It’s not a secret that we’re massive pop fans over here at The Honey POP! But one of our current favorite subgenres of pop music is currently dream pop, and Night Tapes are the main reason behind that! We haven’t been able to stop listening to them since we first heard their music. Add on the fact that we had the opportunity to interview them? Pinch us, we have to be dreaming!
We asked them about everything assisted memories-esque, their inspiration and influences, astrology, and more! And as always, we have the full scoop for you! So let’s stop wasting time and buzz on in!
Hello and welcome to The Honey POP! Before we buzz in, we like to give you the stage to introduce yourself to our readers who may not have had the pleasure of crossing your path before!
Heioo! I’m Iiris from Night Tapes. I make dream pop music at night on cassette tapes with my mates Max and Richie… So that is why we called the band “Night Tapes”. Nice to meet you! 🌿
Your previous EP, Perfect Kindness, is something we can never get enough of. We’re obsessed with the ethereal energy in both the instrumentals and vocals. Each track is its own perfect vibe/journey. Can you tell us a bit about the creation process of the Perfect Kindness EP?
Ah, that’s nice.🌿It took quite a long time and meticulous crafting of the whole EP. We had time to make 20 versions of everything. For example, there were like 20 versions of ‘Inigo’ before its final form.
Perfect Kindness came together more as a collage. Some of these songs like ‘Selene’ and ‘Humans’ were made after Richie heard them in his dreams. Silent Song was a process from 2016-2022 – it started as a piano song and then re-emerged when Max found a loop that we all had jammed on with drums, synths, and flute. The topline just fit and suddenly everything made sense.
We used to all live together in a house back then and flitter between each other’s rooms when anyone had a cool idea going. We used to have lots of random jams together and recorded them onto tape in our bedroom studios. We still have hundreds of little demos from that time and occasionally we’ll go through them for textures and vibes.
Speaking of creating an EP, how would you compare the process of creating Perfect Kindness to the creation of your new EP, assisted memories?
Both were created in our living quarters. Perfect Kindness was made in bedrooms while assisted memories were made mostly in living rooms and corridors.
Perfect Kindness took a long time to create and assisted memories came together quite fast. We really had years to reopen the projects on Perfect Kindness whilst with assisted memories we had a deadline for the first time.
For me the 2 EP’s have quite a yin & yang energy going on. Perfect Kindness is definitely yin: nighttime listening, wandering and experimenting. assisted memories is quite yang: it’s more directional and punchy, the songs feel to me like crystallized snowflakes.
In terms of making assisted memories, everything that we had learned whilst making perfect kindness we could refine and put into (fast) practice with assisted memories. I’m also really proud to see how the songs that Max and Richie mixed turned out. We are so happy that for both of these EPs for specific songs we got to work with the mix wizard Nathan Boddy, he really elevated the tracks he worked on.
The EPs are going to be on double vinyl together when the new assisted memories comes out.
You’ve said that this EP is all about “honoring and remembering the previous versions of yourselves.” What are some of your favorite ways that this meaning shows up throughout the EP?
I’m always happy when I get a personal understanding through writing lyrics. As anyone who’s ever lived, I’ve made some mistakes & taken some roundabouts (unlike DJ Khaled, lol). In some ways lyrically the EP is me trying to come to peace with everything that went down when I was younger. There are diary entries embedded into the songs from different ages. For example “all I’ve ever wanted was to feel free” was something I found in my diary of 2018. At one point I understood that if I’m not nice to my younger versions of myself I probably will find it hard to be a nice older person to younger people.
You guys are also gearing up for your first US Tour this year! What are some of the things you’re most excited about when it comes to not only your upcoming US Tour but your upcoming shows this Fall in general?
We did SXSW back in 2021 and it was such a wonderful experience. We got to hang out with some really cool peeps who put us up for some nights and had (still have) rad taste in music. Met so many wonderful people and had some of our favorite gigs ever so now we’re so excited to come back to the US and play. it was also the first time In the US it was also that we really felt like, yeah, we are professional musicians and this is happening. So, I really look back at that time with fondness.
Most of us have never been to New York, LA, San Fran, or Chicago. We’re so pumped to see the cities and also the people who have been really supporting online.
But for the European dates as well – we have some plans in place to really elevate the live experience in general with our band and to make it something that cannot be missed. For example, The Moth Club gig in London will be lit, so pumped for the visuals and lights as well as playing all the new material.
We’re obsessed with all of the singles you’ve released so far in anticipation of assisted memories. But our favorite has to be ‘projections’ so far. Can you tell us a little bit more about ‘projections?’
Ah! That’s so lovely to hear. With “Projections” the understanding was that a lot of what I sought in others in terms of personal relationships, I was seeking in myself. Now if I get really infatuated or repulsed I ask the question; “does this judgment belong to them or does this belong to me?” In any way, I can’t escape the notion that I already treat others like I treat myself.
The genre of “dream pop” is so fitting for your sound, in our opinion! What are some of the influences/genres/artists that helped bring you to the sound you have today?
Ah! That’s nice to hear, yeah we love dreamy ethereal stuff but our backgrounds are actually more electronic. We hadn’t really listened to Cocteau Twins before people started to reference them in comparison to us. We do love Tame Impala and Deerhunter, but I wouldn’t say that we listen to dream pop usually.
I have always been a Björk, Bowie, Kate Bush Holy Trinity fangirl & at the moment I’m actually listening to a lot of dance music, future breakbeat & I’ve been discovering UK jungle & garage gems. I was the one to bring the boys over to the dark side and now they also love pop music. But they’re probably not as into Charlie Puth as I am. I always try to keep an open mind about new music, I’m always on the prowl for some.
Richie probably is the most indie of us all, loves Bon Iver and Big Thief. But when I met him then he was making more electronic dance music and house music. He is big into his chord sequences and he has a jazz guitar degree.
Max has always been an ambient music lover – Brian Eno, Hiroshi Yoshimura, Lone, and such. When I met him, he was making ambient-infused electronic dance music. He is big into drones. He also plays drums in a post-rock/electronic indie band and he is sessioning top-level R&B bass at the moment.
I love how vague the term dreampop is, we’re looking forward to seeing how we can expand on the genre and still have it be dream pop.
What are you most excited about when it comes to the release of assisted memories?
I’m excited to have the EP out so that people can listen to it in the right order. Also! We’re having an exclusive listening party in London at Pitchblack sessions where we listen to it in the dark with really good sound and we’ll have a celebration with our team and top supporting peeps. We’re also shooting a live video on a summer’s night on a rooftop and we get to warm up for Leisure in Electric Brixton the week after. It’s basically going to be a few weeks of celebration! I love celebrating, really looking forward to it.
Two water signs and a libra walk into a room…and out comes the beauty that is Night Tapes. What are some of the elements of your friendship/partnership that you feel are crucial in not just your creative process but the band altogether?
Wowowowow! I love that you know our star signs! I’m a massive fan of horoscopes and especially zodiac memes. I truly feel like a lil Cancerian lady and I think that Richie is a hard Scorpio. For the longest time, I didn’t really understand how Max relates to the concept of a Libra, but with his rising and Moon I think it makes sense. He is very into aesthetics and he does massively need everything to be balanced out.
Max brings harmony, organization, and an experimental edge. Also, he is really good at finishing things. Richie brings spice, interesting chord sequences, deep thoughtfulness, and attention to detail. I bring my Cancerian moods/wings, Virgo Moon aesthetics, and Leo Rising attitude (I’m the one doing this interview, aren’t I, hahahahaha).
Your music blends a lot of different textures, sounds, etc. What are some of your favorite elements of your production/sound?
Yeah, we are always looking for new textures to play with. One of the most used textures on assisted memories was Max barbequing salmon in the rain. It’s the best sizzle/raindrop texture and it’s featured heavily on our new EP.
We like to end things on a fun note here at The Honey POP! So we have to know, if you were to assign an aesthetic or color palette to assisted memories, what would it be?
A gradient of blue hour blues with flashes of fuzzy silver, haloes of streetlight yellow & cosmic black.
Thank you so much for your fun questions! <3
No, thank you Night Tapes for becoming our new obsession! We can’t get enough of them or their music, and you know we’re saving up for that double vinyl release! Let us know what track off of assisted memories you’re claiming in the comments below! Or let us know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook!
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