Ottawa, Canada indie pop duo Wotts are proud to announce the release of their new single “LEMONADE”. Inspired by the likes of M83 and Empire of the Sun, the track shoots for a cinematic and warm vibe in response to the summer days ahead. Produced by Jayem (the band’s vocalist & multi-instrumentalist), “LEMONADE” focuses on the tough times people face in a relationship, and the perseverance that’s sometimes needed to get through it. According to him, “It can be easy to leave a relationship if you hit a rough patch, especially if you have a tendency to build up walls to protect yourself.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
R = Rick
J = Jayem
What first got you into music?
R: Definitely my parents. They always had a wide range of music playing throughout our house when I was a toddler. Some of my earliest memories are dancing to their music and that passion has stuck with me ever since. Once I had the time and was a little older, I taught myself to replicate most of those songs on guitar.
What is your creative process like?
R: I like to let it flow organically. Typically I will noodle on my guitar for an hour or so, just trying everything and seeing if there are any unique sounds I can extract from it. If something catches my interest I will try and format that around the song we are working on.
Your latest song is 'LEMONADE'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
J: Definitely unusual. It came about while Rick was stuck in Jamaica for quarantine reasons. I felt bad for him being isolated like that, so I thought it would be neat to chop up and sample some unused parts he sent me over the last few months. That way it would be like he was in the studio with me. It was a challenge, but 100% worth it in the end.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
J: For me it was learning how to mix our tracks. It’s a brutal job and I’m nowhere near a pro, but I’m happy I took it on.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
J: I’d say attaching ourselves to people that aren’t reliable. Before we knew how to basically do everything on our own, we were totally at the mercy of others. If they didn’t want to work, or kept dodging our calls, we basically couldn’t do anything. So much wasted time.
How do you know when a work is finished?
R: When you keep adding to it and it sounds worse than before.
What are your long term goals?
J: My goal is to keep improving. Sometimes I’ll make a song and think I can never make anything better, but eventually I do. I know there’s fire in my belly because I keep trying to learn and absorb as much as I can. As long as that keeps happening, I know I’m on the right path to my goal.
Do you have a mentor or coach?
R: Not really, but I have taken and learned so much from all the people I have ever played with. I think that the best way to improve with music is by playing with other people. That way you can learn their tricks and techniques, and incorporate any of those ideas into your own playing.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
J: There’s been a lot of great moments, but lately I’ve been happy about the response to our new sound. Until last year, we were making hip hop music, so it’s almost like we were starting from scratch. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and it’s been cool to see our audience grow around the world.
Where is the best place in the world you’ve ever been to?
R: I went to a turtle sanctuary in Mexico once, that was pretty cool. Turtles are awesome. I would like to go back there.