Meet is Nero White, a 19 year old transgender musician from Ohio, and she has been doing music on her own for a little over a decade. They are completely self taught.
Her main project is called “Guns For Frogs”, she wrote and composed everything herself.
Her sound is a combination of a few key genres, such as breakcore, nü-metal, 90’s grunge, and Electro Punk.
It’s definitely for people that are fans of fax machine noises and distorted guitars.
Stay tuned after our 12 questions for a link to check out the music. Totally worth it!
1. How did you first get into producing music, and what drew you to your current style?
I first got into producing music at a young age as a coping method. We had some old semi-broken instruments in the house and I needed something to keep myself busy, so that’s how that came about. As for what drew my to my current style, I very much try to let my music, instrumentally and vocally, sound like what I feel mentally on a day to day basis.
2. What influences or artists have shaped your sound?
Oh man, it’s a long list. I’d say some of the most influential artists are Reggie And The Full Effect, The Dissociatives, Mindless Self Indulgence, Silverchair, Button*Masher, and a TON of nü-metal bands.
3. Can you walk us through your creative process when producing a track? Do you start with a beat, melody, or lyrics?
My creative process is a little strange in the fact that I don’t really plan anything. Sometimes I start with beats, sometimes melodies, and so on so forth, but typically I start with melodies. And I work section by section rather than doing the instrumental before vocals, I write all of it in chunks all at once.
4. What role does technology and experimentation play in your music production?
Oh technology plays a huge part in my work. I can play tons of instruments, and I do on my tracks, but I wouldn’t have the tools I have now without modern tech. Glitch plugins are my lifeblood basically, things like effectrix.
As for experimenting, it’s everything. I’ve used the sound of me closing my fridge as a kick before, so I guess that tells you about how far I’ll lean outside of the box haha.
5. What’s your approach to blending traditional instruments with electronic sounds in your tracks?
I mean honestly the way I look it at is: “throw things at the wall and see if they stick”. I always change it up, and I try not to limit myself to doing it one way or another. But, I’d say really I use traditional instruments to form the base components of each of my songs and use electronic components to make it colorful (not sure else how to describe it)
6. Are there any themes or messages you aim to convey through your music?
The main theme is really just mental health. I’m someone with a lot of personal struggle, haven’t had the kindest life, and I’m really just hoping that people can relate and maybe it’ll help them.
7. How do you see your current sound evolving in the future, both musically and culturally?
I’d say my sound is evolving in a more aggressive direction for sure. I’m working on a new album and it’s definitely got a lot more complex guitar work, and features a lot of stuff I haven’t really leaned into much before. Error 404 is a single from that album actually.
8. What advice would you give to aspiring producers looking to create their own sound?
The advice I would give anyone else doing what I do is to never compare yourself to anyone else. Whether it be in a positive way or negative, just avoid it entirely. You are you, and will never be anyone else. And that’s what makes you unique. We’ve all got potential, you just have to allow yourself the room to find it, and comparisons will only clog up that room.
9. What are some of the key tools and software you use to create your signature sound?
Well in terms of physical instruments I record a lot of the guitars on my Schecter Damien Platinum 7, and I typically layer programmed guitars underneath via the Oden 2 plugin. I use a huge variety of drum one shots and stuff, I have a folder of like 7 gigabytes worth. And then as for synths, I use Omnisphere, Serum, and my personal favorite the Retromod Lead/Nord Lead 2.
10. How has your sound evolved since you first started producing, and what influences that evolution?
Well, when I first started out I was making grunge. Really basic power chord stuff. I think really what finally took me out of that box was just listening to everything. Jazz, metal, electronic, industrial, hip hop, etc.
11. What is your favorite track, and what makes it stand out for you?
I think my favorite original track I’ve made is probably the song “Pretend I’m Dead” off of my last album Elysian Smiles. It’s just a super personal track about self hatred, and it really changed out my outlook on it. It’s a very negative song but it was important that I got it out of my system and out in the open.
I also feel like that track has some of my favorite synth/drum work I’ve ever done.
12. How do you see the relationship between your sound and other underground music movements?
While I may not be fully involved in the underground music scene, my heart goes out to all of y’all. I’ve always tried to raise other artists up as much as I can, and no matter where my music career goes I’ll always do my best to continue to bring positivity to people. I wish everyone the best with their music!
Find Guns for frogs’ music here