Start Listening To: Dutch Interior
Dutch Interior on friendship, fragmented nostalgia, and finding their sound on Moneyball.
Dutch Interior might be a new name to some, but the Los Angeles/Long Beach-based band has been making music together for years. Formed by six lifelong friends, Conner Reeves, Hayden Barton, Shane Barton, Jack Nugent, Noah Kurtz, and Davis Stewart, the group has steadily honed their sound across multiple self-released albums. Now, with their upcoming record Moneyball, their first on Fat Possum, they’re ready to introduce themselves to a wider audience. Their music is rooted in a deep friendship, shaped by shared experiences, late-night recording sessions, and an affection for fragmented, nostalgic moments. We caught up with the band to talk about the making of Moneyball, the significance of their Long Beach roots, and what’s next as they prepare for a packed touring schedule, including a stop at SXSW.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
We’re called Dutch Interior, we’re a music project of six lifelong friends based in Los Angeles/Long Beach, and we make alternative rock. Our names are Conner Reeves, Hayden Barton, Shane Barton, Jack Nugent, Noah Kurtz, and Davis Stewart.
Your debut album Moneyball is coming out soon. How does this record capture who Dutch Interior is at this moment?
(Jack) Moneyball is technically our third record, but our first being put out on a record label (Fat Possum). It’s taken us a few records to come into our sound—Moneyball is probably the closest iteration of how we want to present the band to the world. It’s our most intentional record yet.
You’ve described yourselves as “internalised romantics” drawn to fragmented moments, how does that approach shape your songwriting?
(Conner) As both a writer and a listener, I find unexpected moments/images grab my attention more than traditional lyrical subjects. I think this sensibility stands for every writer in the band, which adds to the cohesion of our songs when they’re placed in sequence on a record.
Each member seems to bring a different voice and style to the band. How do you balance those individual perspectives while keeping a sense of cohesion?
(Noah) Cohesion comes naturally because of our proximity to each other as friends—we share a lot of the same interests and influences and it’s really inspiring seeing them filtered through each songwriter’s voice. Cohesion also comes from the writing process not being finished until a song is given over to the band to be transformed into a Dutch Interior song. (Davis) It’s easy because we’re friends first and a band second.
“Fourth Street” references a place that’s been central to your history as a band. What does that street and that time in your lives mean to you now?
(Jack) Fourth Street is in reference to a neighborhood in Long Beach where Noah, Davis, and I lived while me and Davis were finishing School at Cal State Long Beach. It’s where we lived during Covid, and the bubble around our apartment became our whole world for a while. We all felt bored during lockdown so Conner brought his tape machine over and we started recording songs (what would be our first record, Kindergarten) on the floor of the apartment with the people that would eventually come to comprise Dutch Interior. Hayden and Shane lived down the street at the time, and Conner would stay over a lot, so it's right to say that that part of Long Beach germinated the band. We have spread out since, Davis and Noah living in northeast LA, and me, Conner, and Hayden near Fourth Street. Shane still lives down the street.
The video for “Fourth Street” uses childhood footage to explore nostalgia and loss. What drew you to that concept, and how does nostalgia factor into your Music?
(Davis) There’s never going to be anything new ever again. Culture’s dead, and all we have are our memories to add context to our lives. Noah’s earnest lyrics really landed with me in this respect, so I arranged the video concept to connect the song to the above sentiment.
You recorded Moneyball in your self-made Long Beach studio. How did that DIY environment influence the album’s sound and feel?
(Conner) One of the most important things for us is not having any undue pressure or obligation to finish recording within a certain timeframe. Great and unexpected ideas come out in an unregulated environment where everyone is comfortable and not worried about following dead ends.
Your music shifts between indie rock, alt-country, and ambient elements. Was there a particular sonic vision for Moneyball, or did it evolve naturally?
(Shane) It evolved Naturally. We just record the songs we think are keepers and don’t pay a ton of attention to cohesion until it comes down to making a track list.
You worked with Phil Ek on mixing, who’s been behind albums for Modest Mouse, Fleet Foxes, and Duster. What was it like collaborating with him?
(Conner) One of the coolest parts about working with Phil was how casually he interacted with me. The first day he started working on the record, he called me while I was at work and started joking around with me immediately. He’s the most professional person we’ve ever worked with, but also the most unprofessional person we’ve ever worked with (in a good way). We’re also huge, huge fans of his work. A lot of the stuff he’s worked on are albums that have influenced us greatly as songwriters. We learned so much from his input while mixing Moneyball, and we will bring what we learned to our next project. Phil has an open invite to be the seventh member of Dutch Interior.
“Fourth Street” is described as a simple Americana rock song with a cathartic ending. How do you decide when a song needs to stay raw and when to push its structure further?
(Conner) We always strive to keep our songs as stripped back as possible. Only when it isn’t working that way will we push the song structure further. A good song is a good song.
Dutch Interior feels like a very collaborative band. What’s the most surprising way a song has changed from its original demo to the final version?
(Hayden) Ecig, definitely. It was written and recorded multiple times as a slowcore song before Conner spontaneously started playing it fast (we even played the slow version live a few times). The composition immediately transformed, seemingly of its own accord, into the song we released. All the parts came together in that very first run through as if they were writing themselves.
You’ve got a packed North American tour coming up, including SXSW. What are you most looking forward to about bringing these songs to a live audience?
(Jack) The songs on Moneyball have a way wider range than those on our last records, so playing them live is super fun. They’re also far more challenging to play which keeps things stimulating. I think they will land well with the audience.
The album title Moneyball is interesting. What’s the significance behind that Name?
(Davis) We wanted to call it the exact amount of money we were advanced by our label, but we were advised not to do that, so we settled on Moneyball.
What do you love right now?
(Shane) I think I speak for the whole band when I say Dungeons and Dragons.
What do you hate right now?
(Whole band) The direction this country is headed.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?
(Noah + Conner in unison) The Eagles Greatest Hits.
With Moneyball about to be released, what’s next for Dutch Interior? Any dream collaborations or future plans in the works?
(Hayden) What we’re most looking forward to is recording the next record. Touring in North America and Europe in the coming months is also super exciting :)
