Cool people like cool things, which is why we asked cool person Dylan Chenfeld to come on Perfectly Imperfect & redistribute his good taste.

Dylan Chenfeld is the singer & frontman of the exciting NYC-based band, Rebounder, whose infectious blend of indie rock and pop has been creating a lot of buzz. At the end of June, they put out a brand new single featuring Jesse Rutherford of The Neighbourhood called “Change Shapes”, which is about “the idea that you are allowed to change how you feel, look, express yourself, and that it’s not all so rigid”. Rebounder is headlining their first show ever (with Toledo and Sedona opening) on August 9th at Elsewhere, you can buy tickets here (I’ll be there!). Dylan has great taste and lucky for us, he’s here to talk about what he’s been into.

Without further ado

Dylan Chenfeld (instagram, twitter, spotify)

📚The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America - Daniel J. Boorstin

You know how there are some people you meet, and after meeting them, you begin to see them everywhere? They were always there, but once you know their name or their face, you realize just how present they already were in your life? This book is a bit like that for me. It’s not super niche, but for a book published in ‘62, its predictions couldn’t have been more spot-on. Once you read it, everything it outlines and describes just emerges in your everyday life.  Boorstin coined the term “Pseudo-Events” — [ an event arranged or brought about merely for the sake of the publicity it generates] and it’s endlessly relevant in an era of constant openings, launch parties, etc.  Maybe you’re reading this on your way to a Pseudo-Event, maybe you are a human pseudo-event.

🛹 Skateboard with longboard wheels

I’ve been skating forever, but about two years ago I got a new studio space that is pretty far from the nearest..anything. Around that time, a guy got really drunk at my local bodega and left his skateboard there. They held it for me the next day and gave it to me as a gift for not being a rude customer, and I began living life as a boy with two boards. Since I was moving into a new studio, I thought I’d leave the board @ the studio for any coffee runs. It’s a lifesaver. I threw risers underneath the trucks and big longboard wheels on it, and now I can cruise to the coffee shop really fast. I can’t go back and ride those loud little wheels anymore. Once you try this, that shit just isn’t fun. 

◻️ 👕 Hanes white t shirts in the secondary location

I’ve been traveling more and I hate carrying extra stuff. I took two pairs of pants, some socks, underwear, and two packs of hanes white t shirts and tank tops and left them at an undisclosed location in Los Angeles. When I fly in for less than a few days, I just ride with them and don’t really pack clothes. Sadly, I have to bring a laptop (I’m a producer, and ableton is essential for trips when I’m making music), but at least the bag is lighter. I dream of traveling without a computer…Soon I’ll get there. 

🧊 ☕ Jot “Ultra” Iced Coffee

If you were to add up the amount of money I’ve spent on iced coffee … it is a shameful amount. My dear friend Ethan Mark put me onto this wave of instant coffee and, though it hasn’t replaced deli coffee in my heart, it tastes great and has its own vibe. I usually hit a bodega coffee in the am then hit this mid-day. I don’t have a coffee maker or any cooking/food equipment stuff in the house. This shit— you literally add water and milk, which is, at full capacity, the absolute most I have in the crib. So it really works out. I’ll note that at no point throughout the year will I drink hot coffee, it is iced 365.

🎵 Nancy Sinatra - Start Walkin’ 1965-1976

We’re living through a bit of a Nancy Sinatra renaissance, which is a lovely thing to live through. You hear her influence stretch from Lana Del Rey to Arctic Monkeys, and as time goes on she keeps getting namechecked by more and more artists. 

She’s definitely having a moment. I heard her playing in a vintage store yesterday, and I feel like that wouldn’t have happened a few years ago. 

But acts like her can have so much material that it seems daunting or insurmountable to make the deep dive into the catalog. I mean, everyone knows the ‘Nancy & Lee’ record, but she has so many incredible songs with really intricate horn arrangements and some innovative approaches to bass that were way ahead of their time. 

This collection isn’t the aforementioned deep dive she deserves, but it covers all the essentials you need to make it through the dinner party. It’s a lovely set of songs meant to be enjoyed outdoors during the magic hour. A few of these tracks have been my go-to ’tuning up the guitar’ songs for years now. The vinyl collection comes with an accompanying photo book to show you just how many current artists rip off her entire aesthetic.

Don’t drive behind me if the sunset is too outrageously beautiful or if the fluffy white clouds dazzling the bluest sky are too incredible to ignore - Mimi Chenfeld.

🤕 Honorable mention to Mark Knofpler’s headband from 1983.

Follow Rebounder on Instagram, Twitter

Check out their music on Spotify

Buy tickets to their rooftop show next week

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