Q&A: Critiquing Capitalism, courtship. Debuts Latest Single “Million Dollar Smoothies” on American Song Contest

 

☆ BY Steph Dunlop

 
 

A SELF-AWARE CRITIQUE OF CONTEMPORARY CONSUMERISM — courtship.’s latest single, “Million Dollar Smoothies,” offers stunning indie-pop sounds alongside vocals that encourage us to question why we’re so willing to buy overly-expensive skincare products and healthy drinks. The song is the newest peek into courtship.’s upcoming sophomore album, which is due for release before the end of the year.

The duo, composed of Micah Gordon and Eli Hirsch, first met serendipitously six years ago at a gig in LA. By combining their own individual talents and inspirations — Gordon by Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson and Hirsch by Blink-182 and Passion Pit — the pair discovered how beautifully they work together, and in less than a year had released their debut album, Denial in Paradise.

Now, courtship. has taken on American Song Contest, an American spin-off of the well-known European song contest, Eurovision. Representing the state of Oregon, the duo debuted their latest single, “Million Dollar Smoothie,” in an eccentric and colorfully-vivid performance that truly encapsulated the lively spirit of Eurovision. The contest, which is hosted by Snoop Dog and Kelly Clarkson, includes 56 different states and territories competing for their songs to be crowned America’s best.

Read on to learn more about courtship.’s performance on American Song Contest and their newest track, “Million Dollar Smoothies.”

LUNA: Congrats on your new single, “Million Dollar Smoothies”! What inspired the creation of this song?

COURTSHIP: Thanks! A breathtaking appreciation of Erewhon and Goop’s marketing tactics inspired the song.

LUNA: Your performance on America’s Song Contest was very fun and quite eccentric. How did that all come together? What was it like performing on stage? 

COURTSHIP: Glad you liked it! It was pretty fun. It felt like being in a school talent show except with a huge prop budget and tons of cameras.

LUNA: How does it feel to be representing Oregon in the contest?

COURTSHIP: Cool! We’re not an Oregon band, which we’ve always been super clear about, but Eli [was] born and raised there and loves it more than anything.

LUNA: Quite a few people have praised your American Song Contest performance for being very reminiscent of a good Eurovision performance. Have you ever watched Eurovision prior to competing?

COURTSHIP: Yeah! We wanted it to be ridiculous, so I think we achieved that.

LUNA: Having spent a lot of time touring with some big names and now competing in a nationwide contest, I imagine it gets quite hectic. What kind of things do you do to stay grounded? 

COURTSHIP: Eli meditates and does yoga and reads Eckhart Tolle. Micah plays golf. 

LUNA: Your sophomore album is releasing this year. How similar would you say “Million Dollar Smoothies” is to the rest of the album? 

COURTSHIP: Not similar. [It’s] definitely the weird one. 

LUNA: How have you grown together — both as musicians and people — in the last six years of working together?

COURTSHIP: We’ve gotten more calm, but also slightly more Larry David–style cranky. We complain a lot. “Kvetch” is the Yiddish word. We kvetch a lot. I guess we’re just getting old. 

LUNA: What creative goals do you have for the rest of the year? 
COURTSHIP: Learn. Try new shit. Get uncomfortable.

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