If you haven’t wrapped your ears around Kintsugi’s latest single, then you’re really missing out.
Kintsugi are releasing electro-pop bangers that make your heart melt. With passionate choruses and unchained melodies, they are able to unpack really complex emotions with heart and compassion.
Fresh off the release of their sophomore single, we caught up with keys player Dan to unpack the band and their plans for the future.
HAPPY: Hey guys, thanks for your time! What do you find yourselves doing right this moment?
DAN: Along with the rest of the planet, our lives went through some major changes but we are extremely fortunate to meet up and create! We were also able to release our sophomore single, BOY! Over the past few months, we took time to write and focus on pre-production. Put simply, it was a chance to be nowhere and just play music for music’s sake!
HAPPY: Do the five of you have a meet-cute? How did the band get together?
DAN: Well, we started as a four-piece but that quickly became a quintet when Hunter (discovered singing at a local café) was invited into the studio to track vocals as a guest singer on a track. So impressed by the session, we asked Hunter to record the rest of the EP and ultimately front the band! Nic and Mike are brothers, Moe and I are the best of friends and Hunter is the gold lining in Kintsugi.
HAPPY: Kintsugi has such a lovely connotation, where did that name come from?
DAN: Band names are a tricky one, so permanent, so personal and, at the time, impossible to see what would feel right down the track. At the end of the day though, the music should make the name and not the other way around. The Kintsugi art of repairing broken objects with gold, silver, or platinum resonated with us as there is beauty in flaws and imperfections and, in some cases, the restoration makes them even more beautiful as a result.
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HAPPY: Congratulations on the release of BOY! Was this a product of isolation?
DAN: It was a bit of both in fact. Conceptually, the song was written by the band when we decided that we would love to work with the amazingly talented singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Joy. As a band we all loved what she did and asked her if she could put her flare on the track and… she said yes! It was in isolation that she added her master touch and we couldn’t be more happy!
HAPPY: What does the writing process typically look like?
DAN: Fortunately, there is no one way with Kintsugi. We can all play a few instruments each and have been in various acts before, so we are comfortable with each other and without egos for an idea to come from anywhere. Sometimes it starts with a lyric, a melodic riff, a drum loop, a piano line, or simply chords and inversions. We typically jam whatever the original idea is until we find some form of structure. At that point, we think about what type of song are we feeling, i.e. is it uptempo, moody, nostalgic? And will move onto finding a familiar structure with choruses and verses etc…
HAPPY: What artists do you most admire for their on-stage presence?
DAN: As a band, we have varying tastes in music but we do find there are acts that are universal amongst us that we all love and admire. Matt Corby is a highlight for all of us; homegrown, super talented, and pays a lot of attention to how his songs are presented live! He oozes calm on stage and allows the audience in without it ever looking forced. Future Islands, Samuel T. Herring, enough said…
HAPPY: Have you been to any sit-down gigs this year, what was your experience?
DAN: We have! I played for an artist at a sit-down gig and, although it was odd, it brought something new: a closer tie with the audience in some aspects, as there were less distractions in the crowd, no lining up for drinks, fighting crowds etc. As good as that may have been though, nothing will ever beat being in the middle of a crowd in front of someone you are dying to see live.
HAPPY: If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
DAN: The industry will always be an industry per se, so changing how it operates commercially will always be a battle. One day, we hope the general public understands how artists generate their income through the current highly accessible format of streaming.
Unfortunately, music has lost its tag as an ‘art-form’ and, as a result, the financial worth has deteriorated. We all see musician friends and family sharing the same old posts about Spotify/Apple Music profit earnings and how a musicians only earn $0.00331 per/stream on the other side. Please pay attention to these posts and ensure we support our local musician friends, family and artists buy going to their shows, buying merch and physical albums. We can’t change the industry, but we can all work on changing how we perceive and respect musicians.
HAPPY: What’s to come for Kintsugi, another single? EP?
DAN: Our next single is being mixed right now and hoping for it to come out early 2021! We are also back in the studio in Jan 2021 to record a few more songs, with one of them potentially being our fourth single. We would love to put an EP but, for now, it’s one step at a time and we are enjoying the process!
HAPPY: Cheers guys!
DAN: Thank you! We absolutely love your mag!
BOY is available on all platforms. Stream here
