Author: Shaudi Bianca Vahdat
Anyone who’s ever seen a movie knows how crucial it is to stick the landing. A film’s ending moments have a huge impact on how audiences feel as they’re leaving the theatre or turning off their streaming device. And often, a key aspect of nailing that final impression is the music chosen for the closing scene and credits.
Glass Casa’s final moments are scored by Seven Inches, a track from songwriter and musician Kate Vargas. Kate shared how she crafted this unique song, why it’s a perfect fit for Glass Casa’s twists, turns, darkness and humor—how she always manages to bring a little lightness to even the darkest subject matter.
Kate’s Joshua Tree Music Festival Glass Casa origin story
So how did you get involved with Glass Casa?
I met (writer/director) Laa at the Joshua Tree Music Festival. That’s how we got connected.
So I played at Joshua Tree Music Festival in May of 2022. And that weekend I kind of hung out the whole weekend and saw music as well. And Laa approached me and said, “I have this film and I really want Seven Inches to be the closing song.” And, you know, it’s a pretty quirky song so it was intriguing that she would want that to end the film. But that’s how we got started talking about the song being in the movie.
That’s so cool. So you actually had performed it live during that festival? That’s how she heard it the first time?
Maybe [she] had heard it before. But I definitely played it at the festival and she approached me at the festival. I remember it very well—I remember where we were and everything.
I was like, well, she’s at this Joshua Tree Music Festival, one of my favorite music festivals and it’s just a really good energy, so I was like, if she’s just here hanging out, listening to music, I think she’s probably got something pretty cool going on, you know?
So what was the next step for you? Did you watch the film?
Yeah, I saw rough edits of the movie and I could see where she was going with the idea of this particular song kind of wrapping things up. So it’s a very—not to use an overused word—but it’s a quirky song. And it’s a quirky movie. So, it fit, I think.
On writing Seven Inches
Can you tell us a little bit about how this song came to be? Its subject matter is pretty unique, I think.
Yeah, I don’t know of another one.
So I wrote this song with a couple other songwriters, Carley Baer and Tarl Knight, at a place called the Holiday Music Motel in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
I had this really weird little thing on the guitar, which is what you hear in the verses. And it’s very bizarre. So I showed it to them and they said, you know, it sounds really sneaky. It sounds very sneaky and like someone’s slinking around.
And I had just been listening to a podcast about, well, this is quite dark actually, but it was about the Manson family. But before they got super dark, they would go and move furniture in houses. And it was just a little bit. A little bit where you’re questioning your own mind, you know. And so we just thought it would be an interesting thing to write a song about, and that’s what we did.
So I put this song on an album [For The Wolfish & Wandering] and it’s my most streamed song. And it’s very funny because I had second thoughts about even putting it on the album—it’s so different. It’s so strange. But every time I play it live, which I do pretty regularly, someone comes up to me afterward and has some story about either moving someone else’s furniture or someone moving their furniture. Which has been surprising, because I’ve actually not had any of my own experiences of this.
But yeah, it comes from a dark place, but we didn’t want it to be entirely dark. I think like the movie, you know, it’s dealing with kind of heavy, heavy dark stuff, but there’s a humor element to it, obviously, there’s a lot of humor in the movie. But I try to write that way as well, so that’s where this song came from.
Why do you think this song got so popular?
I mean, I think it’s different. It’s unexpected. The way that we wrote the song, there’s a reveal. So given the name of the song, people are maybe a little skeptical going in. They don’t know if it’s going to make them very uncomfortable. And so there’s like a tension throughout the whole first verse and the full chorus until the end of the chorus, which is the reveal. So I think it’s this playing with the listener’s mind a little bit and using their own mind and the release of the tension.
The verse is like someone’s looking into someone else’s house, and they’re going to do something. It seems pretty dark. And so then we don’t say anything. We just leave it up to the listener to kind of create all these different scenarios, and wherever they might go. And then the reveal is, it’s just moving your couch seven inches to the left or whatever. So I think there’s a lot of relief in that. I think that that’s the appeal.
I was listening to a podcast episode about jokes and what makes good comedy and why things are funny. A pretty solid equation, at least this is what the podcast says, and I think I agree with it, is to take something that’s expected, an everyday thing that’s expected, and then there’s an unexpected element.
And that’s what makes us laugh, because we as a listener, reader or whatever it is, fill in ahead what we think is going to happen. And then when it’s completely out of left field, it’s humorous because it’s so unexpected. So I think that that’s what this song has that’s kind of unique for a song, maybe.
On why you should watch Glass Casa and what’s next
So why should folks check out Glass Casa?
There’s quite a cast of characters. You don’t really know where it’s going to go. There’s elements that come in that are surprising. I don’t want to say anything that’s going to give anything away. But that combination of the comedy, thriller, mystery, there’s a part that feels like there might be a paranormal element. There’s things that are introduced that you’re just like, where is this going, you know? And so I think it’s worthwhile to get to the end. And how are all these things then tied in at the end? Which I think they are—they do get tied in.
And Kate, where can people find more of you and your music?
Well, Kate Vargas is my name, I’m on all the places that one would listen to music. I just released some singles in anticipation of an album that I’m releasing on June 13th called Golden Hour in the House of Lugosi. Same kind of dark, maybe darker subject matters, but always with a smirk. That’s what’s happening for me.
I’m also touring right now with my band, a different project called Sgt. Splendor. But across the board, my writing, as it seems like with Laa as well, is focused on, I always want to have a smirk. You know, I always want there to be a lightness, even in the darkest of subject matters, to find a little humor and a little light. And if possible, a little joy.
A big thank you to Kate for taking the time to chat with us! Be sure to follow Kate on Instagram for updates on her music, and stream and download her music on your favorite platform!
And remember, Glass Casa is streaming now!
Please note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.