Q&A: Miranda and the Beat Release a Manifesto for the Apocalypse in ‘Can’t Take It’
MIRANDA AND THE BEAT ARE BACK IN FULL FORCE – igniting the rock scene with their sophomore album Can't Take It, a fearless and uncompromising blend of punk and raw energy. Led by the electric presence of Miranda Zipse on guitar and lead vocals, alongside Dylan Fernandez (farfisa) and Alvin Jackson (bass), the band has made a name for itself with their adrenaline-fueled live shows and relentless approach to music since their explosive debut in 2018. If there’s one thing Miranda and the Beat know how to do, it’s remind the world that real rock n’ roll still thrives with grit, soul and rebellion.
Can't Take It was recorded in an unexpected yet fitting location for such a chaotic, genre-bending record. The band retreated to King Khan’s Moon Studios Rock n’ Roll Vortex, nestled in a remote village in the German countryside. This five-day recording frenzy resulted in an album that’s a hurricane of sound and hypnotic, sci-fi alchemy all packed into a single whirlwind of music. The record effortlessly spans punk anthems played with a chair-smashing intensity, grinding, soulful R&B, and even touches of balladry that tug at the heartstrings. The raw, visceral feel of the album channels everything that has made Miranda and the Beat a force to be reckoned with.
Since their debut self-titled album dropped in May 2023, the band has been extensively touring, cultivating a reputation for live shows that leave audiences breathless. Can't Take It is a testament to their growth since then, showcasing their fearless ability to blend the brutality of punk with moments of profound vulnerability. Zipse’s tear-jerking vocals, combined with her gut-wrenching guitar playing, form the backbone of this storm. Fernandez’s keys and Jackson’s gritty bass add the perfect depth to the chaos, crafting a sonic landscape that demands attention.
Can’t Take It reflects the band’s journey, both musically and personally. Having cut their teeth in the streets of New York City, the band finally found solace in New Orleans, where the real mayhem could breathe and flourish. As Zipse puts it, “If you need a soundtrack to an evening of Germs burns and mind-altering mayhem followed by heartfelt embraces, we’ve got you covered.” New Orleans has become the perfect setting for their unapologetic sound. It’s no surprise that this environment fueled Can't Take It, an album that feels both anarchic and cathartic in equal measure.
Miranda and the Beat have crafted a sonic manifesto for the apocalypse – bold, brazen and unflinching. Their sound is designed to shake the foundations of everything it touches. Each song on the album pulses with intensity and moments of heart-wrenching vulnerability. It's a soundtrack that speaks to those on the brink of breaking free, those fed up with the status quo and ready to smash through societal confines.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
MIRANDA: Anything. Any music and art that's real and raw, like it's such a broad spectrum of things that influence us.
DYLAN: It's not any one genre or any one thing, I'd say it's just whatever resonates, like from the soul, just real shit. Nothing that's too thought out or too technical or anything. Just stuff that resonates with the soul.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
MIRANDA: Spaghetti western, sci-fi, dystopian, horror, look into yourself at the stuff you don't want to.
LUNA: What is the ideal environment to experience your music? Is there a particular setting, mood, or time of day that enhances the listening experience?
MIRANDA: This record goes so many places, like I feel like there's a song for each part of your day. “Can’t Take It” is a great one for when you’re about to get off work.
DYLAN: I pictured “These Days” as a 4 a.m. driving home, kind of like the Pulp Fiction scene where they're all just stuck driving, but in some vortex, like driving late at night and a cigarette hanging out your mouth.
LUNA: You have released your sophomore album Can’t Take It and a huge congratulations is in order! What is the inspiration behind the project and what themes or emotions do you explore?
MIRANDA: We recorded and wrote this record in five days in an isolated town in Germany at King Khan's house, and we had just gone through, as a band, quite a few breakups and friend breakups.
DYLAN: This record is about tumultuous events that happened to us, the ending of relationships and the beginning of new things. All that inspired it really, really quick, because we came in to record with pretty much nothing ready. And in those five days, we did 12 songs and fully fleshed out everything. We had a lot to write about.
LUNA: Can't Take It was written and recorded in just five days at King Khan’s Moon Studios in the German countryside. What was the experience like recording in such a remote and unconventional location, and how did that environment influence the creative process for this album?
DYLAN: It was the best creative experience.
MIRANDA: Because there's no time, there was this visceral experience of this is what's coming out of us right now in this moment.
DYLAN: You have to follow that completely and trust the process.
MIRANDA: There was no time to think about what kind of genre we wanted. It was just, this is what it sounds like. It was like a vomit.
DYLAN: It was like a skeletal vomit. We laid the foundation down of everything, and then the last two days were just details.
MIRANDA: It's definitely just pure, visceral emotion.
LUNA: Five days is an incredibly short timeframe. Did working under that kind of pressure help or hinder your creative flow? How did you manage to channel so much energy into such a tight window?
DYLAN: It definitely helped. I think we as a band, we work together under pressure, like deadlines and all that. A fire lit under our ass and we just went for it.
MIRANDA: I think that it's just the lack of room for creativity where you don't have time to second guess yourself which was a cool experience. You have to be confident in your first idea.
LUNA: You’ve moved from the chaos of New York City to the swamplands of New Orleans. How has this change of scenery and lifestyle impacted your music, and what has New Orleans brought to the table creatively for the band?
DYLAN: We moved here in July, so it's only been four months. We recorded this record last year in June. For this record, this is our falling out of love with New York, but we didn't really know where we wanted to go next, or what was next at the time.
MIRANDA: It's a totally different scenery where people play music here because they love music, not because they want to get somewhere. We've been re-inspired a lot again. I think we were getting a little jaded in New York. We will always love New York, but it was getting to be too much not about music.
DYLAN: Nobody's talking industry or any stuff here besides the music and just being creative and being an artist. You're able to do that here pretty freely, so that's very inspiring.
LUNA: What is your favorite song from Can't Take It and why do you love this song? Is there a certain element, lyric or message that you gravitate towards the most?
MIRANDA: My favorite song from the record is “The Last Time,” just because it was my own way of saying this is the last time I'm going to be stuck, or let other people control me, or let other people dictate what I make. This was me saying goodbye to this old life, and now I'm just focused on what I want to make and how it makes me feel. That's my favorite song.
DYLAN: It's either “Manipulate Me” or “Up In Smoke.” Recording “Manipulate Me” was the most fun experience we had. We were just throwing back ideas back and forth, like what would be crazier? What would be funny? We're all dying laughing for a couple hours.
MIRANDA: We tried to write the most aggressive diss track we could, and it was really freaking fun to write.
LUNA: What was the hardest song for you to write on the record?
MIRANDA: I would say “The Last Time” again for me, also my favorite, but also the hardest. Emotionally, that one took a lot out of me, even though it's just the one acoustic song on the record. It took us a long time to record “The Secrets” too. That one is such a different genre than what we normally play, so it was really fun also to stretch and have no limits.
DYLAN: King Khan is really great at his role. He would just sit there, and then we knew we had a good song when he just had his eyes closed and was barely moving, almost sleeping. You could see we transported him.
LUNA: Between your self-titled debut record and Can’t Take It, how would you say the band has evolved musically and creatively? What have you learned since releasing your debut that you applied to this record?
MIRANDA: It’s been a whole year and we’ve had a few drummers since we recorded the debut. I feel like we definitely have evolved. I am very proud of the first album we made, and it was a lot of fun to make as well. I feel like we got really confident in just making this. I don't think this record sounds like anybody else. It sounds like Miranda and the Beat. We found our confidence.
LUNA: How are you guys planning on celebrating the album release?
MIRANDA: We're having a release show at Santos Bar here in New Orleans. We're having our friends, Lord Friday the 13th from Austin play. They're insane. And then Reddix-Young and The Nancies, who are locals from here in New Orleans. We're just trying to throw a big old Halloween party. We have a costume contest where people can win money and we have DJs. It's our first local show in New Orleans. We're doing it up big. We were so excited that we're releasing our record so close to Halloween, because it's our favorite holiday, and we love October. But then putting a record out for Halloween means we don't have time to do costumes.
LUNA: How have reactions been from fans and loved ones so far?
MIRANDA: They all lie and say they like it. We try really hard not to pay attention to the reaction, just because it's the healthiest way to stay creative. I'm pretty sensitive, so I try not to pay attention. I hope everybody likes it. It makes us happy. I feel like, for me, the biggest thing is when we play shows, feeling like I can connect with people and share certain experiences with people is the most important thing.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
MIRANDA: At this time in the world, we're very lucky. But also, for the magazine, we're just getting started. We got a lot more shit coming. This is just the beginning.
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