PLASMA CHASMS

Already Waiting' showcases Plasma Chasms' unique blend of psychedelic R&B and indie-pop. Can you walk us through the inspiration behind this track and how it reflects your musical evolution?

Jane: Already Waiting is the spaciest, dream pop style track on the album. At the time I was listening to a lot of Tame Impala and was inspired to capture some of the shimmer and depth in the layers of synths. Our main focus here was to try capture a feeling, I believe you can imbue sound with emotion.Already Waiting wants to capture that daydream inside us all - That space between time standing still when your heart is singing with endless possibilities on the horizon but then not daring to shatter the dream. Creatively I wanted this song to subtly be morphing each sound until you come back to earth sunsetting on this jazzy lounge outro.

Adrian and I tend to come at Psychedelic Rock from opposite spectrums, while he has more of a guitar based grunge and rock vibe I think I tend to come from a spacy atmospheric approach. Together we’re able to build layers in each of the tracks.

Adrian: For this one Jane came up with the main synth line, which was super groovy and sexy. It felt to me like silk and velvet. We talked about how best to build it and she really had a sense of where she wanted it to go. Our sense from the beginning was this was a song of longing. A song that captures this very interesting place in space and time. Inspirationally, trying to get that shiny indie sound like Unknown Mortal Orchestra/Tame Impala was important because we wanted this sound to be as modern sounding as possible. 

In terms of evolution this really feels like the first time we’ve actually worked together. Our EP feels cobbled together in comparison. The songs were 90% written by each of us. Whatever we added was really a pin at the end. For this record, we built it all from the ground up together each step of the way. From conception to master, every bit was a team effort. Even the lyrics and mixing. Like, how our words should intertwine, how they fit in the larger sense of the lyrical space and vocally how we can blend our voices to become a new tone option. Same with the production. We split it up equally so that there's a slight color difference in the mixing approaches. I can go on but you get the idea. 

Your song ‘Coolangatta’ is based on an epic journey during the Northern Rivers Floods in 2021. What was the story behind this track, and how did those experiences shape the music and lyrics?

Jane: So in 2021 Adrian and I were here in Australia to meet with our A&R Team in Sydney. We had a little coastal tour from Laurieton to Coolangatta. When we got as far as Grafton we were met at a dead end, the highway was completely flooded out. We had an option to head back, try to wait it out but at that time the flood waters were greater than 2 stories high in the Lismore area, knowing it could be days of waiting, or attempt traveling around it. A normally four hour drive turned into an epic 12 hour journey as we battled inland with the flood waters lapping at the edge of the road. Somewhere on the way we come upon a characteristically Australian landscape with stumps and grassland as far as the eye can see and this incredible golden sunset lighting the entire landscape. This reprieve from the torment mother nature was brewing all around us. Finally we got to the hotel at Coolangatta and about 10 mins later the entire building loses power. It was insane. It was a reminder that times are changing and mother earth has final say, we are just along for the ride. It was an incredibly tough time for the residents in the Northern Rivers area, many of whom spent that entire night and longer trapped on their roof and that image stayed burned into my mind. We tried to capture all of this experience on behalf of everyone into the song in honor of everyone affected.

Adrian: Epic doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’ve seen some natural disasters but nothing like this. It’s something that makes you feel really small and insignificant. The power of nature is humbling. Something I'll never forget. I really wanted to write something for the people affected but also an account of the event. So musically we try to set the stage for a coming storm. So in verse 1 you hear rain drop like sounds still a bit cheery but then verse 2 comes around and it feels grey and like a storm has arrived. Going into the middle instrumental portion, the arrival of the storm and the chaos that accompanies it. On and on until all is well, right. It is a musical interpretation of the event. Lyrically we narrate and mention a few of the cities affected while making the point that this is the result of changes in climate. This isn't normal and we should do more about it.

Plasma Chasms is known for crafting lush, hallucinogenic soundscapes. How do you approach blending vintage 60s-70s techniques with modern digital elements to create your distinctive sound?

Jane: I’m a really big fan of psychedelic bands from the 60s-70s especially bands like 13th Floor Elevators and Gandalf. There’s this magical, rubbery, groovy element that I can’t get enough of. Initially we set out to use as much analogue equipment and researched the recording and effects techniques used throughout that period. Music from that time includes flaws. Mistakes, timing can slow down and speed up, vocals were raw. Digital technology tends to strip the emotion out of the vocals and instruments, it tends to lose its soul in some way. The quality of headphones and peoples taste for music these days are not accepting to a lot of the qualities of retro music. Analogue equipment is also very expensive to purchase and maintain. Fortunately for us we are just at the precipice where a lot of modern hardware and digital plugins are just at the point where they can sound as good to the ear. This gives us a lot to play with for instrumentation, effects and add a modern touch.

Adrian: We really think of them as two sides of the same coin. Just applied differently. Like the analogue sounds and tones, that’s earth, that's ground, The digital sounds? That’s space, man! That’s the cosmos and the universe. So we build it that way, creating that space for those elements to live. 

Composition wise, I love the beatles and particularly love their psychedelic era. Coming up with something half as good as them is the aim.

‘Already Waiting’ and ‘Coolangatta’ both seem to tell deeply personal stories. How do you balance personal storytelling with creating a universal appeal in your music? 

Jane: While Coolangatta is based around specific events, Already Waiting really worked to capture feelings that we all have experienced at some time or another, it may feel many lives away but I think it feels deeply personally because we can all place ourselves in that bubble of feeling that way for somebody. Fear or doubt caused us to get in our own way. When it was you, did you tell them? How did the story end?

Adrian: That really lies in the lyrical component and making it non specific to yourself is really the key. I like making the experience something personal to the listener. Where they can step in and be the main character. So making it something relatable, something that we’ve all felt before on our time here on earth is how we approach it. 

As an indie-psychedelic duo with roots in both Australia and Southern California, how do your diverse influences come together in your music? Can you share how these geographical ties shape your sound?

Jane: Music really shapes our lives but also trends in what songs were around at the time something was happening in your life are really ingrained subconsciously. In the time I’ve spent in the USA it’s become really clear that Australia is deeply influenced by a cross over of music from the USA as well as the UK. Triple J was a household name and there’s a homegrown indie flavor that’s so unique to Australia. We don’t take ourselves too seriously. I’m so in love and proud of all of the psychedelic rock coming from Australian bands - Tame Impala, Pond, King Gizzard, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets. I’ve been heavily inspired by them in the type of music I wanted to put out there. I wanted to make the kind of music that I want to hear. Adrian and I got the band together over a shared love of the aussie psych movement but he had really different genres of music around him compared to australia through the last couple of decades. Coming to the same musical goals from these different environments gives us different flavors.

Adrian: There’s alot to be said about both regions. Australia has AC/DC, Tame Impala, INXS, Pond and countless others. California has the beach boys, the byrds, The Doors and the center of the hippie movement in San Francisco. Lots of vibes up and down the state. Lots of great groups as well. That has an effect on your style. Hometown vibes.

With the release of ‘Already Waiting’ and ‘Coolangatta,’ what message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from these tracks?

Jane: I really wanted to create a sonic landscape, a kaleidoscope of sounds that you immerse yourself in that stir up a feeling, more than just listening to a track that you feel something stir inside you. The nostalgia of a place and feeling that no longer exists but when you think back, is it possible that there was a different perspective that you missed. As humans our connections are flawed, our minds fill in the blanks and things aren’t always the way they seem.

Adrian: a fantastic trip and connectedness. We’re all here experiencing life for a very short period of time struggling with existing. It’s nice to know you're not alone sometimes.