RIP Magic are living the dance-punk dream

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Loads of people are telling me I need to see RIP Magic live. Like Fcukers (or before them, LCD Soundsystem, or – before even them – Liquid Liquid), the London band have perfected that formula of making indie kids dance, and apparently these jagged synthpunk tracks hit extra hard when you’re stood on the sticky floor of a beloved DIY venue. RIP Magic (which consists of Marco Pini, Felix Bayley-Higgins, Beth Boswell-Knight and Pedro Takahashi) have just dropped the emotive single 5words, which is produced by none other than James Murphy, and released on none other than DFA records. You’ll get a chance to hear it on the band’s forthcoming US and UK tours – just don’t stand at the back with your arms crossed.

How do you feel when you’re up there on stage?

MP: Gassed but also fighting a big snake.

PT: Like Usyk in the 9^th round vs. Fury.

Felix: A bit feral tbh.

BBK: Dissociating.

If there’s unlimited budget, what’s going on RIP Magic’s rider?

MP: Unfortunately ketamine.

PT: Magnums.

BBK: Unlimited ginger shots, face masks and a Louis Vuitton handbag.

Felix: Dennis Rodman.

Outside of London, which UK city goes the hardest at your shows?

Felix: Manny.

Marco: Manchester City.

PT: ^^

What’s a common misconception about RIP Magic?

MP: We’re straight.

Who’s the most stylish member of RIP Magic?

MP: Beth.

PT: Beth.

Felix: Beth.

Tell me about James Murphy. How did it feel when you landed the collaboration, and what was it like to work with him?

Felix: The sessions in NYC were sick, me and Marco making music is all intuition which he understood and backed us with. It was cool and surreal to be expressing in that mode even in a very expensive legendary studio rather, than kind of pretending to know music theory. I think I described something as needing to be more like a swarm of wasps rather than a wasp in a box and he nailed it in like 30 seconds. He also clocked that 5words reads as Swords, which was potentially the best bit.

MP: When we set out to make RIP, me and Felix were making tunes in Hastings between watching documentaries and playing [the computer game] Overcooked. We both love the New York scene and finally got to watch Meet Me In the Bathroom together and saw the rise of LCD, Liars, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs etc and were like ‘yeah we’re gonna do that’. We wanted to do a residency like The Strokes so we planned the Mascara Bar shows. Flash forward a year James hit us up via DFA to produce, so it was totally wild serendipity. Manifestation works I guess. He’s a total G, totally hilarious. I think we got along well, and I think we’d be invited to his birthday party.

Can you recommend us a good book?

Felix: Anything made by Åbäke, the Ryan Gander one especially.

PT: Rejection Tony Tulathimutte is a great recent book.

BBK: All of Annie Ernaux’s books, especially Getting Lost and The Use of Photography. Really raw, sociological meditations on the female experience, memory and her own personal life in 1960s/70s France. I love her so much.

MP: My favourite book is The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing, but Animation Art (2004) was the first book that fucked me up. Or Roald Dahl’s cookbook.