If you haven’t already heard of FACTORY, you’re about to. Halima, Von, Murielle and Sophie Hintze have been best mates for nearly a decade and are now shaking up the music scene as the first fully self-managed, self-produced, self-engineered and self-performed all-female collective. Their latest three-track release, BLOODLINE, STICKY TONGUE and BHH, and it’s giving manifesto: friendship first, genre rules nowhere to be seen, and queerness woven unapologetically through every beat. Everything we love.
It’s clear these four aren’t here to fit in. From chosen family anthems to dark, sexy queer club tracks, their songs are as much about community as they are about dancing until sunrise.
We sat down with the band to talk studio surprises, chosen family, doing literally everything themselves, and which member is guilty of the rogue voice note in the group chat.
You’ve been mates for nearly a decade – what’s one thing about each other that still surprises you in the studio?
We all have totally different writing processes! That took a second to learn and fit ourselves into each other’s workflow to make music together.
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STICKY TONGUE is about chosen family – what’s the moment you each realised chosen family was as important as (or more important than) blood family?
I think all of us really value friendship and the power of connection outside of our blood family. I think the timeline is different for all of us, but we really clicked freshman year of college and held each other to a high standard early on. I think we all knew we’d be important people in each other’s lives. Starting FACTORY really solidified that.
The industry loves labels. How do you navigate identity and queerness within FACTORY without being boxed in?
It’s hard to be boxed in when you already don’t fit. Staying true to ourselves and our values has made independence less of a choice and more a necessity. We’ve focused on finding people who align with us, rather than chasing conformity.
You’re completely self-managed, self-produced and self-engineered. What’s the hardest bit of doing literally everything yourselves, and what’s the most liberating?
The hardest part is time. We’re all in different cities, so it takes a lot of coordination to finish projects. But we’re so lucky to have an incredible community of artists who share their time and talents with FACTORY. The most liberating part is that sense of accomplishment that comes from knowing it’s all a labour of love.
BHH is a “dark, sexy, queer club anthem.” What does a perfect night out look like for FACTORY right now?
A perfect night looks exactly as BBH sounds: dark, sexy, and queer. Best friends all around, good music, lots of dancing, maybe making a new friend or two on the bathroom line. Sunrise optional.
Who do you all look up to in the music scene at the moment?
Artists forging their own paths.
If FACTORY was a cocktail, what’s in it?
Controversial question, but we’ll let Murielle, our cocktail connoisseur, take the lead:
Orange Zest Reposado Espresso Martini – a 4 ingredient unique take on a classic cocktail.
Reposado Tequila represents Murielle, a liquor that’ll awaken your night with smokey hints of oak and spice and sweet hints of vanilla, caramel, and agave
Espresso represents Von, a clean pull that will send a boost of energy through your system with one sip
Coffee Liquor represents Halima, a smooth touch with dark chocolate and molasses notes, added to balance the alcohol’s sharpness
Orange Zest Simple Syrup represents Sophie, a sweet staple that provides a refreshing contrast to the deep flavors of the espresso and coffee liqueur
Who’s the worst in the group chat for leaving a voice note?
Loud one-sentence voice note mid subway ride? That’ll be from Von <3
Who’s the first to show up to rehearsal, and who’s chronically late?
We’re actually all very punctual!
Where can people see you perform next?
Hopefully before the end of the year, but we won’t make you wait too long 😉
Thanks for chatting to us,
Nonchalant x
This article was written by one of our creative team writers here at Nonchalant Magazine.
