MUSIC

Surfaces Want Us All to Have a "Good Day"

The indie pop duo sat down with Popdust for an exclusive interview.

Surfaces

Capturing the sentimentality of summer is imperative for indie-pop duo Surfaces.

Surfaces - Good Day (Official Video)www.youtube.com

"Sunny days bring out some of the most positive aspects of life," the duo said in an exclusive interview with Popdust. "Summer always brings new experiences and encapsulates happy nostalgia." Perhaps that's what makes the irony of "Good Day" so endearing. "No more school, no more rules" lead singer Forest Frank croons over snapping fingers and a light strum of the guitar. The single wasn't released until October, and with school very much back in session and the weather shifting into the grey of winter, "Good Day's" bubbly persona hits listeners in a tender spot this time of year. The video, which finds Frank and guitarist Colin Padalecki relaxing near the pool, further captures the song's bright essence. We chatted more with the band about their first tour, their new album, and how they got into feel-good pop music.

How did you get into music?

C: "I was never formally taught any instrument growing up but I had a natural fascination about the music creation process. Being an avid music listener (like most people) I just had to know what was going on behind the curtain. I've always enjoyed writing, but weaving in music production seemed to give words a whole new purpose for me."

F: "My family had a piano in our living room that always caught my attention. I feel like I could sit at it for hours and never get bored. I loved coming up with melodies and discovering new chord structures. When I was around 17 I saw someone making beats on YouTube and instantly wanted to give it a shot. Once I started I didn't want to stop. Colin and I met up a few years later and the rest is history."

Tell me about "Good Day." What was the creative process like?

C: "Good Day is kind of a functional song in the way that it could be anyone's soundtrack to having a good time outside. The bossa nova chords and laid back drums are supposed to support the lax mood. It's one of the least intricate tracks we've released, which helps it to come across as an easy listen."

F: "We went 'big production' for our previous videos, so we wanted to try something more minimal. We wanted it to feel like the viewer was watching us chill in the back yard of a house…nothing special. Also, we wanted to match the minimalism of our artwork/brand in a way we hadn't done before."

Surfaces

How is tour life? Tell me about your upcoming tour?

C: "We wrapped up a summer tour a few months ago that was actually our first tour ever. It was awesome to see our fans singing the lyrics and genuinely enjoying themselves. Living in the positive environment we had been trying to create all along was such an amazing feeling. We are looking forward to keeping the same energy and intimacy on a bigger scale across the country. We hope every person who is able to make it to this next tour walks away feeling like a better version of themselves. That has always been the goal!"

What can we expect from your new album?

F: "This next project is basically a culmination of everything we've made so far. There really is something for everyone. It can't really be described by genre, but it feels cohesive. To us it sounds like the wholesome/positive energy of oldies music packaged in a more modern mix. There are a few songs that hit what our fans would expect, and others that are entirely new flavors. We are always trying to find new ways to express ourselves, which always keeps things interesting."

MUSIC

GOLDWASH Talks Technology Entrapment and New Single "Set In Motion"

The single's music video premieres today exclusively on Popdust.

In the music video for "Set In Motion," which premieres exclusively on Popdust, singer and composer Gabe Acheson, aka GOLDWASH, is seen chasing a never-ending phone line across a somber Long Island.

While thematically simplistic, the video takes a frank look at our dependence on technology. "The video really captures the ideas of journey and love, but also the idea of becoming progressively more trapped," GOLD WASH told Popdust. The video, directed by Josh Sondock and Sam Cutler-Kreutz, is the result of what Acheson described as a "really intense" four day period, both physically and emotionally. "Dawn and dusk shoots, wrapped in 40 pounds of cord, locations all over Long Island," the singer said. "[But] on the last night, we were filming some shots in this parking lot, and the sky just exploded into one of the most incredible sunsets I've ever seen. It's like our hard work was being rewarded." GOLDWASH's hardwork is about to be further rewarded, as "Set In Motion" will be featured in the October 14th episode of CW's All American. GOLDWASH spoke more on the video, his new album, and what the new year holds for him.

How did you come up with the idea for "Set In Motion?"

Sam and Josh came up with the concept for "Set in Motion" after we talked extensively about the song's themes. I loved that they used a surreal, funny, analogue-era metaphor for technology dependence rather than just show someone staring at a smartphone. I think the video really captures the ideas of journey and love, but also the idea of becoming progressively more trapped. Last week I showed a draft to my family, and they all completely disagreed with each other about what the ending means, so you'll have to reach your own conclusions.

It sounds like your family has been supportive of you. Tell me a little bit more about your background and how you got into music.

I've been making music from an early age, studying classical and jazz piano, composition, and producing and writing in many different genres for myself and for other people. My GOLDWASH project starting getting a little attention in 2016 and 2017 with electronic-influenced music, but since then I've learned more about songwriting and live arrangements, so I've made the sound a bit jazzier and more acoustic.

How did Flat Earth Surf Club come about?

Flat Earth Surf Club was a real labor of love. I moved from LA to Baja, Mexico for the winter to focus heavily on the writing process for a few months. I wrote most of the melodies, chords, arrangements, and lyrics in Ensenada. I was working almost in a flow state—noon to midnight or later, 7 days a week, broken up by a little evening surf. I drove across the border a few times to record horns or upright bass, and then I'd go right back down to comp and edit the parts. I knew that when January was up I'd have to return home and go back to my day job. I knew that I wouldn't be able to give music my full attention anymore, at least not for awhile.

Well have you still been able to make time for music this year?

We're playing an LA release show with my band on October 20th at the Moroccan Lounge with some other awesome acts, and I hope to announce a little show in Mexico City too… Other than that, I'm mostly writing new music, composing for various projects, and experimenting.

Follow GOLDWASH on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook

Flat Earth Surf Club

MUSIC

Supa Bwe, Chance the Rapper and Kanye’s New Song “Rememory” Might be a Tribute to Toni Morrison

The term "rememory" was actually coined by Morrison in her 1988 novel Beloved.

Photo by Nate Isaac on Unsplash

Supa Bwe and Chance the Rapper's new track, "Rememory (Just Say Thank You)" has arrived just in time for summer.

Infused with Chance's characteristically infectious joy, it layers repetitive lyrics over a chilled-out beat in a buoyant tribute to nostalgia and good times.

"Rememory" is one of the tracks on Supa Bwe's Just Say Thank You EP, released today on EMPIRE. The two artists have worked together before—Chance added his voice to Supa's "Fool It With Freestyle" in 2016, and Supa Bwe appeared on Chance's "Wala Cam" last year.

According to its press release, "Rememory" was produced by members of Chance's backing band, and it was arranged by Kanye West himself. Back in 2018, Chance said he and Kanye were working on a full-length album together, and the project was even discussed in Chance's feature on Life of Pablo's "Ultralight Beam." Still, as of now, there's no evidence that Chance's upcoming release—dropping this July—is a Yeezy collaboration.

Ultralight Beamwww.youtube.com

The two hip hop titans did come together to create this song, though, a promising sign for anyone still holding out hope for a long-form collab. "Rememory" is classic Chance, enhanced by Kanye's talent for crafting euphoric anthems.

It's also not the first song Chance has released called "Rememory." In 2016, his band Donnie Trumpet & the Social Experiment released a track with the same name. That one is significantly darker, telling the story of a man whose wife took her kids away in a car, leaving him alone with his sins and a court date.

Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment - Rememory (Lyrics) (High Quality)www.youtube.com

The phrase "rememory" itself comes from an even deeper place—it was actually coined by none other than Toni Morrison, in her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Beloved. In that book, the term describes a process of re-constructing the past in order to live with the ghosts of old traumas. Morrison's work has been incorporated by other rappers before; she's even been cited as a major inspiration by frequent Chance collaborator Noname, suggesting a possible connection.

Regardless of its origins, 2019's "Rememory" seems poised to become the song of the summer, designed for anyone who's looking to move forward into the future without forgetting the past.


Eden Arielle Gordon is a writer and musician from New York. Follow her on Twitter @edenarielmusic.


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The flair of "heartland surf rock."

Photo Courtesy Laura Paragano

San Francisco-based artist Laura Paragano recently dropped her debut album Strange Curses. Paragano describes her sound as "heartland surf rock."

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