The electro-pop duo ASTR might currently be best known for covering someone else’s famous song: They first performed their rendition of Drake’s “Hold On We’re Going Home” live last year, and the track appears on their first and only EP, Varsity, released in January. But Varsity’s other five songs are well worth a listen, too: Singer Zoe Silverman and producer Adam Pallin’s sound ranges from sparkly and upbeat (“We Fall Down”) to the moody, beat-heavy “Operate”—all united by a distinctive blend of house, pop, and hip-hop. The New York duo play 9:30 Club on Monday, June 16, with the Knocks—and we’re giving away a pair of tickets to the show. To win, tell us in the comments section what your favorite cover song is and why. We’ll announce the winner at 4 PM on Monday. In the meantime, read on for a few more things to know about ASTR according to frontwoman Zoe.
On the band’s experience at this year’s Sweetlife: “Dude, that was so fun for us! That was our first festival, and now I’m obsessed. I want to do all festivals.”
On their chameleonlike sound: “We’re both very passionate people—the dark we experience in life is very dark, and you can see that on the album. When it’s dark it’s pretty dark, and when we’re happy it’s rainbows and passion.”
On choosing to cover Drake’s song: “I saw Drake do ‘Hold On We’re Going Home’ at the VMAs before it was big. No one knew what that song was, but it struck something in me. I thought it was amazing and so different for Drake. We were going on tour and needed one more song to have a complete set, and we hadn’t even recorded it yet—we didn’t record it until after the tour.”
On pre-show rituals: “My new thing is playing mantra—classical Indian music—it’s very calming and relaxing. I love hip-hop, and when I’m going out to parties I play hip-hop to get ready, but for a show I do the opposite. I want to slow my mind down so I can do the opposite onstage.”
On what’s coming up next: “We’re gonna release an album next year. We’re trying to take some time off after the tour but also write while we’re on tour. Neither of us are crazy partiers; we try to stay as grounded as possible, so if we can write while we’re traveling, that routine will help.” More immediately, “We’re putting out a music video for ‘Blue Hawaii’ in the next week or two, so stay tuned for a very summery vibe.”