SUB*T: HOW THEY'RE USING THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP AND THE INTERNET TO RECLAIM THE MOSHPIT

As the digital age continues to expand with time, one thing remains clear – for better or for worse, the internet enables individuals to forge relationships that would otherwise be impossible without its existence. This power is felt ten-fold in the music community, where even participating in “stan” culture has the potential to initiate lasting friendships. 

Sub*T, the brainchild of Grace Bennett and Jade Alcantara, sits at the intersection of this phenomenon, where friendship, the internet and music collide to create something fundamentally organic despite its AI-powered beginnings. 

Grace, who resides in Brooklyn, NY, and Jade, who calls home Oakland, CA, met through mutual friends and a passion for alternative music on Twitter four years ago. Despite knowing each other well through their shared online community, the two didn’t officially meet face-to-face until attending the same show in New York City. From there, the musical duo began to connect outside of their regular domains – concertgoing and social media – via travel. 

“When you become old enough to travel independently, for me, there was no limit to how often,” said Jade. “I see my friends who live outside of the city I’m from more than the ones that do. I can’t imagine life without friends I made through the internet, so obviously, those are the people I can relate to the most.” 

Through their travels, Grace and Jade not only solidified their friendship, but they also agreed to embark on a new journey together, that was, forming Sub*T. Inspired by a conversation between Jade, Grace and a mutual friend about subterranean mites, Sub*T serves as an abbreviation for Subterranean. Though the mites are far-removed from the picture at this point, the underlying meaning behind subterranean still holds for the group; it reflects the foundation of their creative process.

“[Subterranean] just reminds me of things you keep hidden inside, in your mind, that you will never release for who knows why,” said Grace. “We always had this idea of making music, but for whatever reasons, we never let that out. Just all these things that are bubbling under the surface that you want to let out but do not.” 

Though Sub*T’s latest singles “Boxing Day” and “Too Soon Too Long” may conjure up memories of the original sounds of pop-punk – pop-punk in this instance referring to the likes of Green Day and Jawbreaker in their heyday, not the Van’s Warped Tour rebrand of the genre – Grace and Jade prefer to keep their sound universal. However, they do draw inspiration from rock and pop where they see fit. 

Their debut EP, So Green, will be no exception. Expected to release on November 19, So Green is an introduction to Sub*T and, for Grace and Jade, an exploration into the kind of sounds they hope to expand upon in future releases. 

“It wouldn’t have been possible to fit everything we want to do into four songs,” said Jade. “It’s a preview of what is to come. We were able to showcase a lot of cool ideas and who we are as a band.” 

As with their previously released singles, So Green will touch upon themes of friendship, traumatic relationships, both platonic and romantic, and shared experiences, such as experiencing something for the first time or being in a new place. 

With the release of their debut EP and restrictions on indoor gatherings lifting nationwide, Jade and Grace say they are excited to re-enter the world of live performance, the starting ground for their friendship and band. On November 21, the two will perform as Sub*T for the first time at Elsewhere in Brooklyn, NY, opening for Been Stellar.