Men In Black

Is Tropical speak about the Olsen Twins, Wu Tang Clan and conquering the world. The 3 men of mystery who make up the ensemble are Simon Milner, Gary Barber, and Dom Apa. The question of the day is which one you guys really banged the Olsen twins? Simon: None of us, but that's wicked. They had this creepy dance party video we used for Tan Man. Hopefully one day, though. We're in New York now, so they must be around here somewhere. What city has had the most receptive groupies? Simon: Venezuela and Milan have had some nice girls. Usually small towns are great. Who would your dream threesome be with? ["You can't say Dom and Gary," interjects Jay, their publicist.] Simon: [Laughing] Rachel McAdams cause I watched the Vow on the flight over and the Olsen Sisters. What's the wildest thing you ate on tour? Simon: Japan had a lot of weird food. We'd go into the 7-Eleven and there would be loads of hot soupy cups. Also, last time we came to New York I had chicken feet in Chinatown. We're all up for experimenting with food. Visually what were the most stimulating things over there? Simon: It was odd cause we went over there it was just after the disaster and they were conserving energy, therefore it wasn't so neon as it would have been. I really liked the layout of the karaoke places and the people dressed nuts in the parks, taking genres to new levels, like all the crazy rockabillies and stuff. How did the collaboration with Megaforce come about? Simon: When it came time to make the Greeks video, we were coincidentally on tour. We knew Megaforce and how amazing their work was. In Paris, we would see them every time and we'd be kind of drunk asking, "when are you gonna do our video?" Then it actually happened and we were like "wow!" It was done on a 3 grand budget or something. Basically they had completed a big advertising job, can't really say the name cause I don't want to get them in trouble, but from that gig they still had some animators at their disposal, which worked on our video. Everything took off after that and 3 million YouTube hits later here we are. Did you get any backlash for using the children in the video? Simon: We got quite a lot of hate mail from religious websites, more specifically Christian ones. However, it's pretty ironic coming from a bunch of people whose logo is a dead guy on a cross. That's pretty gruesome as it gets. Also, we lost out on some sponsorship, when an advertiser was up for putting in loads of cash then their lawyers were like, "Hold up. Oh, we don't want to be associated with kids shooting each other." In regards to the veils, do you find that people are apprehensive or intrigued when approaching you? Simon: Well we're not as hardcore in doing it as before, but we've had interviews and following they would be like "Oh, I was expecting you to be a bit more standoffish, but you are quite chatty and friendly." I think people do take it the wrong way and in the past all our interviews would revolve around it. For the 2nd album we've moved away from it. Have you ever boarded a plain with the veils? Simon: No, planes are hard work as it is. You all grew up next to the ocean, how much of that influences your music? Simon: It's kind of like escapism cause living near the sea always made me want to travel. We got the name when we wrote our 1st songs in London during the winter, from a longing for ocean life and the activities surrounding it. The house we lived in was freezing. What bands are underrated to you? Simon: The American band, Dom is great. He's a sick songwriter and if his 1st album had a bit more of a polished production, I reckon it could have been straight up the charts. Those lyrics are wicked. Gary: Our friends from London, Age of Consent doesn't get the exposure they should. Are there any acts you wouldn't mind collaborating with? Gary: Wu Tang for sure. Simon: For Tan Man, we cut up Ol' Dirty's vocals. The tempo is slower in our new stuff and we're considering approaching some rappers in London. What members do you identify with? Dom: U-God cause he's relatively unknown and has a wicked flow. Gary: RZA cause he's in Californication. What's the most prized piece of vinyl you own? Simon: I have the original Sex Pistols album Never Mind the Bollocks. Also, I end up collecting a lot of 7"s from bands, which are friends. What are your top songs for karaoke? Simon: Lionel Richie's "Hello." Gary: "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias. Dom: TLC's "Waterfalls" cause I can do the rap part like nobody's business. What music do you play when you have sex? Simon: The other day I put on Bob Marley and my girl got pissed. I guess some fast techno to go with the tempo. Gary: My own music while I look at myself in the mirror. Literally it's all about me. I'm just kidding. How do you guys view the future? Simon: It's really about going to new places. We're looking forward to setting up this South American tour in September. Touring Japan would be excellent cause last time we had only gone to Tokyo. Our friends did a North African tour and went to Algeria, where they rented a hall and had a million screaming kids come. In those sort of places its a big deal cause not many bands go there. Think China would be the smart move, while everybody else's economy is collapsing. - Interview by Mister Lee on May 24, 2012 at Le Baron in NYC. Images: Tommy Agriodimas http://www.agriodimas.com/ Styling: Mister Lee for OWN Magazine - Shot 1 Simon: B:Scott jacket; Nudie jeans; and Bande des Quartres Dell ring. Gary: 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket; Sons of Heroes scarf and t-shirt; Henrik Vibskov pants; Bande des Quartres Sanaa rings; and artist's own cap. Dom: B:Scott jacket; Sons of Heroes scarf and shirt; and vintage jeans Shot 2 Gary: 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket; Sons of Heroes t-shirt; Bing Bang by Anna Sheffield necklace; and artist's own cap and veil. Simon: B:Scott jacket; Sons of Heroes scarf and t-shirt; and Bing Bang by Anna Sheffield necklace. Dom: B:Scott jacket; Sons of Heroes scarf and shirt. Shot 3 Gary: 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket; artist's own cap and veil. Shot 4 Dom: B:Scott jacket Shot 5 Simon: B:Scott jacket; Sons of Heroes scarf and t-shirt; and Bande des Quartres Dell ring - Links: http://www.myspace.com/istropical http://istropical.com/ http://istropical.tumblr.com/ http://www.kitsune.fr/journal/artists/is-tropical/ http://www.riffrafffilms.tv/video/director/megaforce/ http://ageofconsent.bandcamp.com/ http://www.wearedom.com/ - Designer List: http://www.31philliplim.com/ http://shop.bingbangnyc.com/collections/new-bff-collection http://bandedesquatres.com/ http://bscottdesign.com/ http://www.henrikvibskov.com/ http://shop.nudiejeans.com/ http://www.sonsofheroes.com/

OWN magazine  6/11/2012 0:26 EDT