Words by Ariya Lily Arshadi-Cunningham, Photos by Elissa Mentesana, Coral (cover photo) & kc
On December 11th, 2024, NYC indie-rock band Double Standard played a secret set at Arlene’s Grocery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. A name as fitting for the music as it is for the industry itself! I was lucky enough to sit down with them afterwards for a conversation about their momentous past few months. (See below)
Double Standard’s live show is a testament to the power of feminine energy and musical chemistry. They are a sleepover, a pillow fight, crying on each other’s shoulders. They are glittery nail varnish as you hold your middle finger in the air.
Photos by Coral & kc
The five-piece band, comprised of Lauren Dinhofer (lead guitar), Siena Moran (rhythm guitar, vocals), Meg Cournoyer (drums), Zoe Arora (bass), and Lydia Eberling (vocals), delivered a high-energy performance that was both beautiful and angsty–much like the transitional period of girlhood to womanhood.
Their alternative rock sound melded well with Lydia’s angelic vocals. The guitar work was definitely worth writing home about, particularly during the moments when Lauren and Siena played each other’s guitars as they remained slung over the owner’s shoulder. They did this both on the first song and the last, switching positions. It bookended the show with their tension-filled playfulness and comfortability with one another.
The setlist was well-crafted, the majority being sparkling angsty tracks and one slower, more introspective song. That song was “To Maine,” which featured a stunning four-part harmony at its conclusion. The lyrics “I hate most everything but you,” sung in unison, were hauntingly beautiful. The sounds seeped into the cracks of each audience members’ once broken hearts, now glued together as part of the unified experience of being in the audience. But the lyrics seeped into those cracks, nonetheless!
Throughout the performance, Double Standard exuded confidence and camaraderie, making for a truly compelling live show. If you’re hyped to be a member of the Alternative Nation, Double Standard is definitely worth checking out! See my interview with them below:
Your guys’ Halloween show was your second show and had a huge turn out. What made you want to do this ‘Secret Show’?
LYDIA: It was less of a decision and more of just us wanting to play a low stakes show, and Carl, who this show was for, was our recording engineer. So that’s why Dan, the Arlene’s booker, reached out to us. We didn’t want to promote it because we just played on Halloween and we’re also gonna play a show in the new year, post release of a new song. That’s why we didn’t really want to promote it a ton online…just have friends and fam come and have a good time. So it was more of “Let’s fuck around and play!” We haven’t really had a low stakes show. The first show felt like a lot of pressure because it was our first time coming out as a band. Our Halloween show felt like a lot of pressure because it was a big venue, we were playing with Phoneboy, and we wanted to pull our weight as the openers.
“Crush” really took off, especially as a first release. Has that been a transformative experience for you guys and has that altered your band’s dynamic?
MEG: Hell fucking yeah, man! That’s a transformative experience as fuck!
ZOE: Whether we had been in music for a long time or not, that was our first time doing that and it was sick. All the streams have been crazy.
MEG: Yeah, it was the mentality that we were living in where we were like “We already are famous…to us.” So it makes sense that people are gonna tap in, and if anything, it’s just brought us closer as a band, knowing that we can make something together and have results be shown through numbers.
LAUREN: I’ll say something that I haven’t said to anyone here yet. I’ve made music alone in my room, during COVID I learned how to produce, and released these really not professionally done DIY tracks that had a few people listening. But then being in a band with other people–and I’m going to quote Lydia–“We are bigger than the sum of our parts.” I think dynamic shifting wise, I’ve become more and more grateful for the four girls around me.
Photos by Coral
Despite being a newer band, are there any challenges you’ve already had to face as a girl band in a male dominated industry?
MEG: I think the indie music scene in New York is very male dominated, and even though there are plenty of amazing female lead acts, people don’t really make the effort to seek them out. People are just constantly surrounding themselves with people who are exactly like them, the same all-guy bands are taking the same bands on tour with them and shouting out the same people.
People are always talking about how the New York City rock scene is alive and well, and then they name 5 white guy bands. There are critics that will say everything sounds the same, but maybe if they expanded to all the other acts that are very much here, alive, and well, they would be getting a much more diverse experience. People always act really shocked when we’re good. Even if they think they’re being super complementary, there’s always this undertone of shock. “Like your guitarist is SO good!” “You’re a GIRL band?” “You’re ACTUALLY really good!” Why would they not just be like “You guys are really awesome.”
Photo by Elissa Mentesana
SIENA: I think because I was making music alone for so long, when I experienced the maleness of it all, it was always a white man wanting to make music with me. In those collaborative spaces, there was always this air of ‘they know more’.
What’s the most empowering message that you want femmes or non-men listeners to take away from your music?
LYDIA: Just exist and be confident in what you’re doing.
ZOE: Lydia once said it’s just kind of all about our ‘fuck ass personality’. Come out and do the thing.
What’s the most humorous or memorable moment you guys have shared as a band?
SIENA: I actually have to sit and think about this. You guys are fucking fools all the time.
LYDIA: We’re here with the director of our first music video for ‘Crush’, Trillium Bentley, and she included a lot of really fun “Easter eggs” in the video. There’s a portion of the music video where we’re in a bathroom and the amazing production design team put up wallpaper in the bathroom. Then, we spent like 30 minutes, in the middle of shooting the video, writing on the walls. If you screenshot the video and zoom in, some of the funniest shit ever is on the walls. A lot of it is very referential. I took pictures of each one just so I could sit at home and laugh at them.
Do you guys have any pre-show rituals?
LYDIA: We do a fun little handshake before we start every set. We make a star with our fingers and then scissor them to really hammer home the vibe.
SIENA: For the Halloween show, we did breathing exercises which was actually really helpful because we were freaking the fuck out.
MEG: My therapist taught me those!
Photos by Elissa Mentesana
What can we expect from you guys in 2025?
SIENA: Wait, what can I say? Well, we are going to be releasing our project. We will be doing a lot of writing for our next thing so be fucking scared. Scared for our world takeover. [laughs]
LAUREN: Playing more shows… expanding the DSCU (Double Standard Cinematic Universe).
LYDIA: We wanna have a DS Drag Ball, and we’re putting out some songs. Like, right after the New Year, there may be another song and video. I’m looking at our director right now.
Double Standard is definitely a band to keep your eyes on right now. Keep up with them via their Instagram DOUBLE STANDARD (@doublestandardtheband) for new releases and updates.