EDIT: Have a listen to Bakers In Space’s debut single, FOOLS & LIARS HERE.
Hakim, Hafi, Ernest and Eugene are Bakers In Space. Drifters, their indie-psy-punk rock release from last year (not all that long ago) is up for free download on Soundcloud. The music video (click through header image) features the band rocking out in the The Analog Factory premises, barely lit by splotches of neon light – and in their PJs, no less.
I first knew Guitarist & Vocalist Eugene as half of a mellow indie folk duo back in 2012, so Bakers’ grungy, choppy experimental rock comes as a surprise, and the good kind.
Having scored the Noise Singapore Music Mentorship, opened for Stopgap two months ago and slated their debut EP launch for sometime this April, they seem to have progressed tremendously since first meeting in polytechnic and through mandatory time in National Service.
Moving ahead from that phase, the guys are “definitely in a better position to just write music together again”. Eugene talks Popwire through the band’s formative years we had missed, and just as – if not more importantly, the year ahead.
Popwire: As a former folk music maker, do you think being part of an indie rock band is a better representation of you as a musician at this point in time?
Eugene: Folk music is and always will be a part of my life! Can’t wait for the new Fleet Foxes record to drop. It’s been way too long since Robin Pecknold has put anything out with them.
Psychedelic music kind of is where the band meets in a crossroad between all our influences. We formed from a joint love of Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party & Tame Impala to name a few bands.
Bakers In Space at Neon Lights Festival ’16
PW: What’s everyone in the band been up to?
Eug:Hakim plays the drums, Hafi the Bass, and Ernest and myself are on Guitars/Vox. We’re just really nerdy about making our guitars sound unlike a regular guitar, so this band allows us to do that! I make different types of music all the time, but Bakers is where I can blend experimental sounds in a more mainstream structure.
We’re actually all pretty busy people – either studying or working, but the band keeps us together. Even our previous bassist Jiamei still contributes to the band by designing our merchandise and lovely artwork for the upcoming EP.
“He said, she said they made amends but never did remain as friends” – Drifters, Bakers In Space
Photo by Gyejin
PW: Working around irregular schedules for a good three years now, is there a specific way in which you guys write?
Eug: For this particular EP, the lyrics revolve around our relationships and friendships that came and went, almost like a train passing through a station, now looking back. With the chord choices we try to emulate the emotions going through these times.
We’re still trying out different ways to write our music and see where each method takes us. Of course the dream is to bring our equipment into a house and just live with each other until we finish writing an album or something!
PW: Could you share a little about the Bakers In Space debut EP, Implosions? Will it be in the same vein as Drifters, concept and sound wise?
Eug: Our debut EP is gonna be a spectrum of sounds. With the inclusion of synths and electronics hereon we plan to hit you guys with songs that are light and groovy, and songs that are dark and heavy. Drifters is kind of middle ground for us, and almost like a tribute song to Kevin Parker whom we idolise. The songs on our EP have been in our system for about two years now, and we’re already writing newer ones beyond those, so you’ll have to come for our live shows to catch them!
– How do you guys find the climate for making music here and now?
Eug: We’re aiming to play lots more shows and write new music this year, starting with January’s gig. We’re pretty new to the scene but we’ve already made a bunch of friends from Noise. And of course the lads from Stopgap have been the kindest to us! We probably owe them a ton of beers by now!
Catch Bakers In Space make All Things New in their 45 minute set on 21 January at the Esplanade Outdoor Theatre.
Follow Bakers In Space on Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / Soundcloud, and check out below the bands they “listen to and worship”: