Having recently left Athens, Georgia to head to Vermont, Locate S,1 is the intriguingly named project of Christina Schneider. The world last heard from Locate S,1 back in 2020 with the release of Personalia, a well-received album of electro-pop, even if it was often Christina’s producer and partner Kevin Barnes, from Of Montreal, that seemed to get the credit. With that at least partly in mind, Christina approached her next album wanting to take complete control, becoming the record’s sole producer and bringing to life Wicked Jaw, her most personal, expansive and eclectic release to date.

Recorded to a 24-track tape machine during a weeklong session in the summer of 2022, Wicked Jaw saw Christina and a collection of fellow musicians capturing all the energy of a live performance, the sound of musicians in a room playing together that back in 2022 felt like it could become a thing of the past. The resultant record takes in a vast array of styles and eras from the wonky-pop strut of the Sparks-like Have You Got It Yet, through to the Fleetwood Mac-like You Were Right About One Thing, a swooping majestic piece of songwriting that is surely one of the year’s best singles.

Speaking of the album, Christina has suggested it both is and isn’t a pandemic album, while dystopian terror lurks in the shadows throughout, it is used as a springboard for more personal reflections. Throughout the record, Christina seems to be in search of meaning, looking at the person she has become, and the often painful events that led her to this point, much of it reflecting on childhood abuse which she is only just starting to process. Perhaps we can see Wicked Jaw, with its name lifted from a Daschel Hammitt noir novel, as part of the healing process, as she strikingly puts it, “beauty throws darkness and pain into relief so you can see it more clearly”. As Christina digs into open wounds, she often does so to a contrastingly sweet backing, take Go Back to Disnee, inspired by the idea of the American dream being “only Frank Capra”, it has a playful Bossa Nova sway as the lyrics go from Helen Lovejoy-like campaign slogan, “I believe that the Children are the future of America”, to the unflinching bleakness of a line like, “under the blankets, into the plastic dreams, into the comfort of parental regimes”. The juxtaposition of playfulness and straight-talking bleakness is a present throughout an album that is more often than not what it first appears.

While often looking back, this is also a record of the present, Christina’s backward glances are often presented in how they affect the present, and how they shape the person she is now for better or worse. It’s there on Heart Attack as Christina sings, “all the hatred that I’ve kept alive, take it from me now, I was wrong”, atop a Chvrches-like backing of pop-tinged synths and swooping layers of vocals with all the theatricality of Kate Bush. Throughout this feels like a record of working through things, and it’s perhaps fitting that as the record reaches its close on the 60’s girl-group influenced title track, Wicked Jaw, it ends not with a conclusion, but with a question, “I can’t help it, I’ve got a wicked jaw would you punish me if I were you?”

Wicked Jaw is a record made entirely in its creator’s image, a resilient, open-hearted response to personal and global struggles. It is a record not of smiling through the pain, but of digging into old scars, of accepting your past as part of your story, confronting old demons and learning to embrace the person you are. As Christina put it, “this is about me, but I hope other people relate to it”, if enough people hear this magical record it seems almost inevitable it’ll strike a chord the world over.

Following the record’s recent release on Captured Tracks, Christina recently took some time to answer my questions discussing her genre-spanning influences, getting literal with her lyrics and why what comes next for Locate, S1 is, “all up to the listeners”.

FTR: For those who don’t know, who are Locate, S1?

On wicked jaw, locate s,1 is myself (Christina Schneider), Ross Brand on lead guitar, Clayton Rychlik on drums, Zack Milster on bass, and JoJo Glidewell on keys, along with guest stars Chris Weisman and Zach Phillips.

FTR: I have to ask about the name, where does it come from?

When I was first getting the band together there was a lot of construction on our block and I was seeing all these spray painted “LOCATE” markings on the road. I learned that the crew puts these down to make sure they dont accidentally puncture an underground gas line. As a deceptively shy person who is actually very explosive, I liked the idea of this signage. In cardiology, S1 is the first heart sound, the first beat in your heart’s “lub dub”. The name has become sort of a shorthand for being true to yourself, above and below the surface. 

FTR: Your new album, Wicked Jaw is out later this month, what can you tell me about recording it? What did you do differently to previous albums?

Wicked Jaw is the first studio album I produced on my own, with lots of technical help from our amazing engineer Drew Vandenburg. I had initially intended to record the whole thing on my own due to the limitations that Covid presented, so the demos weren’t originally meant to be demos. Once there was a vaccine and we were all feeling safe enough to get together, I decided to bring the band into the studio to essentially re-record the whole thing together onto 2” tape, something I always wanted to do as an analog man.

FTR: You decided to be the sole producer on this record, were you conscious of wanting complete control on this album?

I am usually fully unconscious when making big decisions.

FTR: It’s a very eclectic record taking in a huge variety of styles from Boss Nova to Doowop, was it a deliberate decision to make something so wide-ranging?

I’ve always felt that if you can’t find something inspiring from every genre out there, you’re just not listening. I feel constrained by the idea of genres, especially the idea that a whole album has to sound a particular way. Most of my favorite albums have a rich topography of ups and downs and ins and outs, but they feel cohesive because they’re coming from the same heart. I guess I wanted to see if I could pull that off.

FTR: Who are the influences on your songwriting? What were you listening to when you wrote Wicked Jaw?

Chris Weisman, Ruth Garbus, Ryan Power, Omeed & The Natural Scene, Fleetwood Mac, The Bee Gees, Anna Domino, Crass, The Dramatics, Ana Mazzotti, Slapp Happy, Jennifer Rush, E-40, Steve Harley, Klymaxx, Joyce Moreno, Thin Lizzy, Leslie Winer, Will Powers, Sheila E…. the list goes on.

FTR: Listening to the record it’s clear that it’s a very personal collection, do you find it difficult to share so much of yourself and your own story?

I definitely find it difficult! I’m not used to getting so lyrically literal as I did on this album but it just seemed to keep spilling out of me and I didn’t want to fight that.

FTR: Why do you make music?

Because I am an idiot.

FTR: Do you have any other creative outlets outside of music?

I started quilting during Covid and it quickly became a passion equal to music for me. I also work a day job as a graphic designer, and have a deep love for cooking and baking. I love to decorate a cake.

FTR: Athens, Georgia is a city with a great musical heritage, why do you think so much music comes out of the city?

I think the music scene in Athens originally exploded as a result of affordable housing being more available. It’s sad to see the culture change as the city gets more developed and all these special venues like the go bar and Caledonia lose their real estate to the highest bidder. But where there’s a will there’s a way I guess.

FTR: What’s the scene like there at the minute? Are there any bands we should be listening out for?

Last year I found out that the front person of my favorite Athens band, along with some other men who seem frustrated with themselves, had been cyberbullying me for a year behind a horde of fake accounts, so I’m the wrong person to ask. I’m sure there’s lots of great music going on as always, but Athens is really not my place since I don’t feel comfortable going to shows here. We just moved to a new house in Vermont, where I lived for 7 years in my 20s. The music scene in Brattleboro VT is unmatched in terms of heart and soul in my humble opinion. There is a love for the process there that isn’t so focused on making it big, and that culture resonates with me a lot more. In Vermont, I’m endlessly inspired by musicians Ruth Garbus, Omeed Goodarzi, and Chris Weisman.

FTR: What are your aspirations for this record? Is music still a viable way to make a living?

Music might be a viable way to make a living if you’re Taylor Swift, but for the rest of us, it’s pretty far out of reach. I try to manage my expectations. The pop star in me would love to play a sold-out show to thousands, but only a lucky few get that kind of glory. So I’m trying to make music that is rewarding enough on its own that I don’t need to get rich or famous to feel proud of what I’m doing. Maybe someday it will take off, but I think if that’s the only meaning I seek, I will become a bitter person who misses out on a good life.

FTR: What’s next for Locate, S1?

That’s all up to the listeners! I often feel like throwing in the towel when it comes to being a touring band, and with a big west coast tour staring me down that we can barely afford, I can see that it’s just not sustainable in the long run. I’m sure I will always write songs, but this could be a farewell album for all I know. What’s next largely depends on if enough people happen to find this music meaningful and deserving of a larger stage. If so, we’ll see you there!

Wicked Jaw is out now Captured Tracks. For more information on Locate S,1 visit https://locates1.com/.