to Brooklyn and what recently prompted the move to New Orleans?
Brooklyn was sick as hell! We really honed our sound there and made a lot of core friends. Shit was just getting hard though, we were all pretty much homeless for about a year. Decided to bring it down south and have been loving it so far.
There's been a few lineup changes, but what do you admire most about the current incarnation of the band? When you're not playing music, what do you all like to do together?
The current lineup is the final form. We're all best friends and essentially family, so that's what makes everything super fun and easy. When not playing music, we're usually watching Alvin roll blunts or doing some sketchy shit together we shouldn't be doing…
We've been fans of yours since the beginning, but how do you feel looking back on your catalog? Do you still like or relate to your past releases?
Thank you, that's so nice to hear! We feel like being true artists is about making music that correlates to what is going on in our lives at the moment. Looking back at old music feels like reading an old diary. I remember what I felt like and I why I liked that style at the time. Listening to our old music just feels super nostalgic
What are some memories you have associated with last year's self-titled debut LP?
We had a blast making that record. So much fun being able to work with Jonathan Kreinik, definitely some funny shit went down in his studio. Also, working with Nick Zinner was so sick, he made the record sonically distinct and helped shape the early incarnation of the MATB sound.
What insight can you share about your new album, Can't Take It, and how exactly did it all come together?
We were held captive at tomahawk point by King Khan at his home in Germany. We honestly didn't even want to make another record but it was a life or death situation.
What's it been like working with King Khan over the years? How did you meet?
I first met King Khan in the woods of Upstate New York while tripping on mushrooms. I entered a clearing and there he was standing across from me saying "I'm your real dad," which has since turned out to be true.
How would you describe working on this new album compared to last year's debut?
The new album is totally different than the first. I feel like we really tried to drop any pre-conceptions we had about ourselves creatively and just made what felt right in the moment. It's super visceral and just pure energy and emotion.
Diving into some of my favorite tracks here, what can you tell me about the opening title track?
We wrote it with King Khan based off of a voice memo he had from years back for a King Khan and the BBQ show song. We really related to the phrase "Can’t Take It" which he repeated over and over again. It just really went with where we were at and what we were feeling in the moment.
How did "Earthquake Weather" come about and what were the inspirations behind it?
When I was a kid growing up in California my dad used to hide jugs of Vodka in the garage and say it was emergency water for earthquakes. When I got thirsty one day as a kid I took a swig and found out my dad had not in fact been sober but was a different kind of natural disaster enthusiast.
What can you tell me about "Anxiety"?
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
What was it like putting together "New York Video"?
For that one, we individually recorded everyone including the studio engineer Felix Margraf talking shit individually into the mic with no one else in the room. It was a hilarious way to get out some angst with each other and also the song is about people talking shit behind your back so it seemed fitting!
What's the story of "Manipulate Me"?
If you know you know… I won't comment on the story, but I will say writing this was one of the most fun ones for sure. We were dying laughing while writing lyrics and just trying to see what whacky ass shit we could come up with.
What can you tell me about "The Secrets"?
I'm sorry I can't tell you that or it wouldn't be a secret.
Aside from the new album, what are some future plans for the band?
We are going to be hitting the road in 2025 and gonna be recording new stuff real soon.
Thank you for your time. Any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?
Can't Take It is going to be your new favorite album so don't skip a listen!
Can't Take It is out now on Ernest Jenning Record Co./Khannibalism.