fesssi k.
Left to right: Noel, Micah, Zoe, Vonne
Photos and interview by AJ Denhoff
Learning
Well, y'all got an album out here. What's that feel like?
Zoe
Good. Feels good to have an album out, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, it feels good the way that life got put into it. I had, you know, demos, but the gang really brought it into its final form.
Everyone has their own perspective and their own references––there's so much overlap, but there's also not, like I'm constantly being put on, which is nice.
Learning
What do you all think?
Micah
Yeah, I'm pretty hyped it's released. I think the album does a good job of melding together all of our kind of individual influences. Zo wrote the songs, but we got in the lab for like a good minute and fleshed all the shit out as a unit.
Noel
Definitely. I have to say the same as far as it being a collaborative effort between all four of us. We worked on it for about two months before going into the studio. And then, going into the studio with Clay, we kind of had to do everything like in a timely matter [Clay was heading out to tour with his band, Novely]. It kind of put pressure under my ass specifically, but I think it helped a lot. I think like most of my guitar parts really blossomed in the actual studio.
Learning
How long have you spent with these songs before the album was recorded? I'm sure there was a range of the first one you wrote to the last one you wrote but, how long have you have they been with you?
Zoe
Since September 2025. Me and Vonne decided to do a little writing challenge after seeing the Jeff Buckley documentary.
Vonne
"The Jeff Buckley Challenge", we invented...
Zoe
Yeah, we invented and executed the Jeff Buckley challenge. Everyone, please run up the Jeff Buckley Challenge!
Zoe & Vonne (simultaneously)
Ten songs a week for five weeks.
Learning
So, that's the Buckley Challenge light.
Vonne
Yeah, yeah. Because he did 100 songs in five weeks.
Zoe
Well, y'all got an album out here. What's that feel like?
Zoe
Good. Feels good to have an album out, for sure. Yeah. Yeah, it feels good the way that life got put into it. I had, you know, demos, but the gang really brought it into its final form.
Everyone has their own perspective and their own references––there's so much overlap, but there's also not, like I'm constantly being put on, which is nice.
Learning
What do you all think?
Micah
Yeah, I'm pretty hyped it's released. I think the album does a good job of melding together all of our kind of individual influences. Zo wrote the songs, but we got in the lab for like a good minute and fleshed all the shit out as a unit.
Noel
Definitely. I have to say the same as far as it being a collaborative effort between all four of us. We worked on it for about two months before going into the studio. And then, going into the studio with Clay, we kind of had to do everything like in a timely matter [Clay was heading out to tour with his band, Novely]. It kind of put pressure under my ass specifically, but I think it helped a lot. I think like most of my guitar parts really blossomed in the actual studio.
Learning
How long have you spent with these songs before the album was recorded? I'm sure there was a range of the first one you wrote to the last one you wrote but, how long have you have they been with you?
Zoe
Since September 2025. Me and Vonne decided to do a little writing challenge after seeing the Jeff Buckley documentary.
Vonne
"The Jeff Buckley Challenge", we invented...
Zoe
Yeah, we invented and executed the Jeff Buckley challenge. Everyone, please run up the Jeff Buckley Challenge!
Zoe & Vonne (simultaneously)
Ten songs a week for five weeks.
Learning
So, that's the Buckley Challenge light.
Vonne
Yeah, yeah. Because he did 100 songs in five weeks.
Zoe
Yeah, we said 50 and it was hard! I did like 32.
Learning
It was just like the way people do a half marathon––you did like a Half Buckley.
Zoe
Exactly, a “Half Buck” haha
Micah
"Half Buck" is harddddd
Zoe
So yeah, we had them since last September, and then me, Micah and Vonne started playing "Don't
Learning
It was just like the way people do a half marathon––you did like a Half Buckley.
Zoe
Exactly, a “Half Buck” haha
Micah
"Half Buck" is harddddd
Zoe
So yeah, we had them since last September, and then me, Micah and Vonne started playing "Don't
Give a Bitch a Bone" at the top of this year at Hawthorne with Little Giver. That was like the first time we played a song from the album.
Vonne
I feel like you got to break down the supreme mathematics though like, the 30 songs is what we ended up with after five weeks, but that's because we fell off the last two weeks.
Zoe
We did fall off the last two weeks, it was getting hard.
Vonne
You wrote the entire album–and then some–in three weeks, to be clear!
Zoe
That's true!
Vonne
It amazes me that that happened you know, because I was in the challenge as well. And my songs do not sound this way (laughs)
Zoe
Their songs are tea actually, they'll see the light of day. You'll see.
Vonne
It's crazy. But like, for songs of this caliber to exist and these are all written within basically three weeks and were basically being written like on the daily; like, damn, you wrote "Don't Give a Bitch a Bone" one day and then "You're No Hero" the next day. I think that's really crazy.
Micah
Yeah, I second that for sure. That definitely
Vonne
I feel like you got to break down the supreme mathematics though like, the 30 songs is what we ended up with after five weeks, but that's because we fell off the last two weeks.
Zoe
We did fall off the last two weeks, it was getting hard.
Vonne
You wrote the entire album–and then some–in three weeks, to be clear!
Zoe
That's true!
Vonne
It amazes me that that happened you know, because I was in the challenge as well. And my songs do not sound this way (laughs)
Zoe
Their songs are tea actually, they'll see the light of day. You'll see.
Vonne
It's crazy. But like, for songs of this caliber to exist and these are all written within basically three weeks and were basically being written like on the daily; like, damn, you wrote "Don't Give a Bitch a Bone" one day and then "You're No Hero" the next day. I think that's really crazy.
Micah
Yeah, I second that for sure. That definitely
blows my mind because I'm like, historically a slow songwriter. I feel like I average a song every two years. So thinking that it all came out of like maybe less than a month, you're wild for that.
Learning
Was there anything going on around that time that you felt like was especially conducive to songs coming out?
Zoe
Something I heard one of my favorite writers say that definitely has stuck with me is that we're "cyclical" with our patterns and stuff like that. For whatever reason I really gravitate towards that mood, you know, holiday season–September, October, November. I always like to write around those months.
I think that’s just something that I’ve always had.
Learning
Was there anything going on around that time that you felt like was especially conducive to songs coming out?
Zoe
Something I heard one of my favorite writers say that definitely has stuck with me is that we're "cyclical" with our patterns and stuff like that. For whatever reason I really gravitate towards that mood, you know, holiday season–September, October, November. I always like to write around those months.
I think that’s just something that I’ve always had.
Learning
Yeah, it's that September energy, you know.
Zoe
Yeah, I was also doing a lot of reading which definitely makes me think and get introspective. There was weird people at my job also and it was definitely reaching a particular point, and..
Vonne
On the daily.
Zoe
That was on a daily basis. Being a barista, the weird encounters are crazy and I just have to write it down, channel it and exercise it away.
Vonne
It's the characters. The record is so character driven.
Zoe
Whether it's like neighborhood characters that I love and adore or yeah, weird people from my previous job
Vonne
"You're a song now, bitch."
All
(Laughs)
Learning
When you think of before the Half Buckley and after the Half Buckley, were there any big lessons or like, realizations or Eureka moments that you had?
Zoe
Yeah. I mean, honestly, like writing a song––you can do that every day. You can. For very low/no stakes. It's not like anybody ever has to see them or whatever. I call myself a musician, I call myself an artist, and I believe myself to be those things––I'm a songwriter so let me write some songs. And it's not that they have to be perfect or anything, because there are ones in that batch that I'm like, "you'll be safe in the vault"...but yeah it all reminded me that I can just sit down and write a song. I can play around with a chord progression or a bassline or, you know, a fun synth, and I can write a song. I don't have to overthink it.
Learning
Micah, Noel––y'all came in later, Post-Buckley. My question for y'all is, is there anything that you feel like developed in your musicianship or that you had to change or find out about your musicianship throughout playing the songs on this record?
Micah
You know, I think the main thing for me that I got upon joining this band, I got the chance to experiment with more fusions within alternative rock. I feel like the way Zo writes, it fuses so many genres into like, a base level alt rock.
There's R&B in there, dancehall, jazz, different little bits. I think that's the main thing, just like getting more eclectic and being able to fuse more styles which has been super fun.
Noel
Yeah, "Be Gone" kind of has a Surf Rock influence on the drums. That's a lot of fun. On "You", that's kind of giving like Dream Pop, kind of like You'll Never Get To Heaven. The best part I think about the whole thing was having an open canvas to kind of do pretty much whatever I wanted. Everything kind of made sense when I was kind of putting my leads on top of all of Zo's rhythm parts. There would be stuff that would be kind of shoegaze-y already, but then we'd add an extra layer of shimmering guitars and it’d become more distinct.
And it's cool to see the different iterations; the first time I saw Zo live was at Oscura [January 2025], and she just had the drum machine and her guitar, and it sounded so heavy and so nice, and then there was adding on Vonne and Micah, and that was even cooler, just having that three piece energy. I'm appreciative of being able to add the lead parts because I already thought it sounded so cool beforehand.
Noel
Yeah, "Be Gone" kind of has a Surf Rock influence on the drums. That's a lot of fun. On "You", that's kind of giving like Dream Pop, kind of like You'll Never Get To Heaven. The best part I think about the whole thing was having an open canvas to kind of do pretty much whatever I wanted. Everything kind of made sense when I was kind of putting my leads on top of all of Zo's rhythm parts. There would be stuff that would be kind of shoegaze-y already, but then we'd add an extra layer of shimmering guitars and it’d become more distinct.
And it's cool to see the different iterations; the first time I saw Zo live was at Oscura [January 2025], and she just had the drum machine and her guitar, and it sounded so heavy and so nice, and then there was adding on Vonne and Micah, and that was even cooler, just having that three piece energy. I'm appreciative of being able to add the lead parts because I already thought it sounded so cool beforehand.
Micah
Same here.
Learning
So you got an album out. It's September, it's been a year. Are you coming back for another Half Buckley, potentially a Full Buckley?
Zoe
A Double Buck.
Learning
Or I guess like to put it a different way, it sounds like you're about a year after writing a lot of these songs, is there anything you're doing going into the season to push yourself or explore something new?
Zoe
Yeah definitely, I'm always trying to latch on to what scratches my ear, stuff that's new to me and then I'm like, oh, what is that? I really follow those rabbit holes and try to emulate that and play around with that. I'm definitely in a season of, I think, more intentionally writing also, which is cool because again, cyclical, you know.
I'm either writing in my little pocket journal, that's in my literal pocket, or I'm writing in my Notes App or whatever to be a little more undercover, I guess. But I'm always notating things because that's a big part of how I string things together and reference things that I care about it.
Learning
All right, all right. I got a fun one, Lightning Word Association. The mic's gonna come to you, and when it comes around you're just going to say like something that's influenced you, like an album or an artist, or a record or a person.
Zoe
Okay. Paintings.
Vonne
Public Image Limited
Noel
Ulrich (of Rocket97)
Micah
Erykah Badu.
Zoe
Oh, okay. Clouds.
Vonne
Uhh Massive Attack.
Noel
Beignets.
Micah
Underground Hip-Hop.
Zoe
Ooh! Fufu. You got me Noel, with the food. Yeah. Fufu.
Vonne
The Alesis Midiverb.
Noel
Telecaster.
Micah
Tumblr.
Zoe
Let's go. Auto-Tune.
Vonne
The E-bow.
Noel
French toast Burrito
Micah
That one cloud that popped up in China that had a rainbow around it.
Vonne
Whoa.
Zoe
My niece's.
Vonne
Zoe.
Noel
My mom's lentil soup.
Micah
Earl Sweatshirt.
Zoe
Samba Jean-Baptiste.
Vonne
Almond Cloud Cookies.
Noel
"Chinatown", the movie.
Micah
Caribbean cuisine.
Learning
We can call it there, sounds like people are getting hungry.
Noel
I'm sorry.
Learning
Okay, any parting words or, send off, for the younger generation or the older generation? Or something you'd put on a billboard. Or something that comes to you in your dreams. Any of these.
Zoe
Just stay on it. You know, just stay on it.
Vonne
Retweet.
Zoe
Not you retweeting. Yeah.
Micah
Literally though, like what came to mind was staying in that lab for sure.
Noel
Gulf Coast forever.
fesssi k.’s “jock” is out everywhere now via Learning.
Humidity
Left to right: DJNOTURGIRL, Fesssi K., Em
All Photos by Jalynn Blanks
Learning:
First question: you're doing a B3B, what's the first track that you would play?
DJNOTURGIRL
I definitely would probably do “Buss It” by Fullbodydurag. Because I feel like it's a really cool opener–and I feel like you can agree–because it's just, it can go with anything. Honestly, it's really good to B2B with to as well, because the outro is perfect and it's only like, two minutes.
Em
I recently came across the track “Keys, Wallet, Phone” by Jubilee, and I’m obsessed with that song. So maybe that one as of this moment right now.
Fesssi K.
Okay! Actually, It's funny that I said okay, because the track is called “¡OK!” by Khadija al Hanafi. I feel like when we were making this album–which, wasn't even trying to do that–but that was like a nice reference because it had like come out while we were unknowingly making this album.
Learning
What's the first thing you would teach a new producer?
Fesssi K.
How to chop a break mama–how to chop a break.
Em
How to count to four. But also like, the anatomy of a drum kit.
When I started learning to DJ, someone said all you really need to do is count to four and have good taste!
DJNOTURGIRL
I would just tell them search everywhere. I think like when I first started, I was kinda limited to Splice or those kind of things, or what was on Ableton already. But I feel like it's fun to explore different forums, and also search an artist that you like, producer that you like–they have a lot of producer kits too, like Amadeezy has one that was one of my first.
Learning
Favorite body of water?
Fesssi K.
The Gulf Coast. The whole Gulf. The Gulf of Mexico, not America.
Em
Absolutely.
DJNOTURGIRL
I think Weeki wachi is really beautiful. That's my hometown. I feel like if you go there during a school day where all the kids are at school, it's really, really, really nice. But don't go there during Spring Break on Saturday.
Learning
Favorite way to stay hydrated?
Em
Owala!
Fesssi K.
Exactly!
Em
Shout out.
Fesssi K.
Not sponsored. But if you...you know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. Send it through.
Em
Customized.
Fesssi K.
You know what I mean? A little “Humidity”. Owala, reach out.
DJNOTURGIRL
Hit us up Owala.
Learning
You're gonna have to reach for things for this–biggest and smallest item in your Sally Four tote bag?
Em
Laptop...
DJNOTURGIRL
Mine as well, a laptop. And then my smallest...I think I showed you guys the little lizard that I put on it. I guess it's on my bag, but not inside my bag. Oh, and I have Aromatherapy Eucalyptus Spearmint Stress Relief cream. Only reason I got this is because it smells like my mom, and it like weirdly calms me because she used to use the same one.
Learning
First of all, that's really cute. What is the brand?
DJNOTURGIRL
I hate to say it, but it's Bath and Body Works.
Fesssi K.
A big classic.
DJNOTURGIRL
It's just straight microplastics on my face, my hands.
Em
Mine is barebones because I have a tote bag and a purse, so the smallest thing is this USB adapter.
Fesssi K.
Very nice. The biggest thing in mine is definitely my camera. Well, I guess my planner is bigger, but it's like, not heavier. It's like paper. And the smallest would be my USB.
DJNOTURGIRL
Got that thing on you.
Fesssi K.
Got that thing on me. Stay ready.
Learning
Best DCOM?
DJNOTURGIRL
Oh, I wasn’t a Disney kid...
Em
I love Ice Princess, but I also love Stuck in the Suburbs.
Fesssi K.
Oh...my...
Em
Brenda Song’s outfits, that was definitely my inspiration. Asian baddie too, like...You don't see many of those on the sceen you know, especially back in those days (laughs).
Fesssi K.
Not a lie told literally not a lie. Dang, Stuck in the Suburbs is crazyyyyy..
Em
Her soccer ball purse was like something that I craved.
Fesssi K.
You're doing so much right now. Like you're doing so much to my brain. I just recently re-watched Get A Clue with her and Lindsay Lohan. They were giving like, middle school yearbook editor realness, and they were so chic and rich in the show, you know, “middle class” or whatever. But like, you're rich. You have a house in New York?
DJNOTURGIRL
Yeah, a whole house in New York??
Fesssi K.
You have a whole house in New York. Like, you're both rich. And they were like, video chatting, their outfits and yeah, it was just so 2000’s, so cute. Damn. Okay, I think I'm going to say Get a Clue because Brenda is queen. She had so much reach, like she was also in the Raven universe.
Learning
If Raven Symone is the Beyonce of Disney Channel, who is Brenda Song?
DJNOTURGIRL
Ariana?
Fesssi K.
Yeah. Wait. No. Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no.
Em
“Seven Rings”...
Fesssi K.
Her Asian era, her Black era. A lot of people, including me, were like, so she is Latina...
DJNOTURGIRL
Yo soy Latina.
All:
(Laughs)
Fesssi K.
She’s literally from Boca Raton! Okay, my final answer. I'm going with what I thought Nadya said, which is Rihanna.
Em
Bring back the Disney Rave, you guys.
DJNOTURGIRL
You did a Disney Rave?
Fesssi K.
We did do, that was, I think our first DJ thing at The Bends. It was the year 2023. Oh, it was crazy.
Em
Sparkly scarves.
Fesssi K.
Sparkly scarves galore, the layering was ever-present.
Learning
Nadya, don't feel left out here. The generational gap is killing me.
DJNOTURGIRL
I honestly only watched Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network. When I was a kid, the only thing that like, entertained me was cartoons, because I couldn't do, like, real life (laughs). Except Degrassi. It was when I was preparing myself for high school. So I was like, studying. I can't remember any shows from Disney.
Learning
Phantom of the Megaplex?
DJNOTURGIRL
Whoa. I don't know what that is.
Fesssi K.
They kind of tried to do, like, a Phantom of the Opera thing, but it was literally a movie theater.
Learning
Your coolness is fully pure, you have no cringe era! Cadet Kelly?
Fesssi K.
Bruh. That was good. Yeah.
Learning
“Female Bullying”.
Fesssi K.
Things add up later on in life...
Vonne
What does a self-care day look like for each of you?
DJNOTURGIRL
I already have it in my head. Okay, so usually on Saturdays I do yoga in the morning around like 8:30, go to Bandit, get my coffee, my breakfast, and then I go home, rot for a bit, hang out with the dog, take him on a walk, and then I go to the park. And that would be like, a perfect self-care day.
And I would also maybe even get some sun and go outside, maybe do my eyebrows or something. Yeah, that's my self-care. But definitely yoga is involved in every time, and some kind of like, sound healing. Like, I usually put sound healing on when I want to relax.
Learning
So did you do yoga this morning?
DJNOTURGIRL
I didn’t go this morning, that's why I'm off. I just kind of woke up and went, but I did a vibrate! I have my vibration plate, and I do that every day. Like, you stand on it and it's like lymphatic drainage. It sounds crazy, but...I'm going to do yoga today for sure.
Fesssi K.
Yes, I know that's right! I'm going to the gym later. I'm like, I couldn't do it this morning, just timing wise, but we’re gonna get it in there. [Me and Em] were talking about gyming together because I got that guest pass.
DJNOTURGIRL
Which gym you guys go to?
Fesssi K.
I go to [redacted]. And they've chilled out with their annoyance.
Learning
Bombing you at the door with, like, a trainer.
Fesssi K.
Yeah.
DJNOTURGIRL
Yes, yes, I got sucked in once. I bought a whole thing. The girl that got me–I was like “Oh my God she's my inspiration”, because I would see her at the gym all the time and I'd be like, her body is tea. And she walked up to me like “Hey girl!”, being all friendly. And I was like, “Let's hang out!” you know? A fucking $1,000 later, I'm like, what happened? Honestly, like, as soon as I stop training with her, she just, like, did not want anything to do with me. Like, damn, now you ghosting me? Yeah. Not getting ghosted by my trainer (laughs).
Fesssi K.
So, I meant nothing to you!
DJNOTURGIRL
Like...
Learning
Em, Your full day?
Em
Definitely, like, a slower morning. Just getting up, maybe making coffee, making breakfast, sitting outside, eating it, drinking the coffee. Going outside at some point, like the beach or even just going shopping, thrifting or something like that. And then Pole for sure has to be involved in there. Yeah, that’s a pretty good self-care day.
Learning
Hell yes. Zoe?
Fesssi K.
For me, waking up and going to the gym before anyone else is there, trying to beat those crowds. I like to be there dead early. I like to go there when it's still blue outside highkey because I'm like, I'm not trying to...That's just a nice time for me when it's blue outside and it's a plus that I don't see anyone really. Besides, you know, the early birds, which are sweet old people.
Learning
Right.
Fesssi K.
And then come home, make a little smoothie–
some honey, some strawberries, some spinach. If I'm feeling frisky, some Greek yogurt or, peanut butter, and some oat milk. And lots of ice!
Learning
Ice is an ingredient.
Fesssi K.
Ice is an ingredient. And similar to Nadya, sound healing, kinda. But, it's like I'm listening to, a lot of ambient music basically. That I sent you recently or has like the four squares, I think they're called like Foresteppe or something like that. Great record. A lunch-brunch moment, a little green omelet of some sort, maybe some baby kale, some more spinach and some arugula.
Learning
Its a green day for sure.
Fesssi K.
It's a green day. Also going and getting some sun either in the backyard with Juju on a blanket, or at [redacted park]. It's pretty, my eyes like to feast. Some journaling, maybe doing my hair...a little deep conditioner because these curls need it.
DJNOTURGIRL
Yay! We're so healthy.
Fesssi K.
So healthy.
All:
(Laughs)
Humidity’s self-titled debut is out everywhere that matters now.