Otherkin… ‘Kin good

Showcase: Otherkin

Published on August 8th, 2013 | Jonny Abrams

Irish rocksmiths Otherkin are ‘readying’ their second EP, so we tattooed some questions onto Rocksucker’s resident carrier pigeon, pointed it in roughly the right sort of direction and gave its wee feathered rump a good, hard paddling.

Once again the embattled little marvel found its way, so we’re pleased to bring you the following set of responses from Otherkin, as drawn up by a committee comprising of constituent band members Conor Wynne, Luke Anthony, David Anthony and Rob Summons.

First, though, check out the hazy, sludgy loveliness of their debut EP Broken English. Kind of like a post-punkier, more tangential version of Ash circa 1977, you may or may not agree…(the album 1977, that is, not the year 1977…and to add to the confusion, the opening track on Broken English is titled “’89”)…

…a dash of The Dismemberment Plan too, at least on “Lockjaw”. We likey…

How would you describe your music, if pushed?

Bi-polar. We like to balance out the more danceable pop elements of our sound with a heavier alternative rock sound, it makes the live show pretty diverse and keeps people on their toes.

Where are you based, and what do you use to record with?

We’re based in Dublin and we recorded our first batch of scrappy demos in our basement music room. A few months later we took to our mate’s garden shed to record our debut EP Broken English. Considering the shed could barely contain the four of us and the producer, we were really pleased with the results.

We’ve since stumbled upon an opportunity to record our second EP in Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. Our singer recorded his vocals in the same booth as Michael Stipe and Bono, that was kind of surreal.

Are you signed to a label? If so, how did you come to their attention?

We’re unsigned at the minute. We’ve been self-producing every aspect of our music so far, from production right down to artwork and live visuals. We’re holding out for the right label to come along that suits our creative agenda before we jump into bed with them.

Is there a full album in the works? If so, what can you tell us about it? (Feel free to be as abstract as you like…)

Not quite, the focus at the minute is to write and record as much material as possible and get it all out in the open. We’re almost keeping a musical diary that charts our musical progression and it’s been pretty interesting to see that develop over the past year. When the time comes to release an album we want it to be a big statement with each song pulling equal weight.

Where can we hear your music online?

http://otherkin.bandcamp.com/

Which have been your most exciting gigs and/or overall moments so far?

We played a show in an old Victorian townhouse in the heart of Dublin city in conjunction with a clubnight called Bruce Willis. We were the first band to ever play there so it was always gonna have teething problems but we had a heap of fun playing angsty alternative rock songs to a room of teenage pillheads.

Got any more coming up? (Gigs, that is…)

We’re headlining a show in the Grand Social on August 14th and we’re hosting a house party in mid-August. We’ve invited some of Dublin’s best bands to come and help demolish the place. We don’t wanna give the exact date in case some undesirables reading this decide to show up and steal our Buddha Bag.

Following that, we have a gig lined up for late August that we’re pretty excited about but we can’t say anything about it just yet.

Are there any obscure and/or up-and-coming acts that you’d like to recommend or give a shout-out to?

There’s a fantastic psychedelic jam-rock outfit playing a few secret shows around Dublin at the minute called Catbuttons. Their singer is a fiery red-head from Florida and his flamboyance and charisma is an interesting addition to the Dublin scene; their live show is pretty intense and sensual in equal measure.

Finally, if you were forced to spend the rest of your days in solitary confinement, but were allowed to bring the entire works of five different artists along to tide you over, whose would you choose?

Blur

The Immediate

The Smiths

The Beach Boys

Chic

Otherkin, thank you.

Artists: otherkin

About the Author

Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.