On the Record with The Nancys

For Florida-based trio The Nancys, what started as a college band has not only become a rising force in the indie rock world, but has also blossomed into a lifelong friendship. Since the band’s formation in 2023, Ella Norris (vocals/guitar), Theo Lorenzen (guitar) and Shane Barrera (drums) have dropped a debut EP, gigged around the Sunshine State and grown a following dedicated to their quintessentially 20-somethings sound.

The Nancys. Photo by Eden Hetzroni.

Now, having moved into a house complete with a garage-turned-recording studio in Gainesville, The Nancys are stepping on the gas. With recent singles “Walking Out” and “Not The One,” the band shows off an edgier side to Norris’s songwriting, backed by the more sophisticated touch of Lorenzen and Barrera’s mixing and production.

Following the release of “Walking Out” and ahead of the band’s two sold-out shows in New York City, editors Reegan Johnson and Brooke Shapiro and nattered with The Nancys over video chat about roommate life, house show shenanigans and contentious album rankings.

Reegan: I would love to ask — I don't know if Brooke has the same question — but what was it like to be a band in a college town?

Theo: So when you start, you start playing these really drudgy house shows. So we’d play these shows where it'd start pouring, we'd be playing outside and it’d start raining and then all the electricity would go out and everyone would have to go under a pavilion. And then slowly you kind of work your way up.

There's a solid place called Loosey’s. It's a nice bar we'll play at, and then the goal is to get to Heartwood Soundstage, and then you get there and then you keep moving up. I remember when we went to Orlando for the first time. That was our first out of town gig. It's a slow build, but it's pretty consistently active because no matter what level you're at, people are pretty active.

Ella: I'd say it's also a big community, like it's very tight knit in some ways where you kind of go to a party or a house show and it's the same standard 20 people that you see every weekend, which is kind of cool because that's how I met some of my closest friends. But yeah, I feel like a big part of our brand was being a college band and kind of being a DIY sort, like anyone can start a band and do this stuff and make good music. So that was a big part, and still is, a big associating thing with us. Like even though Shane and I graduated in May, Theo is still in college, and our primary fan base is like 18 to 24.

Shane: I have to agree. It's a very lively scene here, and it's very cool because, especially this year, we had the opportunity to play shows affiliated with University of Florida, and that got us a great opportunity to sort of introduce ourselves to a new audience of students and convert them to the music scene here, which is really awesome.

Brooke: So y’all have played all over Florida, but you guys have a show in New York soon, right? How are you preparing for that?

Ella: It's our first out of state show, so it's a little bit scary, but also I feel like Gainesville and Brooklyn, especially, are pretty connected. There's a bunch of people that we know in the music scene who have since now moved to Brooklyn and New York. So it's not that scary because we know people up there, but I think it'll be a good chance to play in front of a new audience, maybe one that hasn't exactly heard us before.

But we're just practicing, and the biggest thing is we don't know how to get our luggage or our gear up there.

Theo: Yeah, we're gonna be borrowing all the other band's stuff.

Ella: Like Googling if you can bring an amp on a plane.

Listen to the full podcast interview below.