HOME is the Debut EP from upcoming Gold Coast band, TH'FIKA. A collection of five songs introducing TH'FIKAs music to the world after the release of their first single 'Stranger' in April. Tomatrax caught up with Lilly from the band to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?
The idea for the band started after We ( michael and lily) took a contract together in Japan to play for four months over the winter season 6 nights a week. We started writing songs on our coffee breaks (fikas) and it all went from there.
You've just released your debut EP, what's it like to have it out?
After a couple of years writing, recording and jamming it's actually such a massive relief to finally have something out that we are proud of. It feels really good!
What made you pick 'Home' as the title track?
Home is the song that we felt most connected to on the EP. We wrote it about our time in Japan, It is nostalgic, ambient and close to our hearts.
You've said how your music has evolved from an acoustic/folk sound to being electronic with synthesisers, what prompted this shift?
We write all of our songs acoustically, if we can resonate with a song in its organic form and are happy with the structures, chord progressions and melodies it makes it easier to then work on developing sounds, tones and rhythm from that platform. Keeping it simple at first and not over complicating our writing process means we're able to experiment more, and by that we've been able to expand our sound.
Is it hard to get the different musical styles to work together?
We have so much trust in each other and tend to leave each band member to their own device. It all happends quite naturally. With all of the band being multi instrumentalist we talk about parts to make sure we're not clashing or over playing and it seems to work. It also makes rehearsals great fun.
You're about to play around the country, what can fans expect from your show?
Our fans which have fallen under the name 'MO TH'FIKAS' can expect a show that when its over... They'll want to stay for more. We try and make people dance, get the feels and also be able to have a good time. We dabber in the electronic side but still want people to be able to watch a show and not a computer.
When writing what comes first, the music or the words?
It changes up actually, sometimes words sometimes music... For example, just the other day, we jammed on 3 chords with the guitar and synth, mumbled lyrics over the top for melody ideas and by the end of the session we had somewhat of a song.... In saying that we don't know know if it was a good song😉
Do you ever listen to your own music?
I think especially as we've just released the EP, we've had to listen to our own music quite a lot. Whether it be in the studio, playing them live, they are always floating around in our heads.
What other music do you listen to?
We love all sorts, I think throughout the band we all listen to so many different genres and artist but also share the same taste. You can't get past S Club 7 though haha
What do you have planned after your upcoming shows?
We just want to take time to write more, play around with new ideas and experiment with sounds. We have so many songs that aren't finished or need a touch more love, so this is the perfect time to keep busy with that and hopefully it can make the cut for the next EP.
June 17 - BAHAs - Melbourne VIC
June 18th - The Evelyn Hotel, Fitzroy - Melbourne VIC
June 23 - Empire Hotel - Brisbane QLD
June 24 - The Spotted Cow - Toowoomba QLD
June 25 - Sol Bar - Sunshine Coast QLD