If you've been following our Lush Vibes playlist, or you're frequently checking the blog, there's a name that appears there a lot - daste.
The first reason is their songs are smoother than silk and we simply love them, and reason two - they are so driven to create, we're blessed with new music pretty often.
So, I'm very excited that the Australian trio - Callum, Braxton & Tyler, came by for a chat to bring some hope & slow grooves in those troubled times, and to share the story behind this inspired act.
Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to chat with me. How's 2020 treating you?
It’s been a wobbly one. We started off the year getting ready to release our second EP and as the world turned inside out so did our entire year's plan. All our planned tours were put aside and the music wasn’t received in the way we envisioned. Yet, we moved into a new studio, and we’ve been here since, working on new material. We’re firm believers in everything happens for a reason and this year ended up being a great year for growth in the band.
How did the 3 of you get together, in the first place?
Stay up to date.
New music and exclusive updates in your inbox weekly.
We all met playing for another local band called ‘ANNY’. After rehearsals, the three of us would stay behind and jam and after shows, we’d head back to my old studio and make demos for fun. One day, Tyler showed me this cool garageband demo he’d made and asked if I’d be keen to work on it.. That song became ‘Thinkin’ Of’ and we became daste.
Why “daste."? And why the dot at the end?
The word “daste” comes from a friend of the band. Before we even formed we used it to describe something of excellence. Eating a custard danish and realising how good it tastes? One would say this is the perfect time to exhale the words “this is a f####n a’daste” like an Italian chef, which translates to “this is delicious”. The full stop and lowercase are just because it looked best in that style.
Walk us through your music process - who does what?
As multi-instrumentalists and songwriters, we’re all naturally involved in each step of the process. The way a song comes to life is different every time. Some of our tracks have been born out of a room with all three of us and some are brought to the table from us individually. This keeps things fresh.
I cracked when I heard that Brockhampton call themselves a "boyband". Do you consider yourselves one? And what's a "boyband" nowadays, really?
I think we qualify in terms of all being able to sing and we’re all male. But unless we drop our instruments on stage and start incorporating some choreography… I’d say we’re just a band, haha.
You're a relatively new act (your debut single "Thinking Of" got out in the summer of 2018) but you've been super productive ever since. What drives you?
We’re motivated by the music mostly. We’ve kept things relatively in-house since day one and this meant that we had a lot of growing to do as writers and producers. We’re motivated to see how good we can become.
There's a certain "smooth groove" in your music, this is what we probably love the most about your music. Are you aiming to evoke any specific emotions in the listeners?
There’s never a premeditated emotion we aim for when working on a song. I think first and foremost we work on music that we think is cool and we want people to feel better after listening to it.
How was working with Moods for "Moonrider”?
The most cruisy experience we’ve had working on a collaboration. Nick is the coolest, most laid-back guy and the process was super smooth. I’m pretty sure the track was finished about 10 days after he sent us the beat and we became inspired by his workflow because we usually take a while longer.
And with JVLY, for your remix of "tacenda”?
We met Kayle almost a year ago now, and we were always fans of him and the track ‘tacenda’. We felt that we’d been really quiet for most of this year and wanted a chance to put something out that was different from a usual release. We asked Kayle if he’d be interested in us re-working his music and lucky for us, he was. It’s really important when remixing, to actually have a connection with the song, as your understanding of all it’s components can help the final product immensely.
"either way" was the first taste from your upcoming debut album dusk/dawn, set to release mid-2021. What should we expect from it?
Collaboration, time signatures, mood and harmony.
I know you're fans of Tora & LEISURE. Who else do you draw inspiration from or would like to work with?
Two Another, JUNGLE, Franc Moody.
Any hopeful words for 2021, haha?
‘It’s alright, it’s okay. The sun will rise, either way’
Mugs, t-shirts,
hoodies, vinyls & more.
