Email: neill@outloudculture.com
On their electrically charged new track, “Nice Guy But,” KTJ & CARLY explored the toxic aftermath of dealing with a man that isn’t all he’s cracked up to be. The dynamite singer, songwriter and producer duo, known for unforgettable tracks like “Pink Ferrari” and, “Daddy’s Little Lawyer,” have a knack for hyper-honest lyrics and hard-hitting pop. In August, they launched their first ever headlining West Coast tour in support of their latest body of work “Ego Death,” receiving praise for their rich harmonies and stand out performance.”Nice Guy But” begins with a rush of hyper-adrenaline bursting at the seams with a roaring electric guitar track, the duo’s powerhouse vocals soar above the aggressive chorus, intermingling with perfection on each verse. Listeners feel a visceral recoiling as the realization hits that this “nice guy” is anything but, urged on by booming drums and full-throttle chaotic energy. The single explodes with attitude and eye-rolling annoyance, making it the perfect track for anyone that’s ever had to deal with a lover that quickly turned into someone they disliked. Check out KTJ & CARLY’s new single, “Nice Guy But,” is out everywhere.
KTJ and Carly, welcome back to OLC! As always we love having you here. How have you both been and what’s new in both of your lives?
Thank you for having us back! We are doing very well! Just been writing a lot, working on stuff for our new song, and just winding down for the rest of the year since tour, focusing on next years releases. – Carly
It’s great to be back, thank you! Things are great; working hard and enjoying spooky season in LA. – Katie
You’ve been doing some touring for your music, any crazy or memorable stories you can share with us?
It was so much fun. I want to go back and do it again soon. I really loved driving from San Fran to Seattle. That drive was beautiful and one night we stopped at this random cabin without thinking much of it and woke up to the most beautiful cabin porch view of Lake Shasta. Getting to experience all of these new cities and meet all these new people was so wonderful. – Carly
It’s impossible to pick one! I am just so grateful I was able to meet and talk with so many different people from so many different places. I can’t wait to do it again. – KTJ
You have a new song on the way, it drops October 20th called ‘Nice Guy But’, what inspired this song and what can your fans expect from it?
My friends, Carly and I describe a lot of our dates as NGB’s. “How did your date go yesterday?” “He was kind of an NGB,” we say. ’Don’t get me wrong, he’s such a nice guy… but…He wouldn’t let me get my work done…He wouldn’t stop talking about himself… He said sly comments that made me feel like I’m not enough for him….’ I was seeing this guy who was a love bomber. I caught him in a huge lie, told him I needed time and space to assess our relationship. Underneath the mask, he wasn’t nice at all. We’ve all known a NGB. – KTJ
Talk me through the creative process of the song and who helped you work on it?
We wrote this song with our dear friend and co-writer Emia. This song came together pretty quick because for the first few hours we just sat, drank coffee, caught up and talked about life and all of our relationship problems haha. After that, we came up with the bass riff and wrote all the lyrics and melodies over that… under an hour if I remember correctly. KT & I didn’t start producing it until shortly after we wrote it where the song really transformed into a punky feel. We recorded the bass, guitar, vocals, and then added drums as the final touch! In the beginning of the song and in the end, there are classical violins that we added. I feel like it is a testament to the allurement of some of the NGB’s out there, but then it usually all comes crashing down. – Carly
Any plans to film a music video for it?
Yes! We are filming a music video for Nice Guy But and the incomparable and talented Meagan Good will be directing it! She has been so great and collaborative on this project and I can’t wait for shoot day! We will be filming it the same day as the release. – Carly
I’m very excited to film with Meagan next week, she’s a badass incredible person and has been amazing to work with. I’m excited for the world to see it! – Katie
Your both very active on your socials, and even TikTok, which this platform is absolutely exploded, how do you decide what to put on it and how important is social media to an artists career?
It can be difficult to decide what goes on social media when there are two people involved. We constantly battle on what goes on there almost every time we make a post. Lately, we have been preparing our posts ahead of time so that we are both happy with how it looks! Social media is really important for an artists career because it is how we engage with fans, especially those who can’t always go to a show on a whim or travel to one. – Carly
It’s all trial and error. People are constantly swiping so if you don’t grab their attention in the first second then it’s an automatic swipe. Consistency and quality are important, posting at least twice a day. Social media is so important to artists, as that’s basically the only road to discovery and expansion. The more you figure out what niche markets work for your page, the more you can build the page/brand. – Katie
Do you have any upcoming shows and if so where can people see you?
We don’t have any upcoming shows on the books as we are focusing on writing for the rest of the year, but we will soon I am sure of it! – Carly
Where is your favourite place to do a live show and what makes it special to you?
That is a tough one. I really loved Chop Suey in Seattle and Brick and Mortar in SF, but I think I’ll put those at second place because no surprise that my all time favorite venue to perform at is Hotel Cafe. It is just so intimate and the sound there is always beyond expectations,but mainly because of the sentimental value. It was our first performance as KTJ & CARLY! – Carly
Hotel Cafe. It will always have a special place in. My heart. The sound in the room is exceptional and the crowds are always exceptional as well. – Katie
With the spooky season approaching do you ladies have any plans for Halloween?
Nothing definitive yet, but I would guess we will go to a costume party! We have already hit a bunch of the LA halloween festivities like the LA haunted hayride, pumpkin patch… still need to go to horror nights (its on the list for sure) and of course horror movie rooftop events. Halloween is our favorite so we always go all out on the day. – Carly
If I’m not working on Halloween, I will definitely be partying! – KTJ
Thank you once again for stopping by, but before you go is there anything you’d like to say to all of your followers out in OLC-Land?
Thank you so much for having us! If I can say anything to our followers in OLC land, it would be to go listen to Nice Guy But… scream it on the top of your lungs and I hope it resonates with you as it did with us!! Love you all dearly. – Carly
Thank you so much for having us, it’s always a pleasure! Never be afraid to take up space. Go stream NGB for clear skin <3 – Katie
Social Media
Website: https://www.ktjcarly.com
IG:@ktjcarly https://www.instagram.com/ktjcarly
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ktjcarly
Twitter: @ktjcarlymusic https://twitter.com/ktjcarlymusic
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ktjcarlySpotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1rHyIyvEXaXtHCCMEhhN4M?si=on3KlA-7QBmNg0VRn5p15AApple: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/ktj-carly/1467519546
