Echo Adore blew us away with the power and grace of their first single, Caught In History, which struggles with mortality and the transience of existence.
We caught up with the two-piece to discuss their unique flavour of gloom pop and the importance of image.
Echo Adore are deftly reaching out for substance in the unknown as they tackle the eternal question with composure and grace.
HAPPY: Hey, how’s it going? what are you up to at the moment?
OLIVER: Hey guys, it’s Saturday and we are just relaxing at the local cafe in North Perth. Shooting off a few emails and doing some planning towards our next single release.
HAPPY:We’ve been loving Caught In History! How does it feel having the track out there in the world?
OLIVER: Feels great to finally put out our music and video; which has been a real long time in the making. It’s always slightly daunting releasing new music, but so far the response has been positive. To our astonishment the folks at WAM felt quite strongly about the track. They gave us a nomination and asked us to open the WAM Song of the Year ceremony night, which was only our second show. It feels like the things we were wanting to say in this song have been delivered, in the manner we envisioned and we are ready to explore other creative ideas with our songwriting.
HAPPY: Could you tell us a bit about the song?
OLIVER: The genesis of the song was late 2017 and completed in the studio during 2018. While in the studio, the song went through some restructuring before it was whittled down to 3:47. Thematically, the song was inspired by the sudden passing of a close friend. Dwelling on mortality in general and what it means to be alive right now in the moment.
HAPPY: For a debut single, it feels like you’ve got a really strong direction with your sound. How long had this project been in the works before you released this track?
OLIVER: Echo Adore was started in January of 2018, but Damian and I have been writing together for roughly 5 years. Caught in History was one of the first songs written for this project. It was a transition period between the last band and deciding to do this one. Caught in History ended up being the template we set our sound around. We made a conscious decision to lean into a reverb drenched pop sound and not be afraid of certain chord cycles and structures. We’ve always kept melodies and hooks as a priority when writing.
HAPPY:The video’s incredible too! Could you walk us through how this came together? Who was involved?
OLIVER: The video was directed by the incredibly talented Matsu and produced by No Labels Media. We reached out to Matsu with a really simple outline and our fingers crossed. Thankfully he liked the song and understood what we were after. It started with us explaining an aesthetic we were drawn to, then he took it so much further than we could have hoped for. We’re really happy with how it turned out and are very grateful to have worked with him and his crew.
Check out the transcendent video below:
HAPPY: How important is the visual element to you? Do you feel like visuals enhance the listening experience?
OLIVER: A strong visual aesthetic is very important to us. It gives you an opportunity to reach the listener even deeper than you might with just audio. Everything from the music video to photos and even our stage presence is important for conveying a mood or frame of reference. When we’re writing the initial scraps of a song we’ll put on a movie and turn the sound off. That helps get us in the frame of mind we need. For that reason alone visuals are important to us and our music.
HAPPY: Are there any other artists you’re really loving at the moment?
OLIVER: We’re very big fans of Peppermint Showers and Steppes. Everything they do, from their singles to their live shows are next level. I’ve also recently gotten into Agnesis and Lord Fever.
HAPPY: What’s next for Echo Adore? Any other exciting plans in the works?\
OLIVER: Currently the amazing Dave Parkin is mixing the final tracks for our EP. We’re constantly writing and demoing new material so we’d like to head back into the studio after the release of our second single. For the remainder of the year just plenty of shows in Perth and regional WA. Once the EP is out we’ll be heading east to play for new audiences.
HAPPY: Cheers!
