Southern California-located indie electronica duo Tigercide is comprised of singer Shexist and musician Saint Brendan. They play an atmospheric blend of cinematic downtempo with languorous trip-hop that takes the listener on a mysterious and mesmerizing sonic voyage.
Their latest record, The Remedy EP, is out now.
Shexist and Brendan kindly took some time to answer the questions of our ongoing Protest Interview series. Read on to find out more about Tigercide and their view of the current turmoil in the world.
Hello! Please introduce yourself/yourselves and give a description of your sound/musical vision.
Brendan: Tigercide is a mixing of classic triphop with modern electronica.
Shexist: Our sound is trip-hop, downtempo - Heavy bass and provocative hypnotizing vocals.
What is/are the main personal, national, and/or international issue(s) concerning you the most these days?
Shexist: I believe many of the issues that we witness today are tied in together. I see the greed, social injustices, the poisoning of our planet, the mistreatment of living things. So it is hard for me to focus on only one, because the totality of these issues effect me all at once.
We all live on this planet together; isn’t it so simple to have compassion for one another, and respect the diversity of this life? Isn’t the sight of a child enough to end war? One would like to think yes. We have the ability and resources to make the appropriate changes and create a better world. It starts with us, this is a spiritual war. Wake up humanity!
Brendan: An issue concerning me? I'd say all the terrible things in the world today are started by one of two factors - greed and religion. The aristocracy continues to oppress the working class, poison the planet (and deny that there's a problem), and you still have radicals with obsolete belief systems killing innocent people - some are in other places; some right here in America.
What song, video, or lyrics quote of yours best represents your current viewpoint on this/these important topic(s)?
Shexist: All of them - It may seem based on the lyrics of our music, that it is about something literal, when actuality it's deep and metaphorical. More than often it is a definition of the divine…. Creation and all that is, at that very moment. Some might say esoteric. It's present, thoughtful, and if you listen and watch your thoughts, it's in between the words; The space between and the silence where the magic lives.
Brendan: Tigercide uses a lot of metaphor and there's a lot of story-telling with lessons to be learned. But, I don't think we have any specific political bulletin in any of our lyrics.
What’s your favorite song, video, or lyrics quote by another act or artist that best exemplifies, or at least partly relates to, your current viewpoint?
Brendan: Anything by Run The Jewels; also "That Day Will Come" by Capelton.
Shexist: Alice Bag! I love her work; it really speaks to me. “If Jesus himself, or Mohammed, or Buddha spoke to me personally and said that women are inferior to men, I would still reject that as false dogma because I know with every ounce of my being that this is not true.” - Alice Bag
What other forms of protest, besides through your music, are you involved with to get your message across?
Brendan: I've been involved in some street art and t-shirt stuff. I'm not naming names.
Shexist: Constant social media outbursts, and some light protesting.
It’s easy to judge and criticize others, especially in these unsettling times of overt intolerance, ignorance, and insults, but the fact remains that we need to work together “for the good of the people”, as a family friend so succinctly put it. Objecting to and protesting against, but then working on a solution to the problem is critical in ensuring that positive change occurs. Name an action to take, or a campaign/charity that would be worthwhile to contribute to, for your cause.
Shexist: I’m against the conflicts that arise from dangerous and outdated energy sources, like nuclear power and oil harvesting in all its forms.
In the Fog is a collaboration album between Mirrorman and myself. 100% of all proceeds from the sale of the album go to assist children in Chernobyl, Ukraine, and Belarus who are suffering from genetic disorders as a result of the man-made nuclear disaster in 1986. https://www.chernobyl-international.com/
In addition to In The Fog, I have contributed to these organizations and encourage you to do the same. Thank you.
https://www.rescue.org/ Please help those whose lives are shattered by conflict and disaster.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/ Conserve nature and reduce the most pressing threats to the diversity of life on Earth.
Brendan: I've been encouraging people to help save the wild tigers, in all areas where they remain. You can contibute to WWF for saving wild tigers at https://www.worldwildlife.org/.
Apart from that, people need to be active on a grass roots level, find out if damage is happening to your local ecosystems, and find out how you can help stop it.
What gives you hope for the future?
Shexist: Gaia.
Brendan: The legalization of weed. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. That's about it.
Where can we purchase/stream your music and find out more about you?
All music platforms. Find them on our website https://www.tigercide.com/
