Jett Witchalls of Self Improvement: "I Have a Deep Fear of the White Picket Fence"

On their sophomore album Syndrome, Long Beach's Self Improvement confront the chaos of the present with their tightly wound, politically urgent brand of post-punk. Recorded between early 2023 and spring 2024 at Wiggle World, which barely survived the recent LA wildfires, the record feels both timely and dislocated, shaped by both crisis and collaboration. Built around spiraling guitar lines, nervy high-strung rhythms, and Jett Witchalls biting, speak-sing vocals, Syndrome is a restless collage of sound and sentiment, blurring genre lines while delivering incisive commentary on identity, gender, and cultural decay. It’s also the product of a deepening collaborative process within the band, aided by producer Dylan Hadley and engineer Spencer Hartling, whose experimental textures expand the group’s sonic palette. Ahead of the album’s release, Witchalls spoke with us about the volatile emotions behind Syndrome and how confronting societal norms, both musically and personally, has shaped her voice.

Hot Sounds: Where did you grow up and what was the local scene like? What sort of records or books/magazines would we find if we would travel back in time in your teenage room?

Jett Witchalls: I grew up in South London on Brixton Hill. The music scene there was mostly RnB, jazz, grime, ska, Dub, reggae, brit pop, trip hop. That’s what I remember anyway. My dad and uncle were the ones that showed me bands like New York dolls, Black Sabbath, Joy Division, Bauhaus, Frank Zappa, etc. My parents liked to go to shows a lot and had a lot of tapes and CDs of various genres for me to explore. My uncle had a bunch of Face magazines so I would read them as a kid and find music from there too like stone roses and PJ Harvey. At the time we didn’t have cable so I wouldn’t have seen them on MTV. My first tapes I was given when I was 6/7ish was Donna Summers and Nirvana. I remember playing them over and over again in my room. I still listen to music like that sometimes like just the same song over and over again till I hate it for months. My gran and grandad loved Hank Williams, Beach boys, Rolling Stones and ABBA. Other magazines I read included

Kerrang!, Dazed and Confused and ID (expensive so would usually get them for Xmas or something). I liked a lot of terrible music as a teenager and wasn’t very cool. I did discover bands like Wire, Alice Bag and Germs when YouTube became a thing and that was a better direction for me than the shit I had been punishing my brain with but it wasn’t till I came to America at 20 that I really started getting a more vast array of influences and broadening my tastes. I got into a lot of stuff pretty late honestly. Actually skate videos ended up being one of the best ways to find music. That’s how I found Suburban Lawns. I don’t even skate, I just had a lot of friends that did so I’d mostly be down to watch to get new music.

HS: How exactly did you join Self Improvement during the pandemic and what has that experience been like the few years? How would you say the group has evolved since?

JW: Jonny [Reza] left a demo him and Pat [Moonie] did on the computer so I was bored and didn’t like the music I was making so I tried doing vocals over their demo, thinking it would get majorly rejected and cringed at. But Jonny listened to it and was surprisingly excited about it. He Showed Pat. They both asked me to be the vocalist. Super unexpected and Flattering. The experience has been life changing for me. When I started the band I was super depressed, lonely and never thought I’d be able to get up on stage. The first few times we played my hands went numb and I couldn’t look at the crowd. Sometimes I would even close my eyes. Playing shows, I’ve met a lot of amazing ppl and I’ve been lucky I havnt really encountered any cool guy shite. Everyone’s been really nice so far in the LA music scene we’re in. I’m sure the pretentious, dismissive pricks are out there but I’ve been lucky enough to not have to deal with them so far. I’m not sure how it’s evolved. I guess having live drums after a few shows of drum machine was a game changer. We already had Dylan Hadley on the record but meeting Reuben [Kaiban] was one of the best things to come out of starting this band. We knew straight away he was the right fit. Reuben actually just moved onto second guitar and now we have our friend Vinny [Earley] who has been in bands for a long time playing drums. Maybe that will make our shows sound more full. We’ll see.

HS: What can you tell me about your upcoming album Syndrome and what insight can you share about how and where it was recorded? What were some of the highlights putting it together?

JW: Working with Spencer Hartling again at Wiggle World plus Dylan Hadley felt right. They both are very involved and direct. All the different influences in the room I think made for a more unique sound. Although that would be for other people to determine I guess. I think both Spencer and Dylan have good attention to detail. I think recording in general can be tense sometimes but it’s also one of the funnest parts about being in a band and making music. It takes a lot of patience but it’s also exciting and rewarding when you feel you’ve executed your vision.

HS: The press release described it as a "collaborative pastiche." What does that kind of collective process allow you to express that a more traditional songwriting structure might not?

JW: Embarrassingly I had to look up what collaborative pastiche meant. I think that’s a great way to describe the intent and the process. Having different influences that you may not have envisioned having a part in molding the record is so important. If you’re listening to the same things/ the same genres I feel like the work is more likely to sound like a carbon copy of something.

HS: The record was made at Wiggle World, which barely survived the LA wildfires. How do you feel hearing these songs after the fires? 

JW: Wiggle world did barely survive the fires yes. That’s Spencer’s lively hood and he’s put so much effort into creating that space so the idea of that being destroyed was very upsetting. The most devastating part of all of that obviously the loss of lives and homes. We’re glad he’s okay. I guess that does make the record feel extra special in an appreciative sense. I’m glad, that when they get back on their feet, more bands will get the pleasure of recording there.

HS: How does Syndrome build on or break away from what you did on Visible Damage, musically, lyrically, or even in terms of energy? 

JW: I think Syndrome is maybe a little more angry and political whereas Visible Damage was more self reflective and tongue and cheek. There’s still elements of both in the records but yeah just rationed out differently.

HS: Your vocal performances on Syndrome move between tenderness and confrontation especially between tracks "Scam" and "I Grew Up Here." How do you navigate that emotional range when writing and performing?

JW: I think the songs structures especially vocally are written kind of just how our brains work. Bouncing between feelings and thoughts, some more rapidly than others.

HS: On the opening cut, "Settle Down," you tackle the pressure placed on "marriage-age" women. What led you to explore that theme so directly?

JW: When writing "Settle Down" I was reflecting on where society expects me as a woman to be. I have a deep fear of the white picket fence. I was reflecting also on how the education system, at least from what I experienced, instilled this pressure of societal norms and need to succeed from an early age but they also did so many things to derail us from success and stability. Lots of predators in secondary schools unfortunately.

HS: There’s a kind of sermon-like clarity to your lyrics on the lead single "Scam." Do you approach certain songs almost like essays or manifestos?

JW: Sometimes songs are written like obscure poems on a whim. Other times they have been bred out of a kind of essay or detailed account about an experience or thought and then broken down into something more abstract or direct.

HS: "Run" feels like a classic Self Improvement with its breathless momentum. Can you talk about where that track came from and what you were channeling while writing or recording it?” 

JW: "Run" I didn’t think was going to get used in the record. I kind of just wrote it for fun. The first lyric is a quote from the Book of Mormon. Had just watched a few movies/tv shows that had dystopian themes or end of the world story lines. Thought they weren’t far off from reality and so that was the inspiration really.

HS: Is there anything you want listeners to feel or think about after spending time with this record?  

JW: The listeners can pull whatever they want from the record. I just hope they feel something from it. Bad or good. Indifference is the thing we’re trying to avoid.

HS: Aside from the new album, what are some future plans for you and Self Improvement?

JW: Future plans…we just really want to tour and keep making music. I hope we can do that and I hope it stays light and fun. We’ve never really had huge expectations. We just enjoy playing music and getting to play live is a very special kind of adrenaline rush that at this moment in time we couldn’t do without.

HS: Any final words or thoughts you'd like to share with readers and fans of Self Improvement?

JW: I don’t write lyrics for other people. I’m writing what feels genuine for me. If people don’t agree with the sentiment then that’s fine. The idea is not to feel preachy or come across pretentious. If you relate to any of the content…Amazing. If you don’t care for the lyrics, I hope you can get what you need out of what the guys are providing. I think dynamically they are doing something special. Also very excited about the art for the sleeve as Tim [Presley] is not only a friend and lovely human being but we respect his art and music very much and are honored he was down to have his painting be the cover of the record.

Syndrome is out June 13th on Feel It Records.