Double Standard: From 'Crush' to Brooklyn Made, A Band That Knows What Fans Want

Hey groupies!

In the spirit of giving and being thankful, we’re excited to introduce you to an incredible and iconic girl band: Double Standard. Based in NYC, this indie group is made up of lead singer Lydia Berling, vocalist and guitarist Siena Chanel, bassist Zoe Arora, guitarist Lauren Dinhofer, and drummer Megan Cournoyer. They recently opened for Phoneboy at Brooklyn Made’s special Halloween show, and trust us when we say it was nothing short of unforgettable.

For the past few months, we’ve been hearing them play all over social media. When they released their new single "Crush," we knew it was our chance to experience them live and see what all the buzz was about. And wow, they did not disappoint. Their stage presence, energy, and sound were everything we hoped for—and more. Double Standard is a band you need on your radar. We’re so excited to see what they have in store next. But don’t just take our word for it—check out our interview with Siena, Lydia, and Lauren, where we dive into the band’s story, their creative process, and what’s coming next for Double Standard. If you’ve been loving "Crush," get ready because their upcoming music is just as good—if not better.

YFG: How did you all come together as a band, and what drew you each to doing indie music?

Lydia: Siena and I met in college and started making music together. We were playing separately at first and even shared The Backfires as our backing band. When we began renting the same studio space, we formed a duo called Sad Strange Women and played a couple of shows. And it was just like, they are my person. Eventually, we decided to create a girl band. After making a few demos, it just felt right. Then Siena found Lauren, Meg, and Zoe.

Lauren: Siena and I met at her old roommate’s birthday party. We didn’t know each other at all. We started talking, and she immediately asked, “Do you want to be in a girl band?” I said, “Yeah, are you gonna remember me?” and she said, “Yeah, are you gonna remember me?” And we did.

YFG: What’s the inspiration behind your band name?

Lydia: Meg came in one day after we had picked a random name we hated. She suggested Double Standard, and we were like, Okay. It stuck, especially because it reflects the double standard in the music industry.

YFG: How has the city influenced your sound and creative process?

Lydia: For me, I went from playing solo to performing with a full band. I started with a soft, singer-songwriter, sad-girl vibe. But once I started playing live—especially with Siena—I gained more confidence. The more shows we played, the more we wanted our music to be fun and energetic on stage because that’s really the best part. Last summer, Siena and I spent time making a bunch of demos. With each one, we kept building, adding new elements to make them feel like a live performance. When the rest of the band joined, they brought their own ideas, and the songs evolved into something way more exciting and dynamic than I ever imagined.

Lauren: I’m from the suburbs, so I’ve always had this big idea of New York City. I would visit often, going to Madison Square Garden to see huge rock shows. The city always felt like this dreamy place, filled with big guitars and energy. That influence has definitely shaped the music I create—it’s a big part of what I bring to the band.

Lydia: Lauren is a shredder! We always joke that we have a hive mind. Someone will pitch an idea, and it’s like, wait, that’s exactly what I’ve been missing!

YFG: Your new single, "Crush" is amazing, such a great first release! Can you tell us what inspired the song and what it means to you?

Lydia: I wrote "Crush" in college when I was living alone in a small studio apartment. It started as a simple two-chord piano ballad I wrote by myself. When I showed it to Alex and Harry from The Backfires and Siena, we all felt like it was missing something. That’s when we decided to add this big, chant-like energy to the chorus. As we worked on the demo, we pulled inspiration from bands we love, like Chapel, Wet Leg, and The Beaches—who have that chanting, yelling vibe. We also brought in some of our favorite pop influences, like The 1975, which is where the guitar riff came from. It’s kind of wild to think that this song, which started out two years ago, has snowballed into what it is now. It’s crazy how it’s evolved from the original idea to where it is today.

YFG: I really love how the backing captures that feeling of having a crush—like when you start talking to yourself and get into this manic, I fucking have a crush on you mode.

Lydia: It’s really that delusional, honestly. I try not to over-explain songs, especially when they’re straightforward like Crush. There’s no beating around the bush or grand metaphors—it's just, I have a huge crush on you, please let this be different this time. It’s all about that feeling of desperation.

Before we dive back into the interview, we just have to mention that this song features one of the best lyrics we've heard in 2024.

“Never known a God who listens, never known a man who stays”

YFG: I don't know if you've seen those "hear me out" cake videos on TikTok, but I wanted to ask if you're comfortable sharing your hear me out? (Side note, groupies: Don’t we love that we ask the important questions that keep people up at night?)

Lydia: Wait, I have a really wild one. Okay, Mario Kart—the bullet item, you know, the one where you get the bullet? Yeah, there’s kind of a vibe about him. Hear me out.

Lauren: Timmy Turner, with the backward hat. I don't know, when I was younger.

Siena: Hear me out. Tim Burton's Willy Wonka, but not Johnny Depp—just Willy Wonka.

YFG: Do you usually collaborate on everything, or does each member bring something unique to the table, especially when it comes to the lyrics and the overall process?

Lydia: A lot of the songs were written separately by me and Siena, but there are a few where we really vibe by sending voice memos back and forth. Like I said earlier, it’s a bit of a hive mind—we're total “yes men.” I’ll send a weird song idea, wondering if it's stupid, and everyone’s like, “I’m with it!” One of those ideas was “Bushwick K Hole” Sienna had the concept years ago and sent me a voice memo. I thought I’m putting a pin in this; something would come of it eventually. She wasn’t sure what to do with it, but then one day I was writing what I thought was a different song and realized it actually went perfectly with her idea. That happens a lot—thinking we’re writing one song, but it ends up being something else. I remembered Siena’s first verse, and we knew we wanted to write a song that somehow included “Bushwick” and “K-hole.”

YFG: What’s been the most memorable moment in your career so far—whether it’s a live performance, a recording session, or meeting another artist?

Lydia: Our first show was electric, no pun intended. It was so exciting but also a bit nerve-wracking—we didn’t really know what to expect. We felt ready since we’d been rehearsing for ages, but I kept pushing back the dates, saying, "Not this month, let’s do it next month." Eventually, we played in July, and we ended up selling out, which none of us expected. We thought maybe 100 people would show up, but 200 were there. When we walked out of the green room, we were like, “Oh my gosh.” It was such a blast. We all kind of blacked out afterward and joked that we’d be spiraling about it for the next two weeks. It was amazing. Recording this summer was also incredible. We spent two weeks in July working on something special (hint hint) and just had the best time together, making the songs even better.

YFG: Indie music often requires a DIY spirit—what's one key lesson you've learned from handling things independently in this scene?

Lydia: I think Chappel Roan said it in an interview: you can do everything yourself. It’s hard, but it’s really rewarding, and you can make things happen on your own. Like when Lauren and I sat down for 10 hours to create the "Bushwick K Hole" demo.

Lauren: Lydia is a marketing genius. Seriously, we’ve got a small team at Double Standard, but everyone has a role and can handle everything. We don’t really need anyone else at the moment—we’re very indie and self-sufficient. We are the machine pushing ourselves forward.

Lydia: We grew up on Stan Twitter, like, fangirling over One Direction. And what we learned from that—making edits, marketing—has definitely carried over into how we handle the band. We love fan girls, they really make the world go round. It’s wild to think that the stuff I was doing at 12 and 13 is exactly what I’m doing now for the band’s social media. We get asked all the time, “Who runs your social media?” and I’m like, it’s us. Our friend Emila made our costumes! That’s the indie spirit—you make connections, ask for help, and put yourself out there. Emi was in fashion school, so I was like, “Hey, want to design our costumes?” Our friend directed our music video. It’s all about fostering good relationships and finding people who believe in your vision. If you have one, others will want to help bring it to life.

YFG: What can fans look forward to from you guys?

Lydia: We have singles lined up for release after the holidays—January through April will be packed with releases! Then, at the end of April, we’ll drop a project. It’s not a full album, but it’s a pretty long EP. That’s what we spent the summer recording, She's gorgeous. She's amazing. We’re playing most of it tonight, so you’ll get a sneak peek. We wanted to release "Crush" before this show to time it right, then take a little break for the holidays before coming back strong in the new year. Post-New Year, it’s going to be non-stop. Like the saying club, bus, another club!

We literally can't wait for the new music after seeing them play it live that night. It was amazing hearing people shout back, "I think I've been waiting for you," especially from a band with only one single out. But as we said, Double Standard knows what their listeners want while still pushing their sound forward. We also love the commitment they bring to the stage, especially with those bloody prom dresses designed by Emmy. NYC really knows how to craft great musicians who love their craft. Stay tuned for more from them—we'll be sure to keep you updated on any new releases coming soon!

All our love.

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