Wishes has just dazzled on Ultra Music with his debut single, which also came alongside a stunning official video. We grilled the Sydney hailing artist to hear more about making the track.
What was the writing/recording process for single ‘I Want To Be Alone With You’ like? Was it a long project or something that happened quickly?
Definitely a long project! I think I wrote the bare bones of the track – the bass melody and the vocal melody – three years ago. Over the years I’ve recorded many different versions, all around the same chord progression and vocal part, but none of them really felt right. Eventually we tracked the drum part with Laurence Pike – who plays in a band called PVT – and it just all came together. It was a track that I was revisiting every few months over several years, though.
How would you describe your production style? Would you say you’ve been majorly influenced along the way?
I try to blend live and electronic elements, and have a happy symmetry between programmed and performed parts. I love the feel and groove of live drums but also the impact and immediacy that comes from blending them with samples. A big influence for me are a lot of Australian producers, particularly Flume and Cosmos Midnight. I’m also a big fan of Dave Fridmann and his weirdness.
What was it like touring with Neon Indian?
It was equal parts amazing and stressful. I hadn’t performed live as Wishes before so there was a lot of work to do pulling it together – there we’re definitely moments when I wasn’t sure it would come off. But it all came together in the end and was a bit of a dream come true – I’m a massive fan of Neon Indian, so to play a few nights with him was an amazing experience. He’s a lovely guy and makes a mean guacamole.
How have you found moving away from working in a band to solo work?
It has its pro’s and con’s. It’s way more efficient, and obviously the artist freedom is great. I do miss the camaraderie that comes with playing in a band, and doing the live thing solo can be pretty intense.
How much input did you have on the video for your single? Are you happy with the finished result?
I had some input, but not heaps – but that was more down to the fact that music videos and visuals aren’t really my thing. Gareth Davis (the director) was definitely open to collaboration, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t his vision and work. The original version that Gareth provided was a lot more risky, with heaps of nudity, so editing it to a version that everyone was comfortable with was definitely a process! I really like the final version.
Finally… if/when can fans expect an album?
Hopefully by the end of 2017! It’s definitely an aspiration of mine to make an album – given it took me three years to finish ‘I Want To Be Alone With You’, it could end up taking me 30 to nail down an album.
