Pop duo Chain of Islands have released their debut EP, ’Ochre’.
The pop rock driven EP features a collection of familiar singles such as, ‘Shelter’, ’Foreign’, ‘Pink Hotel’, ‘Homesick’, ‘Maybe It’s You’, and two new tracks, ‘It’s Obvious’ and ‘Good Love’. From electric guitar driven tracks to soothing ballads, ‘Ochre’ is an EP that showcases the different sounds Chain of Islands is influenced and inspired by in the world of pop music. The duo is excited to finally share their body of work with the world.
We had a chat with them to take a deeper dive into the release...
Introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about you guys!
“COI is Derek Vautrinot (Drums) and Nick Sera (Vocals/Guitar). We enjoy watching hours of metal bands and Ariana Grande videos on YouTube, feasting on sushi and looking at sneakers.”
When did you meet and start making music together?
“We met through music, obviously. We were both playing in post hardcore bands at the time (Que Sera and Lions Lions.) At some point Nick’s band (Que Sera) needed a fill in drummer for a tour which is when we really got to hang and get to know each other. About a year later I (Derek) approached him about starting a project together that was nothing like either of the bands we were playing for at the time. And now we have COI.”
Who are your biggest inspirations musically?
“Frank Ocean, SZA, Deftones, Blink 182, Ariana Grande, The True Blue.”
Have you guys had a particular stand out moment so far?
“The release of our EP. It’s received a lot more attention and love than we expected. Also the release of our music video for ’Foreign’. It was the first piece of media showing our faces and what we do and the response was so incredible!”
You’ve just released your debut EP ‘Ochre’! Tell us a little about it!
“We love it. We’re proud of it. It definitely was not the typical process of writing and recording an EP. It passes between different genres to be the soundtrack to whatever you have going on in your day to day. We’d love for you to tell us what you think. Go listen to ‘Ochre’.”
How did you decide on the EP name?
“We actually didn’t name the EP. Our good friend, Peter Fortin, who does most of our artwork/graphic design suggested it and we just felt like the idea of ‘Ochre’, a shade of yellow that isn’t really too bright or too dark was relative to the way we feel our music sounds. So shout out Peter Fortin for the EP title.”
What was the writing and recording process like?
“As mentioned before, it was not the typical process. It wasn’t really a planned thing. We had been writing and releasing singles and at one point it was mentioned to us that it would be cool to take the songs we already had out and bulk them together with a few unreleased tracks to make a bigger piece. We're very happy that we decided to do because we think all the tracks go very well together!”
Are there any key themes, stories or inspirations that run throughout?
“Of course. Each song individually definitely pulls inspiration from specific times and events in our lives and this definitely comes in and out throughout the runtime of the EP.”
Do you have a favourite lyric or whole track? If so, which one and why?
“That’s so hard to pick. It’s like deciding which child is your favorite, hahah. I (Derek) think we both really love ‘Shelter’. That track alone sounds incredible to us both with and without vocals. However, overall we love these songs equally. They’re all unique to us and true to us in a way where we get to speak on things we’ve experienced.”
Have you guys got any fun behind the scenes stories from the time you spent creating the EP?
“Well technically that writing process was about 2+ years, so there’s probably too many to pick just one or a few. An honorable mention being when we set off the fire alarm for the entire facility during the filming of the video for ‘Shelter’.”
What can we expect next from Chain of Islands? Any live shows coming up?
“We are planning 2 headliners in/near the cities that Nick and I grew up in. Those shows are looking like they’ll happen in November. The planning process is a little different since we want to make sure everyone is safe and able to enjoy the show, but once everything is locked in we’ll announce those shows.”
‘Ochre’ is out now. Listen HERE @chainofislands
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