Skymachine: Interview + New Single / Video 'Tangier'

MusicInterviews

28 Jan

KATIE BROWN - 28 JAN 2021

“Tangier” is the lush new alt-pop offering from London-based New Zealand act Skymachine. The second single from Skymachine’s Saturday Night Sting series, it follows on from the rhythmic and mesmerising “All the Time”, released in October 2020.

Based around the heady rush of falling in love in an exotic, foreign country, the synth-laden track is a melodious electro-infused tale of the exploration of new love and the heartache involved with its uncertainty. As Brydon, the producer behind Skymachine, says, "I have always loved the idea of just packing a suitcase and jumping on a plane with a one-way ticket. If you met someone you wanted to spend the rest of your life with, could you leave everything behind to be with them? Tangier is that feeling.”

Produced by Blue Hamel and directed by John Ross, the cinematic accompanying video perfectly complements the pop nostalgia feel of “Tangier”: visually, the colours, mood and styling are a nod to the aesthetics of 80s synth-pop acts, but are uniquely elevated with a sleek, minimal and modern edge. The contrast between the vivid, brighter colours and the darker, more somber blues and blacks speaks to the rollercoaster of emotion that new love can be and how quickly it can change: it’s a masterful reflection of such highs and lows, with the ending’s fadeout sonically and visually veiling the outcome of such a love in obscurity.

Skymachine sprang to life in an organic, last-minute manner five years ago: a friend was arranging a show and looking for an opening act, so Brydon, sitting on a collection of songs he’d written, pulled together a band in two days and played the gig. It operates in some ways like a collective with Brydon operating as its central force: he writes and plays all of the music and brings in other musicians to play live as needed. While based in New Zealand, the band, advocating for a fresh approach in their undertakings, completed two rounds of what they named their ‘Secret Spots Tour’ - performing at the likes of geothermal waterfalls, WWII bunkers and seaside clifftops, with locations secret until the day of the show.

Saturday Night Sting, the latest Skymachine EP, is due for release later this year.

Watch the video for “Tangier” and read our interview with Brydon below.

KATIE: ‘TANGIER’ IS THE SECOND TRACK FROM YOUR SATURDAY NIGHT STING SERIES. WHAT IS THE THEME TO THE SERIES, AND WHAT ARE YOU WORKING TOWARDS WITH IT?

Brydon: I tend to write very metaphorically around a visual or feeling, and for this collection of songs, Saturday Night Sting is the central theme that pulls everything together. Without talking too specifically, it journeys through a protagonist’s highs and lows, from friendships and early years, to getting married, having children and growing old. Saturday Night Sting is the feeling of being at the top of the mountain and the bottom of the valley simultaneously. It’s an EP that will hopefully be finished later this year.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE BACKGROUND OF SKYMACHINE: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING MUSIC, AND WHO’S INVOLVED?

It is in a lot of ways a collective, but officially I write and play all the music, then will rope in friends and whoever is available to come play live, which is always a lot of fun. Sometimes live shows will be a full deal, other times it is more stripped back. It’s been going for about 5 years now. It started when a friend was looking for an opening act for a show, and I had a bunch of songs I’d been working on. I told him my band would play, then had two days to put a band together before the show. I really like the band dynamic, but at the same time it’s nice being free to work on music by myself and bring in other creatives freely.

YOU’RE CURRENTLY BASED IN LONDON. HOW IS THAT GOING FOR YOU, AND WHAT DO YOU MISS THE MOST ABOUT NEW ZEALAND?

Well. Yeah my wife and I moved here just before Covid kicked off, so it was a pretty rough time to do it! We’re still in lockdown which is tough, but has given me a lot of time to spend writing. I always find I’m much more creative moving out of my comfort zone, and being somewhere new. I’ve been writing for a lot of artists over here and really just trying to find my feet. I try not to think about what I’m missing, but if I think about it, definitely the ability to go on spontaneous adventures in NZ. There’s just so much freedom. That and obviously missing friends and family for sure.

‘TANGIER’ EXPLORES THE ROMANCE AROUND MEETING SOMEONE IN AN EXOTIC, FOREIGN COUNTRY AND FALLING IN LOVE. DOES THIS STORY HAVE A HAPPY ENDING?

It’s left very open ended. Who knows…

HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN OF PRODUCING AND RELEASING MUSIC OUTSIDE OF NEW ZEALAND?

There are so many things I take for granted. For example, in New Zealand I would always do jams and loud recording sessions at my house, but in London you have neighbours at every wall, so I am much more self conscious. I’ve found it tough not having the same access to recording spaces and gear that I had back home, but the upside is that I have met some amazing people over here and have found new ways of getting things done. There’s also a lot of creative energy here, it’s very fast paced and there’s always someone doing something exciting.

YOU HAVE A STRONG VISUAL IDENTITY THAT COMPLEMENTS YOUR MUSIC PERFECTLY. WHAT INSPIRES YOUR VISION FOR THIS?

Thank you! I think quite holistically about a piece of work. When I’m writing, I always have quite strong visuals swimming around, which grow with the songs, and a lot of what I write is more inspired by books and films than by musical pieces. I think I’m very much influenced who I was as a child and how I saw the world. I have always loved the past, and a lot of my work is influenced by the 80’s and 90’s, which makes sense as it was what I grew up on.

WHAT’S THE EASIEST PART ABOUT MAKING MUSIC?

Procrastinating.

WHAT DO YOU FIND THE MOST DIFFICULT?

Lyrics are very important to me, and I spend days analysing each phrase, deciding what it means in the context of the song, Normally each song has maybe 10 different verses and choruses written out for it. At the end of the day, I don’t know if anyone really notices, but I just cannot bring myself to use throwaway lyrics. I really really enjoy writing lyrics, but making decisions about which lines to keep and which lines to cut out - I find that tough.

WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE ARTISTS RIGHT NOW?

I’m a massive fan of The Night Game right now. Also October Tooth, Better Person, Oklou. There’s actually a lot of amazing new music coming out of Christchurch too. Pickle Darling, Julius Black, BEXY, Mousey.

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING 2021 WILL BRING FOR SKYMACHINE?

Definitely wanting to release as much music as I can. I’ve already started producing a number of great artists in the UK, so I’m excited to do more of that. Also really hoping the live scene gets up and running in the UK so we can play some shows, I miss live music so much.

Watch the video below, and stream the track here.

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