The Toronto band cootie catcher started out as a lo-fi two-piece balancing twee charm with leftfield production splay. Since those beginnings, back in 2021, the band has ballooned from a duo of Nolan Jakupovski and Anita Fowl into a quartet and honed a whimsical version of indietronica. The fruits of this past half-decade of music-making can be heard, crystal clear, on their brand new album, Something We All Got. It delivers pure, timeless indie pop tunes and it serves them up with a side of fried, bubbling electronics. There's even some scratching involved. We sent some questions over to Jakupovski and Fowl—who comprise the band along with Sophia Chavez and Joseph Shemoun—read their responses, and listen to Something We All Got, which is out now on Carpark, below.

Is there a song or even fleeting musical moment on your upcoming record that you feel like was a breakthrough for your band? What makes you the most excited about this record? 

Nolan: My favorite song on the album is probably the opener “Loiter for the love of it.” There’s so much going on without it sounding overwrought, which is something we’re always attempting to achieve. I’m excited for people to hear our potential fulfilled on this more polished record, production-wise as well as songwriting-wise.

How do you feel about twee, both as a concept and a musical mode?

Nolan: We love twee music and owe a lot of our sound and approach to songwriting to bands like Beat Happening, Dear Nora, Pastels. That being said, we also aren’t fans of nostalgia and recognize that we should incorporate that sound into a new style unique to ourselves hence the electronic aspect of cootie catcher.

Anita: Twee definitely feels like my “default” musical mode since I was completely new to making music and playing an instrument when cootie catcher started. I feel kind of lucky that I didn’t have to do any “unlearning” to get that kind of naive sound that characterizes twee, and I’m happy that there is a whole genre let alone some space given for musicians that are starting out to sound a bit rough around the edges.

What is “Puzzle pop” about? Is it a statement of intent? How do most of your songs start? With production and samples? Jamming in a room?

Nolan: cootie catcher has three songwriters, being: me, Anita, and Sophia. I realized after writing it that “Puzzle pop” is about my hesitancy to reach out for assistance when in need. Kind of a non-confrontational anthem: “I know you don’t like to point out the obvious / Let’s let nature run its course.” Most of our songs start from a small idea I pitch to the rest of the band in demo form. Usually a beat and a guitar part. We’ll expand on that in person and kinda call dibs on who wants to write the melody and sing. Extra fun when two or even all three of us sing. :)

It’s been almost five years since your first EP came out. In what ways has the band changed in that time? In what ways has it stayed the same?

Nolan: The band has changed drastically. We started as a duo with no intent to play live and have since toured extensively as a quartet. I’ve gotten smarter at making beats for live performance—our old songs like “uptempo” and “liek dat” are unfortunately sort of impossible to play along with live because of beats being off the grid or sections of empty space without a metronome. If you pay attention nowadays you’ll notice there’s always something keeping meter even if it’s incredibly subtle like the count in for our song “Shy at first.” (I quantized Anita burping.)

We’ve stayed the same in that we attempt to keep our songs straight to the point. Rarely do we ever enter four-minute territory. We’re committed to never being boring.

Anita: Sososo much has changed. I definitely feel from a songwriting standpoint that I’ve been more intentional with what I have to say. It’s also easier for me to imagine what the end product might sound like now that we’ve found our rhythm. There still is, but there was a lot more trial and error back in the day.

What’s the funniest show you’ve ever rocked at?

Nolan: Probably when we played at “Lobsterfest” in Athens, OH last year because we got their Lobster mascot “Snat” (I think he was called) to stage dive during our song “Straight drop” to a crowd of like 200 students. There was a great vibe in that room.

Anita: Wolfe Island in Kingston. If you know you know.

Describe the dream cootie catcher concert situation.

Nolan: It’s crazy how much of a difference nice sound makes. Felt like we played the best show of our lives at Empty Bottle a few months ago because it sounded so good there. We never really feel that good after playing a place with poopy sound.

What is the scene like in Toronto right now? Who are some of your favorite bands? What about restaurants?

Nolan: The scene in Toronto is blossoming … Seems like each of my friends is starting a new band right now which is ideal. Have been really enjoying the re-opening of the Silver Dollar Room (renamed Dina’s Tavern). It’s been filling a much needed hole venue-wise. I enjoyed seeing Status/Non-Status and Heaven for Real when I played there with my other band Understanding. I should note that Cooked Raw books exclusively good bands in Toronto so I typically go to all of the shows they book.

I tend to eat out when I’m teaching music lessons in Toronto’s east end. When I’m over there I often get Square Boy on Danforth or Souvlaki Hut on Queen St E. When I’m at home in the west end I’m prone to Loga’s Corner, Dil Se, Chopin Restaurant, or Souv Like on Roncesvalles.

Anita: I’ve really enjoyed Rat’s Nest above Low Bar in Toronto. It’s a really cozy spot and I’ve seen a ton of my friends play there (Dafnez, bug eater, lawngirl, Laughing, more I’m forgetting) which is awesome since we can all go downstairs and have a drink after.