Sounds of Domestic Living

Identical twins Emily and Susan Hsu share more than just genetics. Diminutive in stature, with big brown eyes and jet black hair, the charming duo make up the band The Sounds of Domestic Living (SODL), a new musical project for the twins.

Creating indie pop music described on their Facebook page as “spare dark indie folk country soulful pop blues,” the girls have grown musically from their early days in the band Exit Clov.

In an interview with Meets Obsession, Susan explains the idea behind the description. “It does sound like a hodge-podge of ideas. I think we’re just less interested, and I think Em would agree, in playing to any particular genre and more interested in creating a mood.”

The “mood” that Susan referred to relates to the twins’ music in Exit Clov that often had political undertones. Founded by Susan and Emily in 2003, Exit Clov played a kind of “new wave pop noir” that focused largely on making clever political and social commentary infused with bits of playful subversion. One of their best known singles, “MK Ultra,” was a catchy track about government mind control.

The band, which is comprised of John Thayer (drums), Brett Niederman (bass), Aaron Leeder (guitar) and the twins (vocal, violin, guitar and keyboards), garnered buzz in their native Washington, D.C. They quickly became a fixture in the local indie music scene and have opened for bands like Cloud Cult, Architecture in Helsinki and Rilo Kiley.

However, all good musicians often take time away from their primary band to experiment. “Everyone in the band has branched out in the last few years to do new projects,” Emily said. “We’ve worked so hard as a band together for so long, but at the end of the day, we all have our own creative pursuits, so we needed to feed that part of us as well.”

With SODL, Susan and Emily hope to offer to fans a deeper and perhaps, more reflective element to their music. “We’re looking to go a little more mellow and soulful,” said Emily. “We’re so used to writing about crazy things in Exit Clov like government mind control or the drug trade, it’s nice to challenge ourselves with something new or different.”

SODL, when we first ran this story, had released two singles: the eerie and simple “Gold to Refine,” and the holiday song “Inamorati,” which is filled with echoey vocals and endless sleigh bells. “Inamorati” also is the soundtrack for a holiday short they created for their Etsy store, imoM.

In the pipeline was a boutique album of Taiwanese and Chinese folk songs sung by the twins, which they planned to render into their own darkly haunting, rock versions.

While the twins live apart, Emily in New York and Susan in D.C., they work closely in their creative pursuits to help draw inspiration from each other. “Suz and I both write lyrics together. We actually need each other to bounce ideas together,” said Emily. “I don’t know if it’s because we’ve only done it that way since we started playing music, but I find it very difficult to write on my own.”

However, the twins did not come up with SODL’s name. Rather, it was inspired by their friend and musician, Eamonn Aiken (The Dustys, Bellflur, and former Bonapartes). The girls were at Aiken’s studio recording a holiday song. “As we were leaving, we asked him how to find our way out to the kitchen door,” Emily said, “And he said, ‘Just follow the sounds of domestic living.’ It sounded strangely poetic and beautiful.”

“Just follow the sounds of domestic living.”

Considering how long Susan and Emily have been in music, they have become veterans to a degree. And with the music industry in a constant state of flux, it seems the only way to prove oneself as an artist is with the performance of a live show. SODL has yet to expand its live performances, but Exit Clov has hopped all across America.

When asked about any traditions Exit Clov kept before doing a live show, Susan said it depended on the venue and city. “Whenever we played the Black Cat, one of our friends used to text us when we got onstage and tell Em and me to find him in the front row, stage right, and we’d do a round of Jaeger before the set started. At the Middle East Club in Boston we always sit down for a band dinner before the show, partly to have some quality time together, but mostly it’s just so we can get the lamb kibbeh.”

Emily continued, “I just try to find a quiet place where no one will bother me. Most of the time we’re in a loud bar and I hate having to shout to talk to people, because it shreds my throat before the show, and then I don’t feel like singing anymore.”

To which Susan replied teasingly, “What a diva.”

They are little narratives like this that showcase how different the identical twins really are.

And while the girls have proven their musical chops with Exit Clov, their individual quirkiness is perhaps what will make SODL’s music stand out.

From the MO print archive: this story first ran in The Premiere Issue of Meets Obsession Magazine. SODL was a brand new project when we spoke with the twins, so the releases and plans here are as they stood then.

• Words: Yohana Desta