Hello haha charade! How's it been in the music world since you were last on BuzzMusic?
Hey hey! Life has been great! The music has been flowing. We've been writing a lot. Now we just need to get back in the studio and record. We've been putting a lot of our focus on playing gigs and getting booked for festivals. We have a manager now, so things are on the up and up. We were initially going to release our entire album this Summer, but he asked us to hold off so we can properly market and make music videos. We're releasing three singles leading up to the album in January 2020. The second album is already written, and half of the third album is, too!
Your musical execution is incredibly unique. You're able to mesh together entirely different categories of music, and blend it without any mistake. Do you face any predominant challenges attempting to blend together so many various musical elements?
Thank you! That makes our heart sing. We have three songwriters in the band, so that's why the blends happen naturally.
I think the biggest challenge when blending genres is getting listed on playlists because a lot of curators want genre specific sounds. Playlists are the way most music gets heard nowadays. When each song encompasses different genres, as we like to do, you may have a fan bobbing their head to a psych-funk sound and then -BOOM- we cut in with a reggae bridge that may turn them off. But that's the risk we're willing to take. At this point in our young career, we're still writing music for ourselves, just as much as for the fans. I'd like to think that because we like it, there has to be others out there that like it, too. If artists don't continue to push the bar, then we won't be able to advance music.
We heard about the release of your debut album in 2020! Can you give us more information on how the musical stylings of this one will be compared to your other music?
I think the songs that we're going to be releasing are more mature in nature. The first four songs we cut on our debut EP were part of the learning process. We never recorded professionally before that, so there were kinks to work out. We know what we're doing now. I'm sure mistakes will still be made, but that's part of the process(and the beauty of recording is you just take another take!). This album is very reliant upon strong rhythmic melodies. Some songs are more of build-ups than others, meaning the listener has to buckle in for the ride. That's hard to do when you can maybe get 10 seconds of someone's time. So we have a healthy mix of straight forward indie pop songs consisting of intro/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus, but we also have a semi-self-indulgent 7 minute song. Each song is different, but our "sound" permeates through. All I can guarantee is that some of the songs on the album are refreshingly new, and I'm excited to see how far around the world they can reach.
How important would you say personal experience is to the creation of your music? Do you pour yourself into the music, or are the stories only stories?
Depends on the song. Some are written from personal experience, but I'd say most are written from the subconscious. I think an empathetic soul can hear someone else's plights and be able to turn their pain into artistic beauty. So I wouldn't put as much emphasis on the personal experience as others might. We have vivid imaginations and like an element of story telling.
Where's the best setting to experience your new album? If listeners had to expect one thing out of this album, what can they expect to see?
The best setting would be outside. Preferably on a beach (Summer) or while taking a hike in the woods (Spring/Fall). Because we're releasing in the winter, I'd suggest -if you really want to get into it- to sit in a dark room and light a candle. Close your eyes and just vibe. Apparently if you listen to the album backwards on vinyl you'll be able to see your future.
Listeners can expect to be transported from reality for a bit. They can also expect a lot of chants. But most importantly, they can expect a full album. All killer, no filler.
"Goodbye Juliet" is out now! We're excited to listen to a snippet more of haha charade! Tell us what this track is about, and how the production of it has gone?
We're excited, too! The song is a reversal on the classic breakup song trope. Usually artists are in their feelings, meaning they take on the role of the dumpee, not the dumper. This song is from the perspective of the one doing the dumping. In a nutshell, the song is about a beautiful girl that you start dating solely based on looks, but the closer you get, the further you need to get away. So you say "Goodbye Juliet." Peace, bitch! Haha, we aren't the most politically correct band. A good relationship has to be based on attraction AND personality. I think we've all dated someone we didn't really connect with just because how good looking they were. This song is for everyone that feels or has felt that way.
The production was very smooth. Shout out to Nick "Clay McNail" Holmes at Occupy Studio! That's our guru, our Rick Rubin. He takes good care of us (and all his clients for others looking to record there!).
Check out "Goodbye Juliet" here!
