Interview: The Cuties

...And suddenly to my big surprise there were The Cuties. That surprise had not so much to do with the fact that these four girls were making pretty music; that's quite normal in indiepopland. But they're Dutch! A girlgroup from my own tiny country making the kind of music I've been loving for so long? Sadly, that's completely unique. Luckily it doesn't end with just that silly bit of chauvinistic pride, because it turns out their album Ah-Ah-Aah is a very tasty slice of pop. It's high time we get to know these girls a little bit better.


Hello Cuties! Can you give us a quick introduction of yourselves?

We are The Cuties, an all-girl-indieband from the Netherlands.

Indiepop is as good as nonexistent as a genre in the Netherlands. What inspired you to make this kind of music? Or did this sound come to you naturally?

Wendy and Maaike were already friends when they went to a concert of the All Girl Summer Fun Band and thought: hey, we can do that too! They wanted to make nice songs for their own pleasure. Writing songs about things they liked, the sound developed into the sound you hear now.

Internationally you fit in perfectly with great bands like The Smittens, A Smile And A Ribbon, The Besties and many other bands. Are you aware of, and do you feel part of any scene at all?

We never wanted to be part of any particular scene, but it certainly is an inspiration for us. We don't really compare ourselves with other bands, so we don't feel part of the indie scene I guess.

Who are The Cuties when you're not busy being The Cuties?

Anne is a hot schoolteacher and wants to be a journalist in the nearby future.
Maaike is a sexy psychiatrist, but wants to be a schoolteacher.
Wendy is a foxy postgirl and is learning to be an educationist.
Alicia is a fancy chef in a fancy restaurant and is learning to be a movie director.
(This is all true!)

Your album was released by Living Room Records in the Netherlands and distributed by Rough Trade in the UK but as far as I'm aware you haven't been playing any shows yet overseas. Is this going to change soon?

The thing with England is: you don't get payed to play there. We sure want to play there, no doubt about it, but we're not rich you know. How did the Spice Girls do that?

If you had a time machine, where and when would you travel?

Japan. Right now.

I just read that Living Room Records has called it quits. Bad news, or do you think there will be other labels standing in line for you?

Well, to record an album and have it released at a label such as LVR was a very good experience. They really 'discovered' us and without them we couldn't be where we are now. At the moment we're not really searching for a new label. We're still trying to sell our first album and LVR will continue their support in this. We'll just see what the future brings for us.

You deliberately chose a small independent label for your first release. What are your ambitions for the band?

Our ambition in the nearby future is to make a lot of new songs, so we'll have a lot of material to choose from, record them, world domination and eventually world peace.

What has been the biggest highlight for the band this year?

The release of our first album and Maaike's baby getting born. We're all godmothers.

There's been some high profile mainstream press attention in The Netherlands. Are you celebrities now?

No. But we're working on it. We're talking to Playboy and Phil Collins' people.

What can we expect of you next?

Alicia's public 'coming out', a videoclip for the song Ugly Boy and some new hits.

Thank you Cuties, for your time and for the music!

The Cuties website
The Cuties myspace
Living Room Records

Download (right click, save as)
The Cuties - Ugly boy