A name inspired by a series of sculptures made by art work made in London by sculptures made of cell phones and paper, the Office were formed out of Chicago in 2000, the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter Scott Masson.

Art-school graduates each holding an experienced reputation among the Chicago band-circuit, the Office can currently be found resting in their hometown and working off some post-SXSW excitement; gathering in a huddle-formation to make a decision on which of the lesser evils of record labels they’ll be signing their next release to.

They’re capturing the timeless pop music without watering it down with repetitive melodies and resulting unoriginality. Undeniable happiness in a series of poppy chords; think the Talking Heads and the Car’s lovechild adopted by the next wave of art-rockers. They’re what would happen if Modest Mouse had a better singer and started writing music about being more positive about the experiences they encounter in life. It’s time to not wallow in your own misery and throw your mood into a different direction that is fulfilled by simplicity and catchy keyboard riffs.

The Office lightens the auditory load by giving you filling your ears with a layered series of intertwined instruments; three voices in harmony; a simple pop song without sounding contrived; giving you the music that you can enjoy without having to put thought into the meaning. It’s face value entertainment.

Scott and Erica took some time for us to separately interrogate them about the music that’ll help them escape their day jobs, and why Enya fandom is usually best kept to yourself.

Scott Masson [Songwriter, Producer, Guitar, Piano, and Lead Vocals]

L: Where did the band name originate from?
S: I came up with the idea in 2000, which was before the TV show came out. I was living in London going to art school. I just applied that name to the music I was doing at the time. It kind of stuck. I really like the word and the ideas that come up with it. It’s like a mundane word, that’s the idea to make something mundane fun.

L: You mean it to be a sarcastic twist on that kind of attitude.
S: It’s heavily loaded. I could talk all day about it.

L: Would you expect people to listen to your music while they’re at work or is it made to be a sort of post-work escape?
S: I don’t know many offices that are allowed to listen to music while they’re there but that would be great if people were listening to it while they work.

L: The photo shoot where you guys are laying underneath the photocopier with papers strewn on top and around your bodies, is this some sort of representation of how your day job makes you feel?
S: It’s making a very painful situation a little bit more tolerable. The idea of being trapped in an obvious is kind of frightening to everybody, I would think. Whether you’re an artist, a lawyer, a graphic designer, whatever you do. Your main goal in life is to be free and being in an office is not in line with that philosophy. Maybe this band is coming to grips with that, all of us are coming to grips with fear.

L: Define true freedom.
S: We love freedom!! Freedom is what you want. An art project or music project, we want that to be our “work” if you will. We don’t want to have our day jobs, we’d rather be working Monday to Friday writing songs, playing shows at night.

L: What are you guys working on right now?
S: Right now we’re in a lot of discussion with different labels, major, indie, British labels. We’ve learned after SXSW that the music industry works kind of slow. We’re getting a lot of information thrown at us right now. Right now we’re doing a residency at Shoebuzz, a club in Chicago. We have a lot of labels coming into those showcases. We’re hoping to get the ball rolling; we’ve all been ready for a while. We have the next record written.

L: What are your expectations from them before you’ll decide to sign?
S: Well you have a lot of bands like Fall Out Boy, the reason that they’re signed is because I think their bass player’s dad works in the industry or something. It makes total sense why they’re one of the biggest bands in the world. My point is that there are a lot of bands who just want to get on a label immediately. They don’t make the right decisions and end up having very little control over what they do. We’ve done our research and we know certain things about how the industry works. We’re trying to work with the system, but we want to get ourselves in the situation where we can have control over how our records sound. What we say lyrically is very important.

L: What about them dressing you in coordinated outfits?
S: I would love to get sponsored by some really nice suit companies, but we have to be in control completely of the design of all of them. Any kind of art direction, we need that control. We all went to art school; we have the background and the interest in art. We feel like we’re just knowledgeable about that as any label person. No hair designers, I don’t even have hair to begin with. The label can save money.

L: Was it your first time at SXSW?
S: It was great, we had such a blast. There was a lot of pressure for both shows because we had such a giant turnout. It was high stress but we got through it, we played the best we could and had a lot of fun. After that we were kind of brought around to a lot of interviews and parties, the whole week was surreal.

L: What kind of comparisons are you receiving?
S: The goal is to sound like you. We have a large catalogue of influences. We’re influenced by the classic songwriters of the 20th century, there’s a range, we have a broad background; electronic music, punk rock, pop music, Motown, folk music. We listen to everything from Kraftwerk to Bob Dylan. Queen to Destroyer.

L: Can you tell us some CD’s that you’d hide when you’re having guests over?
S: Most of those CD’s I’ve already sold to pay rent. The one I don’t crack out at every party is Enya’s Watermark, which is actually one of my favorite records of all time. I can’t break it out around my friends; they’ll all give me the dirty look. Yeah, I’m a closet Enya fan.

L: It seems like a lot of her fans are trying to keep it a secret.
S: I love her; I’m putting on the record right now.

L: It’s time for you to relax; I’ll let you enjoy that in peace. Thanks Scott!

Erica Corniel [Drums and Vocals]

L: How’s Chicago today?
E: It’s cold! Really cold.

L: Anything interesting happen in your day yet?
E: Everyday for me usually starts between 11am and 2pm. Roll out of bed, onto the floor, stretch.

L: Sounds like me, except it’s more like 5pm. Do you also work in an office like Scott?
E: I actually have a dog walking company. Best job ever. In the summer, but not in the winter, if there’s a blizzard it’s not really fun. However all the dogs are like children to me, I’ve been walking to them for a few years; it’s like going to see my kids everyday.

L: Do you have your own?
E: No, just other people’s dogs. I have two cats at my house; I don’t feel like I have enough time to have a dog. It’s very much like having a child.

L: How did you end up meeting the rest of the band?
E: I used to be in a band with Alyssa four years ago, I was in another band with one of Scott’s best friend. From that we all met and then Scott asked us to join his band the Office. We’ve been together for a year and a half now.

L: Describe the first timer’s experience at SXSW.
E: Like rock’n’roll la la land. Mardi gras rock’n’roll.

L: Did you watch any bands?
E: Lady Sovereign, a friend of mine, I got to check her out. I hadn’t seen her perform yet I was pretty curious. Morning Wood, a friend of mine did a remix for them, so I wanted to see them. I don’t really remember much. The rest of the time was kind of a blur.

L: What kind of category of music would you ideally like the Office to get categorized as?
E: We’re a pop band, but not what the media considers “pop”. We’re like pop from 1963.

L: What would you think is the media’s current impression of pop music?
E: Kelly Clarkson, Britney, Lindsay Lohan. I don’t consider that pop, I consider that crap. 

 

L: What direction are the Office headed this year?
E: It’s all going pretty smoothly right now, we’re just kind of riding the train, or the wave that’s coming. We’re talking to labels, taking everything as it comes, trying not to sell our soul to the devil by any means.

L: Any bands, dead or alive, that you’d love to share a bill with?
E: The Rolling Stones for sure, Al Green, Marvin Gaye. Any good pop band out of the 60’s. New bands; Gorillaz, Broadcast.

L: Any interesting plans for the rest of your day? Scott’s at home listening to Enya.
E: Yeah we’re going have a party, listen to Enya. Actually the rest of the band is coming over. We’re going see a band out of Detroit called Pascale. How is it over there, what are you going to be doing?

L: Staying up until 9am, avoiding sunlight; the usual.
E: That’s nice.

L: It really is. Thanks for your time Erica, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you guys coming around LA soon!