Interview: Shiver, Frye, and Big Man of Deep Cut will steal your heart

Whether you’re tuning in to the Anarchy Splatcast or boppin’ to the beat during a Splatfest*, sooner or later you’ll catch sight of Deep Cut. This tricky trio—composed of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man—has taken the Splatlands by storm. We sat down with the group for an ink-lightening chat about how they came together, how they wrote their hit anthem “Anarchy Rainbow,” and more.

Who is Deep Cut?

A unit based in the Splatlands composed of Shiver, Frye, and Big Man. Each of their unique voices and dances become a trinity, engulfing those who see it into whirling waves of chaos. After being selected as the hosts of Anarchy Splatcast, they have been gaining popularity among the younger generation.

The three of you have really settled in as hosts of the Anarchy Splatcast, haven’t you?

Shiver: Well, thank you! We couldn’t have done it without our adoring fans.

Frye: Hah! If you ask me, Shiver and Big Man could still loosen up a bit. Improv some, y’know?

Big Man: Ay… (Frye, that isn’t in the script…)

I know you all have a lot of history together. Didn’t your families get together frequently when you were growing up? Have you all been friends since childhood?

Big Man: Ay. Ay? Ay. (I wouldn’t say friends. Friendly? We knew each other. We knew OF each other.)

Shiver: It’s true. We sort of just said “hi” in passing.

Frye: I don’t know about y’all, but I was WAY too busy with dance lessons and eel training and stuff like that to have, like, real friends.

Shiver: But you used to sneak out all the time!

Huh! I guess my research failed me. I thought you were all lifelong friends.

Frye: Well, we did start to become close around middle school or so. Right?

Shiver: Yeah, that’s right. Frye and I were in the same class, and I could tell that she was a little bit wild, a little bit reckless. I sort of looked after her.

Frye: Y-you? Looked after ME? If anything, it was the other way around!

Well, at some point, you must have started to mesh.

Frye: Oh yeah. We bonded over music. We used to literally sing from the school rooftop!

Shiver: Right! We used to belt out Calamari Inkantation from up there. You know that one, don’t you? It goes, "Buh, duh-dee, dah-dee, buh-duh-dah-dee-dah...”

Frye: C’mon, everyone knows that one. But yeah, that’s when we realized that a cappella wasn’t going to cut it.

Shiver: We knew Big Man a little bit, and I heard he was good on piano. So we asked him to see what he could do with the track.

Big Man: Ay. Ay! (I was so nervous. I thought you wanted to fight me, or something!)

Shiver: What?!

Big Man: Ay! (I’m nervous again!)

Well, you were “discovered” a few years later, and the rest is history. Now you’re the face of Splatfests in Splatsville!

Frye: We’re the face of Splatfests AND banditing. If there’s loot to be looted, we’ll loot it!

Sorry—what’s this “loot” you speak of?

Big Man: Ay. (Oh, she’s obsessed with this particular card game. She has to have all the cards.)

Shiver: Um, this interview is going off the rails. Can we refocus?

Of course—my apologies. Let me ask you about the song Anarchy Rainbow. You performed it at a recent Splatfest, didn’t you? Big Man, I know you do a lot of composition. Was that one that you wrote?

Big Man: Ay! Ay. (Actually, the inspiration for that song came from Frye! We were eating at a food cart when she looked up, mouth FULL of okonomiyaki, and shouted, “I’m a genius!”)

Frye: Yep! I figured out that if you stack the okonomiyaki and put the pickles on top—

Big Man: Ay! Ay! (No, not the part about the okonomiyaki stack! The idea you had for combining the traditional school songs and dances into something new!)

Frye: I’m getting there! Yeesh!

I think I get it! You stacked the different types of music together like okonomiyaki, and the different “flavors” combined to make something new and delicious. It’s a wonderful concept, but was it challenging to execute?

Big Man: Ay! Ay. (It was! Each school uses different instrumentation and techniques. Bringing them together into a cohesive sound took about six weeks or so.)

Shiver: You should’ve seen Big Man at the end. Dried up like an uncooked lasagna noodle.

Big Man: Ay! (You’re the one who sent me back to the drawing board seven times!)

Shiver: Well, that’s what made it good, right? Your music and lyrics may have had a little bit to do with it as well.

Frye: Don’t forget the demo that Big Man made! I can’t believe he could still sing like that when he was all dried out.

Big Man recorded the demo?

Shiver: He did. But he knew that me and Frye would put our own spin on it in terms of singing.

Frye: Do I have to be the one to tell ‘em that I wrote the rap part and came up with the title?!

Now, Deep Cut is obviously one of a kind. But have you taken inspiration from any other artists out there today?

Big Man: Ay! Ay. (Of course! I’m a big fan of Front Roe—you can learn a lot from them. And C-Side has been making great music for a long time.)

Shiver: We even covered their big hit “Now or Never”!

Front Roe and C-Side... Yeah, I think I can hear the influence!

Big Man: Ay. Ay. (We listen to everything though. Right now I’m really into this one DJ from Inkopolis.)

Frye: Did I hear Inkopolis?

Big Man: Ay! (Eep!)

We’re almost out of time, but before we wrap up...what’s next for Deep Cut?

Big Man: Ay. Ay. (Well, we’re still trying to hype up the Anarchy Splatcast. I feel like we’re just getting started.)

Frye: I just want to write more anthems for Splatfests!

Shiver: They can’t all be anthems, Frye. Maybe we should write a ballad for everyone who participates. A battle ballad!

Frye: You heard her, Big Man. Get on it!

Big Man: Ay... (This is going to be due tomorrow, isn’t it...)