Dylan Gamez (bedbug) on 10 Years of Lo-Fi and Whether Bedroom Pop Is Really Dead | The J-Card Podcast

Dylan Gamez has been recording as bedbug for a decade, and this conversation catches him at a pivot point. Part of that pivot is his new, more collaborative project, sit stay, which gave him a break from being “bedbug” for a while. Another part of the pivot is a conscious choice to start moving away from the cassette sound that’s defined past records. Those types of changes are only natural after ten years working on a project.In our convo, we get into what ten years of releasing music does to your relationship with your own catalog, what Dylan thinks of the future lo-fi and bedroom pop, and how he defines success in music. There’s also a great tangent on his album art process (which combines film photos and MS Paint), a very honest breakdown of why he doesn’t love playing live, and of course, an amazing mixtape. Enjoy!More on IG:@bedbugofficial https://www.instagram.com/bedbugofficial The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.New episodes drop here and wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for watching, and if you liked this one, share it with a friend who also might.Created by Alexei ShishkinAssociate Producer: Alivia StonierBooking: Jamie Halliday📬 Subscribe:Subscribe now📲 Follow us: IG: https://www.instagram.com/ruedefense TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@tapeclub Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tapeclub.substack.com X: https://x.com/ruedefense🤝 Support / Sponsorship: https://forms.gle/8L4o4yLvX5fQnpAXA 🎶 Submit Music: https://forms.gle/Mc7En6K8Tb2BbgxJA 📩 Contact: [email protected]⏱️ Chapters:00:00 - Intro to Dylan Gamez01:18 - sit stay’s Origins03:02 - The Collaboration Process05:08 - Studio vs. Tape Recording06:32 - A Decade of bedbug09:02 - Comparing New & Old Work12:09 - Time & Creative Practice14:43 - Is Lo-Fi Music Dead?20:06 - Defining Success23:40 - The Album Art Process25:56 - The Mixtape26:14 - “October 2013” by ghost orchard30:20 - “Fooled” by Fat, Evil Children36:02 - “Dom” by Sioux Falls42:05 - “White Corolla” by Casiotone For The Painfully Alone46:32 - “In Candlelight” by The Fruit Trees49:47 - “Broke” by Modest Mouse56:45 - Game: One’s Gotta Go1:06:47 - Plugs & Outro This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tapeclub.substack.com/subscribe