Start Listening To: Disgusting Sisters
From horror-movie screams to emo nostalgia, Disgusting Sisters turn chaos, humour, and heartache into pulsing anthems.
London-Paris duo Disgusting Sisters are exactly what their name suggests: loud, messy, and unafraid to embrace the weird. Formed by real-life sisters Jules and Josie and expanded into a five-piece family band, their music is a heady collision of emo angst, club-ready electronics, and razor-sharp storytelling. Drawing from horror movies, cult TV, and the push-and-pull of 9-to-5 frustration, they’ve built a world that’s as playful as it is cathartic. Fresh from touring with Two Door Cinema Club and gearing up for their debut album, the band sat down with us to talk about telepathic songwriting, werewolf metaphors, and what it means to wear the title “disgusting” with pride.
For those unfamiliar with your music, can you tell us who you are, where you’re from and about the music you make?
We’re Disgusting Sisters, an electronic pop-rock duo at the core, but really a five-piece family. It’s us, sisters Jules (in London) & Josie (in Paris), plus Joey on the drums, Jude on the guitar, and James on the bass (and producing our chaos - shoutout James McManus).
We grew up between the UK and France, bonded by emo phases, campsite summers, horror movies, cult TV, and a lot of badly dyed hair. Before the band, Jules had been in music for a while as a drummer, and Josie was working in Paris as a filmmaker. We’d always joked about starting a band together, but it was during Christmas 2024 that we wrote a song for fun about our mum’s dog - then realized we actually enjoyed it and thought « why not give it a proper go? »
How did your experiences growing up between the UK and France shape your music and creative perspectives as sisters
We’ve always had one foot in the UK and one in France, so our influences are a total mix. We grew up on British bands like The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, and Pulp, but also on French legends like L’Impératrice, The Do, Daft Punk, Justice, and Laurent Garnier. And it wasn’t just music - it was film, TV, stand-up, cartoons, all of pop culture feeding into our little bubble.
Pulling from both sides has been amazing for inspiration, but it also left us with that constant feeling of not fully fitting in anywhere. Weirdly, that’s what shaped us and pulled us super close together growing up. At this point, we’re basically telepathic twins - which makes writing music together not just fun, but kind of inevitable.
Can you describe the songwriting process for 'TGIF' and how it reflects your personal experiences or feelings?
For TGIF, the process started with the concept - Josie came up with this idea of using a werewolf as a metaphor for being stuck in the 9-to-5 and then going wild on the weekends, blacking out, and waking up with nothing to show for it. Jules built the melodies and instrumental lines, then we wrote the lyrics together, pulling straight from that mix of frustration, chaos, and longing we’ve both felt.
We then recorded the track in James McManus’s bedroom - he’s our bassist and producer - and that’s where it really came alive. We’d joked about wanting a horror-movie scream in the song, and James ended up chopping it up into this insane hook that became one of the biggest moments in the track. From there, James finished the production, and Ewan Pearson did the final mix.
To us TGIF is super personal because it’s not just about hating your job, it’s about that self-destructive cycle of chasing freedom in ways that don’t actually set you free. Writing it felt like taking a cry for help and turning it into something loud, messy, and alive.
What elements of horror movies and cult TV influence your music and how do they manifest in your sound or visuals
Horror movies and cult TV are basically part of our DNA - we grew up watching the same films and shows, so our references are almost identical. For Killing It, we went for something raw and stripped-down with a homemade vibe, inspired by films like Trash Humpers and The Idiots. For TGIF, we leaned into full-on horror-movie energy for the video, working with the amazing Maxi McLachlan and drawing cues from 80s classics like An American Werewolf in London.
We love thinking of our songs as little stories - each one a different world, a different feeling. Horror movies resonate so much with us because they always find a physical, concrete form to embody something abstract, like an emotion or idea. That’s exactly how we feel about songwriting: it’s about finding the right form to give shape to personal feelings so that other people can relate to them. These influences show up in both our sound and our visuals. Every song is a way of turning something intangible into something vivid and alive.
How do you balance your individual projects in London and Paris while collaborating as Disgusting Sisters?
Balancing life between London and Paris definitely keeps us on our toes - we’re constantly living out of a suitcase and our holiday days basically disappear on gigs! Luckily, we’ve got remote writing down to an art, and we spend a ton of time texting, calling, and bouncing ideas off each other. We’re also total calendar queens and really disciplined about dividing our time. At the end of the day, our goal is to be able to live life doing all the things we love, so we make it work.
What is the significance of the name 'Disgusting Sisters' for you, and how does it represent your artistic identity?
Our name, Disgusting Sisters, comes straight from the series Succession. There are these two characters who call themselves the “Disgusting Brothers,” and every time they’re on screen, we get hit with this perfect mix of cringe, irony, and weirdness - which is exactly what we love. Flipping it for ourselves felt natural : we’re sisters, and we’re proud of it, so why not own it in a loud, messy way? The “disgusting” part is about embracing the weird, the uncomfortable, and the unapologetic sides of ourselves. It’s exactly the vibe of our music: raw, chaotic, and honest, with a dash of irony and humor. We also like the fact that when you hear the name, you don’t really know what genre to expect - you just know you’re probably gonna like it if you’re a bit of a weirdo too.
How do you see your music resonating with listeners who might feel trapped in similar 9-to-5 routines?
It’s a tricky one, because we want people to relate to it, but it’s also kind of sad that so many of us feel that way. For us, the song is about recognizing that feeling of being stuck, the frustration and the longing for something more. We hope listeners can see themselves in it and feel less alone - that these emotions are shared, and it’s okay to sit with them, but also a reminder to carve your own path in your own time.
Can you share any memorable moments from your tour with Two Door Cinema Club that impacted your growth as artists?
The whole tour was completely overwhelming - we’d never been so scared in our lives. These were our first proper shows, after just one 100-cap gig at the Sebright Arms, so everything felt huge. Most days before a show, we were bouncing between total fear, fits of laughter, overstimulation, and a little practicing in between - honestly, it felt like we’d gone mad !
But the moment we stepped on stage all those nerves disappeared and we became completely different versions of ourselves, fully in the moment for the show. It made us realize that we can literally do anything if we believe in it. We’re so proud of ourselves for getting on those stages and seeing what we’re capable of.
What visual themes do you envision for your upcoming music videos, and how do they reflect your artistic vision?
For our upcoming music videos, we’re really excited to experiment with movement, so we’d love to work with dancers and see how choreography can bring a song to life. We’re also toying with the idea of a video set at a chaotic family gathering - something fun, messy, and a little grotesque. Right now, we’re deep in the process of developing visuals for our first album, and we have a pretty clear vision of what we want, but it’s all under wraps for now.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced as a duo, and how have you overcome them together?
We had a pretty messy childhood, and losing our dad when we were young teens was one of the hardest things we’ve ever faced. It was a really dark time, but having each other, our little sister Eva, our mum and our stepdad made all the difference. We leaned on one another, and that bond became our anchor. Going through that so young shaped who we are - it taught us how to support each other, lift each other up, and keep going even when life feels impossible. Everything we’ve been through is part of why we can create and stand together now, and we know we can face any bump in the road, however big or small.
How do you incorporate your shared love for emo music into your current sound and songwriting approach?
We grew up as angsty emo teens, and that side of us still shines through in our music. One of our favorite touches is the “radio voice” - that classic vocal effect you hear on pretty much any emo track - and yes, it sneaks into every single Disgusting Sisters song. Keep your ears open, it’s always there somewhere. We also love heavy guitar sounds and riffs, and let’s just say our borderline-emo attire isn’t accidental.
On a completely personal note, we’re seeing My Chemical Romance at Wembley in July 2026 and we’ve literally never been this excited. We saw them together in Paris back in 2011 and cried for three days straight - this is round two, and we can barely handle it.
What do you love right now?
Playing shows, grabbing snacks from the off-licence and watching Futurama, the insane feeling of being at a big gig and hearing the whole crowd singing along, eggs in any form, cold beers, cigarettes, coffee, singing in the shower, going to festivals, and, of course, Jules’s cat : Whisky.
What do you hate right now?
9-to-5s, super windy days, the price of beer in London, not being able to spend all our time together, the tube at rush hour, making TikToks, the fact that summer’s over and the days are getting shorter.
Name an album you’re still listening to from when you were younger and why it’s still important to you?
We’re still listening to loads of Hot Chip - The Waiting in particular was a big album for us growing up, and we used to listen to it with our parents. It still feels really important because it shaped how we think about melody, rhythm, and emotional energy in music. And now feels like the perfect time to share: Hot Chip have done a remix of TGIF, out on 8th October! We’re beyond excited - they’ve been a massive influence, and being able to collaborate with them feels like a full-circle moment.
When someone hears your music for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them?
We hope our music makes people want to dance, but also relate to the lyrics. The songs are really personal because they’re about things we both feel and go through, so we imagine other people might be experiencing the same stuff too.
What’s next for Disgusting Sisters in terms of live performances or new music after ‘TGIF'?
Next up, we’ve got our first headline shows coming in December - tickets will be out soon. After that, we’re hoping to do a proper tour early next year. The Hot Chip remix of TGIF drops on 8th October, and we’ll be putting out lots of new music regularly after that, so there’s plenty to look forward to.
