Review Fix Exclusive: Trope’s Diana Studenberg Talks ‘Shout’ And More

Review Fix chats with Trope’s Diana Studenberg, who discusses her origin in music, creative process and new Tears For Fears cover, “Shout.”

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Diana Studenberg: I got involved in music from a young age, when I was about 8 I sang in the school choir. At 16 I took my first voice lesson and joined my first rock band. When I was out of the womb, my mom played a lot of Michael Jackson, Gypsy Kings, Toni Braxton, and some Arabic music, and my dad played a lot of Kris Kristofferson, Rolling Stones, Spanish rap, and Enrique Iglesias. I think this concoction of styles and genres wired my brain funny and gave me a wide selection of inspiration and influence in music.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Studenberg: Usually, it starts with a nagging idea that evolves over time into something that inspires me to sit down and want to work on it. Other times it’ll be from a strong idea the band comes up with, and I’ll sit with that and we’ll work on arrangements etc. The only constant is that Trope songs really take a minute, the approach to crafting is very meticulous and the different polyrhythms and time signatures really create a lot of work in getting the music to feel natural and seamless, so you’re not ‘hearing’ the math, if that makes sense.

Review Fix: What inspires you?

Studenberg: Situations that induce feelings of implosion are the most inspiring… my only proven way through those have been through writing. Great songs can sometimes inspire too- listening to some of my favorite artists or hearing something on the radio, or in a grocery store, I sometimes tune into or hear things that aren’t always present in the song, but somehow might inspire a melody. Again, those little ear worm ideas can nag away for a few days until I just have to scratch that itch and respond to it.

Review Fix: What does music mean to you?

Studenberg: I think the beautiful thing about music is that within it lies the meaning. What I mean is, the music is a by-product of THAT feeling of what it means and transcends language, or any accurate hope at explaining it. I think both the results and impetus of music are important. Personally, I find a lot of joy in listening back to the creative process, what comes out of the speakers can soothe the voices or excite. The hope is that if it’s healing for me or helpful maybe it will be for others.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Studenberg: I’d probably start by mentioning a few influences and bands that we have been likened to. Many have said Tool, Incubus, A Perfect Circle and some other prog bands including Karnivool. It’s interesting I’ve gotten quite a few comparisons to Amy Lee/Evanescence which I personally can’t hear as the vocal ranges are really different in the music and our band is definitely less polished in the pop-rock sense. Adding to the band likenesses, I’d tell them it’s drum and bass heavy with polyrhythms, wide guitars, and lots of melody. I would also mention a 90’s influence in the music, with modern progressive elements.

Review Fix: How are your live shows different from your studio work?

Studenberg: The studio work was extremely meticulous, specific, precise and worked almost to perfection. The live shows have certain parts that are jams, like the beginning of our set is a few minutes long noodle fest before the bass player starts the riff for ‘Lambs’ The drum solos are always different in songs like Pareidolia and Breach, so there is new elements every night that are never repeated. The songs keep their arrangement as heard on the record though, that doesn’t change. Maybe after we play them thousands of times we might throw in a reggae or jazz version of Shout. :)

Review Fix: What inspired your latest single?

Studenberg: Personally I’ve always loved Tears for Fears and I heard Shout a few years back and it really stuck with me. We massaged it into what you hear now with stripping back electronic elements and replacing them with the lowest common denominator in the form of drums, bass and guitar. We wanted to create a vibe with Shout, as the original has such a vibe to it also. 

Review Fix: Why cover Tears for Fears?

Studenberg: Tears for Fears are such unbelievable songwriters. If you read the lyrics alone to their songs, they’re absolutely timeless, so emotionally relevant and resonant.. I think they’re just incredible. They describe the human condition in ways that are extremely honest and poetic, and their melodies are amazing.  

Review Fix: What are your goals for the rest of 2020?

Studenberg: It would be to tour as much as possible. We’re supposed to tour in September in the UK, but will have to see how the world looks. People’s safety is extremely important.. Hopefully we can get to the point where live music can be enjoyed comfortably and without fear. Other than that, it’s to crack the first Trope song of album 2 writing-wise. Also to write with other artists and for TV and film. I also act/voice-act, so expanding that realm will be fun and fulfilling.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Studenberg: More music! We’ll be releasing another single in the next few months, and I think just continuing to release music till the album is out or all the songs are out as singles. It’s a very different world now music wise, so I think regular content is important. I heard that 40,000 songs get released daily to Spotify. The market has never been so saturated, but I think and have hope that good music finds an audience.