In Harmony

It’s been a while since we last spoke! Has there been anything interesting that you’ve been working towards since then?
I recently got into really long songs. For example, Parannoul’s new project Huremic—he has four 10 minute songs and I listened to all of them. Then I realised that what makes these long songs so good is that you don’t notice its length until you’re at the end. So I’ve been trying to incorporate that into my own music—longer tunes compared to the regular three to five minutes songs.

I also learned how to actually sing. Before this, I was just kind of winging it during performances. But for my most recent show, I finally figured out how to control my voice better. I was yelling at some parts, pushing my range, and it felt completely different. It’s wild because my band has always had two vocalists, but I never really thought to take full advantage of vocal harmonies until now.

So lately, I’ve been experimenting more with how the vocals interact—how one voice fades in, how they layer, all the background stuff. And I’ve been trying to write songs that are actually singable, rather than sticking to the usual kind of hazy, unintelligible vocals you often hear in shoegaze.

Wow, you’ve been busy! So how would you say the songwriting process differs for longer songs as opposed to your regular three to five minute songs, and how did you learn how to sing?
I’m still really new to all of this, but I was listening to Stargazer by Honeydip. It’s a shoegaze track with a really long structure built around a looping melody. What keeps it fresh is how they slowly introduce new layers instead of throwing everything at you all at once. I’ve been trying to do something similar, but instead of just one looping melody, I’m working with a four-part progression and layering things gradually.

Since we have three guitars in the band, I usually have one guitar play a looping part, then bring in another that swells in slowly, and I try to mimic the sound of a violin with my parts. That’s something I’ve been experimenting with lately.

As for singing, my guitarist actually took vocal lessons, and he ended up teaching me in his car. This was sometime late last year. I used to go over to his place to record new songs; I’d bring my laptop over, we’d work on stuff, and then he’d drive me home. And during those rides, that’s when I actually started learning how to sing—in the car, figuring it out.

Was singing something easy for you to pick up?
Some parts came really easy to me like using my head voice and those higher tones. I actually picked up how to fry scream pretty quickly too, which was surprising. But the hardest part for me was stabilising my pitch right away when hitting a note. Being able to land on the right note immediately without wobbling was definitely the toughest thing to get the hang of.

What’s one song that’s been stuck in your head? Any new bands that you’ve recently discovered?
Macdonald Duck Eclair by Clarion. Honestly, I don’t even remember how I found them. It kind of sounds like some obscure indie K-pop group that never blew up. Their albums are pretty experimental and I don’t really hear a lot of what they’re doing in mainstream music, which makes them stand out.

As for a band I recently discovered, it would be this Japanese group called Hitohira. They blend Midwest emo with shoegaze, and it sounds really cool. Definitely a unique mix.

Adding to our playlist! Last question: Now that we’re halfway through the year, is there anything you hope to achieve by the end of it?
I guess one goal would be finishing that long-ass song I was talking about. Then I also want to play it live and have it transition straight into our final song. The way I’m writing it now, it’s meant to lead into the last track of the set, so I already have this single, seamless transition in mind. Beyond that, I really want us to professionally record and release our music too. That’s definitely something I’m aiming for.