Avresa
Outside of Sweden, the word ‘avresa’ may not be so commonly known. In English it translates to departure for the beginning of an adventure. Addicted to travel, Australian Sydney-based songwriter, guitarist and pianist Jeremy considered it an appropriate name for the project.
It also references the transition from his 4-piece alternative rock band into more challenging musical territory as a solo artist.
Find Something
Die emotionale Achterbahn des Lebens, die Frage nach dem Sinn, ist es ein Gefühl, eine Person, ein Ding oder ein Etwas? Und wenn ja, wie finde ich dieses Etwas? Die Zeit tickt, die Suche beginnt, werde ich es finden und wie erkenne ich es wenn es bereits da ist? Diese Fragen machte Avresa zum Inhalt seines Releases "Find Something". Musikalisch präsentiert er sich im Gewand des melodischen Dream Pop welcher Richtung Brit Rock schielt.
Die Umsetzung durch das Einbinden leicht rockiger Elemente ansprechend. Die Vocals fügen sich außerordentlich gut ein und erschaffen diese zeitlose Indie Pop Atmosphäre welche sich im Refrain voll entfaltet.
Die Songstruktur nutzt das breite Spektrum des Indie Pop und sorgt für kleine Überraschungen die immer wieder auftauchen und so den Track frisch und lebendig erscheinen lassen.
"Find Something" von Avresa, ein Song der auf keiner Playlist fehlen sollte ... and if you are looking for something here is the chance to "find something" good.
Q&A
Avresa is...?
A solo indie-rock project based in Sydney, Australia which began over a decade ago. I had written many songs however I couldn't picture myself on lead vocals to perform them live, so it didn't seem appropriate to use my name upfront.
Rather, I found the word 'Avresa' which comes from Swedish and translates to departure for the beginning of a journey. It seemed fitting. I had previously written and played in an alt-rock band and at the time I was moving on from the comfort zones in many aspects of my life. I started playing live as Avresa with a vocalist and at times a drummer too which helped my more experimental tracks translate into a gig setting.
'Avresa' took a hiatus when I moved to the UK and back again. When the pandemic hit I was tempted to step outside my comfort zone once again into the shoes of the lead role myself. It's been challenging and a little terrifying, but the feedback so far has been really encouraging.
Who inspired you to make music in general and especially to the song "Find Something"?
Piano was my lead instrument since I was very young. So I found inspiration in 90's rock bands where piano often featured, such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Muse and Ben Folds Five. Once I started writing I realised my music didn't actually reflect that sound so much, but sounded closer to piano and synth-based electronic artists like Moby, Air, DJ Shadow and Röyksopp.
The Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead and countless other rock bands of course eventually went electronic too, and that kind of sound was similar to what I was doing when starting Avresa. What I'm writing now is very different though of course, and over the years my songwriting has shifted between quite a few genres.
'Find Something' was inspired by 90's Brit Rock. The idea first struck me when living in London and it reminded me of Radiohead from The Bends era.
The British sound clearly made a mark on the track because when I started developing the idea further I realised some parts were probably inspired by later indie artists: Editors, British Sea Power and The 1975. There's a little bit of Sigur Ros influence in there also.
What is your creative process like and was it different for this song?
I usually start with the melody and one key lyric. Little melodic and lyrical ideas often pop into my head, but I find it's the ones that stick with me for days and weeks that are the ones that are really worth developing.
That's how 'Find Something' started too, and although it was stuck in my head for weeks, I initially felt that it was possibly too 'pop' for the album I was working on, so I shelved it for some time.
When I revisited 'Find Something' however, I realised there was a dark and bittersweet quality behind the concept. The emotions were somewhat inexplicable and required a deeper exploration than the typical pop-rock format could allow. The track somehow needed to tread a very fine line between melancholy but uplifting and inspiring too. That was probably the greatest creative challenge.
This involved a lot of experimentation with the song structure, duration (initially over 6mins), beats, use of different instruments throughout the track and how I could create a journey to tell a complex story, but without it dragging on either. By the time I was finished, I realised this had to be the album closer - it's the most important message I have on it.
What can we expect from your upcoming Album "Perspective"?
I usually like to dapple in a number of different genres, and in the past I've attempted to cover them all on one record (much like The 1975 would do!). With 'Perspective' however I've decided to take a different approach and focus on creating a cohesive set of songs that all fall under the indie-rock, post-punk and folk umbrellas - which is still quite a range but a little more selective for me.
All songs on the album relate to the underlying theme of different perspectives and what makes us capable of seeing things differently. How our perceptions and perspectives are influenced by things like time, distance, our past, upbringing and modern technology is something I've been interested in and observing for some time. The pandemic has shone an incredible light on this theme also.
What do you prefer, a live gig or a studio session?
I tend to avoid the spotlight, but I really love the process of creating. Translating ideas and melodies I can hear in my head into a musical expression of my thoughts or feelings is very rewarding and cathartic.
I'd say a studio session is where I'm more capable of being creative and becoming inspired.
What's your most useful talent besides music?
I have strong passions for digital design and photography. So as you can imagine I put a lot of thought and effort into the cover art and videos for Avresa. Hopefully some of that 'talent' comes across.
How would you describe 2021 in a sentence?
Haha, an emotional rollercoaster much like the song 'Find Something'. It is for this reason I really pushed myself to release the song before the year came to a close as I felt like it was a very fitting summary of what many people likely felt and experienced over the past year, with a message we probably needed to be reminded of also.
What was the first ever Pop/Rock/etc. ... song you listened to or remember on?
The first rock song that really changed and rocked my world was 'Come Out And Play' by The Offspring. I had heard Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Metallica prior.
But for whatever reason, when 'Come Out And Play' was released The Offspring became my first rock obsession that led me down a new path of musical discovery.
Do you remember your first ever self-written song?
I do because I scored it, by hand (this was before MIDI became popular!). During the first lockdown in 2020, whilst I was clearing out some cupboards I came across the scores I had written when I was 11 years old. The first one was a piano-based instrumental and funnily enough, it was about a virus! Some things never change!
What’s next for you?
Stay tuned for the music video for 'Find Something' which I'm currently working on. An alternate version of the song is also on the cards which came out of one of the many experiments I went through with the mix.
The album, 'Perspective' is still a work in progress. Whilst the songs are all written, I'm still working on the production. In the modern way, I'll be releasing each song one at a time as a single first. I'll then package them all together as an album where all the different perspectives will contrast and compliment against one another.
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