Need You, A Statement By Feather Touch

Hello friends!

Sometimes I’m ever so fortunate to get an interview with an incredible artist or band. I’ve done a few really interesting interviews, and recently I was given the opportunity to chat with Lachie David aka Feather Touch, about his recent single Need You.

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Need You’s been out for a little over a month, how do you feel about having it out, now that everyone’s hearing it, how’s the response been?

Yeah, it’s been just over a month so it’s pretty new, but it’s been awesome. I’ve been really excited about how many people have been interested in it. Most importantly though it’s always most exciting to get friends and family to hear it and to finally be able to play it after telling them about it and playing them snippets for so long. It’s been really exciting to finally be able to show them the finished product. I’ve been really, really ecstatic with just how far it’s gone and all the different places that it’s turned up.

Where have you found it?

Overseas blogs, it’s been played on a whole bunch of radio stations across the country, which is just awesome and people who’ve supported me before like Joy FM in Melbourne, they’ve gotten back on board with my stuff which is always great.

The River, which you released last year did pretty well. They’re pretty different songs I guess, between The River and Need You. You’ve put your vocals on this recent track compared to when you had a feature singer on The River, what led you to make that decision?

Well, I wanted to be more confident. Aeora, who I had on The River has an amazing voice and it’s easy not to be over confident when you’re sitting next to someone with such an good voice, but I think the intent for Feather Touch has always been to be able to do songs off my own bat as well as well as featuring people so I figured it was really time to step out and own that. With Need You it’s the most I’ve ever really tried to embody being that leading pop singer on a dance song, so it was the one that felt right to me to kind put it out and showcase what I can do. Yeah, I think I’m really happy with it! It’s always a nervous moment when you put it out to the world.

Was it something that made you nervous, being the first time?

Yeah I think I was more nervous after The River because I used to sing and play in bands a lot back in the day, but I’d never sung over an electronic production, so you just have to be able to pitch your voice differently and you can’t rely on other things to cover up for it as much. So I think I was a bit more nervous after The River and this one I just really tried to own it and approach it with a bit of confidence. I definitely do a lot more with my voice in Need You than I do in The River.

I also wanna talk about the genre, ‘tropicalpyso’ disco? I’m so intrigued by it because I’ve never heard of it before but it kind sums up the sound so perfectly, but I don’t know what it is, so please tell me about it!

So effectively I didn’t kinda describe my sound for a long time and my cousin had his 21st birthday and he decided to have a ‘tropicalpyso disco’ theme, and I finally had a word to describe the way my music sounds so that’s where it comes from. So yeah, I really try and make sure I have a really summer feel to my music, it’s important to me that you can move to it. Even before, a lot of my older music, there’s always been a real tropical feel and theme to all of it, I think it’s just a beautiful couple of genres of music and you can’t go wrong.

Along that vein, you mentioned that you were pretty surprised by how much of a pop song this release turned into, were you initially feeling a different vibe or direction or did you just let it pan out the way it did during the production process

I think I always kinda get surprised by any song that I write that ends up being really really poppy, just because it doesn’t always come naturally, but I’m in no way disappointed that it happened. I’m always someone who doesn’t really think about what I want to make when I’m making a song, I just start doing things and see what happens. So that’s why I think I’m always surprised when it comes out like a pop song, because with that approach, you’re kind just putting things together, pop is so structured, there so many elements that you kinda have to think about it ahead of time and sometimes when you’re just pulling things together as you go it doesn’t always come through, but it was by no means disappointing, I mean I love pop music, so that was really cool. I think I’m just someone who feels when I’m writing a song I’m as much trying to do justice to the song that I can hear, I don’t really feel I’m trying to pull it to a genre, I don’t really know where it’s coming from.

I feel like, especially Need You, since that is the song of the moment, you’ve got great songs to perform live, not just from an audience point of view but from your point of view also, have you got any live performances lined up any time soon to get that going?

Yeah absolutely, I’m currently hosting a live space in my studio so towards the end of the year I’m gonna do another show through that, and that’s basically intimate gigs that are also live-streamed gigs. Because it’s been so busy, I haven’t had much time to line up as many shows as I’d have liked, but definitely planning to take this on the road, I have a few more songs up my sleeve so keen to get them out. I definitely plan to take it to as much of Australia as possible.

I was doing some digging, and you shared a song on tripleJ Unearthed a few years ago called Jisas, it’s got a really cool Rudimental, Duke Dumont type of vibe to it. How much personally, do you reckon your style and sound have chance from Jisas to Need You?

A lot haha. I think the thing that ties it all together is that genre, which you can still feel present there. And I think when I pulled together Jisas there was also another song, Anything Goes that also got picked up on tripleJ Unearthed, and I really love where those songs headed but I was still surprised again that they came from a sample based state so I’ve kinda had that avalanche of pulling a story together from different samples and it’s not something I’d expected to write, but I love that it happened. With Feather Touch I’ve always wanted to get it to a place where I was doing the lyrics myself and doing the vocals and that sort of thing, so I think there’s a lot tying it together but I think the big difference between them is the support I had from Haxx who’s doing the production, it just makes everything a lot more polished in terms of the production. The other stuff I was putting out was definitely a lot more DIY and I really enjoyed being able to kinda take my vision to where I’d have liked it to go!

You managed to combine a really great commercial sound with that heavy dark bass which I guess drives the song into the club-based dance type of genre, so was that intentional or was it something that came out of the collaboration with Haxx?

Yeah it definitely, you’ve got elements of music that he does and fortunately for me I happen to love all the music that he works on. I really love that ability that he’s got to make sure that it’s got the elements you need to ensure that dance feel to it, but also the genre bending stuff that he’s able to do, which makes things more interesting than having a 120bmp dance song and being able to switch it up and do things differently. That really suits the music that I like to make, and you can hear it coming through. I’d been looking for someone to be my other half in the music sense, and it really feels like working with him I’ve been able to find that.

You mentioned that you’ve got some new songs up your sleeve. Can we expect any more in the coming months or you working on an EP?

At this stage I’ve still working out if they’re gonna be individual releases or an EP, so I can’t give too much away on that front! But I definitely have a couple of songs already ready to go. Early next year there’ll be plenty of music to dive into.

So I have one last question, You Should Hear is all about sharing music that deserves to be heard, so what’s one song you think everyone should hear, that doesn’t necessarily get the recognition it deserves?

That’s a great question. I’d love to say Over and Out by Sparrows which is currently killing it all over the place so unfortunately I don’t think I can say that because it’s definitely getting the recognition it deserves. There’s actually an old song from when I play in band days by a band called Young Lovers, called Talking In French. That song was the soundtrack for a lot of summers for me and I don’t think I saw it pop up anywhere outside of my playlist but I think it definitely deserves it!

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I love chatting to new artists, and this was a super fun interview with Lachie! Hope you all got to know him a little better, let me know what you thought in the comments!

Make sure to follow Feather Touch on all the socials, and keep up to date so you’re as ready as I am for the new music.

FEATHER TOUCH
FaceBook
SoundCloud
Spotify
Instagram

x

Priya

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Moneylover // A Bold Entrance from Supergold

Hello friends!

Welcome back to another post, this one’s pretty fun!!

A little while back I was put in contact with a relatively new Florida band, Supergold, who formed in December of 2017. Running their ship out of lead singer Alex Alston’s garage, the band is made up of Alex, Kyle Santiago, Tanner Collins, Dana Miral, Pablo Falcon and Christian Ballon. With the band playing 10-13 shows a month according to their website, they really run themselves hard, and it’s definitely a long awaited arrival to see a single come from the group.

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The single comes in the form of their debut song, Moneylover, which was released in late September this year, almost a year after the band’s formation. If you head to the press section of their website, their’s a quote at the top that kind of summarises their sound, or what we can hear of it so far, perfectly.

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When I first heard the single, the bass line and the smooth guitar definitely got me hooked. I won’t lie and say that the style of vocal performance is one I listen to all that commonly, but it seems to fit perfectly and Alex does a great job of tying the entire sonic into one great package. It’s this perfect blend of possibly The Strokes, David Bowie as mentioned before and the essential elements pulled from current and evolving indie rock bands at the moment.

I try not to share music that I don’t genuinely love, or give reviews for the sake of promoting music I don’t genuinely care about or enjoy, and I’ve found myself listening to Moneylover more and more since being sent the single. Fair enough, it took me a little while to click with it, but once you click, you’ve clicked for good.

Supergold seem like they’d be a great act to see live, which you can bet I’m gonna do if they ever head down to Australia. You can feel the energy that drives Moneylover, and if the rest of their set is anything like it, I’m sure it would be incredible. It’s not a song you could stand still to, it’s got this great driving beat that just requires you to dance. You can find Moneylover on my ‘summer to end all summers‘ playlist on Spotify.

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If there’s one thing that I love about up and coming bands, it’s the hard-work they put in, on and off the stage. While I was doing some research, I couldn’t help but notice how ridiculously good their website is, the sick merchandise, the constant roll of reviews and several radio features.

I was lucky enough to speak to Alex, the lead singer of Supergold and he was kind enough to answer some questions for me, hope you enjoy!!

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How does it feel, finally having music out since forming a year ago?
It’s a huge weight off our shoulders, we put off the recording process for a few months after the band had started because we wanted to see if anyone would even enjoy the songs and after playing some shows we felt confident enough to step into the studio. Although we’ve been playing for 10 months, I consider us only a month old because, that’s how long the song has been out and the time spent previous was us just learning how to be a band together. When ‘Moneylover’ went live, I was nervous, it was our first impression and I wanted to make sure that we got it right.

I really love that comparison on your website from Wolfe Guitars, ‘If David Bowie and The 1975 had a baby, Supergold would be it’. How would you guys personally describe your sound?
We get asked that sometimes and I never really know how to answer, and it’s tough to answer when your in the band, because the sound comes out naturally (which I get is a total cop out answer haha). I will say that when we approach writing a song, there isn’t a specific sound in mind, or a certain sound or audience that we are trying to please. The only question we ask ourselves when a song is being written is ‘is this authentic and are we being honest?’ Whether that comes in the form of a more electronic song or an acoustic guitar tune or whatever, it just has to be real to us & what comes out is Supergold.

Are there any particular bands or artists your draw inspiration from?
I listen to tons and tons of bands. I’ve been listening to this one band out of England called ‘Sports Team’ I found them one day on Noisey & I listen to them almost every day. Whitney is another band I love, I named my dog after them. My biggest influence if probably Bowie, his stage presence, and how he never stuck to one sound and was constantly evolving his sound is something I hope we can emulate.

Alex, you spent some time playing in a few bands before Supergold came along, what made this particular band and this group of people work so well?
This project works so well because we are all trying to make this band our careers, we all have the same focus and we are all hard workers. There is hardly ever a dull moment with group everyone just had so much fun together, we’ve quickly become a family.

You guys a planning a tour, are there any dream gig venues you want to play either this time round or in the future?
We are planning on touring the west coast of the U.S. & will announce dates hopefully sooner than later. A dream gig for me is Terminal 5 in New York City. NYC is my favorite place in the world and if we played there, I’d melt.

When can we expect to hear Alligator, which you’ve been teasing recently?
So after the release of ‘Moneylover’ we realized, that the next single would have to come out pretty quickly, but we couldn’t decide on a date. So we decided that once we hit 250 Spotify followers, we’d release the song. It’s a little unorthodox but, I thought it would be fun to have everyone feel like they had a hand in when we released the song, and so far the response had been really great!

You guys seem to be performing back to back, you’ve got three more gigs left this month, how do you find the time to sit down to work on a song, get it recorded, perfect all the little details and still put on what seem to be such killer live shows?
I love every part of this band from doing the booking, to writing, to playing that I don’t even really think about trying to find the time to do things because it’s what I want to be doing all the time. I’m really happy when I’ve got thirty band-related things on my plate because there is nothing else I’d rather be doing with my time.

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So there you go! Hopefully if not my huge push at the beginning of this post, then at least Alex’s amazing answers will convince you to go have a listen to Moneylover and check out Supergold. If you’re in the Florida area, they’ve got heaps of shows planned already.

Check out their upcoming shows HERE.

You can also find Supergold on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

x

Priya

PS:
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Paige’s Space // An Interview

Hello hello.

This is a very exciting post for me, considering I’ve been absolutely obsessed with this artist for the most part of 2018.

Before you continue reading this post, make sure you’re all caught up, so if you haven’t already, stop what you’re doing and make sure you check out the first post I did about Paige, which you can find HERE.

Paige just recently released a new song, Alignments, and while it still hasn’t beaten her song So Far for me, it’s still an absolutely beautiful song, and I’ve had it on replay since it was put out.

If you’re up for some incredibly warm acoustic guitar, the chill-inducing harmonies that I’ve come to expect from Paige and lyrics that make you wow-out-loud, then listen to Alignments. You will not be disappointed.

Anyhow.

On top of being a beautiful musician and singer, Paige is also a gem of a human being, and generously agreed to answer some questions for you all! So if we could all send some universal ‘thank-you’s’ Paige’s way, that would be sweet.

Enjoy.

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How early on in your life did you decide that music was going to be the avenue you wanted to pursue as a full time career and were there any other options you had in terms of interests that could have possibly lead you down a different route?

Very early on [to be honest]. When I was 5 I first performed in front of my school and that’s when I knew I loved it and didn’t have to think twice. Although I also was hugely fascinated in space and astrophysics which is something I’d love to do but sadly I suck at maths loooolll.

Were there any artists who influenced you in a major way as a young child?

My first influences were always Disney Channel stars. Miley Cyrus was a huge one for me because Hannah Montana inspired me a lot to become a musician. The Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato e.t.c. Lady Gaga has always been a huge inspiration for me throughout my life and how she is so bold and fearless as an artist.

What’s the idea behind your Instagram name, @paigesspace?

I guess I kind of just wanted to have something that associated with space because I love space so much haha.

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What was you initial reaction when you saw Billie Eilish sharing your Instagram page and fan-girling over your voice and your covers, as well as your original songs?

Hahaha it was definitely overwhelming. I was in a state of shock for a good week. Just really hard to believe.

What has that type of support meant not only for you as an artist, but as someone who has a huge musical presence on your social media?

It’s meant the entire world. I will never fully be able to express my gratitude for all of it.

You’re a huge believer in manifestation, you’ve credited a lot of your success to the fact that you’ve put your dreams out into the universe for them to manifest, what are your personal beliefs around manifestation and the powers of the universe, and how does that impact the music you create?

Wow what a good question! I genuinely believe that you attract the things that come into your life…. It’s not just a matter of sitting in your room and just asking the universe for your dreams to come true and getting them, but with hard work and manifestation I do believe that’s how your dreams come to life. My beliefs inspire me to write songs such as “Alignments” which is based off of the idea of not blaming the universe for ALL the things that go wrong.

Billie has shown her continual support, singing your recent single ‘Alignments’ as her favourite song at the moment. Do you feel a certain pressure when someone like Billie is promoting your music, to live up to the hype she’s built for you?

I think it’d only be natural to feel pressure but I feel more so driven to work harder to be a better artist for all the people watching me. It’s definitely a nerve wracking feeling but it’s only going to help me grow as an artist

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What advice would you give to young musicians, singers and songwriters, in regards to sharing your music online, specifically posting covers and original music on Instagram like you do?

Just to sing what you love, post consistently, post up some songs people are also familiar with, but also remember to do it because you love it and it makes you happy.. That way you won’t be as scared.

How do you generally begin constructing a song, and what are some of the topics you particularly find yourself writing about?

I find chords and then sing melodies to them, then begin singing about how I feel. Usually I find myself singing about a girl or love because love is what drives me the most.

Who would be five artists that you’d love to collaborate with in the future?

Sooooo many. If I had to only pick five I’d pick Alessia Cara, Billie Eilish [of course], Rex Orange County, Ruel and last but certainly not least Kehlani.

You’re located in New Zealand. Do you see yourself staying in NZ and basing your musical career from there or can you see yourself moving away to pursue it elsewhere, such as Los Angeles?

I definitely 100% don’t see myself staying here. I want to branch out somewhere bigger with more inspiration although I LOVE my country I’d love to go some place new. LA would be amazing.

Of the songs you’ve recorded, which is a favourite or a standout, released or unreleased?

Probably a song I wrote called “Waves” which I’ve spent almost a year on producing with a producer called Noema Te Hau III. Probably because it’s been the hardest I’ve ever worked on a song. Hopefully it will be out soon enough!

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Do you have any plans to release a full album, is that something you’re working on?

I’m just in the middle of recording an EP which includes 5 songs. Very excited to let it out!

What inspires you?

Experiences, Pain, People, Nature and Love.

If you could pick any decade of music to listen to on repeat, which decade would it be and why?

EARLY 2000’s!!!! It’s what I listen to the most because it reminds me of when I was younger and what I was listening to while I was experiencing things for the first time. I also love the artists from early 2000’s.

You Should Hear is all about sharing incredible music recommendations and artists, what one song, and what one artist would you recommend everyone listen to at the moment?

Definitely listen to ‘Better’by Tommie. She’s soooooOOooOOoooOoo good!!

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And that’s it for the questions! Anyone who read my first post about Paige, would understand how much I’m all about Paige and her music, and in turn, how exciting it is to be able to share this with you all! So a massive thank you to Paige for being so kind and answering these for me and for you all!!

Also, currently listening to Better by Tommie, and Paige is.not.wrong.

x

Priya

PS:
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B-Villain

Fans of trap music and EDM, this one is definitely up your alley.

A little while ago I was contacted to review music by an artist by the name of BVillain. Now if you’ve picked up anything from my blog, and the type of music that I recommend or share, trap music and EDM isn’t usually on my radar. However, it kinda was a few years ago back in high school. So it was a nice welcome back to listen to some new stuff, especially stuff from BVillain.

 

 

I was lucky enough to get a short Q&A with Brandon, the face behind BVillain, just to help you all learn a bit more about what there is to the artist and his music. With a non-stop year of high energy shows filling his schedule, and performances with artists like G-Eazy, Sky Blue of LMFAO, Shwayze and Cam Meekins I knew I had to get some more for you all. I mean, with a tag line like ‘Party For A Living’, how could I not?

 

When did you start making music and what made you do it?
I got my first guitar in 2nd grade and haven’t stopped playing music since then. I started my first band in 7th grade playing bass and have been in and out of bands ever since then. I have played everything from acoustic coffee shop music to heavy metal which has always been my favorite. I started DJing and producing music 7 years ago when I started working with Sky Blu from LMFAO. He taught me a lot and I just loved the whole EDM scene since then. I have always loved performing and creating music in which I have no plans to ever stop.

What have been the major influences in your life in regards to your music?
I love art in every form and really just waking up every day influences me to make music. I live in Los Angeles which is full of street art and other amazing artists. I have also met a lot of musicians I look up to and am influenced by which is a rad feeling.

What’s your favourite aspect about the style of music you create?
I love the heavy bass and aggressive aspect of my music. I am big into the live performance side and just seeing people lose their minds is such an epic feeling. Nothing else matters at that point in time and we are all one together. I only try to create music that I know will have a huge impact live.

Where does the name ‘B-Villain’ come from?
I started a clothing line called BranVille Clothing about 10 years ago and all my friends began calling me B-Ville. I took that and thought of a punk rock way to twist it so I just added Villain to that and there it was.

If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be?
Marilyn Manson has always been one of my favorite artists. His style is so unique and he definitely has his own lane. He’s always been a huge influence of mine and making music with him would be a dream come true.

How has your music evolved since you first started?
I used to make a lot of hip-hop and vibey beats when I first started producing. It’s been rad to finally find my sound and create what I have in my head. I’ve been experimenting a lot with guitars and live instruments lately which is where I started years ago. 

What’s your next goal that you would like to achieve with your music?
I want to continue to tour and show the world my music and live show. I have only just begun and super excited for all my new music to come out and really stay in my own lane.

 

If trap and EDM are your jam, then I definitely recommend BVillain. You can find his Spotify here, as well as his SoundCloud and Instagram each linked too. You can find more links to his music through his social media!

Let me know what you think in the comments below!

 

x

p.f

PS:
Feel free to follow me on my social media!
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Ready For Ciaran

You may not have heard of Ciaran Austin just yet, but you definitely will sometime in the near future. In the meantime, this post is gonna tell you all you need to know about Ciaran, his new single Arise, which was released on the 23rd of October, as well as a cheeky Q&A with the dude himself. Strap yourselves in.

 

 

Hailing from the South West of England, the 22-year old is carving a path for a ridiculous rapping career, especially if Arise is anything to go by. I was stoked to have a listen to this song before it was dropped and was thoroughly impressed.

To start off with, aside from Stormzy and probably Lady Leshurr, there aren’t many UK rappers I find myself vibing with.

However, when I listened to Ciaran’s single, I found myself really enjoying it. It’s definitely laid-back hip hop and rap. The synths and guitars contrast wickedly, but I love the lyrics the most. He spits out a lot of emotion that he packs into really well crafted lines. Arise is definitely a song made to be listened to, a story to follow.

There’s a wicked part in the song that has spoken dialogue between a guy, possibly Ciaran, and a girl. It’s packed with the emotion the song carries, and while sometimes spoken dialogue can seem disjointed and awkward within songs, this piece fits perfectly inside the pocket of the song and I can’t imagine Arise without it.

 

Ciaran was kind enough to answer some questions for me in a quick Q&A, enjoy!

There’s a ton of story telling in Arise, what was the inspiration behind the lyrics? What was the intention behind the spoken dialogue in the break?
The subject matter kind of came up when my guitarist Jamie & I were making the beat. It’s kind of inspired by the sacrifices which have been made for music, specifically how it can affect your relationships/friendships, and the talking part is based on a situation I was in this earlier this year

Who are you biggest inspirations, as a producer and rapper?
Influences vary depending on who I’m listening to at a certain point of time but I guess all-time musical inspirations include Stevie Wonder, Bon Iver, Kanye (probably my biggest producer influence due to his fearlessness & innovation).

How has your music changed between when you first started and now, at the release of Arise?
I learnt piano when I was a kid and I’ve been making music in some form for the past like 5 years. It started with really ambient/electronic stuff and then moved towards hip-hop. I started rapping/properly adding my vocals in like 3 years ago because I just as I wanted to express myself more…blame it on too many teenage emotions I guess.

You Should Hear is all about discovering new music. Aside from your own music, who’s someone you think more people need to have a listen to and know about?
I would definitely urge everyone to listen to Private Agenda! Recently saw them live in London & their music is brilliant.

Where would you like to see yourself in ten years?
I hope that in ten years I’m still expressing myself in some way & that I’m enjoying performing live if I’m still in music.

 

You can find Ciaran’s Spotify here, hopefully you give it a listen. While there are only two songs up there, it’s definitely worth you time. The musicality and lyrics in both the songs are incredible, and Skylight, the song released along with Arise, is definitely featured in a few of my playlists.

x

p.f