What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring instrumental electronic, hip-hop, and jazz duo Big Gigantic.

It’s an unusually humid day in Chicago when The Verge meets saxophonist / producer Dom Lalli and drummer Jeremy Salken, otherwise known as Big Gigantic. This would normally be a boring detail, but we’re backstage at a festival, the pair is about to go onstage, and this weather means Dom is being extra cautious about his saxophone’s reed. The reed is a small strip of wood attached to the sax’s mouthpiece, and, like all wooden things, it absorbs moisture. So if you’re constantly touring, hopping from plane to plane and climate to climate, it can be a touchy thing. “It’s the worst part about playing saxophone,” Dom laughs as he inspects a fresh pack of reeds. Jeremy, meanwhile, appears to be in his own world, intently drumming on a nearby table at a brisk pace using practice sticks topped with rubber.

The Colorado-based duo is known for genre-less hits that blend funk, hip-hop, jazz, and various types of electronic music into woozy, psychedelic swirls of sound. Their large back catalog includes collaborations with names like Logic, Rozes, and Waka Flocka Flame. Live, this translates into a massive audio-sensory experience that blends their tracks along with covers while Jeremy helms drums and Dom is on sax. Big Gigantic travels the world performing this electronic / live hybrid, and, on occasion, they ramp things up even further with their annual “Rowdytown” show. Last year’s brought a 3D experience to Los Angeles with graphics that included everything from giant floating astronauts to an animated Cardi B head.

This week, they’ve released a new single called “You’re The One,” featuring singer Nevve. It’s a beautiful, chord-forward song about self-love and finding happiness that crests into an explosion of horn melodies. Along with the single, Big Gigantic also announced that their Rowdytown show is coming to New York for the first time ever on August 23rd at The Brooklyn Mirage — with the immersive 3D setup.

It’s fair to say there’s a lot on the table for Big Gigantic, figuratively and literally, as we’ve made them dump out their things for a look-see. Along with those reeds and drumsticks, there’s a good amount of cabling and even more THC-related products. Get on their groove, below.

Why do you have a Tumi bag?

Dom: Because my wife’s the best! She was like, “happy birthday,” and I was like, “fuck yes!” She gets me.

I hear your wife is responsible for a good portion of your travel items.

Jeremy: Happy wife, happy life!

Any story behind this water bottle?

Jeremy: That’s a Big Gigantic water bottle we gave out at Red Rocks the other year. I drink a lot of water. Got to stay hydrated. I’m also big on having a water bottle pocket on my backpack. I literally buy bags based on that. Some people don’t care, but I’m big on that. It’s a deal-breaker.

Who do the glasses belong to?

Jeremy: They’re both mine. I have two sets of glasses because I always break or lose them on tour or at festivals. I always bring a second pair so I’m not blind.

You don’t have contacts?

Jeremy: No, I can’t do contacts. They dry my eyes out.

Um, what’s this little canister?

Jeremy: The iRoller! I found it at a random gas station in Colorado. It flips open and has a sticky surface that cleans your laptop or your phone screen. It’s amazing. It’s better than a cloth.

And here come the cables.

Dom: Those are my cables and my Apple Watch charger.

Do you text and take calls on your Watch often?

Dom: Yeah. Yeah, I do.

Jeremy: You do? You’ll be like, “Hey, what’s up, dude?” [Holds wrist up to face]

Dom: I use it when I go to the gym. I like that I don’t have to take anything else. I’ll use the automated responses if someone texts me. I’ll write out responses on the Watch, too. It works really well! And it has Apple Pay and works with my Air Pods, so I don’t need the phone.

Jeremy: Can you check into the gym with it, or do you have a gym card?

Dom: Yep, I can check into the gym with my Watch.

Jeremy: Wow. I have to have my phone. I got a Tesla, and your phone is the key. There is an actual key, like a fob, but to use that, you have to touch it to the car, and it’s annoying. So I never take the key out. It’s always in my wallet. But using my phone isn’t always reliable for the Tesla because it uses Bluetooth. Sometimes it doesn’t connect.

What about phones? Who has what?

Dom: My phone is the iPhone 7 Plus.

Jeremy: I have the X.

Why did you not upgrade, Dom?

Dom: I don’t know. I hate my phone.

Why?

Dom: Let me clarify. The phone is fine. It’s that, in general, everything about the phone takes me to a weird place. I’m old-school. I like to be in the moment with people. I like paying attention. So I haven’t upgraded my phone because I don’t care enough about it.

And what in-ears do each of you have?

Jeremy: My in-ears are by Sensaphonics. These in-ears are great for playing drums because they have little baby microphones on the outside of them that I can control from a pack. So I can control the volume of ambient noise coming in and actually hear what’s going on around me. I can mix my environment with what is in my ears. It’s super helpful for drums, and a lot of vocalists use them. The bummer is that I have to wear the pack.

Dom: My in-ears are by 64 Audio. It’s a newer brand. I got them because my monitor tech recommended them to me. I respect a tech’s opinion.

I see a vape pen here.

Jeremy: This is a PAX oil vape pen. It’s CBD and THC. The ratio is 3 to 1 so it doesn’t get you too high, which is nice because when I get too high, I get anxiety and it sucks. So that’s the main reason I use this. The strain I have in here is by a company called Mary’s Medicinals out of Colorado.

And, of course, there are drumsticks!

Jeremy: Those are the Vic Firth Corpsmaster drumsticks. They’re for practicing, so they’re really thick and really heavy so it helps build endurance. And they have a bouncy rubber tip.

I don’t play drums. Why do you need a practice set like this versus what you would use on stage?

Jeremy: These are like weight training for drums. When you practice with something that’s heavier, you get used to that weight, so then when you go use regular drumsticks, they feel super light. You feel like Superman all of a sudden. It’s like walking around with ankle weights all day and then taking them off.

And here’s a piece of your sax, Dom.

Dom: That’s a mouthpiece for the saxophone. And then I have reeds. A reed is a little piece of wood. You just get it wet, line it up, and boom. I can use one for two or three shows. It’s wood, so it’s finicky. If I change altitudes, that affects it a lot. It’s humid here, but then when I go home to Colorado, the reed will dry out in half a day. It’s the worst part about playing the saxophone. Everything else is great.

How many of these mouthpieces do you have to carry with you?

Dom: Just one usually, but lately I’ve been playing between two different ones. It depends on the reed. I have one that’s better if it’s a little softer and one that’s better if it’s a little bit harder. That way, if one is playing better than another, I’m always ready when we’re traveling.

What’s this lip balm?

Dom: Oh, I don’t know. My wife finds this stuff. She’s all about skin products. But lip balm is super essential for saxophone playing. My lips get chapped like [snaps] that. I have tons of lip balm. The brand doesn’t really matter. I just need to always have something.

I’m surprised because I feel like most people who are super into lip balm have a brand they’re loyal to.

Dom: Well, there is one that I really like. It’s dope, dope, dope. It’s by Glossier and smells like mint chocolate chip. And if you have a little extra, you can use it on your elbows!

What’s this little packet?

Dom: Rolling papers.

Jeremy: For weed.

Dom: And actually, if you have sticky pads, you can stick one of these guys underneath the pad and then close the pad and then pull it out, and it un-sticks it.

I’m going to pretend like I know what you’re talking about.

Dom: Oh, for my saxophone. The keys. So if one of the keys is sticky and won’t open up and close, you can stick a rolling paper in between, close it, and then pull the rolling paper out.

Because it absorbs the oil?

Dom: Yeah, exactly.

What strain of weed is in this little container?

Dom: This is called the Deadhead OG. It’s from a shop called 14er in Boulder. I like to try a lot of different stuff. This one, in particular, I’m not really partial to. I do like some indica on the road. It’s nice for when you need to go to sleep or just relax.

Does TSA ever stop you?

Dom: No, but if they did, I might get in trouble. But they have never stopped me out of the hundreds of times I’ve done it. They’re not looking for it. But don’t fly internationally with it. Wouldn’t recommend that.

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring music producer and record label owner 3lau.

Justin Blau, otherwise known as 3lau, is sitting with The Verge on the floor of a green room trailer at a festival. We’re directly behind the main stage, and the trailer’s wood-paneled walls are vibrating from the act currently playing. Blau himself is about to step on stage, but is letting us rummage through his briefcase beforehand, which contains all the things he needs to perform live.

Known for his melodic-leaning dance songs, along with other endeavors — like blockchain-powered festival OMF and non-profit record label Blume — Blau’s reach extends far beyond music itself. And he’s always forward-thinking. In the past year he’s collaborated with the likes of HYO from Girls’ Generation, worked on a track with Ninja for the gamer’s NINJAWERKS Vol. 1 compilation, and put out several lush and pop-forward singles on his own imprint, like “Touch” and “Would You Understand.” He has two albums planned for early 2020. On top of that, as evidenced by where we’re talking with Blau, he maintains a constant touring schedule.

It’s a lot for one person to juggle, but as we see in his bag, Blau’s able to do it all through being a very meticulous person. “Wow,” he says in admiration after The Verge has arranged his array of cables on the trailer’s carpet. “It looks really pretty. You guys did a great job, and I’m very detail-oriented.”

You have a briefcase?

There’s a lot of interesting things in here! You’re skeptical!

No! It’s just unexpected.

I just come to the show like this. Business. It is a Tumi. I do love Tumi. My luggage is also Tumi. I use this because I already have a backpack. If you see my full luggage setup, the briefcase makes more sense. It fits perfectly on one side of my luggage. I’m super efficient about how I pack.

And here I have my DJ controller.

Whoa! That’s the perfect size for your bag, and I love the color.

Thank you. It’s custom iridescent red.

Does it glow under black light?

It does. Part of the Ultraviolet idea. It’s made by a company called Livid. They’ve actually discontinued it, which is a nightmare for me because I only have two. If they break I’m literally screwed. I’ll have to reprogram one or ideally have somebody else design one. It’s basically a MIDI controller for Ableton. I’ve always DJed with Ableton. Everyone is like, well why don’t you DJ with CDJs? And the reason why is because when was in college I couldn’t afford CDJs. I learned on Ableton. A CDJ setup is like, four grand, and there were no clubs for me to go check it out. And this little thing is $500.

It was a way more affordable alternative. I stole Ableton at the time, totally did not buy it. But now I own Ableton and am a real licensor.

I had the APC 40 back in the day and this [Livid controller] was the replacement. It’s more customizable. There’s a lot more I can do with it. I can create my own custom MIDI scripts. It’s really cool.

Livid knew that I was using it from photos and they reached out to me and said they wanted to make me a custom one. My first one was black and they powder coated it this red. It’s one of a kind. And it’s discontinued. So this is my pride.

Let’s see what else you’ve got in here.

My backpack has my production laptop, and adapters, my headphones, all that stuff. This bag has the stuff I need live.

This is a good one. An extra battery.

Does that charge your laptop too?

Yes. It’s a newer Mophie. I love them. This battery can charge the laptop and the phone. I usually travel with three of them because on an international flight if there isn’t an outlet when my laptop dies, I know I have batteries I can use. Ideally that will eventually change. But international flights don’t always have adapters, and that’s why I travel with three.

Dongles. More dongles. And more cables. I keep extras because it’s so easy to lose them.

And then the trusty old earplugs. And a splitter. A splitter is especially good at festivals if I’m hanging out with another artist and we’re showing each other new music. It can be loud, and there can be a lot of people in the green room.

What do you use this laptop for?

So this is just the DJ laptop. Way less ports, which is why I have those extra dongles. Disaster. This is the 13 inch, and then I have a 15 inch as well.

What phone is this?

The iPhone X. Worst phone ever.

Why?

Well, actually the software update fixed a lot of problems. The Wi-Fi used to fucking close for no reason.

Is there a particular reason why you have an iPhone?

The ease of connecting everything. Because I’m all Mac it makes life easy. I communicate with everybody on iMessage.

And these earplugs and earbuds?

I have Westone custom earplugs because this is the first company that somebody told me about. At the time I ordered, it was like, $50 per extra mold. I got three molds and I’ve only lost one over the past eight years or so. I’m proud of that. I did lose one of the db filters, but you can order those on Amazon.

If you’re at festivals enough, it’s something to consider. Honestly, I’ll also use the dead plugs on airplanes sometimes, and it just cuts everything, even babies’ cries. It’s the best kind of earplug.

And then I have portable little Beats. I don’t particularly love them, but they’re great for when I’m in the green room and on the laptop. It’s nice to bring this little bag instead of the big headphones. I normally have the Bose QCs when I’m on airplanes.

What about these USBs?

These are fan songs that I probably haven’t listened to yet.

People gave you those?

Right. A lot fans give them to me and I say, listen, here’s my personal email, I promise I’ll check it but I’m sure I’m going to lose the USB. Those are two of the maybe 50 that I’ve kept. I have no idea what’s on them. Once a month I try to go through my demo folder and listen to as much as I can. And in some cases I wind up working with some of these artists.

Where did you get your wallet?

It’s my Margiela wallet. I ordered it online from a website called SSense where I order a lot of my clothes from.

Matthew Reeves: It’s sale season!

You know! I see the Y3 shoes over there. I see it.

Dani Deahl: Matt is one of Rick Owens’ primary photographers.

Wait, what? Hold up. No way! Oh my god. I normally have a Rick zip-up sweatshirt vest. But it’s so hot so I’m not wearing it now. I got it when I was in the Rick Owens store in Tokyo. He’s got a sculpture of himself in there that’s crazy.

Why do you have a Sharpie?

There’s always a fan that wants me to sign something. Signing someone’s phone is the most common request believe it or not. They want me to sign their phone cases. Some people let me sign straight on their phone. Hats are the second most common.

I think I know where the $2 bills are from.

They are from Steve… Two Dollar Hollar. Steve Reisman is a very successful entertainment lawyer. He gives all his favorite artists $2 bills whenever he sees them. He’s just loaded up with them all the time. He’s really close with Drake and a lot of big artists, and I’m honored that I’m a friend of his. I use the $2 bills for valet tips. I keep every $2 bill I’ve gotten from him in my car.

[Places card down] We’ll put that in there just for fun.

What is it?

It’s for a blockchain-powered festival I threw last year called OMF.

And last, the Listerine strips.

Listerine strips are always on my rider. It’s more efficient than gum. I don’t want to carry a pack of gum in my pocket, but I want that because it’s small. I wear tight jeans. It’s as simple as that. And if I forget and they get washed, it just dissolves and smells really good. That happens all the time.

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring vocalist, producer, filmmaker, and professional scooter rider Oliver Tree.

When Oliver Tree walks into The Verge office, everyone snaps their head. It’s impossible to not notice his ostentatious presence: massively wide JNCO pants, a violet and fuchsia ’90s ski jacket, Gucci suitcase, and… a bowl haircut. Oh, and he’s got a Razor scooter with him too. It’s not unfair to say that Oliver Tree is a walking, talking meme. The visual schtick, along with accompanying deadpan humor persona, were deliberately crafted by Oliver Tree to appeal to a meme-friendly generation. And through that lens he serves up catchy, hip-hop infused pop with an electronic kick. Come for the memes, stay for the music.

This combination has been integral to Oliver Tree’s success. His single “When I’m Down” went viral in 2017, racking up tens of millions of plays online. He replicated the formula for “Alien Boy” and again with “Hurt,” nailing down a very specific vision that’s designed to cater to people’s eyes and ears. “Hurt” in particular was a flag plant for Oliver Tree’s ability to create infectious melodies — the song spent 16 weeks on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart, peaking at position 12. Now, he’s released another new single, called “Fuck,” and is preparing for his full-length debut, which will be released this year. In the meantime, Oliver Tree treats us to a peek inside his world, which includes lots of scooter stories, a busted iPhone, and mountains of Cheetos.

First of all I really need to know about your pants because I had JNCO pants and you don’t see them very often.

These are JNCOs that are no longer for sale. JNCO shut down last year, but I was able to pick these pants up through a buddy who lives north of the Rockies, this guy Little Ricky. He’s a JNCO dealer and he has a warehouse with 300 pairs of JNCOs. He basically has every type ever made: khaki JNCOs, short JNCOs, leopard JNCOs, he has it all.

To be honest I was surprised that they lasted so long.

It’s kind of the end of an era.

Tell me about your style.

This outfit is made up from everything I really thought was cool as a child. So these were the pants I always wanted. These are the sunglasses I used to wear. This is the haircut I’ve had my entire life. I was too scared to get any other type of haircut. My mom picked it for me. The jacket I stole from my mom, but she wasn’t really using it so I don’t think she misses it too much. And then socks and sandals is just my favorite footwear combo.

Who do you think has the best style right now?

My biggest fashion inspiration is Lloyd Christmas from Dumb and Dumber. Solid. Him and my parents. My parents showed me how to really unharness my swagger.

Let’s move on to your bag.

This basically has my raw essentials. I take this everywhere I go. It’s a fake Gucci bag I got in China in the underground market. Well, I guess I should just show you.

Yeah! Let’s get into it. Your suitcase is filled with Cheetos?

I’m traveling a lot, so one of the main things I need is a source of energy. There’s not many great food options on the road. So I just bring my main food with me everywhere and my main energy source.

Do you have any favorite flavor?

Traditional hot. You can have one too. My treat. I’ve got plenty. I bring them to share.

How many Cheetos is a meal?

Well it depends if it’s the big bag or a little bag. If it’s a little bag I can do about 13, and if it’s a big bag I only need two. I also have one liter of Mountain Dew here.

So what if someone offers you a salad?

Sometimes I’m feeling healthy and I’ll take a salad and crumple up a couple of Cheetos on there. Usually I say flat out no though.

I can’t think of a more perfect substitute for any type of food. It’s perfect on any occasion for a meal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’m an intense energy person and these things really keep me on the edge. They keep me going and keep my chi really high. It’s basically the ultimate snack.

And then I have a portrait I painted of myself. I keep that with me just in case I ever lose touch with who I really am.

If you forget your passport just show that.

I pretty much use this as a legal form of identification.

Not a lot of people know this but I’m big into watercolors and pastels. I think this thing took me about a month to make. And I don’t have a house so I bring it everywhere.

The eyes are really intense.

That was based off of the music video where I died, and this is the white-eyed version of it. That’s my understanding. When I painted it though I was a bit drunk so I can’t remember. It’s an emotional piece and every time I look at it I just see so much of myself.

That’s from a newer music video, right?

The record is called “Hurt.” It’s a song I made about a scooter accident I had when I was 18. It was a semifinal run at a pro competition. I’m in this 20-foot roll in and out of nowhere this little pebble shows up. I hit this thing and just go flying — break my left wrist, break my right wrist, and break the joint that connects the thumb to the hand. At that point I had to start considering other career options because scootering was just not safe. I needed something that had a little bit more longevity for a career choice. So I started making a segue out of the professional scooter world and focused on this Oliver Tree project.

We went to Ukraine to film the music video for “Hurt,” and made that with a small loan of a million dollars. Atlantic Records supported us. I want to shout out Craig Kallman and Julie Greenwald – they were really the people who helped finance this and bring it to life. It took us two years to sort out the financial side, and I don’t think we could really be happier with the outcome.

What phone do you use?

This is an iPhone X. Let me turn it over because it’s busted and that’s even funnier. I was in Madrid, out clubbing and blogging and it fell off the stick. And I have a Juul. Strictly marijuana. There’s no tobacco in that.

How did you get the Solo cup design put on your clothing and the monster truck for “All That”?

From a legal standpoint, it was hell. And we’ve been asked to not use the logo anymore. We couldn’t use it in other videos. The whole coffin scene in “Hurt” was supposed to be Solo cup, but they were not too thrilled with the idea. After the last video they just said, “Please never use our stuff again.” But we don’t care because I already got to use it in the first video.

The original designer is a woman who basically got ripped off by the company. She worked for the distributor and submitted it for a company contest, but didn’t get any of the royalties from it. It ended up becoming a phenomenon, but they owned her design at that point. Her name is Gina Ekiss.

Are there other wheeled activities that you’re into?

I’m really big into scooters and electric scooters. I’ve got like, 13 pocket rockets. I drive monster trucks. I actually spent five months training for my first music video learning how to jump monster trucks. This guy only let one other person drive his monster truck, which was Jay Leno, so I’m very honored that he trusted me. It’s in the first music video for “Alien Boy.”

I was surprised that the guy would let me borrow this truck because these trucks are like, half a million dollars. It’s a huge liability. You have to be properly trained by a professional.

Do you record on the road?

We’re making films on the road. We’re working on a documentary. We’re doing half hour, 45-minute films on the trials and tribulations of what a starting out project looks like in all reality. The drama, the violence, the frustration, the suffering. We cover it all. We have already put on a couple videos. We did a behind the scenes for “Hurt.” It’s how to make a million-dollar music video.

What’s your songwriting process?

I don’t do any songwriting on the road because I’ll go live life for three months, and then I’ll go write music for two months straight and write every single story I have to tell. Once I get burnt out on it and start making the same songs, I go back on the road and experience life. If you don’t live enough experiences you have a limited spectrum of things you can write about, so it fuels the fire.

There’s a lot of hats artists have to wear nowadays. If you wear the same hat every day it gets really old. So it’s refreshing to be able to have it broken up into different parts of the year: This month we film, this month we tour, this month we make music.

I produce and write music with other producers, but with vocals I’m essentially improvising all of that, besides maybe a song or two here and there. I freestyle and see what comes out. If it doesn’t make total sense but I like the idea I’ll carve out and chop up all these little parts together and then I’ll rewrite lyrics to it. I would say about 85 percent of the lyrics are improvised.

So backing up to the bag…

Couldn’t afford the real one. I had a friend who told me about this market and was like, “You gotta go here, this is the best underground market in Shanghai.” So I went to check it out. It’s illegal to sell Gucci there because there’s actual Gucci stores. It’s really hush hush. They can sell all these other items like Supreme, because there’s no Supreme dealers there. But there’s tons of Gucci stores.

Because it’s sketchy for them you have to ask for Gucci and they’ll pull you to these back rooms, or take you to a whole different store a block away and into a little room covered in fake bags. Then they ask you to pay ridiculous prices for it, thinking you think it’s real, but all you have to do is negotiate. They really want to make a sale so they’re prepared to negotiate pretty heavily. I was able to negotiate a couple bags and this was the the real pride and joy and what I decided to take on the road with me.

The real reason I’m buying the fake stuff is because I love the idea that people think it’s so cool and it’s a $2 item. That’s why I bought tons of fake pairs of Yeezys. I would tell people that they’re fake and my fans thought it was hilarious. People like Yeezy Buster would try calling me out, saying, “This guy’s got fake shoes!” I loved it.

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring English singer and songwriter Anne-Marie.

Anne-Marie has an impressive musical resume, with heaps of nominations and wins at awards shows around the world (including a recent nom as Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2019 Brit Awards), a long list of charting songs that float between the worlds of tropical pop and dance, like “2002,” and is just off a jaunt where she shared the stage with Ed Sheeran on his Divide Tour. Now, without a pause, she’s on her own headlining Speak Your Mind Tour. It’s quite a lot, but everything Anne-Marie does in life, she does with obsessive acceleration. Consider, for example, that before she was a singer touring around the globe, she was a karate world champion.

As Anne-Marie empties out her backpack for The Verge, it quickly becomes evident this tendency funnels its way down to her everyday items. From a book that convinced her that humans do, in fact, need to sleep, to scores of scrunchies, there’s no middle ground for Anne-Marie.

So tell me about your bag.

So, this is a backpack. I can’t just carry around a handbag because they’re too small for all the things I need. So I’m a backpack lover. I have so many backpacks because when I leave the hotel I don’t go back until the end of the day, so I need everything right with me that I could possibly need. This one is by Axel. My stylist got it for me. We work really closely together. I wouldn’t say I’ve always had an eye for style, or that I’m a fashionista, but I know what I feel comfortable with. It’s always been really hard working with a stylist, so it’s more like, I tell her what to get and she gets a better version of what I’ve told her to find.

This is really strange. But I have a razor with me. [Laughs] I shave my arms and legs at really weird times because I’ll forget and then I’m like, “Oh, I need to do something with my legs.” And face wipes, I need those to shave my legs with! So, that happens.

Yeah. That’s real life, folks.

Yes. Obviously dry shampoo and deodorant, which I think every girl needs. And then this is all my makeup and oh, here’s something I live by. You need some moisture in your face or things that are good for your skin overall. I love this stuff called Skin Food, which is why I’ve used it all up. I use it every morning and every night on my face. I can’t live without it. And then I have under-eye patches.

Do they work?

Yeah. Well, I don’t know. Maybe in my brain.

What kind of phone do you have?

I have an iPhone X. But I just cracked it the other day, so I’ve got to figure that out. Every time I go to a shop they’re like, “Truly, get the insurance just in case,” and I’m like, “No, I’ll never smash it,” and then this happens. My charger. I don’t know how many of those I’ve had over tour, but it’s the running joke that I have a new one every week. I bring a hat because I just love hats. Everywhere I go, to and from places, I always wear a hat and then take it off. This is one of my favorite hats because it’s got loads of different flags on it. I think I’ve had the most compliments on this hat from people.

What brand is it?

It’s just Topshop! Basically my whole clothing thing is menswear. I also have a jumper because my body temperature is like, three degrees lower than everyone else’s in the world. So I’m always cold. It’s from Urban Outfitters Men’s. A hairbrush, because my hair is a bitch. I have a book.

A real life book.

An actual book! It’s called Why We Sleep, because I don’t sleep and I keep trying to have an argument with everyone about how I think it’s just pointless and boring to me. I’ve started to read this book and now I realize it’s definitely not pointless and I definitely need it. [Laughs] So yeah.

And I have headphones. They’re one of my favorite things in the whole world.

These are Bose noise-canceling?

Yeah.

You have so many sunglasses.

I’m addicted to sunglasses. I have two pairs in here. Two for the price of one! And I have a third pair in the other room. This is a rare occasion for me to only have three with me today. I normally have, like, 10 in my bag just in case I decide to change up my outfit. I feel like sunglasses can change the whole look. And I love that. And then this is just extra jewelry. This is really cute because when I did a photo shoot once there’s a lady altering stuff because I always feel like I have to get bigger trousers to fit my hips. But then the waist is always too big so I have a lady there tightening the waist. And there was this particular top that had all this material left over. So she made a little bag from it!

That’s so cute!

It has loads of jewelry in it. I’m addicted to that as well. I like everything shiny.

Have you had time to go jewelry shopping on your tour?

No. When I was last here I found a little jewelry store at the corner of a road. It was a proper tiny one where you could find loads of beautiful things in. I was trying to search yesterday for that little shop and I couldn’t find it anywhere. But I found sunglasses on the way so it’s fine.

I’m addicted to scrunchies as well.

This is a proper ‘90s throwback.

Yeah. I’m an obsessive person. If I like something I have to get loads of it.

What model is your iPad?

It’s an old one. I’m not sure, I’d have to find out.

When you’re on the road how do you write songs?

I’m all in my phone really. On the recording app thing. So there’s just loads of little bits of recordings that have me going like, [sings] “When I see you.” [Laughs]

I mean if I have a pen and paper I write it down, but it’s mostly on my phone because you can get inspired at any moment. I actually find it easier to write when I’m not in the studio because it’s more freeing and there’s less pressure. So I take whatever’s on my phone into the studio and if it’s good enough, we’ll write to it.

Do you record mostly in a traditional studio or do you have a portable set up?

Always in a studio. I don’t have that kind of stuff with me so I always have to wait until I’m in a session with a producer where I can actually have a microphone.

So how long is this current tour going?

The Ed Sheeran tour has been going since the end of April and I finish at the end of September. The US tour has been going for nearly six weeks now and I’ve been doing my own one in between. I did a really bad thing where I packed all of my show outfits and forgot that I would have days where I’d need normal clothes.

So the whole time I’ve been going to Urban Outfitters every day and buying new T-shirts. It’s a long, long tour, but it’s been amazing, especially with doing my own one in between. It’s such a different experience from being in the stadium as a support act to doing your own headline in a really intimate venue. It’s crazy.

I so prefer the smaller venues.

The sound is better.

Oh, that’s interesting.

I mean from my point of view in a stadium, the sound kind of bounces back into my microphone. So then I’m hearing like, three instances of my voice with each song.

I’d love to know who could tell that this is my bag from just the pictures. I wonder who could guess that.

I bet your friends could for sure. Like, yep, I know those scrunchies.

Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring tropical house and pop producer Matoma.

Norwegian artist Matoma, born Tom Lagergren, walks into The Verge offices with a bright, bouncy disposition that matches the music he crafts. Known for uplifting productions that blend together genres and dance across everything from hip-hop to funk to house, Lagergren’s not only seen commercial success with his original works, like recently released single “Sunday Morning,” but is often sought after to collaborate with heavy hitters such as Jennifer Lopez, Noah Cyrus, and Enrique Iglesias.

Growing up, Matoma had every intent of becoming a music teacher instead of a touring artist. He learned classical piano, moved to making music on his laptop, became a resident DJ at some venues in Norway, and then went to school to pursue a degree in music production. But once he started putting out remixes on SoundCloud, people flocked to his songs. Very quickly and unexpectedly, Lagergren had a fan base.

Now, Lagergren finds his days occupied by packed tour schedules and studio sessions with some of music’s biggest names. He’s currently in the middle of an international tour that wraps up at the end of March, and by now, the hectic tour schedule, which sometimes has him performing multiple shows a day, is second nature. We had Lagergren dump out his bag for us to get a peek at what’s necessary to maintain sanity when tour life is everyday life.

Have you been traveling a lot lately?

On this trip I’m away 12 days and I’m doing six shows, so it’s not too much. When I did my tour last year I did 48 shows in 52 days. Some days we did two shows per day. Summer was also insane with festivals. I think we did 80 concerts over a few months.

Well, I’m glad we got you on a relaxing day. This must be like a spa for you! So the first thing I’m curious about is where the name Matoma came from?

The name Matoma actually came from my brother. My brother and I lived together when we were both in college. He was writing his masters in chemistry and I was getting my bachelor’s degree in music production. We had this party after a Calvin Harris concert. All our friends came to the after party. We were drinking and having fun.

I had another name at the time and was starting to release remixes on SoundCloud. My brother came up to me and said, “Tom, your music is starting to sound really nice. But, I have to tell you this as your brother and out of love — your name is shit and you need to change it.”

I got a little upset and it started an argument. One of my friends misunderstood the conversation and went between us like, “Guys, can’t you take life easy like in The Lion King? Hakuna matata!” My brother gave me a hug but was a little drunk and said it wrong. He said “hakuna matoma.” And I was like, oh snap, Matoma, that’s sick. To make sure we wouldn’t forget it we found a marker and wrote it on the living room table. The next day when we woke up hungover, we went downstairs and on the living room table it said Matoma. That table was a gift from my parents when we moved in. [Laughs]

I wanted to talk about the single you worked on with Enrique Iglesias. That was on your bucket list, right?

Oh, the process was amazing. We were working on this song for a year and a half. I was in the studio with him in December of 2016. We just had such an amazing and fun three days in the studio. Afterward, we didn’t hear from him for a couple months. But then his camp and his team came back and they loved it. And his label, RCA, loved it. Then we tweaked the song to perfection. I was so lucky to have it as a single for myself, and to have him featured and collaborating on it. He wanted it for his album. For him it was a big decision and a big move to to give it to me as a single. He really trusted me in that process. And for that I’m grateful. He was such a kind person and included everybody in the room.

Let’s start looking through this bag. It’s amazing how nice and neat your cable organizer is. And here’s a Sony camera.

Yeah I got it for a really cheap price from my photographer. He was buying a new camera, and I told him that I wanted to buy his old one. He’s one of my best friends.

What do you like to shoot?

My girlfriend [laughs], nature, the traveling process. I also have a drone. When I was in Ireland, I loved shooting the cliffs and fields.

What are these earbuds?

These are the Sony WF1000X. I use those to talk on the phone and to listen to music. For me, Sony are the best traveling headphones just because of the quality of the sound. I think they are way better than the Bose headphones and the noise cancelling is about the same. Maybe Bose is about five percent better with noise cancelling, but it’s hard to hear the difference. But with the sound quality, the difference is easy to hear.

I use them when I work seriously. They also have Bluetooth so you can talk on the phone with them. And, they are easier to use when you’re walking around and don’t want to have big headphones on. And then I have these other Sony headphones for when I produce.

How many different kinds of headphones do you think you’ve gone through?

Oh I think maybe 20 different ones. I’m very particular with sound.

Okay. So the earbuds you use when you’re working and the over ear headphones are for when you’re producing stuff. Is that just on the road or anywhere?

No, just for on the road. I have my studio headphones at home. They are a little more expensive and by a brand called Audeze. They’re made of bamboo.

What phone do you have?

So this is the iPhone 8. I hate it. I’ve had an iPhone since the first one. They are just getting more and more terrible.

When you’re on the road and get inspired, how do you take down ideas?

I just keep it in my head. I’ve been very lucky, ever since I was a kid I’ve had photographic memory. So when I get melodies in my head they get stuck there.

I heard you collect sound bites though?

Yeah. When I was getting my bachelor’s in music technology and production I always had a microphone with me. Everywhere I went, if I heard a sound that was interesting I’d record it. I also recorded my own drum, piano, saxophone, guitar, and percussion libraries. So I have, like, a library of almost two terabytes of sounds I’ve recorded.

Are you playing all these instruments?

So when I was sampling instruments I was playing each and every note. I play the piano, so there I also recorded all scales and all sorts of different chords on a grand. All with different attacks and sustains. If I’m working on an airplane and I don’t want to write out all these notes, I can just grab these chords. I also made my own plug-ins for each instrument.

I also have a lot of nature sounds. I have a library of rock sounds. Birds, claps, cars, ambient noise, so many different things.

Are these samples in the cloud or on a thumb drive?

I use a 5 terabyte LaCie drive.

Why did you record all this stuff?

Five or six years ago, it wasn’t so easy to find samples online. So I did it all myself. But now there are sites, like Splice, where they have all the samples you would need and you can buy credits to download what you want. It’s like Spotify, but for samples.

I studied classical music when I was a kid, until I was 16. I had a scholarship, but at a certain point it wasn’t fun anymore to practice so much and to play other people’s music. So I stopped. Then I started recording, producing, and composing my own music.

Okay and then we have…

Herman the travel companion. He’s my little mascot. He’s a monkey and he’s always happy. So every time I’m sad when I miss my girlfriend, I just take out Herman and I look at him and I start smiling and thinking about her.

Herman is the most well traveled little stuffed monkey that ever was.

Yeah, I think I’ve been in 80 countries with him.

And then I have my glasses. Usually I don’t wear contact lenses. I wear glasses. But when I play shows and am on tour I wear contacts. Then I have another Tumi bag with cables. Eye shades for flying. Nose spray. Two pairs of sunglasses.

What are these cables for?

For my MIDI keyboard. The keyboard is too big, so that’s in my suitcase. I also have a portable charger and a USB cable for my phone. I would have my laptop but I had to leave it at the hotel because I was uploading some stems. It’s a MacBook Pro.

You also have a FitBit. What is your favorite thing about it?

I track steps, and it also gives me my messages. You can have a conversation with a person, get the message notification, and then look at the watch and read it fast. So I don’t have to take out my phone. It also has cool functions, like it shows your heart rate, and it tells you if you’ve been sitting too much.

I have to say I love that you have an actual book.

Yeah I usually bring them every time I travel. I always try to read one book.

What is it about?

It’s about a police officer that worked in the force for 30 years. He had a division where his team worked on fighting drug crime in Oslo. There was a big case on the news about him being corrupt. But basically it was set up by his own people and they turned him in. All the cases he was working on were reclassified so he couldn’t talk about them in court. He got 21 years in jail and he’s in his 50s. He dedicated his whole life to the police force, and the case he got jailed for was a case he was working on, but he couldn’t talk about it, because it was one of the biggest drug cases in Norway.

[Looks at phone] Oh wow, we’re number two on iTunes in Finland. Already!

That’s amazing. Congratulations!

The reaction so far on “I Don’t Dance (Without You)” has been incredible. It’s just mind blowing. When I showed it to my mom she said, “This is by far your best song Tom, and not just because of Enrique.” [laughs]

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Photography by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

When Jamaican novelist Marlon James walks into a room, you know it. It’s not that he’s particularly dominating or otherwise physically intimidating — although he is more than six feet tall — it’s that he has the thing casting agents call “presence.” He’s there there. That translates to his books, too: his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings was released in 2014 to rapturous reviews, and it won the prestigious Man Booker prize. His latest book Black Leopard, Red Wolf is out this month. It’s the first entry in James’ Dark Star trilogy, which he’s described as an “African Game of Thrones,” an epic populated with characters who aren’t usually seen in more European books.

“It was really very simple!” James says. “I was trying to write a fantasy epic based on African mythology. African mythology, African history, African religion, something that was just not European,” he continues. “I’ve read those books since I was a kid. And I’ve always wished somebody like me were in them. And it’s not like I’m trying to score points of representation or anything, but sometimes you just want to see somebody like yourself kick ass.”

According to James, there’s a lot of ass-kicking in Black Leopard, Red Wolf. He says he took a lot of time to write the fight scenes, which he described in visceral, visual terms.

“The best thing to do with a fight scene is to imagine you’re a camera that won’t stay still. Because there are only so many ways you can say ‘he punched,’” James says. “But if you swing the camera underneath them, or you swing the camera above, or you jump back 50 feet and it’s just two masses lumbering at each other, and then you zoom in right as a knuckle hits a nose, and pull back, and then you jump into the crowd to see who’s watching, who’s screaming, and so on,” he continues. “And then sometimes you don’t even look at all. You just hear what people are saying.” You listen for the sounds. You write the feeling.

That gives James’ fights a heft that’s less cartoonish and more realistic. His characters aren’t just getting up and walking away after a fight is over. “In the movies, you can constantly get kicked in the face, and it doesn’t hurt. Or one person can kill 50 people, but 50 people can’t kill one person,” James says. He writes the other direction. “You still have to remember you’re writing real people. And there are real consequences to things like that. There’s a consequence to getting a punch. There’s a consequence to getting hit in the nuts,” he says. “People don’t just bounce back and walk normally. People got bruises, they got cuts, they got injuries. They need recovery.”

The book wasn’t easy to write. “One of the hardest things to write was to write about children who are destined for death,” he says. “It’s, sadly, something that’s actually still happening. Where kids who are undesirables in certain places, kids who are born with deformities, or kids who are born in a way that superstition says is wrong are still being sort of hunted and killed and so on.” James also had to bring them into a fantasy setting without trivializing their real human suffering. “I don’t want to turn it into some fantasy plot and people forget what’s really going on,” he says. “The thing I have always said about atrocity is: it’s all well and good to reel from atrocity in a story. It’s probably not as bad as going through it.”

For James, everything begins with a character that pops into his head and starts talking. It usually takes him four or five false starts, he says, before the book takes its full shape. “I’ve never believed in that whole thing about the whole isolated hermit writer,” James says. “You can’t be an introvert and write. I mean, you can be, but you have to know people.” Every book he’s written has a turning point: a conversation with somebody else.

For Black Leopard, Red Wolf, that moment was a conversation with the director Melina Matsoukas when they talked about the television show The Affair. “I’ve had all these notes, scribbles, false starts,” he says. “Plots that went nowhere.” By that point, he’d been working for nearly two years, and he was about to give up. Talking to Matsoukas was a revelation. “She is talking about The Affair and the structure behind it, about different narrators telling the same story. I remember she’s saying, ‘That sounds like a good idea for a TV show.’ And I was like, ‘Screw the TV show. That’s a good idea for a novel. That’s a good idea for a series of novels.’” The rest, as they say, is history.

James carries a lot on his back. Notepads, cough drops, mints, cables, headphones, a book light. “I carry lots of tea because Americans suck at tea,” he says. It’s also good for his throat, which gets irritated because, in James’ words, “I’m talking so much.” There are pages he’s working on and stuff he’s reading. Lots of pens. “I love Muji,” he says. “I gobble them up.” The purple pens are for marking student work because it freaks students out to see red ink. James teaches English at Macalester College in Minnesota, where he lives.

The pens are important because James takes notes and writes plots by hand anywhere an idea strikes him. “Sometimes in the middle of teaching a class,” he says. “I’ve had it happen in a TV interview” — Charlie Rose — “and then I’ll just kind of scribble on my hand.” In the shower, even. “You jump out and find something and write it down on whatever, hopefully,” he says. “I can’t risk getting to the end of that shower and forgetting! No, you got to jump out. Once, I jumped out and slipped.”

That tendency to handwrite things makes keeping track of everything a little difficult. He’s got a folder called “stuff,” which is for random things, and one named “stuff I drew,” which feels pretty self-explanatory. “The handwritten stuff can be harder because there are just so many notebooks,” he says. “I say I’m organized, but I’m not. It’s cacophonous. And it’s frustrating. And I know better, but I won’t do better.”

Writers usually rest after completing a long work. James, however, isn’t having it. Black Leopard, Red Wolf came out this month, and he says he’s already hard at work on the next one. He’s already figured out who’s telling the story. “The way this trilogy is working is not a part one, part two, part three. Part two does not pick up where part one left off,” he says. The next book is a reboot of the story.

Even so, he relishes the not-writing parts of the writing life: he reads, he bakes, he cycles, he sees friends. “You have to stop and observe the world you’re in,” James says. “You really do sometimes have to stop and look at a sunset because this world is moving so fast. And as I get older, it’s only moving faster. And I get very conscious that I missed out on something. I missed out on a great sunset or I missed out on talking to friends, or just things that make a day more full.” The things, in other words, that are worth writing about.

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring synth-pop artist Allie X.

It’s fair to call Allie X both a musical artist as well as a performance artist. Her sophomore EP, Super Sunset, was accompanied by three distinct personas to represent different parts of her artistic journey: the nun, the Hollywood starlet, and sci-fi girl. Today at The Verge, it’s sci-fi girl who sits in front of us. Sporting a severe bowl haircut and tiny sunglasses that barely cover Allie X’s slate-colored eyes, this is the final form of Allie X’s journey through Super Sunset. It’s the persona she feels is truest to her actual self because of the “emotional disconnect and the weirdness and the quirks” that come along with it.

To follow Super Sunset, Allie X has recently released Super Sunset Analog, a collection of live performances and synth-centric remakes of Super Sunset songs. These versions are stripped down, re-recorded with a live band and drum machines that impart some brasher sounds and a delightful sense of chaos. While the remakes can be streamed everywhere, it’s also, in keeping in form with the analog flavor, available to order as a cassette tape.

Below, Allie X speaks with The Verge about her Super Sunset personas, and the minimal contents of her bag.

Tell me about these personas that you’ve created for your most recent record.

The personas are all representations of parts of myself that I’ve become through my journey moving to Los Angeles and living in Los Angeles for the last five years. So, the first one is called the nun. She represents the rawness and the passion and spiritual side of being an artist and what gets you into it. That’s kind of how I kind of picture myself arriving to LA and stepping off the plane at LAX. Bright-eyed and nun-like.

I read something you said about the purity of creating the work.

Exactly. Purity is a word I forgot to say just now. She represents pure art. But then of course when you try to monetize something that comes from that and you put yourself into an industry built around it, it changes your perception of everything. And then that would take me to the Hollywood starlet. She’s… kind of delusional. She’s got that Hollywood Vaseline on the lens, like “I’m gonna be a big star” and takes it too far, almost into a grotesqueness. That represents all the fakeness when you’re trying to make it. And then the third persona is the one I’m dressed as today — sci-fi girl. She’s the one I think I relate the most to because she represents all the emotional disconnect and the weirdness and the quirks that I naturally have in myself that I’ve focused in on for the Allie X project.

What are your influences for sci-fi girl? And I’m glad that she’s with us today!

People always think about me that there’s this side I have within myself that’s… I don’t want to say otherworldly because it sounds too complimentary. It’s more just like I don’t know. Did you ever see David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell to Earth? It’s almost like that kind of a thing where something’s not quite connected or human.

What was the process like to write Super Sunset?

I wrote it really quickly. I think normally when I write it’s more abstract. It’s going into my unconscious mind and trying to dig up things from the past. This one was such a direct concept that it came together really quickly. It was nice writing from that perspective because I had a lot to get off my chest.

Well I’d love to see what’s in your bag!

Do you want this tea in it?

I kind of like that tea… yes, with your lipstick on it. So you work with Ableton and another song writing software, right?

MasterWriter.

So you’re truly self-contained on your computer.

Yeah, kind of. I think in my dream world I become such a proficient producer that I can do everything by myself, but these days it’s really a collaboration.

You have two main collaborators, is that correct?

Yeah. There’s one guy who finishes everything with me, and cleans up the mess that I make. And then there’s one guy who makes the mess with me for the record! With other ones it’s been different.

I’d love a shot of you up close. [Starts taking photos] Your eyebrows are perfect.

They’re half real and half blocked.

Okay, so first tell me about this Coach bag. Where did you get it?

I got it in Nordstrom… or was it in Macy’s? This is actually the first nice bag I’ve bought for myself. My mom is a purse person and a shoe person, and so historically I’ve always taken her bags and her shoes.

That’s a good move.

But I was at a Taylor Swift concert because my friend Troye Sivan was singing with her. It was a last minute thing. At the time I had this purse I got from my mom. It was backpack style, but as small as this. Troye was about to perform and I was like, “I have to get in, I’m his friend!” They said I couldn’t go in with a backpack. It’s a purse! We had this really heated argument and they said I could only come in if I emptied the contents. So I put everything — all the contents — in a Ziploc bag, hid the backpack behind the garbage, and hoped it would be there when I came back. And it wasn’t. Someone had thrown it out. So I thought, I’m a grown woman, I’m going to buy myself a designer bag for the first time. And that’s how I got this bag.

Congratulations, I think it’s a great moment when you purposefully buy a bag.

I feel like I’m like a lady now. I had so many years of being broke and now I can get by, so I celebrated with a nice bag.

I’m in love with this. [Picks up wallet]

It’s a really water-damaged wallet. And there’s a comb for the wig, some glasses, and an extra pair of glasses.

These are great. Let’s take some more things out.

Lipstick, pills, phone charger, a tampon.

And what kind of phone do you have?

I think this is a 6S? Is that right? It’s cracked. I need to get a new one.

And it doesn’t have a case. You’re a brave woman.

[Laughing] I know, I know. That’s why it’s cracked. I’m starting to analyze the contents of my purse and think about how people are going to interpret them. This wallet looked so much better when I got it. I think I’ve had too many things spill on it.

It’s well-loved.

It’s well-loved.

Where did you get it?

The wallet was a gift for my birthday a couple years ago from Jungle George.

Tell me a bit about your tour.

I guess the best thing to call them would be fan events. They’re very small, intimate shows where we will be playing through the record live. We do a Q&A, meet and greet, and it’s a chance for fans to hear the record before it all comes out and to officially start the journey of Super Sunset.

Have you always been an iPhone person?

For the last 10 years, maybe. Actually, less than that. It’s been maybe six or seven years. I think I got my first iPhone before I moved to LA.

Would you say the phone is your essential tech item?

That and my laptop. I’ve almost lost my laptop by leaving it in a restaurant two or three times and I really lose my shit. I really freak out because it has so many things that are valuable to me on it.

Do you utilize the cloud or external drives or anything like that?

I do. I back up on the cloud and then I have hard drives as well. I’m not as diligent about that as I should be, but back things up every few months.

I think a lot of us are like that. Good intentions, and as long as it’s happening occasionally it’s enough. What in particular do you carry on this drive?

I don’t even have anything too important on that. It’s more for when i’m in a room with a producer and they don’t have, for example, the right snare sound and I’m like, “Oh, I’ve got one on my computer, let me give it to you.” It’s a vehicle in sessions to get things from my computer to someone else or vice-versa.

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring synthpop band HONNE.

In Japanese, HONNE (本音) means “true feelings.” It’s a perfect phrase to describe the British future retro synthpop group, who have been delivering smooth romantic vibes since their debut in 2014. Since then, James Hatcher (producer) and Andy Clutterbuck (singer, producer) have released several EPs and two full-length albums, the most recent being 2018’s Love Me / Love Me Not. HONNE also has several world tours under their belt with landmark festivals like Lollapalooza and Coachella, and they have worked with some of the globe’s biggest stars in music. Last year, they co-wrote and produced “Seoul” by RM, a member of Korea’s mega boy band BTS.

Before they jetted off for an Asia tour, HONNE let The Verge rummage through their bags. They were, while surprisingly light, packed with essential travel items for people who are constantly hopping around the world from stage to stage. But also… there are swimming goggles? Here’s what the soulful duo has made sure to have on hand whenever they leave the house.

Let’s talk about your bag.

James: This bag has a lot of compartments, which is something I enjoy a lot for traveling. It’s by a little boutiquey brand called C6. So we got this top zip here with one of my most important items… earplugs! I use these when I fly, when I sleep, just constantly.

Are they a particular kind?

James: No, these were free in a hotel! They’re called the spa collection. Okay, my next item is some noise-canceling headphones. Should I get them out of the bag?

Yes, definitely. What brand are they?

James: Sennheiser. Even if I’m not listening to music, I might put them on. I use them to stop the noise on a plane. Next, is one of the most important items; it is a portable phone charger. This is by RAVPower. You can charge your iPhone 16 times with that bad boy.

16! Wow. That’s great.

James: Okay, the next item is a pair of glasses because my eyes aren’t very good. If I’m very tired and I’m at the airport and I need to see stuff, I need them. They’re by a London brand called Cubitts.

Why do you have goggles?

James: You don’t want to get caught off guard, do you?

No…

James: Without your shorts and goggles.

Do you swim a lot?

Andy: He doesn’t mind getting caught without his shorts! [Laughs]

James: Oh whoops I forgot my shorts! Yeah, so just the goggles. What else do I have? I travel with multiple pairs of earphones and headphones for the plane. So, I’ve got some generic in-ears.

What do you use these for, in particular?

James: Well, actually, I had some custom-molded ones, but I lost them. So I’m using these for the next couple of weeks until the next ones come in. But, I also use them for when you have the plug on the plane. The one on the seat in the handle thing. You can’t use Bluetooth headphones with that, so I have to have a pair with a jack. Actually, I travel with one more pair of Bluetooth headphones as well…

That’s amazing.

James: It’s a bit ridiculous.

Alright so, if you could talk about the backpack itself?

Andy: This was a birthday present, actually, from our friends here at Atlantic Records. They sent it over in the post. I guess it’s an American brand. I don’t really know… it says “STATE Give Back Pack.” I enjoy it because, like James, there are lots of compartments… [Quietly] I can hear my knees cracking.

Aw, there they go!

Andy: Yeah, there they go. So, in this bag, you’ve got the main compartment… good for storing lots of stuff. And you’ve got this front compartment here, and things for your pens.

How much do you guys travel?

Andy: I dunno. In 2017 it was like, six months.

James: Last year, it was probably like four or five.

Andy: So it’s quite important to be able to be organized when going through the airport. You don’t want zips breaking if you have a shoddy bag!

Alright so let’s see what you’ve got…

Andy: I mean, Paracetamol. Do we want to use that? Okay, let’s get started then, shall we? So basically, I’ve got a bag of essential things.

That’s a very nice little pouch.

Andy: It’s quite good isn’t it? It’s from The White Company. This has got earplugs, an eye mask, a little charger for the cable when you’re in your seat on the airplane. And there’s headphones, a toothbrush, and toothpaste. I don’t use that, but it’s in there. There are some little socks and a love letter from my girlfriend.

James: Awww!

That’s awesome. Can I take some of these things out?

Andy: You can, of course. Those earplugs are good. You can mold them however you want. And next, a camera. This is a Fujifilm XT10. It’s a digital SLR, and it’s just great because we’re always away.

What do you mostly do with the pictures?

Andy: We do it for our socials. Like for Instagram and Facebook. But I have so many photos from the last two years, I’m planning on doing a stop motion just to roll through the whole time.

Nice!

Andy: But my computer can’t handle it so it might never ever happen. [Laughs] This one’s exciting for me. It’s a Nintendo Switch. I bought it purely for traveling. I play FIFA. I really tried hard to buy one the evening before we left, but they only had the colorful Joy-Con.

[Connects the Joy-Con to Nintendo Switch] Oh no I broke it!

Andy: Oh, God! [Laughs] What the heck! It’s jammed. Oh, it’s okay. It just clicked back on.

Okay. Whew.

Andy: Have you got these? [Holds up Smint package]

I haven’t seen those.

Andy: One of the best mints around. Actually… definitely not… but really handy. [Laughs]

James: Good dispenser.

The best in dispensing technology.

Andy: And here, I have some sunglasses from a brand called Cutler and Gross.

James: Very nice!

Andy: Very nice, just given them a good clean for you.

James: Very swanky shop, that one!

Andy: What else… Oh yeah, this is good. A HONNE all areas access pass! You can get anywhere with that thing!

James: On the previous tour, we’ve totally changed the pass, which is imminent again in case anyone’s thinking of taking a picture of this.

Oh yeah, to reproduce it.

James: Apparently that’s like a real problem for some bands. They have to like sign something to say they won’t post any images. Our tour manager said one tour he was on, a person in the band put a picture of themselves up, someone printed it out, made a copy of the pass, managed to get backstage and got onstage with the band.

I can see how that would be really easy because it’s flat.

James: Yeah. And as soon as you put anything in like a laminate, it’s like, this is real.

Like a clipboard. Somebody has a clipboard and confidence, they can get in anywhere.

Andy: True! Last but not least is this pen. This pen is from Japan, from a shop called LOFT. It’s like, a department store of some sort.

James: Is that the place we went to last time? With the top floor that has loads of gifts in it and really arty stuff?

Andy: Yeah. And this pen is cool because it’s the first felt-tip pen that you can write with, and then you can just rub it out.

Oooh! Erasable. That’s magic! Do you have a journal?

Andy: No. I did, but actually, it’s not in here. I’ve got one by Moleskine, but I don’t have it with me, I’m afraid. So that’s about it.

Chargers, or any other things that you… ?

Andy: Heck yeah. In this pouch. And a converter. A Sharpie. And… [looks surprised] What’s in here? Wow. I’ve got a torch.

You’re prepared!

James: Why are you carrying a torch around with you? What!

You never know! What if there’s a blackout?

James: Is that your USB thing, that one? [Points to flat card]

Andy: Yeah.

Was that a promo thing?

Andy: We were given it in South Korea, so I don’t know too much about it. It’s from a photo shop called Espionage.

Andy: Cheers, man. How’s that? That good?

That’s great!

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What’s in your bag? is a recurring feature where we ask people to tell us a bit more about their everyday gadgets by opening their bags and hearts to us. This week, we’re featuring rock and electropop band A R I Z O N A.

Zachary Charles, Nate Esquite, and David Labuguen technically have the day off, but that only means from touring. The three, known collectively as A R I Z O N A, are spending the afternoon at New York’s Quad Recording Studios working on a mixdown when The Verge arrives to shuffle through their things. A New Jersey-based band, Zach, Nate, and David started A R I Z O N A in 2015, as a last-ditch effort after years of trying to make it in music. “Fuck this, fuck music, fuck everybody, fuck the industry, everybody sucks, everybody’s terrible,” Zach says about his mentality at the time of the band’s creation. “But,” he proposed, “real quick before we go, do you guys want to make some songs just for fun?”

That decision to come together one last time wound up changing everything for the trio. Within a matter of months, the songs they made under the newly minted A R I Z O N A banner went viral online, they were discovered on Reddit by their current manager, and they signed a major label record deal. The day The Verge is with the band, they’re preparing to play iconic venue Madison Square Garden as part of the tour they just wrapped with Panic! at the Disco. That’s quite a trajectory.

To top things off, A R I Z O N A has just released a new EP titled COLD NIGHTS // SUMMER DAYS. It’s the breezy kind of infectious pop that hooked fans in the first place, with big, watery splashes of reverb, tropical guitar plucks, and a dash of ‘80s production vibes thrown in for good measure. Laissez faire seems to be the winning approach for these three, both in music and in their longtime friendships with each other. And it’s paid off.

Zach: Hey guys I’m Zach.

Nate: I’m Nate.

David: I’m David.

Nate: And with our powers combined, we are A R I Z O N A.

Zach: We literally just got off the bus this morning. The AC broke in the bus two days ago so we’re getting that fixed today, but we have a “day off” [makes quote signals]. We’re working today. We’re in the studio, at Quad.

David: This is where we’ve mixed every A R I Z O N A song.

Zach: Every single one has been mixed in this room right here at Quad.

Who wants to go first?

David: I will. This bag is a 5.11 RUSH 72-hour pack. We’re super into tactical gear, especially because we are on tour and how rugged it is. How long it lasts matters. This is definitely bigger than a regular EDC pack.

I’m sorry, a what?

David: Every day carry pack.

Oh okay.

David: It has everything I need just in case. It’s really cool. There’s three main pockets and there’s smaller pockets inside. I got it on Amazon, where I buy everything nowadays, including food. Zach’s bag is a cheaper version, but at a certain point we were like, we have to go for the real deal.

So let’s start here.

David: These are my life essentials. I’m happy, because everyone’s always like, “Why is your bag so heavy?” So now they’ll know. All that technology.

These USB things are iLok licensers for the software we use, which is why they’re always at the ready. That’s also why I have multiples. The LaCie is a little crap drive. I usually have a whole stack of them, but because we’re on tour I have them in a different case. What I do with the LaCie drives is open them, put an SSD in them, and then re-close them.

Okay, so what does that do?

David: Sometimes it just doesn’t come in the capacity that I want it to. So I’ll buy a Samsung SSD, pop open the LaCie, and put a bigger drive in. I’m just using the case, because it has thunderbolt. Then the black drive is a HGST Western Digital, and this other silver one is made by OWC. And then this is my transport drive which is why it’s green, because I want to know which one is the drive that has all the random stuff on it.

And this the same HGST Western Digital brand. You must like it.

David: Honestly, they were just on sale.

On all of our laptops, I upgraded the SSDs internally. But, because they’re Mac, you have to use a specific enclosure. This is just the backup to my touring rig. I keep it on my person so it’s separate from where the rig goes, because it’s our redundancy. Right now, this LaCie is half personal and half samples.

What kind of samples?

David: Samples for virtual instruments. So like, the piano I play on stage, the synths I play on stage, they’re all coming from my laptop.

Tell me about the earbuds.

David: They are custom molded JH Audio JH16s. Jerry Harvey is basically the guy that invented headphones for stage musicians. They’re just the best-sounding. There’s eight miniature speakers in each ear: four low, two mid, and two high.

Do you have any other headphones?

David: Those are the ones that I’m guaranteed to have on me, unfortunately. The pair of wireless headphones I have been rocking for general use are missing on the bus, but Zach has the same pair.

What kind of phone do you have?

David: I have an iPhone 8 Plus in a case I haven’t removed the backing from, and I stuff random documents in it. I think one is a letter from my girlfriend and the rest are receipts. [Continues removing items] There is another layer of stuff behind all this.

Zach: [shouts from background] That bag probably weighs as much as my dog.

What laptop do you have?

David: This is a third-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro Retina in a UAG Armor case. These cases are a lot of fun because they have these clicky, locky things going on. They won’t open on their own. And because we’re on the road, it’s essential to have protection…

[Shout from background] You can say that again.

David: … especially for production laptops. If it’s the money maker then it should be protected.

[Shout from background] You can say that again.

David: This is just an Amazon power strip I found. I don’t know if you want to photograph this spaghetti situation I have here [points to cables].

Yeah. This is some cord organizing. And looks like there’s dongles and an Anker hub?

David: No, that’s a multi-charger. It’s like, 10 ports because I need 10 ports [snorts]. I’m that guy on the road.

What do you film with the GoPro?

David: Right now, on tour, I’m filming our drummer because he is missing a couple dates. And so for whoever’s filling in, I want to make sure they get the parts nailed down exactly. So I’ve been using the GoPro to record his perspective from the show. We also are getting back into vlogging. We have a video guy on the road with us, but we love holding the GoPro. It’s so tiny and there’s just something fun about interacting with it rather than holding a bulky DSLR or a hardcore video camera.

David: And there’s a flashlight here that’s like, 2,000 lumens. So it’s pretty bright. It’s made by Fenix (PD35). Oh and there’s a Leatherman. And gloves. And a hat. And a water bottle. And that’s it. It’s everything I need.

You’re prepared.

David: Yes. And then over here is more health slash personal stuff. Jewelry. And Kiehl’s lip balm. The A R I Z O N A bracelet… our friend who is a barista at Starbucks makes jewelry and so she made a bunch for us. It’s our local Starbucks and when we walk in everyone says hi. We’re regulars. The Miansai bracelets are from my girlfriend. They latch really weird, and they’re just super cool. I always wear them on stage without fail.

There’s another glasses pocket with two things of lip balm, which are really important to me. And love letters. But we don’t have to show those.

I also have personalized Shinola notebooks. These are fresh books. It’s a pledge that I made to myself that I’m going to do more handwriting. I’m trying to wean off being on the phone so much, especially in the mornings. I feel like if I start my day on social media then I lose like, three hours of peak work time. I’m a morning person. I like to wake up at 6AM. I feel like I peak at 10AM and then I start losing steam around 1:30PM. And that’s the opposite of these guys. They love to be night owls. So, yeah. More analog. Just for the sake of easing my mind.

Then in the back pouch, I always carry a pair of flip flops. I’m Filipino and whenever I’m inside the bus or in a green room, I can’t wear shoes. I just don’t know how people bring shoes into their house. It freaks me out. You know how much stuff is on the street? That’s my Asian upbringing at its finest.

Do you like a particular brand of flip flops?

David: If they’re more than a dollar, they’re not worth it. If they come in a cool color, then they’re worth it.

I’d love to hear about your origin story.

David: Zach and I grew up together. We grew up in the same town. He was like, the other music kid.

We were frenemies. And then basically we ended up having the same mentor, this songwriter and producer named PJ Bianco. He had worked with Demi Lovato and The Jonas Brothers. He used to intern in this studio.

Zach: He was a local as well.

David: We learned how to produce when we were like, 13 or 14 years old. It was always a part of our lives. I ended up going to school in Boston, and Zach ended up in LA. But he would fly back and forth. And in Boston I met Nate, who went to Berkeley. We ended up being roommates and would make music for other people.

Eventually after college I ended up in advertising, working in visual media and post-production. These guys ended up in LA working on music with PJ. We all eventually got super burnt, but we were like, we still love music. A R I Z O N A was our last-ditch effort, where we thought if nobody cares, it’s cool, as long as we did it for ourselves. We never thought anyone would care. We never thought anyone would listen. And now here we are.

And how did you come up with the name A R I Z O N A? I personally find it a really inspiring place.

Zach: It is. But we didn’t know that.

We were in LA, and Dave was still on the East Coast and it was our last strung out era when we were like, cool. Fuck this, fuck music, fuck everybody, fuck the industry, everybody sucks, everybody’s terrible. I’m going to go and become a history teacher and I’m over this whole thing. I don’t give a shit. I need a real life. But real quick before we go, do you guys want to make some songs just for fun. And so we did.

Nate: We were on FaceTime.

Zach: Yeah, Nate and I were on FaceTime with Dave, who was back at home.

David: It was like, four in the morning in Boston. I was working in Avid and all my media went offline. So I’m sitting there and trying to reconnect everything because my deadline is the next morning. I get this FaceTime call. I’m like, ah whatever I’m up anyway. So I pick up and it’s Zach and Nate. They had sent me “Let Me Touch Your Fire.” And I was like, who’s this for, it sounds dope.

Zach: Nate and I had started this idea and it was fun. We all saw the bottom of the pit as we were falling, so we were like, well before we hit we might as well go out on our own way. So, let’s make some jams. During this conversation we decided yes, let’s make this a project. What are we going to call it, though? At the time, Nate was wearing an Arizona iced tea hat and Dave was like, “Dawg, I don’t know man, whatever, no one’s ever going to hear this or care about it. It doesn’t matter what we call it.” He pointed to Nate’s hat and said, “Uh call it Arizona.” He sent it to us in caps all spaced out and was like, “Dude, all these stupid hipster bands are doing this. It’s mad funny.”

In the moment, it was us making fun of musicians using Vs for As and removing vowels and all that dumb shit. When we got done joking around about it, we were sold on the idea of not thinking too much about it.

It’s not meaningful. I think that in itself is the meaning of it. The meaning is whatever comes out of you just let it be what it is and don’t think too much about it. Don’t try to refine it too much. The name, the logo, the whole ethos of what we do, I think, is whatever it is that feels good to us and it’s a thing with the homies. That’s good enough for us.

I love that story.

Zach: It’s funny. The SEO is kind of a similar take on our whole attitude to it because it’s like, how are you going to optimize searching A R I Z O N A? And it’s like, well I think our whole attitude going into A R I Z O N A is we’re either going to make billions of fucking dollars and be the biggest thing in the world, or we’re going to be broke in two years and I’m going to be a history teacher. There’s no middle way. There is no, yeah, we’re cool in 12 years touring in a van like, “We’re still going, dude!” Fuck that. A R I Z O N A is going to work or it’s not going to work. And if it works, trust me you’re going to be able to Google us. And if it doesn’t work, you won’t be able to Google us. And that’s the end of it.

So I think that’s the whole attitude. We’re having fun and having fun affords us the opportunity to do things that we love and that’s all that matters to us.

That’s an incredible goal.

Zach: We’re not really in it for any particular reason. We found out more reasons for it once it got started. When we started going on tour, we connected with individuals that have these stories about what the music does for them.

At the end of the day, I feel weird about it because I don’t want to take credit for that. What the music does for you is what the music does for me, too. The music is something that is a byproduct of all of our friendships and then we get to look at it just as third-person as the people that are consuming it. We are just the messengers, so to speak. When you see how it connects to the world and what it does to people in their lives, it’s not just a joke anymore.

And you included that idea in your video for “Electric Touch,” which was really beautiful.

Zach: Yeah, we wanted to bring attention to that. There are real people out there, going through real things just as we are. A R I Z O N A is about being. It’s okay to just be. It’s about accepting who you are and whatever it is you’re going through. We’re all people. And we were almost at the end of being not people when we started this. It was like, hey, we’re going to give up and be a statistic the rest of our lives. A R I Z O N A was us letting go of the concerns and the worries and trying to be something that let us be everything.

I’d love to hear more about when things started going nuts for you on streaming platforms. Was there a strategy?

Zach: Our manager would send 100 emails a day telling our story to these blogs. And a lot of them were YouTube channel curators. Every now and then, he would maybe get one email back out of 100. When we were ready to release the song “I Was Wrong” he got an email from a blog called MrSuicideSheep, which is one of the biggest YouTube channels for curating music. They decided they wanted to post us. So they did.

It got so big within a couple of days. And this was around the same time that Spotify was starting to have its big upswing. People would find the song on YouTube and all those people would then go and save it on Spotify. So I’m assuming all these saves created this big fat spike on Spotify. We just got a lot of love from streaming, particularly Spotify. Those numbers happened over the course of a couple months. We went from nothing to being signed at the end of the summer. It was weird to see that. Your mind doesn’t catch up to it until… I don’t even know if our minds have really caught up to it yet. Even this day now, doing exactly what we’re doing today is kind of surreal.

What’s your songwriting process?

Zach: It’s just us hanging as homies. We’ll be kicking it and then have a mini therapy session between us friends, catching up on each other’s lives. Out of that usually comes some pretty inspiring talk and then we’ll start jamming on some music. And then we’ll just write a song. It’s a big, long process because we do everything in-house. We do the production, the writing, the mixing, the videos, the branding.

Nate this plastic bag obviously isn’t your everyday bag, but it’s what you have with you right now.

Nate: I have a Pokemon bag. It’s great. It has Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle, Bulbasaur, and Eevee on it. And I Sharpied glasses onto Squirtle. Normally I don’t even carry that much stuff so even if I had my bag with me, it would maybe be a change of clothes, a book, and a phone charger.

What book are you reading right now?

Nate: Currently I’m reading Useless Magic, which is Florence Welch’s collection of lyrics and poetry.

So here we have half of my beef and cheddar sandwich with roasted red peppers. It’s very good. That’s why I wanted to go next, so I can eat the other half. And these are some napkins so I can clean my hands [laughs], and some of my favorite gum flavor, Passionberry Twist.

I would guess that flavor is not easy to find.

Nate: I find it maybe three out of eight times. So today is a good day.

And then there’s your phone. What more do you need other than communication and food?

Nate: Yeah. That’s the iPhone 8 Plus. It’s good for texting and calling my mom.

And what bag is this?

Zach: So I have two main bags. My other main bag is the 5.11 RUSH24. This is the Reebow bag, which is the more economical version. This is a 48-hour bag? It’s a little bit bigger. I took the Reebow on the road because I haven’t gotten my larger 5.11 yet. This thing has been through every tour that I’ve ever been on in the past two years and it’s gotten beat up a lot and it’s still trucking, so not bad for the price point.

Zach: Mine’s not as organized as Dave’s. This is my headphone bag for these little guys here. These are the Sennheiser HD1s. They are Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones. They just sent us these and they’re literally the most amazing things ever.

Then there’s rope, batteries, and the compass necklace we used for the cover of GALLERY. It’s also an actual compass. There’s a little note songwriting pad. My passport with a J.Crew cover. And a Tile, to keep track of my bag.

How long have you used Tile?

Zach: About a year now. I have a bunch of them. I’m the worst, so I always have to check where stuff is.

Then there’s some instant coffee. That’s a big one. And this is sort of like a hygiene slash first aid kit with antacids and whatever. Deodorant. A flashlight. Hand sanitizer.

What’s in here?

Zach: Oh, cables and a USB hub.

What’s this thing? It’s by… Chicken? It’s called Fuse Chicken?

Zach: Yeah, it’s great. Our manager got it for me. It’s a metal charging cable. Then there’s an Apogee Duet. That’s our audio interface for the road. And Sharpies, Velcro cable ties, and an Anker battery pack.

What mouse is this?

Zach: That’s the Razer DeathAdder Elite. That goes with my gaming rig because I am a huge fucking gamer. I have these two laptops.

Let’s talk about your gaming laptop.

Zach: I just got it. It’s a custom-built Sager. I ordered it from Xotic PC, which is a third-party retailer, but they do commissioned custom builds. It’s a good build. It’s got the i7-8750H, the NVIDIA GTX 1070, 8GB of RAM, and 144Hz refresh rate. Shit’s pretty tight. A 15-inch screen so it’s nice and portable. I use it with the Razer DeathAdder Elite and Firefly hard mat. And I have a little lav mic so I can talk to my homies when I’m playing.

What’s your favorite game?

Zach: I play a lot of PUBG and Fortnite for casual stuff. I play a lot of Arma. Basically anything and everything. I like streaming a lot. We have a Twitch. It’s twitch.com/thebandnotthestate, so if anyone wants to watch me play some fucking Fortnite, I’m out here.

Then this is my 15-inch Macbook Pro, which is what we do most of our work stuff on, whether it’s music or media. This is an iPad with some of our original stickers on it. This is fan stuff that I got. One girl got me a box of Cheez-Its because she knows I love Cheez-Its. She wrote a note on the box. This was at a show in Boston sometime in the past two years.

What are your essentials in this bag?

Zach: You never know when you’re going to need Velcro and rope. But personally speaking, I think my gaming rig. And the HD1s.

[Voice shouting in background] Did you tell them about the Ace pads?

Zach: Oh yeah. I had a very special moment in my life involving the bar at the Ace Hotel in London. So the Ace Hotel notepads I have currently are from the one in LA because those were the ones readily available. But I just love the stationery and because of my experience, it’s one of my weird personal inspiration things. I like writing songs on the Ace Hotel stationary. They heard the story and sent us a bunch of it.

We have to look up the story now!

Zach: You’re not going to find the story. The answer is essentially why GALLERY got written.

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