The Submissives: "Always Play the Long Game and Choose Honest Artistic Expression Over Fame and Money. Getting Reviewed and Talked About Is Fleeting and Meaningless"

Montreal singer-songwriter Deb Edison has been an enigmatic creative spirit since taking upon a solitary voyage under the moniker The Submissives, in 2015. For over a decade, she's released a slew of hard to find cassette tapes, a lone LP, and many zany videos scattered upon the web. Her latest opus, Live At Value Sound Studios, was conceived in 2017 in collaboration with a vivacious and tight-knit live ensemble that includes Talia Boguski, Christina Bell, Emily Gray, Marissa Cytryn, and Caroline Levasseur. Across the new album, Edison explores themes of obsession, depression, fear, trauma, resilience, and redemption that reflect the kaleidoscopic hues of the human experience, while cultivating a profound sense of collective empowerment. Each song daringly bursts with '60s-inspired girl group melodies, haunting harmonies, and gloriously ragged and infectiously fun chord changes that are unabashedly feminine, anarchic, and borderless—musically, think the simply deceiving pop of The Shangri-Las, The Shaggs, The Raincoats, Half Japanese, and Young Marble Giants. In a rare interview, we spoke with Edison about her beginnings navigating the Montreal scene with The Submissives, the heavenly analog precision of the new album, and how its the pinnacle moment within the band's catalog.

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?

Deb Edison: Lately I've been working fulltime at a furniture factory which is how I pay the bills, also I make rugs which sometimes pays the bills. I go back and fourth between music and podcast/audiobook phases and currently I'm in a podcast phase. Been learning about politics, economics and psychology stuff lately. Specifically nationalism, evangelism, cultic groups—America essentially.

Where did you grow up and what was the local scene like? What kind of records and fanzines would we find if we would travel back in time in your teenage room?

I grew up in a small farm town of 200 people in southern Manitoba, we were surrounded by fields. The local scene was to go to the cemetery, the dump or sort the town recycling at the depot. Friday and Saturday nights The Lorne Theatre in a town six miles away played blockbuster hits 3 months after they were released in the cities. In terms of records and -music, pre-internet I was obsessed with the best of my parents collection which included Tom Jones, the Starlight Express soundtrack, all the classical music and fiddling CDs. I also listened to the radio obsessively. Hot 99.9FM had the hits of the day, but I was more into Winnipeg station KY580AM which was oldies. When dial up internet happened I would spend hours trying to download clips of songs from windows media player until my sister figured out Napster. Then it was Bowie, Iggy Pop, Velvet Underground as the favorites I still stand by to this day. When I was twelve, I went to boarding school in Winnipeg, and as hard as I tried to find the punk scene, I couldn't so I ended up doing a lot of lonely drunk wandering and going to the Cinematheque by myself on weekends.

How exactly did The Submissives begin and what was it like it expanding into a full-fledged band? Also how has that been especially when playing shows? 

The Submissives started in my head as more of an aesthetic vision of what the band was going to look like. Originally I imagined secretly writing and recording a tape and rehearsing with a band and surprising the scene in Montreal with a really heavily conceptual "girl-group." I guess I saw it as a sort of reactionary prank type thing. Originally I wanted to do just one show and then end it. All the band members when we started had never played live music before with the exception of the original second singer Marlee who is a musical genius. Although I intended for it to be a one show thing, we all formed a really solid bond immediately and it made sense to continue. We had a lot of fun as a band with choosing concepts for how the show looked and everyone was extremely musically talented and just hadn't had the opportunity yet to join a band. I also got addicted to writing these sort of catchy and creepy pop songs. The formula was fun to follow and I wanted to see how many songs I could write.

Besides making music, what's something you love to do when you all get together or something that you'd like fans to know about The Submissives?

Well we all live very rich and colorful lives. We are all artists and the bond we have formed through this band will last forever. The band and our musical "careers" are secondary. It's all about friendship and supporting and loving each other.

How do you feel looking back on your catalog? Do you still like or relate to your past releases?

Well all the releases so far are all me solo. I never listen back or review anything I have released. The Submissives is a diary that I disguise and slather in over the top metaphors and pretend is just a joke but that's probably not true. I don't really like listening back because most of the songs were written when I was suicidality depressed and still deep in active addiction. But I'm grateful that these tapes and record exist because its a reminder that I made it out alive, and was able to thanks to making art and music.

What insight can you share about your forthcoming album, Live At Value Sound Studios and how exactly did it all come together back in 2017?

Live At Value Sound Studios was recorded at a peak in our existence as a live band. We were jamming regularly, I wasn't able to think about anything but The Submissives and had a grand vision for the release and touring. It was recorded by the extremely talented and dedicated engineer Garrett Johnson. He and René Wilson (music name Renny Wilson) started the studio in a house in the Montreal neighborhood of Park ex in 2014. Finding a house for rent in Montreal is extremely rare but somehow these two moved from Edmonton and opened up this analog recording heaven. At that point I had tons of friends who recorded and worked on music, but Value Sound Studios had something I thought was exceedingly rare. The house itself is frozen in time with original woodwork and oddities, and the recording equipment and methods were of the same era. I still fully believe in the power of analog recording and recording on reel to reel was super important to me. I believe in being well practiced and minimal overdubs or punching in, and that's how we did it. Band recorded live and then we overdubbed vocals and mini orchestra. Most songs were one take I believe. 

What was it like working on this album in comparison to the previous ones? 

This was the one and only live recording of the band and it was different in every way. When I record solo it's the exact same every time. On my four track I do a full track of drums, second track bass, third and fourth guitars. Then I digitize and overdub. The writing and recording are one in the same, and it's more instinctual and loose. Recording as a live band is all about rehearsing beforehand. I personally don't like to dilly dally, I learned the importance of rehearsing for recording from Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa. 

Today we have the pleasure of sharing its lead single "Obsessed." How did this one come about and what were the inspirations behind its music video. 

This is kind of a strange one. It turns out this is a cover of myself. I recorded this song for another one of my solo music bands when I was 18... I guess the song was just stuck in my head and I somehow rewrote it without realizing. I was too drunk to remember perhaps. The song is about the agony of obsession. The meaning is different for everyone I'm guessing, but for me I'd say the agony of addiction to drugs and love. The music video follows a pretty predictable arc. Agony and crawling in your skin, giving in and indulging and the peace of succumbing to your whims. Sadly the cycle is only going to repeat.

How do you usually approach songwriting? What kind of role does improvisation have when it comes to creating together?

Though I try to sit down and "write" a song, I can only improv songs into existence at this point. Occasionally I will have words or a melody and build around that but it's very tolling and not fun for me and I'd rather the process be a therapeutic and rewarding experience. The Submissives songs are all written by me, so we haven't had the experience of writing together, but in other projects I do collaborate on writing and I think the best way to collaborate well is to have a solid friendship. When you spend your jamming chatting and listening to music, the writing just flows out. That's how I feel about it at least... it's about collaborating, so why waste the energy discussing notes and "chord changes" and everything. Makes more sense to me to let everyone just do their thing. It's like a conversation or relationship playing out through music.

Diving into some of the other tracks here, I really like the second cut "He Wanted Her." What can you tell me about this one?

This is pretty straightforward as most of The Submissives songs are. It's about wanting someone who wants someone else. It's painful but also a pretty universal experience.

What's the story of "Do You Really Love Me"? 

This song is about being lied to and deceived by your love and giving them no more chances. The sad part is that you do give them more chances and they keep lying. I think most of these songs are about love and addiction at the same time. I told alcohol I'd give it no more chances, but then I did and it lied to me again.

What can you tell me about "Perfect Woman"? 

This one was written later on and I was doing more elaborate mental gymnastics and lying to myself. It's about being so desperate for acceptance and love that you are willing to change yourself and be what someone wants you to be and that you will possibly lose yourself and become happy in the ignorance of your true self. I didn't fully understand what being submissive meant to me yet. I thought it meant biting your tongue and being subservient, but I think it's more of a mutual and loving power dynamic in a relationship. The Submissives to me started as a sardonic eye roll critiquing the girl group created for the male gaze, but it turned into a kind of personal revelation about my needs and tendencies in relationships and sobriety.

What were the inspirations of covering Marty Taylor's "You On My Mind"? 

I was just totally obsessed with this song. No exaggeration I listened to it on repeat for 2 months. I truly will listen to songs on repeat for hours. The lyrics spoke to me, his lisp, the recording quality this being a high school band. The song moved me for whatever reason and although it is virtually impossible to find the story behind the song, I still comment on the YouTube video asking if anyone can provide more information. To my knowledge, Marty died a while back, may he rest in peace.

Which song from the record means the most to you (and why) or you're most excited for fans to hear? 

Having fans is funny, but I suppose I my favorite of the album is "Maybe Someday." It's been released in solo form, but I think it's got a special magic with flute violin and trumpet added, and one of the only songs featuring Talia singing solo, which is beautiful. I'm proud of that song only because the verse and chorus lyrics are sort of linked. A bit fancier than usual for me.

Aside from the new album, what are some future plans for The Submissives?

There are some unreleased "demos" for a few songs I mentioned that were written before recording, but other than that there are no plans. But we are all open to any plans, as long as it fits into our schedules. This isn't the end of The Submissives, that's for sure. It will never end.

Thank you for taking your time. Any advice or last words you'd like to share with our readers?

Thank you for your great questions! I rarely do any interviews because in the past I preferred keeping the band more mysterious and under wraps. Last words hmmmm... I guess I'd like to say the music industry is a sham, don't let predatory labels or middle men crush your artistic spirit. Always play the long game and choose honest artistic expression over fame and money. Getting reviewed and talked about is fleeting and meaningless. Don't hold onto your work once it's released to the public, it doesn't belong to you anymore. Make more work that points out the greed and hypocrisy in the world. Don't bow down to powerful people. Prioritize the people that love you for who you are. If you have a problem with substances, help is available, and when you're sober, life only gets better.

Live At Value Sound Studios is out October 11th on Celluloid Lunch Records