SEASIDE
Seaside is Andi, Stacy, Cassandra, Aan & Adi. An indie pop band from Jakarta, currently signed on Anoa records.
SEASIDE: “There's no such thing as too much delay..”
[interview.aldy kusumah / pics.ritchie ned hansel / Jan 2014]
Can you guys tell us a bit about Seaside history? We've heard some of the guys have been playing together before Seaside..
Andi: It began when I met Stacy in 2004 and we performed together in a band called A Boy Named Santiago. A while after the show she contacted me and said she has some songs and asked if I could help her record her songs together, and I said… Why don’t we form a band. Yes, Stacy and I played together in a band called A Boy Named Santiago (2004), and Adi and I also played together in a band called Satin (ex-Jepit Rambut,1997).
Stacy: When we formed the band, I didn’t know anyone other than Andi, all the others were his friends. But luckily, the chemistry was undeniably there.. We went on a hiatus in 2008 when I got pregnant with my daughter, and then late in 2012 we decided to get back together and finish the EP we started to record in 2007. We added more songs into it and that EP became this Undone album.
So how is the process with you guys signing up to Anoa records?
Andi: While in a recording session, I contacted Peter, one of the founders of Anoa Records, and asked him to come to our recording session. And he said he would love to release our Undone album. That’s it, as simple as that hahaha..
Stacy: Yeah Andi took charge of all that stuff. I just write and sing and play.
You guys are shooting a video for your first single. Maybe tell us a bit about the shooting and idea behind the upcoming video? And who is involved in directing it?
Andi: The video is already done, we will publish it soon - maybe in January 2014. We like music videos that have a storyline, just like movies. And that’s the idea behind the Giggle And Blush video, which is directed by Sesharina Puspita and edited by Mayo from Gundala Pictures. It’s like a mini movie..
Stacy: Sesa and Mayo filmed the video over 2 days. The first day they shot the storyline with the 2 awesome actors, and on the second day they shot us, the band. It was a really fun experience.
What do you guys liked about Anoa records? It seems they have great taste in signing up interesting bands...
Aan: Anoa Records has that 90’s taste of music, which is similar to our music.
Stacy: I appreciate the support they’ve given us. They heard our album, they liked it, and they wanted to help us get our songs out for people to hear.
Lets talk about your upcoming debut album, Undone. What kind of sound do you guys offering to the masses? Whats your expectations about the album?
Stacy: All five of us are into very different bands and different types of music, but we were able to come together and create this one unique sound. And I think the album really reflects that. Personally, I don’t have any expectations about the album. I didn’t have any expectations while writing the songs either, I just love writing and the whole creative process. I just hope our songs will resonate to the people who hear them, and hope they can take something from the album.
Is it fun recording and writing songs for undone? Tell us about the creative process behind the album..
Stacy: Yes it was quite fun, I’ve always loved the writing and recording process of songs. Some songs are from my “old stock” from my old band, Coda, and the rest are collaborations with Andi. He would send me some instrumental songs, sometimes with just a guitar in it, then I would add the lyrics and melodies of the vocals on top of that. Then during the recording process, all five of us contribute our different parts into the songs. My only disappointment was that Andi didn’t allow me to put in too much synth into the songs, because one of my mottos is “There’s no such thing as too much synth” hahaha.. I wasn’t actively involved in the mixing process, but I was active in giving notes, which were mostly “More delay! More panning!” So I guess my other motto is “There’s no such thing as too much delay”.
The cover artwork is pretty interesting. Who is behind that photo and concept?
Aan: All artwork inside our Undone album has been provided by Ritchie (The Sastro) from his wonderful collection of photographic work. He’s one of the owners of Anoa Records too.
What local acts do you guys recommend us to listen to? What other Anoa records band do you guys recommend for the public?
Andi: Please listen to Barefood, and see them perform… They’re unbelievable.
Aan: All local acts are great, so let’s listen to the music they have to offer. If you want to listen to the real music of Indonesia, listen to the independent local acts.
Whats on your iTunes nowadays? Each of you...
Andi: Rose Melberg, The Walker Brothers, The Cyrkle.
Aan: Jeff Buckley, Atom for peace, Mew, Stone Temple Pilots, Team Ghost, M83, MBV, Radiohead.
Cassandra: Coldplay, Rialto, The Cranberries, Blur, Lenny Kravitz.
Adi: Petrolz, Blur, Cocteau Twins, Stereolab, Bob Marley, MBV, Tim Buckley, Marvin Gaye with Tammi Tarrell, Joan Baez, and Lou Reed.
Stacy: Bat For Lashes, Francoise Hardy, Laraaji, Still Corners, Serge Gainsbourg, Judy Satori, Washed Out, Haim, Tom Kenyon, The XX.
What band do you guys want to be sharing with? Dream gig?
Andi: MBV of course hahaha.. Dream gig… Fuji Rock or Lollapalooza sounds nice :p
Whats the lyrics in "Giggle n blush" is about?
Stacy: I wrote this song with Michael, a bandmate from my old band, Coda. We wanted to keep the lyrics a bit abstract and ambiguous. But at the heart of it, it’s a sweet love song
What do u guys love most about the 90s culture?
Cassandra: The music and movies.
Andi: Everything… I grew up in the 90’s. I really love everything from the 90’s scene. It’s hard to move on from that era hahaha..
Adi: Film: All Drew Barymore movies; Music: Aerosmith’s die hard fan hahaha..
Stacy: Grunge, flannel shirts, Singles, babydolls, lo-fi, Reality Bites, Doc Martens, britpop, Clueless..
Last shout out? Thanks for doing the interview :)
Andi: Listen to our album :p
Stacy: Hope you like our songs! Thank you!
