Following the release of their latest single ‘Petri Dish’, LOCK Magazine had the pleasure of catching up with Brooklyn-based electronic indie duo Dancing In Tongues to discuss the inspiration behind the track and their upcoming 4-track EP under the same name
Hi, Dancing In Tongues, welcome to LOCK. For our readers, could you please tell us a little about yourself?
We’re both artists living in Brooklyn and are involved with many creative projects in our community, most recently launching a warehouse studio and independent record label called Crystal Reflector.
Your Latest Single “Petri Dish” feels incredibly intimate and emotionally vulnerable. What made you decide to channel your IVF experience into music?
One word: Catharsis. The emotional intensity we were experiencing needed a release that conversation alone couldn’t accommodate. The poetry of sharing the feelings in words and the drama of the music provided us great relief at a sensitive time.
The song balances fragility and hope so beautifully. Was it difficult to capture such a personal journey while still making the track feel universal?
IVF was the catalyst for the emotional backdrop of the song, but the longing, anticipation, anxiety, and hope that fuel it are universal. For us, that longing was for a child; for others, it may be for love, connection, or a sense of belonging. In many ways, having a child can itself symbolize those deeper desires. When you feel something deeply, you know others have felt it too — even if their circumstances are different.
You wrote and produced the track in Berlin with Lucas Herweg and Jacob Bergson. How did that collaboration shape the final sound?
We first met Jacob when he was playing in Kimbra’s backing band, and through him we were introduced to Lucas. It didn’t take long before the four of us fell into a natural rhythm of writing together, building intimacy and trust through shared vulnerability. We began that process while making the first EP, Retracing, so by the time we started Petri Dish, we already had a deep creative foundation to build on. We could land in Berlin and get right into the studio
Berlin has such a rich electronic music culture. Did being there influence the atmosphere or energy of the EP?
The entire instrumental soundscape was created with that feel in mind. We didn’t want to create a dance track per se but a pop song that would feel at home in the dance community. Where better place to do that than Berlin.
IVF is often discussed in medical terms, but less often through art. Did making this song change the way you processed the experience emotionally?
Writing the song helped make the more difficult parts of IVF feel more bearable. We felt that we had genuinely captured our experience, and that alone was cathartic. Our hope was that the song might resonate with others as well.
Once the song was finished, we found ourselves listening to it often — almost to experience the emotional journey from the perspective of a listener. There was something healing in moving through that landscape and coming out the other side feeling a little lighter.
Many listeners may relate to the emotional themes of hope, anxiety, and resilience even if they haven’t experienced IVF themselves. What conversations do you hope the song opens up?
We hope the song encourages people to take more risks in being open about difficult experiences. At first, we weren’t sure about bringing something as fresh and emotional as IVF into a songwriting session with Jacob and Lucas. But once we did, we were incredibly grateful for it. Sharing that vulnerability deepened our connection and created a sense of closeness — even interdependence — that became part of the foundation of the song itself. it was so fresh and emotional for us.
How does “Petri Dish” set the tone for the upcoming EP of the same name?
Our EP Petri Dish has a dreamy quality while still holding onto a palpable rawness throughout every track. We chose Petri Dish as the title because we were drawn to the image of a petri dish itself — a place where things grow, collect, and evolve. In a way, it feels like a stage where dreams and regrets, love and hate, confidence and shame can all exist together and take shape. The songs move through all of those emotions, capturing both vulnerability, self reflection and transformation.
Your work sits somewhere between electronic indie dance, ambient pop, and avant-pop. Do genre labels help or limit what you’re trying to express artistically?
We try to stay very unattached whenever we need to classify our music so when we are songwriting we are focusing on creating a cohesive body of work, no matter what the sound.
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