We can’t wait to see everyone vibing to our new songs live, say Homeoffice - INTERVIEW
“There are great young bands and performers appearing here each year in all possible genres. If someone is saying there are no good bands in Prague, probably he/she/they just did not give any effort to explore it.”
Photos Rony Thilakan
Marie: Homeoffice, how did you get to writing songs, playing music and since when do you perform together?
All of us come from various parts of Russia except Vlad (guitar) and Ivan (bass). They both come from Khabarovsk and even formed their first band there. We all moved to Prague to study and met here while playing basketball. Everyone had some musical background at that time, so we just gave it a try. We have been playing together for a few years already but homeoffice officially started in November 2019 after our show with Parks, Squares & Alleys.
Marie: You already have a footprint in the scene in Prague. How would you describe the music scene in Prague
We came across diverse spectre of genres and styles after years playing on the Prague scene with different bands and collectives. We like the contemporary approach and good imitations of world-known acts. There are great young bands and performers appearing each year in all possible genres. If someone is saying there are no good bands in Prague, probably he/she/they just did not give any effort to explore it.
Marie: Your upcoming album was written and produced during lockdown. What are the stories behind the songs and what was your inspiration for this?
Actually, one of the songs was written even before the lockdown and it has been inspired by the haiku about birds flying away from Russia. Other songs were written during the lockdown, however it did not have much influence on them. Diners is going to be about travel and sharing experience with the loved ones. City Lights was inspired by the events going on in Russia and Belarus. Solitude is the song we performed at (A)VOID sessions and it is about using each moment the way you feel it best. Of course, there is some loveline present, too.
Marie: Are your songs autobiographical or do they come from your imagination, or both?
It is really different everytime. Mostly everything starts with music, harmony, lick, sample, etc. Then we try to identify what it could be about, or may be someone comes up with the line that can be developed into the whole story. But sure, we write about things that matter to us.
Marie: Which of these have you chosen to play for (A)VOID sessions, and why?
We picked Solitude. Each song is in the state of demo so far, but Solitude feels to be the most finished one. After some thoughts we constrained the number of instruments, moved from acoustic drums to the sampler and the solid stripped version of the song was ready. We thought that it will suit the (A)VOID sessions concept perfectly.
Marie: Which artists had an influence on you? How would you identify your conscious and unconscious influences on your upcoming debut album?
Oh, it is all in the details mostly and it is different in every song. Considering the current versions of the songs for the EP we can definitely hear some Khruangbin influence, Parcels, FKJ, Tom Misch, may be even Ic3peak to add some contrast. In Solitude the laid back feel was inspired by hip-hop and jazzy stuff, J Dilla, Puma Blue. You can also hear some Pond vibes in Birds.
Marie: How would you like for your album to be received? Where and when should people listen to it best?
We feel that it surely has summer vibes in it! It will be perfect for roadtrips, travel or just chilling with friends enjoying some drinks. However, we are not sure we will be able to deliver the EP during summer, but we will do our best. With that being said, we do not think the songs will be a bad choice for the colder time either!
Marie: Do you listen to much music on Spotify, and if so, what are the top releases we should check out?
We all listen to quite different music, but our common influences can be found in the Spotify playlist we created.
Our drummer listens to only Puma Blue, Nick Hakim and Unknown Mortal Orchestra lately. He also recommends to check out Wu-Lu, Chartreuse, Moses Sumney, sir Was or Nilüfer Yanya.
Vlad (guitar) just shared with us his latest finding. It is the album by Hether called Sticky Thumb. He is also a big Roosevelt, Tom Misch and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard fan.
We definitely recommend to check out the latest album by local February! It is called Hyphen War and it is out now.
Some bands from the post-Soviet states that we love are СОЮЗ, Увула, Motorama, Pompeya and Parks, Squares & Alleys.
Marie: And finally, what are your plans with the release of this album and for life after pandemic?
We really miss the energy of the live shows! During the pandemic we have changed the live program a lot and we can’t wait to see everyone vibing to the songs that were never played before.
We plan the release of the EP later this summer and we have already been thinking about the couple of singles to follow or another EP with the absolutely different concept.
