The Real-Life Wardrobe of The Hellp, Who Say the Best Place to Buy Jeans Is a Time Machine to 2012

Dillon: This was when Chandler and I were first meeting. He sent me a photo of him on the job site with the Dalluge hammer and tool bags and Saint Laurent pants and a flannel. I thought, This guy’s insane. I can’t believe he’s ruining these clothes.

Lucy: I thought we were on the same wave, but I remember when you sent me a photo installing a window. You were wearing an oversized grey t-shirt and Adidas track pants with safety glasses. You were code switching.

It’s hard to describe the sound of Riviera. What was your goal with this one?

Dillon: Riviera is a bit more restrained [than our previous albums]. It [makes us think] about the French Riviera; escape from Paris, the south in the summers. We co-opted it for America, thinking about this giant coastline from Santa Barbara down to San Diego as the American Riviera and how disparate and alone everyone feels in this megalopolis. It’s this beacon of hope that keeps propelling us forward, even if it may not exist.

I hear a lot of things in it—Yeezus, Passion Pit.

Dillon: I’m glad you can hear that. We’re not reference guys, but there’s definitely a litany of things that embed themselves inside of you [as a listener]. When you’re making a beat, kind of blacking out, they come out, hopefully naturally and very subtly.

Lucy: On the last record there were a lot of people that were telling us what to do, trying to put their fingers on it. I don’t think it was nefarious. We’re exciting people to work with in their eyes. This time, we didn’t really listen to anybody. We returned to live experiences; a lot of real-life audio recordings and really spur of the moment things. We successfully captured a moment in our lives.

Who are your biggest fashion inspirations? Whose style isn’t washed, among celebrities?

Dillon: Lou Reed, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Growing up, I saw the photo of Kanye at Paris Fashion Week with the leather blazer and Red Octobers. I was like, “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life.” Zac Efron, 17 Again. That’s truly what made me realize what clothing was. I saw that poster and I looked up the jeans that he was wearing. But nowadays, I don’t know. I see a grandma walking down the street and think, Wow, she really knows how to layer.

Lucy: Back in high school, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, when he was mixing Rick [Owens] with Black Scale. That was the craziest thing I’d seen. Tom DeLonge hit this moment where it was skin tight jeans and leather jackets and he just looked so cool all the time. I remember being in high school and thinking, Oh, that’s how you dress when you’re tall and skinny.

Dillon: I really like [Pier Paolo] Pasolini too, classic director style. It really works. It’s really subtle.