MAGNET Exclusive: Premiere Of How???’s “This Is Now (Remove It)” Video

Initially, How???’s new single was about movement. “The refrain was actually, ‘We’re movin’, we’re movin’” … instead of, ‘Remove it, remove it,’” says Alex Dowling, one half of the Los Angeles-based duo. “This was because we were actually moving—and we knew it would be a big move. But once the lyrics started coming into place, I realized it was more about finding a way to survive in the place where you are as a creative person—which is often quite difficult.”

How???’s other half is Alex Tebeleff, frontman and founding member of Washington, D.C., psych/punk outfit Paperhaus. Upon finishing work on the 2017 Paperhaus release Are These The Questions That We Need To Ask?, Tebeleff retreated with Dowling to an L.A. studio to work on a new project that hinged on superior songwriting and a more-focused sound. They emerged with a honed hybrid of Americana, new wave and electronica for How???’s self-titled debut, which is slated for release April 26 on the Misra label.

“We took a lot of inspiration from Talking Heads and Roxy Music,” says Tebeleff of the arty craftsmanship behind “This Is How (Remove It)” and the rest of How???. “The process of transforming the music and songwriting was radically open. We went through many layers of instrumentation and approaches in the studio, only to clear out most of it to be left with something we never expected at the end.”

We’re proud to premiere How???’s “This Is How (Remove It)” video.

—Hobart Rowland