Scrolling Through SoundCloud: sundial
On “Scrolling Through SoundCloud,” we profile up-and-coming artists and producers who should garner more attention based on the quality of their music. So do them a favor, and listen to their shit. You won’t be disappointed.
IF YOU’RE A FAN OF…
Chet Porter
Tennyson
Galimatias
NOTABLE TRACKS…
your diary
your text
An artist’s ability to covey certain emotions through their work depends heavily on their experiences with those feelings; it took a series of personal tragedies for Kanye to create 808s & Heartbreaks. On the other side of the emotional spectrum is Boston-based pairing sundial. The project was conceived by Berklee College students Dorothy Chan and Jisu Kim and runs analogous with their romantic relationship. So it’s no surprise that their debut EP, yours, captures what your perfect middle school crush would sound like. An abundance of odd sounds—running water, car alarms, ripping paper—color the production like all the weird things you learn about your significant other. And in great relationships and songs alike, those oddities make you love them even more. Equally sharing vocal and production duties, Chan and Kim have been gaining traction, receiving support from Chet Porter and signing a promo deal with Epic Network Music. So go ahead, name a better duo. I’ll wait.
On Berklee:
DOROTHY: Berklee is its own bubble. It’s very jazz-based. A lot of times it can seem trapping for your music, but at the same time it’s the tools that help make the music that we make. Berklee really helps us develop our sound and incorporate the electronic and jazz elements.
JISU: There’s like jazz virtuosos like Jacob Collier getting huge right now; if the regular person listens to him, they’ll think, “What the heck is going on?” It’s just so many notes and to them it just sounds like it’s not in the right key. In that aspect I don’t think you need the knowledge that Berklee gives you to become a good producer but I feel like it gives you options.
On “your text” :
D: With “your text,” I feel like it is more harmonically and melodically simple compared to our other songs; that was the vibe we were going for. We wanted that song to be more pop and very relatable in the lyrical message.
J: We had a summer vacation, so we didn’t see each for four months. During that time, that was how “your text” arose. Basically, she started the song: she made the chord progression, the sound design for everything, and put it down into the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). And she said, “Hey, I made this little thing.” She sent it over on Google Drive. I got the project, worked on it a little bit, and sent it over to her.
On making music together:
J: Dorothy, I mean, she’s a great pianist. She sings and knows hundreds of songs and has this great repertoire of harmony. So working with Dorothy, she really helped solidify the sundial sound. Because she was also a producer beforehand, so it wasn’t like she was going at this blind. So it was really easy. It’s like we’re both talking in a different language, but we know the same subject. And what she was good at, I was lacking. And what I was good at, she was lacking.
D: I feel like I was lacking in the technical aspects of producing, and that void was filled when I got to work with Jisu for sundial. It’s like a puzzle piece. What I didn’t have, he had. And what he didn’t have, I had.
J: One of the best examples is like for “your diary,” especially with the jazz breakdown section. That was our workflow at its peak. She put down the chords and the sound design. And then I went over and put the melody on top of that. And then we came and put some drums. That’s pretty much it. Most of the time she’s more melodic-centric, and I would be more rhythm-centric. Because we fit each other’s weaknesses so well it’s hard to even do something without the other person.
On being in a relationship:
J: It gets tough when it’s tough. Like when she has an idea she’s passionate about, or I have an idea I’m passionate about. I mean, working with any person can be tough. But, you know, think about the person you love the most. Now think about the person you argue with the most. They’re probably the same person.
D: In the beginning, we used to put our relationship first and music second. But after a while, it started to meld together and you don’t really think about that anymore. It comes about through love and making that the best thing. The relationship supports that and everything comes together.
Currently listening to…
J: Look up a guy named BLOOM. When you hear his songs, you’ll know.
D: Oh! Cashmere Cat is someone we really love right now.
CHECK OUT SUNDIAL ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Sound Cloud - soundcloud.com/officialsundial
Facebook - facebook.com/officialsundial
Twitter - twitter.com/officialsundial
Instagram - instagram.com/officialsundial
