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If we had a salve for the current lack of dark-pop boldness, a way to rehydrate the dried-out shell of artistry that's leathered and languished on the DSP algorithms, then East Coast producer Izzy Camina is the saline injection we so desperately needed. Fearless and introspective, Izzy is an artist that just layers in with each listening, regardless of tempo. It's a dirty sexiness we revel in, a sweat of surrender. On Saline, Izzy devours normative, feelings-are-scary tropes and simply carousels the listener into a comprehensive state of fun and fear. Wanting to dive into this maven’s mindset, we dialed up the old internet protocol for a chat:

OnesToWatch: The first question I always ask is, why are you an artist? 

Izzy Camina: There’s some fucked up compulsion inside of me that I’d been fighting against up until very recently.
I can't resist it anymore. 

If you weren't an artist, is there another career you would be doing right now?

Probably something up with science. Environmental science, psychology, or neuroscience. 

I think as an artist, you're doing the same thing. You're getting inside people's heads. 

Definitely.

How long have you been writing with the intent to share music with people? 


I think, actually, since high school. I wanted to be a beat maker, and I was writing raps for other people because a lot of my friends were local rappers. And then for myself, I started writing when I was in college. 

What, if anything, has changed in your process? 

Sometimes I will just get an idea in the car or on public transport or on a walk and I just have to record it into my phone, which is pretty common. Usually what I'll be doing is I'll sing a melody and then shift into the bass and then after four bars, I'll go back into the top line. When I listen back, I'm like, "What the fuck is this?” And I have to piece it back together.
It's really bizarre and chaotic.

I love that. 
So you have a harmony and top line on one voice note. 

Yeah, but it's not stacked on top of each other because that's impossible, so I have to do it in a linear fashion and then piece it all back together. And the other way that I start a song is writing on Ableton, and usually that’s different every time. Sometimes I want to go straight into some evil arpeggiated bass and start there, or I want to start with some pretty chords that are inspired by a sound preset, and then I'll go into the preset and tweak it. Or maybe I'll build a sound from scratch. But usually it's melodic, I don't start with drums or beats, the way I used to when I was younger, and I don't know why. I love drums. I love rhythm. I love to dance. I love the heartbeat of life that is the kick and the mother's womb, our first musical experience. But yeah, it always starts with melody.

That reminds me of the saying that the bass is felt, not heard. Just like a heartbeat.
So, I get that. 

Yeah, maybe that’s why I’m such a basshead, because it’s the perfect combination in between, uh the sounds of the womb and the melodies of the mind. 

I mean, it must be your first cognitive experience as a human, just feeling and hearing that constant bass drum in the womb. You clearly have had a genre spectrum throughout your career, what would you say your sound is now? 

I like using the word industrial because when I'm doing drum fills and effects, I'm always looking for sounds that sound like machinery or a wrench banging a pipe, or something like that. I love the interplay between soft and light touch and the grinds of machinery.
So maybe ethereal, industrial dance pop? 

I love that. I grew up with industrial music and the genre seems to be resurfacing a bit as of late. 

Yeah, I'm kind of waiting for somebody to do it right – I'm not sure I'm necessarily doing it right – and a lot of people are referring to themselves as like industrial pop, but it can be done better. We can do the OGs justice. I'm contemporary industrial pop at best. 

Let's dive into your EP, Saline. Do you self-produce everything? Do you co-produce with other people? What's the process for you? 

I really don't like co-producing. Every project is different though. My first EP was 100% me, the second project was a co-production. I feel like my true sound and identity is kind of lost in that second one. I love the co-producer, but I'm not as attached to the music. And then this project is mostly done by me, with certain instruments and sound design by friends. 

Let's get into it. There’s a song called “Neptune Mood.” What is a Neptune mood? 

The archetype of Neptune is the King of the Sea, and the sea is synonymous with life and the void and the realm of emotion and unpredictability. I just think of swimming and sinking and being consumed by dusky blue sorrow sometimes.

What are your hopes for your music as you continue to develop your sound? 

I don't want to sound pretentious… I'm really not dissing pop music and accessible music, but my musical diet consists of music created by solemn older women on labels like Sacred Bones. I’d love to end up creating weird, inaccessible music. I think if I just let myself go and didn’t think about playlists or money or anything, the music could be even more profound, and a true reflection of my soul. I’m not sure I have offered that yet. 

That’s lovely. Manifesting something more fun, let’s say all of your friends pop by your place and they're hungry, they need sustenance. Can you whip up a meal? And if so, what would it be? 

Yes, it would be something healthy with good macros. 

Are you a meal prepper? 

Oh, fuck yeah. 

So what would it be? 

If it was my preference, it would just be the most stereotypical meal prep shit, but amplified. So instead of regular sweet potato, we would do purple sweet potato. Maybe we would make a little tahini sauce to go on top of cilantro. Tons of steamed greens, and some nutritionally dense roughage, and then some protein, depending on their dietary preferences. 

Izzy, you're speaking my language. If you could be anywhere in the world right now, other than where you're at, where would you want to go? What would you be doing? 


In this moment, I would have an acoustic guitar, a banjo. My laptop would be magically configured so that I can't go on any websites that contribute to brain drain, and I am in some misty, foggy, rural place making cool music. But I'm not alone. There's somebody cool and tolerable around. 

That's what we're all looking for, right? Someone cool and tolerable. 

Yeah, maybe it's somewhere in Norway, by a fjord. 

When you need to go grounded, what brings you back to reality?

The age-old stuff, like touching trees, exercising, meditating, talking to smart people, and being around people and friends. Specific friends, though, because you can be around some people and still feel lonely. There’s a Carl Jung quote about this…

The one about being intellectually and emotionally understood as well as being present? 

Yes, that one. “Loneliness doesn't come from having no people around you, but from being unable to communicate the things that seem important to you.” It’s about not just spending time with others, but spending time with people that let you truly, truly return to baseline. Because there's nothing worse than when you're stressed out and having to put on a front. You're better off being alone. 

I get that. That feels real. 

Truly. Loneliness is really about empty rooms. It is about caring words you cannot say and truths you do not feel safe to share. Healing is learning to speak what matters, so you’re no longer alone with it. This is a work of letting yourself be seen and known for who you really are. 

Love it. Just because you mentioned macros, I’m curious what your exercise preferences are? 

I've actually been pretty bad over the past two years because I'm always moving around and subletting in different places, I'm never in one place for very long. My ideal routine would be rock climbing three days a week, top rope, no bouldering. I need the adrenaline and the freedom of top rope. Also yoga two or three times a week, a really solid leg day twice a week. 

Awesome. Last couple of questions. First, I would love a non-music recommendation, so basically any activity, something you consumed or read, a place to visit, anything you could recommend. Then, I’d like a music recommendation, something that’s inspiring or slept on. 

I’d recommend the book Steppenwolf. For music I’d say Lions by Jenny Haval and Vivian Wang. 

Super cool. Okay, last words are all yours. Anything to share? 

Don’t be embarrassed to deeply engage with trees in the park. Fuck what other people think. Hug the tree.

Izzy, this was fascinating, thank you so much for your time. 

Thank you.