Denver-based experimental-pop band Mr. Knobs are rather fearless in their approach. Their music features maximalist musicality coupled with a colloquial lyrical style that runs the gamut of human emotion. It feels akin to being swept away by a great wave, washing up on some unfamiliar shore and then wading into the water once again to dance in the shallows until the depths come calling. It’s a unique blend of disco and psychedelia that overflows with a theatricality that belongs on Broadway all tied together with sounds inspired by lead singer and songwriter Vidushi Goyal’s Indian heritage. The result is a brave, bold sound, unabashed in its uniqueness, unforgettable once you hear it.
Mr. Knobs released their debut EP, “Now That’s What I Call Knobs,” on Valentine’s Day. True to form, it’s a bold, powerful project that’s simultaneously introspective and all-consuming. Denver Dive recently spoke with Mr. Knobs frontwoman Vidushi Goyal about the EP, the band’s origins, their approach to creation, what’s next for the band and much more.
Denver Dive: Tell me about Mr. Knobs. How did the band first come together?
Vidushi Goyal: Mr. Knobs’s origin was me writing music in my bedroom when COVID was happening. I started writing bedroom pop music that I showed to my professor Steve Lamos (drummer of American Football) and he enjoyed the music. We started working on Ableton Live with 8 bar samples of the production I had created and added live drums which brought Mr. Knobs to life.
Once we had established a bit, I looped Sarah Hubbard (violin/production) into the project, who I had worked with and attended Berklee College of Music with. She loved the music and started producing some old songs I had written and expanding the arrangements of the new songs we had. We played out a few times and Isaac Vance (guitar/Bass) and John Baldwin (drums) came to one of our shows and they really enjoyed it and wanted to be a part of it. We looped them in and by May 2024, we had established Mr. Knobs. We have been playing ever since and the sound has expanded tremendously. We have done everything in house for this EP. We recorded at Shady Audio (Isaac Vance’s studio) and both Isaac and John took to mixing the whole thing. I feel very lucky to have found such talented and passionate collaborators!
DD: You guys have such a unique vibe. Personally, I hear quite a lot of disco influence coupled with psychedelia and what I believe to be Indian-inspired sounds. You also have this ability to really crescendo in a way that really hits the heart. Tell me about how you arrived at your sound? Did it take a while to figure out exactly what you were going for or was it more immediate?
VG: I think I just went with my gut. I am a classically trained singer who has roots in musical theatre as well as growing up as an Indian Immigrant. I had the opportunity to experience a lot of different types of music that all coagulated into the melodies and rhythms that I love. It wasn’t immediate but I think that we all left our egos behind and served the music together, as cheesy as that is, and a really beautiful thing came out on the other side.
DD: What informs your writing? I noticed quite a fascination with the natural world as well as more than a few nautical references coupled with what I interpreted to be anxiety surrounding relationships. You also present things in a quite colloquial way which contrasts with the rather maximalist musicality. Tell me a little what you take some inspiration from?
VG: Thank you for noticing all of that. Growing up in Colorado — specifically in Lafayette by the Waneka Lake Nature Preserve — I have been surrounded by nature my whole life. Nature to me is the best indication of time being cyclical and how all things die but regrow and I feel very inspired by the beauty that surrounds me. I also have felt landlocked being in Colorado and the sea being a respite. The sea is a portal to the unknown in a way that fascinates me and makes me feel so small which keeps me inspired and looking for more. I think the colloquial words juxtaposed with the maximalism is how I interpret Pop music, which is what I believe Mr. Knobs is at its core. Good pop music is catchy, says something deep with simple words and that is what I am constantly trying to achieve!
DD: What does the songwriting process typically look like for y’all? Does someone usually take the lead or is it more collaborative?
VG: Right now, I am doing all of the writing and most of the producing and Sarah Hubbard does some producing of songs that I have previously written as well. I would like us to collaborate more with the process from the get go but I write so much and so often that it sometimes just makes sense to bring something 80% complete and see how the band transforms it.
DD: I would also like to talk a bit deeper about composition. Again, I found it to really take quite a maximalist approach, many songs approaching an almost operatic feel. Tell me what attracts you to creating such big feeling songs with so many moving pieces.
VG: I love this. Thank you for noticing this. I am definitely trained in western classical music and so that informs my singing ability and the notes that I choose when writing. But the core of it is that I just have a lot of large emotions and sometimes the only way to express them is by singing loudly! As a listener, I really appreciate when something goes for it, when it is not understated but stated clearly and I think that is what I try to embody; to not be scared of the things that make us human and instead lean into them. My goal when writing and performing is to help create a platform for people to feel their emotions, for them to have a safe space where someone else is saying it louder and they can bask in that for a moment and allow themselves to let go fully and engage in the things that make us human.
DD: Tell me more about the EP as a whole. How was the studio experience? Would you say the project has an overall message? What are you hoping listeners will respond to?
VG: The studio experience was great! I feel so lucky to have such intelligent and talented collaborators who really care about me and my comfort.
I really hope that people can respond to the intensity and lean into that. I think in the world right now, we need to say things loudly and express all our feelings. I hope this EP is an opportunity for people to connect with themselves and be honest with what they want the future of their world to look like and who they want to be. I hope they enjoy the soaring melodies and it provides them some release. We wrote something big because this is the closest take we have to our live set which we take pride in as something that wraps someone into sound and spits them out with a new perspective. I hope the EP can do the same.
DD: This is a question I like to ask a lot of artists I talk to. Feel free to answer however you’d like. Do you have a philosophy when it comes to creation?
VG: My philosophy for creation is to try everything. Throw stuff at the wall, see what sticks, see what resonates, and then MOVE ON. Keep going. Don’t get stuck on one idea, rather come up with a lot of different things that speak to you in the moment. I feel inspired because I try to leave the sense of obligation or creating a specific sound behind and instead just do what feels right in that moment. That is why our EP is called “Now That’s What I Call Knobs!”, because this is what we are right now, doesn’t mean it won’t change or transform, but rather it is our honest representation of who we are currently. I think that is very freeing and allows for so much change and growth forever.
DD: Finally, is there anyone you’d like to shout out? What’s next on the horizon for Mr. Knobs?
VG: I think we want to keep writing and releasing music as much as possible. We are looking to do some one off shows in California at some point as well as in New York if we can manage it. But the future’s looking bright! We are excited for anything that comes our way. We have a few touring acts like Babes in Canyon we are opening for and we would like to continue doing that more. Hopefully playing bigger venues, and who knows, maybe a record deal so we wouldn’t have to worry about money as much!
Listen to Mr. Knobs’ debut EP “Now That’s What I Call Knobs!” wherever you stream music.
