The Ophelias are sitting with me outside Healer, an all-ages music and art venue in Indianapolis, Indiana. The performance and art space is the only open business in a ghosted strip mall just a few minutes outside the city center; it is easy to miss if you don’t know where to look. Inside, the venue is packed with multimedia installations ranging from repurposed holiday decorations to Halloween nightmares, a classic video games room, and a piece devoted to disgraced pastor Jimmy Swaggart. It is impossible not to fall in love with this venue on sight; even better that it is a safe spot for all ages hangouts that embrace all. The Ophelias play here a couple of times each year, drawing a devoted crowd of fans who have a personal connection with them.
But instead of music, we begin with movies. Bassist Jo Shaffer is a film enthusiast, and we start by talking about how many of the greatest films contain a streak of humor. “I don’t trust a director if there’s no humor in the films,” said Shaffer.
That streak also runs through many of the best songs from the Ophelias, whose website describes their sound as being “inspired by nostalgia, nature, the Midwest, horror movies, and the moon”. Earlier work lured in fans of bands that blend indie and folk elements, like Ratboys. They perfected that sound on their third full-length, Crocus, which features guest vocals from Julien Baker on the riveting “Neil Young on High” and hints at the heavier sounds to come on highlight “Becoming a Nun”. Their latest release, Ribbon, finds them going heavier, incorporating louder guitars inspired by bands like Wednesday’s seamless blend of folk, country, and distortion. It shouldn’t alienate longtime fans who have seen them play live, though.
“People always call us chill, but we do sound different live. With Ribbon, the idea was to capture what we sound like live, with more guitar and distortion. The new material is more fleshed out. We’re not fucking chill anymore,” laughed lead singer Spencer Peppet.
“Ribbon is reflective of what we are listening to right now,” said drummer Mic Adams. “The audience likes it when we play louder and heavier,” Shaffer said. “And it’s fun to play that way live.”
“Wednesday definitely influenced ‘Black Ribbon’. Twin Plagues and Rat Saw God are really exciting records. It was also inspired by MUNA’s ‘Runner’s High’. We stole the drums from that song. We keep watching and rewatching their music videos. They are perfect,” Peppet continued.
With the group living in different cities, much of the work on songs takes place remotely. In the case of Ribbon, the recording did, too. Violinist Andrea Gutmann Fuentes recorded her parts in Cincinnati. Peppet and Shaffer live in New York, and Adams is based in Chicago. All three agree that studio time is their favorite part of being working musicians. “My least favorite is the running a small business/posting on social media part,” Peppet said.
Despite the quieter sounds of the Ophelias’ early work, Peppet’s lyrics have always harbored dark humor, detailing unhealthy relationships and situations with pathos and wit. Earlier songs like “General Electric” glide along on a hook but have devastating lines like “Dark circles under my eyes / I control nothing / You are a ready fire to burn / Plastic bags in a life urn,” coupled with “I want to be like the girls you like / I want to be what you fantasize.” Peppet’s plaintive delivery packs a punch for those who are listening carefully.
“A lot of earlier lyrics are very earnest and sincere, maybe a little abstract. As we have gotten more solidified as a band, we can crack a joke now and again. The classic Ophelias lyrics trick is to include direct feelings and then flip the song on its head and be less serious for a moment, like [English punk band] Dry Cleaning,” Peppet said. “[Ribbon track] ‘Rind’ is a Nick Drake, baroque-sounding song, but then comes the line ‘Fucking score!’ I like a moment where it feels silly and funny on top of all this tension.”
Drawing on personal experiences for lyrics could be a tricky tactic, but Peppet has a foolproof method for avoiding blowback. “I don’t speak to any of the people these songs are about now. It’s none of my business what they think,” she said. “And sometimes the songs aren’t about who people think they are. I usually write about something personal years after it happened, so it’s funny to think people might be wondering, ‘Is that song about me?'”
“I do ask her sometimes,” laughed Adams. “Songwriting is a cool processing tool, and everyone uses it differently. I have to do it. But as I grow as a songwriter, writing is more tied to the human experience and less to a specific thing that happened,” Peppet said. “And every song means something different to every listener. People find their own meanings in things. It’s cool to find out what people have gotten from the songs.”
“Some bands are more expressive of who they are than others. We always say what the deal is. And frankly, that’s because we aren’t smooth,” laughed Adams. “Yes, with all the anxiety in the band, it’s easier than wondering if the audience gets it,” Peppet laughed.
In addition to Ribbon, there is another Ophelias-related new release, Adams’ solo single. “Spencer convinced me to record in the studio and to get other musicians in on the songs. I only play drums, so the people I brought in worked with me to add guitar to a melody and drums and bass. The drums are simpler because I was singing and drumming at the same time. It was sometimes surprising, but it turned out exactly like I wanted,” Adams said.
Next up, the Ophelias will continue to work on new material after their quick series of spring tour dates, and fans should expect a continuation of the heavier sounds of Ribbon as they continue to capture the live experience in the studio more accurately. “We want to bring people through the full spectrum of emotion,” Peppet said. “The other day at a show, someone came up to me after we played and said, ‘That was devastating. I loved it.'”