Hailing from Montreal, Canada, October Sky has been making music together for over a decade. The duo is comprised of Karl Raymond (vocals, guitar and keys) and Alex Racine (drums and keys). The progressive rock collective October Sky has an impressive repertoire and has recently added electronic elements to their already spectacular sound. Their newest singles “Ready or Not” and “Let Down Enough” are the perfect balance between their love for loud, rock, and electronic music. More radio singles are ready to be dropped which will be leading up to the release of a brand new EP late 2019.
We checked out October Sky’s newest single “Ready or Not” and we’re bumping it on repeat. The electronic laden single boasts a high energy mood and danceable sound. Karl’s vocal register is both impressive and diverse while consistently delivering a rock sound. The duo add’s authentic and contemporary electronic fillers to both solidify their position as an electronic rock group and showcase their incredible production quality. The single “Ready or Not” is comparable to the sounds or Nine Inch Nails or Muse with October Sky’s own individuality and flare. With an impressive repertoire and fan following, definitely stay on the lookout for October Sky and their much anticipated EP!
Check out “Ready or Not” here and read more below in our exclusive interview with the duo!
Hello Karl and Alex! We love your unique sound. How did you guys meet? How did October Sky come to fruition?
We went to high school together and were part of the brass band. We were the two guys playing rock instead of practicing the songs the teacher wanted us to play.
We started playing music together with a bunch of friends. Then we played shows for fun and it became more serious overtime. Since we are both born in October, it made sense to find a name with ''October'' in it. We decided to go with ''October Sky''.
Do you have any musical influences? How do you draw inspiration from them?
Yes a lot! There is that huge rock background. Bands like Rage Against The Machine, Linkin Park, Thrice, Sigur Ros, Muse, Radiohead, Coldplay, U2 and the list goes on. But I think since the very beginning, we were always chasing for that electronic sound in our songs too. These days, we are trying the find the middle ground in between rock and electronic music. I think sometimes these artists are creating a certain emotion or groove that grab our attention. It inspires us to replicate that emotion in our own way, with our sound.
What’s your track “Ready or Not” about? What was the writing process like for this song?
To sum it up, this song is about taking a leap of faith when opportunities come by. Sometimes you will doubt yourself, have a million excuses but at the end, just do it, go for it and see what happens.
It was a lot of hours playing with synths in the studio. There was no guitars or drums at first. Then we added layers and layers until we had to stop because it was getting too massive! Then we added vocals. We usually find the melody before the words. Then it came along nicely. We played it during our US Tour with ''Icon For Hire'' & ''Assuming We Survive'' and we were getting such an amazing response from the crowd every night. We knew we had something. The final touch was to go back in the studio to record the final drums, mixing and mastering, and there you have it.
Can you dive into some details of your upcoming EP?
Since we are still working on new material, we decided to release an EP for the fans which will consist on 3 brand new songs: ''Ready Or Not'', ''Let Down Enough'' and ''Carry On''. I think they are really different from each other but retaining that October Sky sound. ''Ready Or Not'' is an upbeat rock song with lots of energy and electronic elements. "Let Down Enough" is more of a head-bagger song and "Carry On" is more of an alternative rock song.
Do you have any upcoming tour dates or events you want to talk about?
This year, we are in the studio writing new material and shooting music videos. But there is definitely a North American tour in the works and some dates in Europe & the UK for 2020.
Stay connected with October Sky through social media!