CloseApart recently released a 5-track EP titled Hologram after a 2-year hiatus. Ooostage managed to sit down with 3 of its members, Harold, Ronald & Chris, and asked them a few questions…
Ooostage: What kind of day jobs do you guys hold?
Harold (Drums): We're all wage slaves so I'm still a civil servant. Ronald is in media and Chris is in marketing.
Ooostage: How long did it take to put together the new EP?
Ronald (Guitar): It took quite awhile. We actually started recording in early 2008 in one studio. But then we realised that we were not quite happy with the sound. So we actually moved to another studio and by the time we were done, in terms of the recording process, it was end of 2008. So we spent about a whole year recording 6 songs. But we have chosen 5 out of 6 for this EP.
Ooostage: What is your favourite song from this EP?
Harold: Ghost Of You. It is catchy and the most accessible song.
Ronald: I don't think I have a favourite song because the songs are quite different from one another. We tried to bring across a different idea in every song. It's chalk and cheese in a way, you can't really compare. I think Red Eye will probably be my favourite in a sense because it really marks an artistic leap. It is more electronic and contemporary sounding. The feel of it is quite unique compared to others.
Chris (Bass): I definitely prefer songs like [E]motion Sickness and Ghost Of You. I pretty much just want to get them heard on the radio since I think they are the most accessible. I do agree with Ronald, Red Eye was something quite different and we do hope to have more material like that.
Ooostage: What's the story behind Red Eye?
Ronald: In terms of how it was put together…it started out with a glam rock, T.Rex, David Bowie kind of vibe. It was not electronic at all. We tried jamming it a few times in that form until Harold and Chris decided to put the funk in it. Chris started to play the bass in a different way and Harold started to follow. In terms of lyrics, it's not written for anyone actually.
Harold: As for the music side of it, we turned it out into a more funk rock kind of number - something in the vein of the Stone Roses' second coming album. But as time progressed, I realised it was quite hard to play that song live. And me being the drummer, I decided that rather than trying to play it and not getting the feel right, we got the producer to sample what I played and programmed it into a dancey beat.
Ooostage: Who would you list as your musical influences?
Harold: I guess, to be fair to us, if you listen to the 5 songs, I don't think there's really a single band you can pinpoint us to. There is no one-band influence. You can hear a bit of Coldplay, Kasabian, U2, and Manic Street Preachers. Of course we all like Led Zeppelin and we all like different kinds of music. Generally nice melodic, funky stuff.
Chris: I also want to throw in Iron Maiden!
Ooostage: What is one strange and unknown fact you can reveal about each band member?
Harold: Ronald is gay. (Laughs)
Chris: Retort, Ronald! Retort!
Ronald: For the record, I'm not gay. I've known Harold for a pretty long time. All I can say is that, deep beneath his prim and proper exterior, lies the heart of a fire spitting demon. Read into that what you will.
Chris: I've known Harold for about 2-3 years. All of us are dog owners. With all that macho talk from Ronald, Ronald and Harold can actually be quite soft little puppies when they are with their dogs.
Ronald: And beneath that solemn exterior…Chris is actually an avid fitness freak and runs marathons.
Chris: Half-marathons.
Ooostage: Who is the laziest, who is always late for jam sessions?
Ronald: I'm not going to answer this.
Harold: I'm afraid we don't really want to start on this. It is just going to be nasty.
Ronald: Like opening up a can of worms.
Ooostage: Who is single? Who is married?
Ronald: What's the definition of single? (Laughs)
Chris: There's one father in the band - Aloysius the singer is married and has a kid. Harold is married too, has a dog, no kid. And Ronald will talk about the rest.
Ronald: Shan, our lead guitarist, is single. I am not single. I am not married. I am you know…
Chris: Same as Ronald. But we are not seeing each other.
Ooostage: Any upcoming gigs?
Harold: There are no plans yet.
*At the time this interview was conducted, CloseApart was scheduled to perform at Crawlspace on 11th September along with Etc, We GANG and The Guilt.
Ooostage: If there's one band you could tour with, who would that be?
Ronald: Harold would like to tour with Stillwater, the band in Almost Famous. Harold would very much like to tour with the band, if not be part of the band because that essentially defines his existence.
For myself, I have a much humbler ideal. I wouldn't mind touring with anybody so long as it's not far too removed from CloseApart.
Chris: I don't know. I can't pinpoint anyone. But I guess a band that's not too big. There's no way I can see us playing alongside U2. Perhaps, a band that is more niche, I guess. Pretty much depends on what I'm listening to at the moment. John Mayer-type, something contemporary.
Ooostage: Which local band do you respect or like the most?
Harold: Too many names for me to just name one. Actually I'd like to tour with The Observatory.
Ronald: Again, I don't have any preference. I respect a lot of them. To name one or two bands would not be fair to everyone.
Ooostage: Which bands were you previously from?
Ronald: Me and Harold were in a band called The Trip, back in the late 90s.
Chris: Around 2000, I was in a band called Satellite. Did a couple of gigs here and there like Crazy Elephant, Sembawang Music Fest.
Harold: Before The Trip, I was in a punk rock band.
Ooostage: When can fans expect a new album?
Ronald: We have started recording the remainder of the songs. We do hope to finish it fairly soon but I can't really say. And once that's done, I think we will probably collectively release the songs as an album, maybe early next year.
Harold: Buy our songs from Ooostage!
Click here to view tracks
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