Ahead of its official release tomorrow, Melbourne musician Feelds has given us an exclusive insight into the making of his new EP, Hunch. Though it is a debut offering from Feelds (aka James Seymour), the musician has spent a solid amount of time building up to this point and introducing his sound to crowds in Australia and abroad.
Pouring rich musical textures and evocative progressions into sessions in his home studio, Seymour’s final result is an EP that highlights musical intricacies, delicate yet considered production flair – definitely one to listen to if you’re looking for some music to immerse yourself in.
For fans of Bon Iver, Vance Joy, Josh Pyke and D.D Dumbo, Feelds is the latest to add to your playlist.
Find out more about Hunch and FEELDS with this track by track insight, below:
Gathering
I like the idea of an EP or collection of songs being presented as a whole, so I wrote “Gathering” as the precursor. I used a more atmospheric/sound design technique to encapsulate what I believed the EP to be about – light vs dark – and you’ll find little hints of sounds & textures from the opener scattered throughout the EP. The sound recording within it is a snippet from the crew on Apollo 8 (first manned space flight to orbit the moon) sending a telegram back to earth for Christmas. They were talking about the creation of earth, as (I assumed) they peered back upon it. This concept was a big part of the initial ideas and motifs that ended up representing the EP.
Crazy Neighbours
This track made me truly realise that less is more, and that you don’t need a million layers or intricacies to make a purpose shine through in a recording. “Crazy Neighbours” is all about temptation, and how we get caught up in situations that don’t feel right because we hesitate. My favourite part about it is that it actually resolves and flips the idea on its head as if to say, ‘Who cares, we’re just living!’.
Circle
“Circle” talks about someone getting carried away with power and hunger. From an outsider looking in, it starts to become obvious that this certain person might do anything to get what they want, and that they are slowly becoming blinded by this crazy, misguided sense of desire. The lyric-less chorus is meant to represent how this distracted person might receive any information or advice from others.
Colourblind
This is the first track that I found myself unafraid to make bigger, darker and more aggressive. It took a while to get right, but I found that playing with dynamics rather than obscurity was really important for this one – it ended up fitting pretty well with the theme of addiction and lust, and the fleeting moments that surround those feelings.
Golden
Probably the grooviest tune to play live with the band. I love how in your face the chorus became, which also helps tell the story. “Golden” talks about two people ‘giving up their ghosts’ and becoming a team.
Apples
I wrote this track when I found myself looking for answers in places I knew they weren’t. I soon realised that everything I was looking for was right there in front of me, and that I took those things for granted. That realisation was pretty huge for me, and I wanted the recording to reflect that by keeping it as honest as I possibly could. It was recorded live in my room, where all of the songs from the EP came into fruition – which I also thought was a nice way for Hunch to finish.
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Follow FEELDS online, here.
FEELDS TOUR DATES
February 23rd | The Catfish, MELBOURNE
March 3rd | Waywards, SYDNEY
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