SHE (Zooey Deschanel) & Him (Matt Ward) both love the music of undisputed songwriting genius Brian Wilson.
The West Coast duo revere The Beach Boys in the same way as we do The Beatles.
They have recorded a sublime covers album, Melt Away, which dives deep into Wilson’s back catalogue, drawing on tracks from across his storied career.
“Matt and I both are huge Brian Wilson fans,” enthuses Zooey.
“One time when I was working in London, he was playing The Royal Festival Hall five nights in a row . . . and I went to every show!
“His lyrics are sweet and direct. There’s an innocence to them but musically there’s so much complexity.”
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The great man has returned the compliment by saying of Melt Away: “Zooey and Matt have done such mind-blowing versions of our songs. The harmonies are beautiful and right on.”
At this point, you need a bit of background on the contrasting She & Him characters who have been making retro-styled pop records together for 15 years.
Let’s talk about She, currently in a relationship with Jonathan Scott of Canadian reality show Property Brothers.
As a teenager, Zooey knew she wanted to be a performer, whether it was acting or singing.
“I loved musical theatre and I had high-school bands,” the twice-divorced mum of two tells me via Zoom from her home in Los Angeles, her radiant face filling my computer screen.
But the bright lights of Hollywood beckoned and Zooey made her big-screen debut before she hit 20.
A string of high-profile parts followed, alongside the likes of Kate Hudson and Jennifer Aniston, and she soon became known for wonderfully deadpan roles in comedies.
She’s probably best known as Will Ferrell’s love interest in Christmas staple Elf, which hit cinemas when she was still only 23, and more recently as the star of hit sitcom New Girl.
“With acting, I got success really early on,” says Zooey, now 42. “I was making money at it and I liked being part of a movie or a TV show.”
Yet music was still never far from her thoughts. “Before I met Matt, I was an extremely frustrated songwriter,” she admits.
“I’d written all these songs and made demos at home but I just left them sitting there.
“I had friends who were in bands and I was jealous that they got to play music.
“And I didn’t just want to be a singer. I love collaborating on music, I love singing harmonies, I love writing back-up parts.”
Zooey’s breakthrough to securing a singing career in tandem with her established acting one came when she hooked up with Matt during the making of road-trip movie The Go-Getter.
She says: “I was 26 when I met him, which felt very old at the time but now I’m like, ‘That’s insane!’
“Matt was the exact right person to be my producer. Now I think it would be hard to trust my songs with anybody else. I’d been looking for Matt!”
So what about Him? He is a highly respected guitarist, singer and producer who makes solo records under the name M.Ward and is very well-connected in American indie circles.
His debut album, Duets For Guitars #2, appeared in 1999 and his most recent effort was 2020’s affecting Billie Holiday tribute Think Of Spring.
Matt’s work is noted for exquisite guitar-playing, his soulful voice and a warm analogue sound. Meeting Zooey in 2006 for a film soundtrack led to this new and rewarding diversion they called She & Him.
Joining in our Zoom chat, the softly-spoken 48-year-old from Portland, Oregon, says he was already aware of her considerable talent as a musician at the time.
“I remember hearing Zooey’s (singing) voice for the first time, as did a lot of other people, in Elf,” says Matt.
“I thought to myself, ‘This must be an established singer who probably has several records under her belt’.
“It was incredible to collaborate with her in the studio for that film and to find out that she’d never recorded a solo record.
“Once you hear Zooey’s voice, you remember it. It’s so unique, so expressive and the perfect instrument for me to work with.
“And that’s not even talking about her ability to write vocal arrangements, which is all over the new album and all our past ones. I find that so inspiring to work with, a real thrill.”
So far, She & Him have released three volumes of mostly Zooey originals, two Christmas albums (only fitting for the star of Elf) and an orchestrated standards collection.
Matt endeavours to pinpoint their musical chemistry: “Her main passion is singing and harmonies and I’m happy to be on the other side of the coin.
“I love guitar and production so it’s a great division of labour.”
Zooey chips in: “We have the same taste in music, so I’m always excited to hear what Matt is going to bring to our records.
“He has such a unique way of playing guitar. Even when he’s on someone else’s song, I know it’s Matt.
“His philosophy is to support the music and not make it overly slick. I have never worked with another producer who has the same devotion to the music’s soul.
“That is so perfect for Brian Wilson’s songs, because they have such a pure and unique soul.”
This brings us neatly to their latest project, realised during Covid when their lives, like the rest of us, were put on hold.
“When the pandemic hit, we were stuck at home,” says Zooey. “Matt was supposed to be touring and I was meant to be working.
“We’d never done a record remotely but we needed a creative outlet.”
Their shared love of The Beach Boys and Brian Wilson in particular proved the catalyst for laying down tracks.
“We talked about our favourite Brian songs, some very well-known, some more obscure, and produced a very long list,” Zooey continues.
“Then Matt would go into his studio in Portland, start a song and send me a little present in my inbox.
“I would do a bunch of harmonies and send them back. It was a very modern experience!” They raided The Beach Boys’ seminal 1966 album Pet Sounds for Wouldn’t It Be Nice and Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder).
They went further back to surfer song Heads You Win, Tails I Lose and the tender Don’t Worry Baby.
They delved into excellent but less commercially successful albums — Sunflower (1970) for Deirdre and Surf’s Up (1971) for Till I Die.
Here, it is worth noting that She & Him had already bonded with Brian by joining him on his 2015 track On The Island.
Now their album features a guest appearance by the great man on Do It Again.
Reflecting on such an honour, Zooey says: “No one can sing that song like Brian, so we thought it would be great to have him sing it with us.
“He gave me a microphone when we worked with him before and I used it on everything for this record.”
So, why are Brian’s songs extra special? “They’re seamless,” she replies.
“His lyrics often have one phrase that says a thousand words and his melodic choices have a lot of classical influences. This combination makes him very special.”
Matt adds: “Growing up, songs like 409 and Be True To Your School get stuck in your head but you don’t realise how complex they are until you try to write like that.
“Surfer Girl or Barbara Ann sound incredibly simple but hand somebody a guitar and ask them to write the next Surfer Girl and it’s not going to happen. Brian had some sort of magic.”
Zooey again: “Don’t Talk was very difficult for me to sing, which I didn’t really realise until we were ready to record it. It’s like playing a violin part with your voice!”
I can’t help drawing their attention to the fact that Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney were born two days apart and that both turned 80 last month.
“I didn’t realise their birthdays were so close,” says Zooey.
“They arrived in a good month and a good year and I’ve always loved them both.
“When I was a kid, I would listen to oldies radio and got made fun of for it.
“The Beach Boys and The Beatles blew my mind. I remember my dad showing me (the films) A Hard Day’s Night and Help!”
As for Matt, he says: “I put The Beach Boys a bit higher than The Beatles because, wherever I am in the world, there’s a piece of home when I hear them.”
And Zooey reveals: “Both our home towns are mentioned in Surfin’ USA. Matt’s from Ventura County and I’m from Pacific Palisades (a neighbourhood of LA).
“The Beach Boys have always made me feel very nostalgic.”
Talking to these two, it’s clear that they work in perfect harmony and that She & Him will carry on a good while yet.
Coming up is a short East Coast tour in September and both think a Volume 4 of original songs is a good idea for the near future.
“I can honestly say I’m never mad at Matt,” says She. “We always get along.
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“The feeling’s mutual,” affirms Him. “Now I can’t wait to be playing those Beach Boys songs live.”
The last words are with She again: “I hope we continue forever.”
