Kodiak Arcade’s newest release, “Another Summer,” takes listeners on a deep and introspective journey through the intricacies of long-term love and commitment. In this exclusive interview, Kodiak Arcade discusses the inspiration behind this nostalgic track and how their background in television music composition, which includes Emmy awards, influences their approach to creating music. They also delve into the importance of the visual element in conveying the message and emotions behind their music, as well as the balance between the technical and emotional aspects of their compositions. With future plans for immersive visual experiences and VR music videos, Kodiak Arcade continues to push creative boundaries, leaving a lasting impact on both their listeners and the broader music community.
Hello Kodiak Arcade! Congratulations on your latest release, ‘Another Summer.’ Can you share the inspiration behind this introspective and nostalgic track?
For me, this song is about long-term love and moments of uncertainty when it feels as though you’re growing in different directions.
You have a remarkable background in television music composition. How does your experience in that field influence your approach to creating music as Kodiak Arcade?
Kodiak Arcade allows me to play with a lot of toys that I don’t often get a chance to use in my TV work. It also allows me to follow my own instincts and curiosities around on an open timeline. That kind of exploration feels valuable to me. Kodiak Arcade’s visual component also lets me explore music and visuals from the opposite perspective of my TV work. With Kodiak Arcade, I’m often making visuals to compliment my music instead of making music for picture.
With ‘Another Summer,’ you delve deep into the intricacies of long-term relationships. Can you tell us more about the themes and emotions you wanted to convey through this song?
I think this song is a bit of an acknowledgment there will be tougher periods – that it’s easy to take one another for granted in greater increments over time, but that it can also be worth enduring a winter every so often so you can see things bloom again. To me, it expresses a sense of vulnerability, gratitude and uncertainty.
Your work has garnered multiple accolades, including Emmy awards. How does your background in television and the recognition you’ve received shape your approach to your musical projects, like Kodiak Arcade?
I really value all of the chances we’ve had to celebrate the work of each team I’ve been a part of show by show. I love being a single part of these large multidisciplinary projects with so many other artists from script writers to animators and actors. I think one positive effect of receiving recognition has been that, with Kodiak Arcade, I don’t feel obligated to chase praise. The lifestyle of chasing approval doesn’t feel as satisfying as exploring what excites you. When I feel like I’m on to something creatively it is its own reward. I think the professional recognition has allowed me to be more able to explore creatively without the self consciousness of needing to prove myself to others with each release.
In your artistic journey, you explore electronic pop music through Kodiak Arcade and neo-classical compositions with Cabin Fever Orchestra. How do these different outlets allow you to express yourself creatively?
I think they allow me to express very different sides of myself. That said, they have this thread of continuity between them. I grew up loving popular music, but I also fell in love with film and television score along the way. The idea of an open ended exploration in each genre still excites me. Both projects also function as a way to connect with an entirely different set of listeners and collaborators and add to my overall musical vocabulary in different ways.
Your track and video for ‘Another Summer’ offer an immersive experience. How important is the visual element in conveying the message and emotions behind your music?
This part often still feels like magic to me – the language of correspondences between visuals and music that make them feel related and in support of one another – but not always for reasons I can easily explain. When that happens I feel satisfied and I don’t know why. It feels strangely gratifying again when other people can see it too – when others connect to something I felt compelled to make but only half understand myself.
The song raises thought-provoking questions about the dynamics of long-term love and commitment. Can you expand on your personal reflections and experiences that inspired these themes?
It’s sometimes surprising to think about how unrealistic it seems to expect someone to commit long-term when I can’t even predict who I’ll be a decade from now. The same applies the other way around. Committing deeply to someone and building a shared life requires a leap of faith – to promise that no matter our how we are growing as individuals, we’ll strive to cherish the other’s evolving self. This, despite countless small disputes and the daily grind of work, bills, and chores that can lead us to undervalue each other over time.
As a composer and artist, how do you balance the technical and emotional aspects of music to create a captivating and moving sound?
I personally make sure that my tech setup is consistent and simple enough that I’m never losing steam on a creative idea for a technical reason. It’s easy to lose a lot of momentum there, allowing the sentiment to dissipate as you work through a technical problem. I tend to improvise on an instrument until I find a seed idea that jumps out at me. Most additional parts are built around that seed idea – augmenting, complimenting or otherwise decorating it. I like the improvisational searching stage. I try to stay very aware of my own reactions to whatever comes out intuitively and earmark the best of the best. Kodiak Arcade is a place for me to play with production tools like a child plays with a toy, so that’s also a part of it. Ultimately though, I like to get into the place where I’m simply listening and reacting – sometimes it’s a creative move and sometimes it’s a technical adjustment – but ideally it becomes an engaged language-less conversation with yourself involving following your intuition and careful sonic building. I tend to trust that if it moves me in some way, that there will be likeminded or like-hearted individuals out there that will feel the same way.
What can your audience expect in terms of future projects or collaborations for Kodiak Arcade?
I hope to make visual media for my music as an immersive experience. I’m looking into ways to make music videos like our lyric video for “Another Summer” in VR.
In your own words, how would you describe the impact you hope ‘Another Summer’ will have on your listeners and the broader music community?
I don’t know that I have a specific outcome in mind, but it’s always nice when others connect with what you are making. It feels good to picture the music out there in the world – in other people’s lives. I hope listeners find some of themselves in it.