Motion, momentum, and everything in between
Nice to Meet You: SKORTS Find Beauty in the Unfinished with Their Debut Incompletement
New York’s SKORTS have earned their buzz the old-school way — word of mouth, packed rooms, and the kind of live shows people can’t stop talking about afterward. Their debut album, Incompletement, captures that energy in full: urgent, melodic, and full of heart.
The band describes Incompletement as a made-up term meaning “to live and create in a constant state of impermanence.” It’s an idea that defines both the record and the band — embracing movement over mastery, spontaneity over polish. Recorded live across three Brooklyn practice spaces with producer Teddy O’Mara, the album threads together grit and grandeur: the precision of arena rock with the restless pulse of the New York DIY scene.
Formed in 2021, SKORTS came together through a chain of chance encounters. Singer-guitarist Alli Walls moved from Denver to New York as a love letter to music — a decision to plant herself in the middle of the city’s chaos just to see what might happen. That leap put her in the right guitar shop at the right moment, where she met guitarist Char Smith. Smith later crossed paths with bassist Emma Welch outside a bar, and drummer Max Berdik soon completed the lineup.
The chemistry hit immediately. Within months, they were fixtures in the city’s small rooms, and by the time they hit the road with The Velveteers last summer, they’d already built a real following. Their WFUV NY Slice Session captured some of that unfiltered energy — the same spark that blew an amp during their first gig, a chaotic mishap they now consider their accidental origin story.
Rather than chasing some final form, SKORTS lean into the beauty of process. Incompletement captures them mid-stride — fearless, evolving, and wide open to whatever comes next. It’s a declaration of growth, risk, and reinvention. Featured as part of our Nice To Meet You series, SKORTS embody everything that spirit represents: artists pushing forward, shaping their sound in real time, and reminding us that some of the most exciting stories in music are the ones still being written. Here’s the conversation we had.
What was the process that led you to writing your first song?
Alli: Growing up, I always had melodies in my head. I started fingerpicking on acoustic guitar, trying to sound out those melodies. And as I started experiencing life, I wanted to encapsulate that into song.
Char: I was learning songs on piano and realizing the cyclical way chords worked with each other — and that songs were pretty simple. I thought, “I think I can probably write some songs.”
Do you remember the first time you shared your music online — and what that moment meant to you?
Alli: I was sitting criss-cross applesauce on the floor of my bedroom when I was 14, and my sister had a handheld camcorder. We recorded me playing two of the songs I had at the time, and we posted them to YouTube. At that time, it meant very little to me. We were just trying something new, and it was my sister who thought I should do it. She encouraged me to take my music further than my bedroom.
Char: It was pretty freeing. To feel like I had something good enough to share — and that I was excited to share — was a big step. In hindsight, it probably wasn’t good enough to share, but you gotta open the gates at some point.
Emma: The first single we released was “Cyclops Girlfriend” back in May of 2023. I remember feeling really giddy, like it was a birthday. It felt like the start of something special.
What’s an album or song that still reminds you why you do this?
Alli: In Rainbows by Radiohead
Emma: Not God by Finom
Char: I can’t decide right now.
I was pretty lost at the time and realized the only thing I love
every day — and that makes me feel right every day — is music
What’s a sound, sample, or texture you’re currently obsessed with?
Alli: It’s pomegranate season for me, which becomes an obsession every year. I love the explosive crunch of every seed and the tedious process of getting each juicy jewel out. It is a labor of love.
Char: Different echoes have been occupying my attention — and solid-state amps and the way they interact with different fuzzes. There is something so wrong about that transistor sound that is also so right.
What inspires your approach to writing lyrics?
Alli: The approach is usually by mouthfeel that gets shaped into words. I already know what the song is about by the overall tone of the music. It’s up to me to get there by letting the body make the noises it wants to make. The words might not be perfect until you go back a few times to really find what it is you’re trying to say, or the story you are trying to tell — whatever words tie themselves naturally to that feeling that is trying to come out in the music.
Sometimes I pull from my notebooks of personal journaling or old phrases I’ve overheard or that I’ve thought of — sometimes from years ago. But I am always archiving lyrical ideas in some way, shape, or form.
Was there a specific artist or moment that made you realize you wanted to make music?
Alli: I think the biggest moment that pushed me to take music more seriously was when I got the chance to sing on cruise ships in the lounges, where I was originally hired to work as a character performer. I started singing in front of larger audiences, which gave me the confidence to take it from the seas to the land.
Char: Many moments, many artists. The defining moment I decided to dedicate my life to music was in November 2019. Long story short, I was pretty lost at the time and realized the only thing I love every day — and that makes me feel right every day — is music. It had been that way my whole life. So I figured I should put some bands together and get better at playing guitar.
What is something you're proud of?
Alli: I am proud of myself for always staying curious — being able to continue to teach myself new things and having the desire to fall down weird rabbit holes of thinking.
Emma: I’m proud of this band’s journey and how much we’ve grown alongside and with each other.
Char: I’m proud of the band's commitment — in all aspects. It’s not an easy thing to find in people.
What’s a recent performance, film, or book that left a mark on you?
Alli: The book Art in the Age of Artifice by JF Martel. “An artist's power comes down to two things: her sensitivity to the radical mystery of existence and the artistry and craft in which she can channel that mystery into an object or performance.”
Char: Tropical Fuck Storm at TV Eye.
Emma: The film Nine Days by Edson Oda. It is a deeply beautiful and painful movie that captures the small moments that make a life, by following souls that are essentially interviewing to live a life on Earth.
What’s your greatest challenge right now — and how are you working through it?
Alli: Getting out of my own way. Getting out of my own head. I am getting through it by focusing on all the newness that is coming my way with an open heart and a calm, grounded spirit — rather than letting false narratives clutter my mind and cause me to spiral down into the pits, which can be hard to get out of because it can sometimes feel really good down there.
Emma: As I get older, accepting the need to narrow my focus so that I can pour more into what matters most — being okay with being more selective in my life. It has been a constant lesson to learn how not to stretch oneself too thin, and it’s been such a gift to discover my bandmates and our mutual passion to give this project our all.
Char: Finding space and time to create. It feels like there is always something on the to-do list. I’m working through it by acknowledging it now. I’ll let you know how it goes in the next few weeks.
What's one piece of advice you’d give to artists just starting out?
Alli: You have something unique to offer that only you can create. So figure out what that is and keep going deeper.
Emma: Let curiosity, joy, and care for what you do be your driving forces. Always come back to them. And be kind to everyone at every level.
What’s the biggest goal you have for your music at this moment?
Alli: To receive from it what I am supposed to receive and to share that in as big of a way as I can.
Char: To keep challenging myself — to keep growing and changing with my music, and finding new ways of channeling music.
Follow Skorts on Instagram at @skorts_
