It’s been nothing short of a meteoric rise for Seattle electronic duo ODESZA ever since their debut back in 2012.
It’s been nothing short of a meteoric rise for Seattle electronic duo ODESZA ever since their debut back in 2012.
Their first record, Summer’s Gone, released that year was an undeniable success that shocked the music world as the duo of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight seemingly came from out of nowhere. Their rise is a true testament to the unbridled power of the internet that could make the duo (also known by the aliases Catacombkid [Mills] and Beaches Beaches [Knight]) superstars almost overnight, yet it’s also completely telling of the extreme quality of their own music. Songs like “How Did I Get Here” offered a refreshing and authentic take on EDM that was shockingly organic in its execution and they further won over fans with their unique approach to remixing songs from the likes of Sia and Pretty Lights.
In just three short years, ODESZA has quickly amassed staggering numbers of fans that have also cemented them as one of the most in-demand bands around as they embark on sold out show after sold out show while headlining festivals in between.
Some people might worry it’s far too much far too soon, but when you sit down to chat with the duo, it’s apparent that their mind is so consumed by their love of music that fame could never corrupt it. Despite their hectic schedule full of insane traveling and countless commitments, they’re still very much just students of music always trying to find something new.
“I just can’t get sick of it,” Harrison Mills explained in an interview with RVAMag. “If I’m not diving into old music that made me fall in love with this in the first place like Radiohead or Gorillaz, then I’m just listening to new artists on Soundcloud that are doing really interesting things.”
It’s not just on the internet that Mills is finding himself inspired and amazed either as he detailed a chance encounter one night after a show.
“We were in Cologne, Germany, and they had a Latin night on right after our show. It was four rooms in this club and each room had a different kind of Latin music. One had a live band, the other had a DJ, and even one room was just more mellow Latin music where you could go and get a drink and mingle. What shocked me was that everyone knew every single word of every single song. There was such a sense of community and I was really surprised to find that in Germany. It was an incredible experience and I just became obsessed with it and tried to download as much of the music as I could to study it.”
It’s their wide-ranging tastes that really define ODESZA’s sound, almost making it a veritable melting pot of everything from jazz theory, hip-hop sampling, hard rock rhythms, and pop accessibility. It’s this deep appreciation that also made ODESZA so adept at remixing, something that Mills admits has been scaled back recently although it’s still enjoyable for the duo. “I love approaching the idea of remixing. In general, remixes tend to be really easy or incredibly difficult depending on how much you love the original. If you love the original so much that you don’t want to change it, it’s hard to pick a new direction. The best thing in that instance is to just take it so far out of its element that it’s nothing to close to the original. Remixing is a lot more spontaneous for us now. We actually just remixed most of our own music for our live show. Almost re-did half of the set to make it more interesting and new.”
Mills further elaborated that the duo is constantly aware of becoming over-saturated after touring endlessly for the past three years. To overcome this, they’re constantly thinking of new ways to better themselves on the road or add new and exciting elements to their live performance. “For this tour now, we wanted to make sure people who saw us at all of the major festivals last summer get to see something new from us. We’ve working hard to do all those remixes and recreate other older tracks that would fit the set better in a different ways. We’re finding ways to add more live instruments and just add more stuff to bring down the show in a much more beautiful way. It’s a constant journey to make the show just right each time out.” There’s always more the duo can add too, according to Mills, who quickly rattled off a wish-list the band had such as a more expanded horn section, string section, and even “a full drumline with us every show to fill out the percussion.”
As mentioned, ODESZA has been touring endlessly for the past three years since their debut in 2012, but luckily, they’ve been able to keep their head above water in relation to making new music as well, even if it’s something the band has to consciously plan out. “Right now, we’re just throwing out ideas because it’s really difficult to try and work on new stuff out on the road. Until we have a month or two where we get to sit down and work, we probably won’t even know what direction it takes us in. Luckily, we’ve grown accustomed to the schedule as hard as it is and have really looked out for 2016 to make sure we have time to make new music. We’re definitely going to be playing a lot of shows in 2016 too, but it’s just as important that we schedule out and get the time to write.”
Whereas most groups and artists find little times here and there on the road to put together their next release, the increased exposure of ODESZA and their hectic schedule almost makes it impossible to put together new music mid-tour. “We try to do it and we write a lot of ideas, but we’re just constantly moving every day. We get to a place and then it’s like, ‘Hey, you have twenty minutes to set up everything to work before sound check starts and then it’s this, this, and that.’ It’s really hard to get into a comfortable place to write when you are on a timer every day at every moment.”
Mills avoided being melancholy while discussing the blur of time since their debut, but you could easily feel the fatigue in his voice. It’s enough to make you think Mills and Knight just sleep for three days straight when they get home from tour, though Mills clarified that it’s a lot more normal and sometimes shorter than you would think. “Honestly, it’s a weird thing going home from a tour after having that much of an adrenaline rush and having so many things happening every day. Just going to complete still calmness is a totally strange transition and it takes a couple of days to get used to it. Usually, by the time you start getting used to it, you’re going right back out on the road. It’s something a lot of touring musicians deal with and I think it’s something everyone reacts to in their own way. For me, it’s just finding the time to go home and listen to music. I really like putting on a record and making myself be patient to listen to the entire thing. Maybe go on a walk while I’m doing it. Kind of the type of thing a normal person would do to relax, but like I said, everyone does it in their own way. It’s just important that you do when you get home.”
ODESZA is still a young band, both in age and experience, but after the whirlwind they’ve been through, they have the knowledge, maturity, and patience to really understand how to survive the life of a superstar. It’s a weird term to bestow on Mills and Knight, but as their festival crowds grow by the thousands and they continue to sell out entire headlining tours, it’s pretty apparent that they are indeed superstars. Luckily for us, they’re as modest as ever and still holding onto that inner musical desire that allows them to make such an eclectic yet accessible sound. It’s enough to make you wonder just how much more ODESZA will grow in the future. And how fast.
ODESZA descends on The National for a sold out show with Hayden James and Kasbo opening. Doors are at 7 PM and if you’re looking for tickets, make sure to keep on eye on Stubhub and Craigslist the next few days. For more information on the show, click here.
