An Astronomical Ride

Photographs by Eleanor Whitney and Madi Cox

Space Sluts talks about how dating in New York City is a huge source of creativity, being back in California, and the story behind her latest single, “St. v”.

Palm Desert, California

Who is Space Sluts and what is this project about?

I (Madi Cox) am Space Sluts! I’ve always written music on my own and knew that I wanted to start a solo project a few years ago. Once I had enough material for live shows, the idea came together and, voila, Space Sluts was born! This project has been such a fun experience thus far and has really helped me to find myself as a human being (oh the irony). Embodying the “space sluts” persona has given me more freedom to write music on topics that would otherwise make me feel too vulnerable to perform, has let me express my identity and sexuality openly, and has empowered me to enjoy the weirdness within myself. I hope that what people take away from Space Sluts is a sense of empowerment to be exactly who they are without feeling the need to conform to societal norms.

Space Sluts started in Brooklyn, NY - How did the city inspire your music?

A lot of the music I have written and performed under Space Sluts has been about my experiences since I’ve moved to NYC. I write mostly based on my experiences with other people and those experiences never would’ve happened if I wasn’t in Bk. I’m chronically single and typically dating which is a HUGE source of inspo for me creatively. I tend to thrive musically in the throes of heartbreak and feed off of the emotions I feel in those moments of intimacy. New York is such a unique city and I’ve had some truly wild nights that have inspired several songs. I also attend (er.. used to attended) live shows quite often and watching my friends and peers play music live always gets me so excited to create! Feeding off of their energy on stage has made a huge impact on my creativity. I’ll be in the middle of watching a show and all the sudden I’ll be flushed with inspiration from watching and want to leave so I can get out this creative energy that has washed over me. If I ever leave your show early, please take it as a compliment - you’ve inspired me!

How is it navigating through the Brooklyn music scene?

I’m fortunate enough to have already been in a band, Shelter Dogs, under the King Pizza label and so I was already a part of the music community before Space Sluts, however there has been such a difference performing as a solo artist vs. a band experience. It has been kind of intimidating trying to navigate as a female identifying artist through a scene that is predominantly male driven. That said, except for a couple of one-off experiences, I’ve felt nothing but support from the music community and everyone I have reached out to for advice has been more than willing to set aside the time and energy to help to the best of their abilities. I’ve lived in several major cities and never felt more love for a music community than I do for the scene we have here in Brooklyn. If I’m being honest, it’s the reason I stay in New York - this community is where I feel the most sense of “home”. I hope that everyone in the Bk music scene can continue to create an environment where we all feel comfortable and respected, and shed light on those who don’t uphold these values.

You are now back in California - how is it? How has your music changed?

I’ve temporarily relocated here during the pandemic to get out of NYC and to be honest, it was the best decision I could have made during all of this and has had a huge impact on my music. Space Sluts is a very visual experience along with the music - dressing up in costume, wigs, crazy makeup or sunglasses, lights, etc, and with live shows being shut down for a while I was missing that performative aspect. In California, I’ve been able to go out into isolated areas and have solo (or distanced) photo shoots occasionally which has really brought the visuals back to life in a different way and has inspired creativity musically. Since I’ve been out here I’ve also become acquainted with more artists in the LA area and it’s really exciting getting to hear new sounds and immerse myself in a different music scene.

Are you going back to New York soon?

No matter what I do I cannot escape this question! The honest answer is I don’t know. I definitely miss my friends, my apartment, the vegan cafe across the street from my apartment, and the city, but the isolation and freedom I have here to travel without public transportation has been kind of intoxicating during the pandemic. I left New York toward mid/late May due to the overwhelming anxiety I was feeling being more or less stuck in my apartment without any sort of open spaces (where social distancing was being practiced) to escape to, and here there is so much space! I’ve been using my new “car time” as my own form of therapy, whether it be sitting with my thoughts, listening to audio books, or blasting music and doing little dances while driving. Needless to say, New York is always on my mind, and though it won’t be the same city I left, it’s home. I’m saddened by all the loss NYC has experienced within the music world and otherwise, but also excited to be a part of helping to rebuild such a special place. Long answer just to say, I’ll probably go back before the end of the year.

What's the story behind your latest single, "St. v"?

I wrote “St. v” in December after I broke up with someone who I found out had been cheating on me. I was honestly slightly traumatized from it! When I found out about the cheating, the person I was dating basically gave me four hours worth (not an exaggeration) of reasons why they were cheating, whilst trying to hold my hand and convince me to stay the remainder of the vacation (yeah, I wasted vacation hours on this). To me, the song is a bit of closure I never got. It’s about the acceptance of the grief I went through after the relationship. Choosing to get out of a relationship and completely cut ties with an unfaithful/manipulative “partner” and moving on - we only let people bring us down as much as we allow, and the emotions and heartbreak we feel are valid. As much as it hurts to confront, I have to give that relationship the space to live inside myself, learn from it, and move forward.

"St. v" was recently featured on MTV.com - how did this happen? How does it feel?

So, something I had not thought about when creating Space Sluts was the restrictions the word “sluts” would give me with promotional opportunities. I was trying to do small promos through social media and they were all getting rejected because my name goes against “community guidelines”. I then regrouped, strategized, and asked some people I know who have high follower counts on social media to (pretty please) listen to the song whenever they have time, and, if they like it, post about it in an IG story so I could try reaching new audiences. Carson Mlnarik was among the few I asked and he said he’d take a listen. A few days went by and he never posted about it, so I just figured it wasn’t the right fit, he was busy, etc. Then, without any sort of message to follow, he sent me the Mtv news link and I was like “what the heck is this”. So I open it, and POOF. MY NAME. SPACE SLUTS. MADI COX. A LIL WRITE UP. ALL IN THE SAME ARTICLE AS OTHER HUGE ARTISTS. It was very exciting! It lit a fire under me and made me realize that this project is real and was a huge motivator to keep going and try to live up to my own creative expectations that had gotten lost somewhere along the way. #bopshop4liiiife

What's next for Space Sluts?

I currently have a handful of other songs I’m starting to work on in production! Right now, my hope is that there will be at least one more single coming out before the end of the year, and it will probably bop your socks off. I’ve also started working with some new tech during quar and hope to incorporate that aspect into live shows when venues start to reopen. The fun thing about being a solo artist is that there are no rules or deadlines because I make them. You’ll just have to follow along this intergalactic ride to find out what comes next!