I’ve been repeating a series every month since the start of the year about my favourite songs of the month. One of the tracks I featured in the latest iteration was party politics by a_shes. I wanted to find out more about the track so decided to conduct this interview!
By Jane Howkins
You recently released a track titled party politics, which we reviewed. What can you tell us about the song?
Well the song came to me when I was having an out of body experience at a house party I went to last summer. I didn’t really like the host or many of the people there to be completely honest, but my friends wanted to go so I decided to go with them. I guess I desperately needed to socialise because I’d been cooped up for so long and thirsted for human connection. It was in that moment that I realised how vital partying is for young twenty-somethings who have moved away from home – it’s like a skill we pick up to form relationships and connections to avoid isolation as we hurtle towards oblivion. Ever since then I’ve become hyper aware of the politics of partying (hence the title, which is of course a play on the term ‘party politics’). Maybe it’s because I’m a trained social scientist that I pay way too much attention to these kinds of things. And so the song was born!
How has the reception to party politics been so far?
My friends have told me that they like it, and so did my sister, which is good thing because she’d never admit to liking any of my songs haha. And it’s found a place on a bunch of playlists as well. It’s been received much better than my previous single, which I think has to do with the fact that it’s a straight up dance/synth-pop song, unlike movies & music, which doesn’t necessarily fit neatly into any specific sub-genre, which made marketing party politics to genre-specific blogs and playlists much easier, I think.
Has the pandemic hindered your work much?
Honestly, if it weren’t for the pandemic I wouldn’t even be making music. I had this massive freak out about how quickly time’s passing and what little I’ve done to pursue all the creative pipe dreams I had as a teen, which pushed me to pick up songwriting and production. It’s crazy because during lockdown you could feel time stop, but also speed up simultaneously, and it gave me the kick I needed to reach out to a producer and drop my first ever single! I was going through a lot during the first couple of lockdowns and honestly, making music helped me to process a lot of what I was feeling at the time… I don’t know if that would date my music poorly in the future but those were things I had to put to song, especially because I didn’t have access to the creative outlets I once had pre-Covid.
What is the writing and recording process like for you?
It’s evolved since I first started songwriting and producing. Originally I’d come up with the lyrics and melody first and then retroactively fit in some cool chord progressions – I didn’t have a keyboard on me when I started, so it was a little difficult to just play chords and come up with stuff as I go. But as I started to become a better producer, I would start with the instrumental track first and then come up with the lyrics and melody on top of that. I much prefer that way of doing things because it allows me to create the sonic world of the song first, which helps to inspire the lyrics to follow suit.
For party politics in particular I used a chord generator to play around with some chord progressions and found one I really liked (which are the syncopated keys you hear as the song starts), and then started writing over it. Then, I played around with the production to get the vibe and setting I envisioned for the song, which happens to be this really hazy, almost dream-like house party with very muted sounds and a deep kick, kinda like you’re at the party but experiencing everything from behind a thin wall.
When I’m happy with the song I bring it to my producer, Imad, to get it professionally recorded. I don’t have the best recording equipment or DAW so he also helps to elevate whatever it is I’ve produced at home to make it sound release ready. I try to produce as much as I can at home to save money on booking studio time.
Do you plan to release any more singles in the near future?
Yes… but that’s all I’ll say, for now.
Have you started writing for an EP or an album?
Perhaps, maybe the songs I have now are part of a possible debut record, maybe not… I don’t want to say too much at the moment.
Your music has an upbeat pop sound. What/who influences you most as an artist? What have you been listening to recently?
Right now I’m in my romantic Tumblr-teen nostalgia era. A lot of the stuff I’m writing and producing aims to be very reminiscent of early to mid 2010s alt-pop, moody synths paired with a grungy vocal performance and lyrics, that kinda stuff. My biggest inspiration, and someone who I refer back to all the time when I’m in a rut is the one and only Lorde – she got me into pop music back in 2013 and basically changed my perception of what pop can be/sound like. In fact, party politics is heavily inspired by her second album Melodrama, which happened to be set at a house party, and I thought that was such a fascinating concept. Other influences for this song included other pop pioneers of the 2010s such as Carly Rae Jepsen, Katy Perry, and 1989 era Taylor. Some other artists I draw inspiration from more generally include people like Troye Sivan, Florence Welch, & Sky Ferreira, as well as other influential musicians who have come to define the ‘alt-Tumblr pop’ sound. It’s the era I hold the most nostalgia for because I was a bright-eyed, hopeful teenager then, and it’s when I started taking pop more seriously.
Where are you based? What is the music scene like in your part of the world? Are you influenced by your surroundings?
At the moment I’m based in between London and Cambridge. Of course London is known to have a thriving music scene, although unfortunately I don’t take enough advantage of it. I’m sorry I know that’s a crime! I think because I started making music in such an isolated environment I have no idea how to navigate music venues and stuff, and I don’t really have any pre-existing connections and relationships that would help ease that process for me. That being said though, one of the good things about being in London is having access to all the concert venues that some of the biggest artists I’ve looked up to frequently stop by on their world tours – I got to see Lorde twice in concert recently which was phenomenal! Surprisingly, Cambridge has a bustling music scene as well, although it is not as big or pronounced as London’s. Most of it consists of student run acts of course, but it’s amazing to get to see these unknown bands perform at small bars and think to yourself “they’re gonna blow up some day…”
Do you have any tour dates lined up? Any plans to tour the UK?
At the moment, no… I’m way too busy with school and have 0 experience and an abysmal budget to be planning any tours, so I’m just gonna stick to being a recording artist for now.
Any last words for the fans?
Yes, if you’re unsure of what you want to do with your life, do anything but a PhD.