Indie Alternative Rock Band ‘Kapayja’ on their Debut EP 'Age of the Open Book', and their Upcoming Single, ‘Slowly.’
The indie alternative rock band, ‘Kapayja’, are based in Dublin and they make genre-bending music that emphasises collaboration and that gut-feeling when creating their sound. They continue to experiment and evolve and it was great speaking to the four members about their Debut EP 'Age of the Open Book', and their upcoming single, ‘Slowly.’
B: So, what was Kapayja’s genesis?
Eoghin: Well, me and Josh have had a band since we were 14. I’ve always played drums and when our singer left, Josh filled that role; we were always in this process of people coming and going but by the time Cal and then Tom had joined there was no more question about who was in or out anymore. It had stuck. Now, It’s lovely looking back, because we’ve all grown together.
B: And what about the name?
Calumn: Well, there’s this Japanese fusion band, KaziO P, who, for my whole life, I was certain were called Kapayja (which I thought was the like the sickest name ever) and then one day I just clocked it wasn’t called that and from then on it was free reign; couldn’t let that name go to waste.
B: And what’s Kapayja’s process for making music?
Joshua: For the EP, I'd come with a riff or a melody in mind, and we’d just jam it out from the start. I’d play the chords, the melody, the lyrics…but it would all change over time. Whatever suited the song, we let it change. So, really, I’d come in with a song half written, not realising it needed a gorgeous bridge that Cal suggests, or a halftime section that Owen suggests, or a key change that Tom might say we need.
Eoghin: And with the EP, we had a lot more songs but we didn't worry about trying to get everything recorded because the recents that evoked a similar feeling were the right ones. We didn’t require a certain number of songs. There was no forcing it, which was the nicest thing about creating, we allowed things to constantly evolve.
Calumn: And I got to add all the nerd stuff: the key changes, the weird time signatures. As the others said, everyone's building on ideas all the time and everything feels very organic.
Tom: And it’s not only the music either. As the latest member, even in a year I’ve seen how the EP has helped all the lads grow, not only as musicians but as people too. The experience of making the EP has given us this new energy and attitude in the studio.
B: The website describes yourselves as constantly ‘experimenting’. Has the process changed, creating your newest single, ‘Slowly’, coming out November 28th?
Joshua: Yeah, the biggest influence for ‘Slowly’was a larger emphasis on our live set and on our live sound. One of the challenges was keeping the natural sound it had in the rehearsal studio without producing it too much and losing its charm. So then it was just a case of explaining the vibe, rather than giving loads of references and then tracking it a few times and picking out our favourite parts.
Calumn: And compared with the EP, I could get carried away with too many overdubs but with ‘Slowly’ it was only nine live takes and then piecing them together. We also did a full 180 on the vibe, it was a chill singer songwriter buzz at first but I just knew it needed to be fucking heavy, so I asked how loud can we make it? And it felt so much better, not worried about fancy chords, It was just how hard can you fuck up your instrument, which was very, very fun to do; mixing the grunge with Josh’s great tune.
Eoghin: Yeah in my opinion ‘Slowly’ represents: don’t think, just play. And, now, with new tunes we’re writing, it's a mix of our methods, not being too basic and loud but also knowing when to rip into it, which is a real refresher, finding how to balance both elements. That’s how we're experimenting.
B: How do you treat the live performance?
Joshua: It's so important, no matter if it's 15, 50 or thousands of people, you've got to play like it's your last. And I do think in terms of venues, there's a weird jump between playing a 150 cap or 500, there’s no middle ground, which is tough when you're coming up as a new, hungry band, you want to be able to sell rooms out. Hopefully there’ll be some new venues opening up in the future. It was definitely a sad one seeing the ‘Workman’s Cellar’ go.
B: Who are some of your favorite Irish contemporaries at the moment?
Eoghin: I’d definitely say Sell Everything, their live shows are absolutely class and there's just something about their songs: they’re really great.
Calumn: I’d say them too but I’ve also been obsessed with the band Smithereens, from Cork. In a gig, they went from playing the sexiest R&B music to the singer climbing the roof, screaming. It was a shocker, switching to the loudest scariest rock I’ve ever heard. It was amazing.
Tom: At our last gig, we supported Echo Northstar, I loved their whole sound and attitude. No one is making music like them at the moment.
Joshua: Gurriers were supporting Terry Stile in the 3 Arena, they still managed to get people on shoulders and crowd surfing at 7 pm. That was impressive. Dreamboy, Affection, Rent, Fiasco and Bleach 9:3 are all doing amazing stuff right now too.
B: What sets you guys apart? Give Kapayja the sell.
Joshua: First, I want to sell everyone else outside of the band. There’s the great Daniel Deburka studio that made our EP and single with us. Jangsy, our phenomenal mixer, Pete Maher who did a great master on it and then finally, Kapayja’s very own music video soon to come out was shot, edited and directed by the legend, Gary Smith who's done all of our artwork throughout the years.
Calumn: What sets us apart? Well, we got catchy riffs, cathchy hooks, a fuck you attitude screaming at the audience, songs making beauty from the banal and the four of us smashing our instruments like group therapy on the stage. We’re as loud as we want, we don’t see anything, just hair and drumsticks flying and it’s an incredible feeling: one we always aim to make the crowd feel too, like, as Josh said, it's our last ever gig.
Written by Ben Lynch (@ben_Lynch__)
Edited by Alex Kelleher (@alex_kelleher_)
