When Chordblossom came into existence, it was always our aim to shine a spotlight on the artists and bands that make up the music scene in Northern Ireland. We’ve been doing it for over ten years now and one of our favourite methods is our Introducing feature.
Put the kettle on, curl up on your sofa and and join us for a quickfire Q&A with some of our favourite new musicians. Who knows, maybe you’ll even discover your new favourite artists.
This iteration of Introducing features the musical talents of Klyda who just released their new single ‘Closure’.
What was the inspiration behind your artist name?
The band has been through many names over the course of its history, but the name ‘Klyda‘ came to our bassist in the middle of their English class when they were talking about Kaleidoscopes, ironically they did not know how to spell “Kaleidoscope-scope” and that is how “Klyda” came to be. Many people believe the name is of Irish, Polish or Swedish origin, which we think s pretty cool, many are disappointed to hear that our bassist is just bad at spelling and it’s a made up word.
You’ve just released a new single. How did it come about and what does it mean to you?
The song ‘Closure’ was written when we were 14, recorded when we were 15, and released when we were 16, the song was a long time in the making but it was worth it. The song came about when Annie, our lead singer, was rejected and we thought this was good writing material at the time and feel it is relatable and enjoyable to people of any age due to the lyrics and unique sound of the track.
The song ‘White Noise’ was written by our guitarist and friend Ryan McGrath at a music course a couple years ago, and right now was a group effort written before the band ‘hoped on a train’.
Have you any more releases or studio time lined up for later in the year?
Nothings set in stone yet, but we do have some new songs with a much bigger sound ready to be recorded in the next year with some studio time lined up. We recently took part in a project in association with Feile and the Oh Yeah Centre where we got the chance to record some tracks with amps studios. Definitely some new exciting stuff coming soon.
Tell us about your song writing process.
It’s usually a group effort. Normally one member of the band will come to us with a new idea that they are willing to share, and the rest of the band end up building on that. Sometimes members may have parts written for their own enjoyment, and other members will write parts adhering to our style. Our song writing process changed most prominently around writing the unreleased track ‘Somehow’, where everyone began to introduce ideas to evolve the song, and for that reason we see it as a true turning point in the band. Ever since the process of writing songs has become more collaborative as we now try to think of ideas at a practice so that everyone can have a say.
Who were your favourite artists/bands growing up? Have your influences changed over time?
The biggest influence for us collectively as children was probably Queen, as they are the band that sparked our love for music, before we even knew each other. When we started the band, our main influences were probably Phoebe Bridgers and My Chemical Romance, and that is highly reflective of our music at the time. Surprisingly, Queen hasn’t been a massive influence on us as we’ve gotten older, and as our music taste has evolved, as it has leant towards more of a 90’s alternative rock style.
Nowadays our main influences would take less from My Chem, more from Radiohead, with the same Boygenius and pop sensibility that we had from the start. Our music taste is constantly changing and that is reflective in our music that we write, which I personally think is a good thing for a band to have.
What’s been your favourite local release from the last twelve months?
Our favourite NI based single from the past 6 months has got to be “Earwax” by the thing is…, the stunning vocals and catchy chorus makes this song feel like earwax, as it’s constantly in your head. The guitars towards the end of the track remind me of “Just” by Radiohead, not to mention the killer guitar solo that plays at 1.46.
As for albums our favourite piece of work from this year has got to be “Fire, Smoke, Ashes” by Wohn, and although it’s an EP and not an album, it has been our favourite non-single release this year. The shoegaze-esque breakdowns really elevate the tracks to create a sound that is different from the rest of the stuff you usually hear on the NI music scene, and the choruses have you singing along at any chance you get.
If you weren’t musicians, what line of work would we find you in?
Most of the members have different ideas as to career paths outside music. It wouldn’t be a stretch of the imagination to see members delve into fields of politics and social studies, or in contrast, fields of science and technology. Although all of us are still in school and with all of us not yet in further education we still don’t know what we would like to achieve in the future besides a few very rough ideas.
In an ideal world we would all like to make a living out of the thing we love most – music – which is why we’re trying our hardest to make it work.
If you could collaborate with one artist or band from NI, who would it be and why?
I believe most members would agree that a collaboration with Tramp or Cherym would be an amazing experience for all parties involved. Something about doing a collaboration with a band outside the sonics of our own sound we believe adds a good bit of contrast and complementary to our unique sounds.
It is intensely difficult to be successful in the music industry. What does NI need to do to invest in/develop to boost your chances?
I would say further investment into the arts centres located in NI. Due to budget cut’s it has been harder and harder for young musicians to start up as they have no opportunities present for them to play venues or write music because of their age.
On top of this there is a severe lack of venues for all ages gigs across the entirety of the country, an investment into under 18s arts centres and gigs would see a boom in young and rising talent in NI.
What does success look like for you?
Success for us comes in the form of the people that interact with the music and media we put out into the world. Playing gigs and having people sing the lyrics back to you, seeing people wearing our merch out in the wild and radio play is what success feels like to us.
Being able to put our art out into the world and people interacting with is how we’re able to establish some sort of name for ourselves within the local music world is what makes this all worthwhile for us. We would also love to write and release a full album at some point during our musical career
You’re going out on tour and can have anything you want on your rider, what would we find on yours?
A record player with a vast collection of albums with no set genre, being in a band of five means we can never fully agree on a set genre to play or just enjoy while we’re together which adds a layer to our music that everyone can enjoy. Secondly a gallon of hummus and a few packets of crackers, gotta stay nutritionally sustained. Finally a PS4 and a Nintendo switch.
Where and when can we next catch you live?
We unfortunately have exams over the next few weeks but once summer hits we have a gig in the Ulster Sports club with Blue Deputy, a band who also worked with amp studios on the same project with Feile, on the 18th of June, a headlining gig in the Pavilion bar in Belfast on the 20th of June and were playing the Woolly Woodland stage at Stendhal this year, along with Gazefest at the end of August ran by Old Crows Promotion and a few more secret unannounced gigs that you’ll be hearing about soon enough!
If you enjoyed this feature and fancy discovering some more new artists, we suggest you jump on over to our archive of Introducing pieces.
If you are a band or musician based in Northern Ireland interested in taking part in our Introducing feature, we recommend submitting new music to us via our Contact page and if we enjoy it, you’ll no doubt hear from us.
