Words by Willa Rudolph
Yesterday, Monday, wasn’t so bad because NYC-DIY faves Victoria Winter of shower curtain and Addie Warnckle of Computerwife released an indie, trippy remix of the shower curtain track “starpower” from their record words from a wishing well which saw release in October 2024.
The music video, directed and edited by Victoria Winter and shot by Addie Warnckle and Victoria Winter, follows two girls who’s lives seem to be tangentially intertwined, if only by shared interests or maybe by some cosmic link between the two, an invisible string. Victoria explains, “I’m really into story driven videos, and I knew I wanted to do something with twins (I don’t know why that image kept coming to my mind) and kind of liminal spaces, because I know Addie is fascinated by them, too. So I built out a story of two girls having the ‘starpower’ around the general mood I envisioned for the song. The storyline itself is more abstract, but I think there is a motif with all our songs about signs and mysticism, and pairs. I think the song is mainly about seeking a greater meaning to your life and pondering the purpose of what you do, so the girls kind of come together to do a ritual that is bringing those answers.”
The original song is a charging guitar riff with bass climbing up and down along with it, Victoria’s soft voice oscillating on either side. Dissonant and grungy breakdowns and dark, yet dreamy vocals characterize the catchy track.
The remix really takes the song to another realm– the Computerwife realm, that is. Crunchy drum tracks and twinkling chimes add to the already dreamy quality of the song. Although, Addie brings a kind of levity to “starpower,” and suddenly the track sounds more uplifting than the original, which sounds a little more dejected. Both versions are great, and it’s always so fun to see how one persons’ art through another artist’s lens can change the nature of the work.
Vic, what was the creative process behind writing “starpower” / what is it about?
VICTORIA: This is actually the only song on the record that Ethan came up with the guitar progression himself and brought it to me to work on it and add lyrics. All other shower curtain songs I bring a first progression for him to add. The song is about comparing yourself to your peers and the competitive nature of the art world that can swallow you.
Why did y’all pick this song in particular to remix?
ADDIE: When I first heard the album all the way through, “starpower” was the standout track. I just really liked the darkness and intensity of it. Envy is one of the emotions I was struggling with wrapping my head around the most during that time, so I connected with the energy of the song immediately.
VICTORIA: For everyone who remixed the record, I wanted to let them have full control of what song to pick and how to execute the remix.
Addie, what was your creative process in remixing this song? What inspired you the most about it?
ADDIE: Whenever I work with other people I try to use their influences to direct my process– sort of like inputting their data into my experiment/algorithm lol. I think about art very scientifically when I begin any new project. When I’m done, I zoom out and let myself feel it, to make sure the spirit of the work matches what I feel in my soul– which is the scary part because that’s always changing. I usually start with a playlist of songs that I wish I could make and try to begin drawing tiny elements from each song — tempos, time signatures, sounds, chords, riffs, melodic movement, mixing techniques, etc. I let each element I add change the direction of the song ’til it becomes a unique entity. I asked her to make the playlist to draw from which is here:
I’ve never remixed a song before, and I was inspired by the feeling that every work of art can be used and changed eternally. Art is never truly done; we reach a point where we’ve done what we can and we get inspired by other works and experiences we have in life. Passing your art to another person directly allows the art to continue the process of its own transformation. If anyone uses any element of this remix then the process will continue. And when I think about it that way it reminds me that everything anyone has ever made is connected to each other.
What’s your favorite thing about collaborating with one another?
ADDIE: We are friends and I can trust her. We can talk about life and laugh while we work. She’s super organized and driven, while still keeping things DIY and avoiding an unnecessarily complicated production, which can totally kill the art. Her ideas are straightforward and beautiful, so they work well and she works very hard.
VICTORIA: Addie has such amazing taste and sensibilities, I love getting a peek into her own artistic world, she has such great ideas and I think our vibes overlap in the best way possible. It was truly one of the most fun video shoots we had; it just felt like the usual, hanging out with each other. I loved seeing her put her own spin on the song.
“starpower” lyrics:
Makes me wanna go back into hiding,
I don’t wanna feel unless I’m drowning.
Everybody else resents the fighting,
finding in my self secluded envy.
Slowing down, finding ways to come around.
All the time you spent rotting inside me,
I don’t know if things will ever change,
Focus on myself, don’t look away.
Everybody’s friend is not the same.
Leaving me to give it up
bounded by the things I felt in,
Complicated bending feelings,
I want it all.
I want it more.
The things you said living in my head,
Give me what you have, give me what you have.
Makes me wanna go back into hiding,
I don’t know if things will ever change.
Focus on myself don’t look away,
Everybody’s friend is not the same.
Picking up my things along the way,
home inside my head is not the same.
The things you said living in my head,
Give me what you have (I want it)