Genders have been a fixture of the Portland, OR music scene for the past several years. The group rose from the ashes of the similarly great band Youth, but quickly carved out an identity all their own with the 2013 LP Get Lost — a collection of raucous, kaleidoscopic pop that defied rigid classification.

The group’s latest release arrives in the form of an EP entitled Phone Home, and it’s every bit as great as their full-length, although it comes with a slight shift in timbre; Genders have dialed back some of their grittier predilections in favor of a hazier, more textured sound. Myspace recently had the privilege of speaking with members Stephen Leisy, Maggie Morris and Katherine Paul about their band’s past, present and future.

Hometown:

Maggie Morris: Roseville, CA.

Stephen Leisy: Dundee, OR.

Katherine Paul: LaConnor, WA.

Homebase: Portland, OR.

When did you start playing music and how did that evolve into songwriting?

Leisy: My dad was a musician so I kind of just grew up playing music. I can't really remember when I started exactly, but I started taking piano lessons when I was around six, maybe? And I really wanted to play drums in elementary school, so my dad bought an old drum kit from the drummer in his band for me to bash around on. It wasn't until middle/high school that I got really into playing guitar and started trying to write my own songs. I had this band in high school with three other friends and we'd change our name and our sound every few months or so. The songs we were writing just depended on whatever we were listening to. Like, we got really into pop-punk, Lookout Records-type bands, so everything sounded like the Mr. T Experience, but then we saw Anatomy of a Ghost so suddenly every song had screaming and metal riffs. But then the drummer showed us all the first Q and not U record and every song was all herky-jerky and had dance beats. It was really fun and all over the place.

Morris: My cousin had a guitar that I would make noise with when I was over at his house, and when I was 13 I started saving up for one. My parents surprised me that Christmas with a brand new acoustic, which I was too shy to play anywhere outside of my closet for about two years. Two years later, I met some friends that played as well. We started writing songs and formed a band when I was about 18. It was short lived, but we played a decent amount of shows, often at bars where we would get kicked out right after. Then that broke up and I started writing and recording my own songs and they were a lot more real and depressing—more along the lines of what I’m doing today.

Paul: I was really into grunge music when I was a teenager, being from Washington. I so wanted to play guitar like Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love. My parents ended up buying me a guitar and I learned some Hole songs. It wasn't until I had a few chords and basic playing under my belt that I started experimenting with my own style of playing and creating. I also played drums at the time, learning from playing in my high school's jazz and concert band and at the Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls. I would experiment playing drum parts with friends in high school, but didn't start writing my own drum parts until I was in college and had started playing in a band called Teeath.