In dialog with A&R Manufacturing unit, Y is Nature unpacks the mechanics behind Evasion!, a cinematic idea album rooted in spy fiction aesthetics and laced with ironic self-awareness. From John le Carré to D’Angelo, the inspirations are as eclectic because the execution is sharp. The Oslo-based producer discusses how spontaneity and collaboration formed the album’s character, how Portishead’s affect knowledgeable his desire for feminine vocalists, and the way themes of disinformation and emotional ambiguity creep by way of the tracks. This isn’t about pastiche or homage—it’s about refracting large feelings by way of playful motifs and sonic espionage.
Welcome to A&R Manufacturing unit, Y is Nature – it’s a pleasure to have you ever with us to debate your newest mission, Evasion!
Evasion! strikes a captivating tonal steadiness between the melodramatic aptitude of traditional espionage tales and delicate private introspection—how did you form the emotional undercurrent of the album with out tipping into parody or pastiche?
Hehe, good query. I suppose it is form of difficult. However one factor is that I by no means got down to do a straight-up imitation of espionage movie music. I’ve been approaching the theme, let’s say, by way of extra of an alternate/indie rock/pop lens. The opposite factor is that we’re all absolutely conscious this experiment dances on a positive line between cliché and stylized expression, and that it’s very a lot topic to scrutiny. That’s why we attempt to embrace the universe and idea with a humorousness — like in our first music video Transition, the place two grownup spies play disguise and search within the forest with toy pistols. It’s meant to be enjoyable and on the similar time heartfelt.
The undertaking feels meticulously composed, but there’s a way of looseness within the preparations that enables every observe to breathe. What function does improvisation or spontaneity play in your inventive course of, particularly inside the context of a style as stylised as spy pop?
One other excellent query. And also you’re proper – It’s undoubtedly composed, however at its core, all of it begins with some form of improvisation. I have a tendency to start from scratch, often with a guitar, piano, or a beat, after which construct from there. On Evasion, there’s one observe specifically, Take Care of Me, the place the place to begin was the ascending five-note motif from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Op. 20, earlier than it veers off in fairly one other course. Past the composed chords and melodies, the background soundscapes — usually made up of synth arpeggios, LFOs, and different ornamentation — are fairly improvised. That, together with subject recordings and samples, provides an unpredictable texture to the entire thing.
I feel the looseness you’re selecting up on would possibly come from the necessity to make fast selections — particularly when working with a bunch of musicians and vocalists, lots of whom I didn’t know that nicely earlier than heading into the studio. There’s additionally the sensible actuality that this undertaking was tied to a tough deadline. We risked dropping some funding from the Norwegian FLB, so we needed to push by way of and end. That urgency can create a form of uncooked vitality. So you could possibly say that, then again, it hasn’t been all that spontaneous, hehe. I actually felt like I needed to carve out one thing actually private and significant—quick.
Your studio on Christian Kroghs Gate in Oslo has turn into the command centre for this launch—how does your setting affect your sonic selections and the environment of your recordings?
Properly, I feel my studio has been extra of a technical command heart — the place the place all of the concepts come collectively, if that is sensible? It’s the place I form the items and produce all the pieces into type. However when it comes to inspiration, I’d say it’s extra about cultural impressions, private style, and life in a broader sense that actually affect the concepts. The studio is the place I refine them, not essentially the place they start. With Evasion, I’ve been in many various areas alongside the way in which. However once more, good query! I’ve to suppose extra about that one…
You’ve enlisted a spread of musicians and cultural contributors to construct out this sonic espionage world. What have been you searching for in your collaborators, and the way did their enter form the ultimate lower of the album?
I wished the undertaking to turn into a platform for me as a producer to collaborate with many various inventive individuals — partly due to my immense want for socialization, but additionally to expertise, study, and broaden my community. Over time, music has turn into one thing I must do in collaboration. I can provide you with concepts by myself, positive, however I don’t wish to stroll that lengthy and dusty street totally alone.
I additionally must say that I used to be particularly searching for feminine vocalists. It’s a bit onerous to elucidate precisely why, however Portishead has been a supply of inspiration for this undertaking — so possibly that claims it. Extra broadly although, I wasn’t trying to find anyone sort of individual. I simply wished to work with individuals who felt drawn to the concept and wished to step into this universe. And Im so grateful and completely satisfied to have discovered each Martin, Tuva, Ronja, Sindre, Einar and plenty of extra proficient creators and artists who all have been a significant a part of the shaping of Evasion.
Was it necessary so that you can construct a conceptual framework across the undertaking first, or did the sonic identification of Evasion! emerge extra organically as you wrote and produced the tracks?
The entire spy factor got here from the beginning. I wished the undertaking to have one thing cinematic and conceptual. In my case, it made the entire affair of constructing new music and crafting an album a bit extra intelligible — each from an inner and exterior perspective. It’s simply simpler to elucidate what you’re doing when you’ve gotten one thing clear to hold it on. But it surely took some time for me to settle into an much more direct understanding of the idea. Specifically, the idea of spy pop.
Themes of surveillance, deception, and emotional ambiguity run deep within the album—do you see Evasion! extra as social commentary, a private reflection, or a calculated mixture of each?
I feel it’s slightly of each — and a form of cinematic imitation. So far as social commentary goes, it’s possibly principally about belief or mistrust in data. These days, with a lot disinformation, misinformation, and common noise circulating on-line, you possibly can simply get disoriented and lose your skill to tell apart fact from fiction. And I prefer to imagine that there are specific truths on the market. And that these truths are necessary and have actual worth.
On the non-public aspect of issues, there are undoubtedly some features of the spy determine that I determine with. That’s additionally a part of the story I’m telling — however I’ll depart that for one more dialog.
Along with your background in indie and neo-psychedelia, what drew you in direction of the cinema of spy fiction and its soundtracks? Was there a selected second or affect that pushed you in that course?
Properly, I had learn some John le Carré and had “Actually Love” by D’Angelo caught in my head for greater than a 12 months. That intro — the chord, the Spanish guitar vibe, the swingy rhythm — was all one thing I used to be actually into on the time. I assumed it had an actual “spy really feel” to it, in order that grew to become the seed of the concept: Spanish guitar, swing beats, and a really sneaky vibe. The undertaking turned out fairly completely different, however I feel you possibly can nonetheless hear traces of that D’Angelo inspiration in there.
There’s a tongue-in-cheek allure to among the motifs in Evasion!, regardless of the gravity of the themes. How do you keep that delicate tonal friction with out undermining the stress you’ve constructed into the narratives?
Properly thanks! I’m attempting to strike a steadiness between seriousness, playfulness, and humor. I generally tend to write down gentle, romantic tunes, so leaning into extra humor and upbeat, rocky materials is definitely a little bit of a problem for me. I really like irony although and possibly this album simply says one thing about me as an individual. The Y is Nature undertaking can in that sense be a gateway or a symbolic enterprise into the thoughts of a real Danish-Norwegian musical agent — somebody who tries to not get fully overwhelmed by large feelings, however nonetheless likes to dig just a bit deeper.
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Evasion! Is out NOW! Stream the LP on Bandcamp.
Interview by Amelia Vandergast