SPOTLIGHT

ODESZA By EMILY ZEMLER

CLAYTON KNIGHT recreate that moment in the and Harrison Mills, hotel for the listeners.” the duo who record Since the release of their and perform as 2012 debut Summer’s , fully understand Gone, ODESZA’s live show that, in order to create, you has taken on a life of its own. have to build something and The pair now sells out venues then take it apart. And, on their like Morrison, Colo.’s Red new album, A Moment Apart, Rocks and even headlined the the electronic duo allowed Staples Center in Los Angeles experimentation to lead them in October. The musicians forward before taking a step credit their festival runs, from back and stripping down Bonnaroo to Bumbershoot, each song. for helping them reimagine “It’s a simple idea that their tracks in a live setting— evolves into too much, so we onstage, everything has to be have to pick out what fits and as high-energy as possible, what doesn’t,” says Mills. “It’s which is not necessarily true an emotional process. You for their . get attached to the sounds “We consider our live show after you’ve been working on such a diferent beast,” Knight something for so long. Even explains. “We rewrite almost though it’s not helping the every song for the live show. song, you may have a personal We have horns and we’re preference for some of the playing drums. There’s a lot elements. It’s a lot of trial of elements we try to add. and error. We’ve found that Our albums are these more simplicity is best. That’s what’s introverted experiences, and crazy—the simplest song can years influenced us. It made As on previous eforts, the our live shows are extroverted, be the hardest song to make. the songs more energetic and band collected a diverse array community-based experiences. It’s something we’ve always helped these heavier, denser of vocalists to appear on the We really try to match the known, but we’ve gotten better pieces be created.” album, from Regina Spektor to setting of the place we play. at it as time has gone on.” “You try to remove the to Naomi Wild. When we approach live stuf, ODESZA have been working live setting because we like to It was Spektor, however, who you really have to pick and on new material since the make more personal albums really wowed the band. choose your down moments. release of their last album In and more headphone music,” “We’ve been fans of her for The contrast makes more sense Return, which came out in the Mills adds. “It’s a little more a very long time,” Mills says. than trying to make people fall of 2014. They completed intimate. If you let the live “We told our manager—half- have a meditative moment.” the opening and closing tracks setting influence that too kidding—that we’d like to have The tour, which goes until first, using them as bookends, much, it takes away from that.” her on the record because we the end of 2017, takes ODESZA and then worked their way A Moment Apart is a didn’t think it was feasible. to Australia, New Zealand, inward. Mills and Knight lush, sweeping collection of A month or two later, she Europe and North America, wrote the record on the road, electronic tracks, bolstered emailed us saying she wanted and reveals a refreshed live as well as during sessions in more by arching melodies than to work with us.” experience. And, in certain Los Angeles and back in their thumping beats. Their initial Spektor invited the band to ways, A Moment Apart is just Seattle studio. The extensive idea was to pair upbeat, pop- her hotel room before a Seattle a blueprint for the duo’s tour behind In Return impacted laden hooks with a melancholy gig and sang the vocals she had dynamic set. the pair’s new batch of songs, aesthetic, creating a balance written for a track they had “We spend so much time on even though they didn’t intend between light and dark. The previously sent her. The result our live shows,” Mills says. “We it to. album opens with a quote from was “Just a Memory.” Mills hoped for this level. We know “You might get too the film Another Earth, which admits, “It was a pretty jaw- we’re putting on a show and accustomed to trying to hit Knight sees as a reflection of dropping moment.” we want it to be theatrical and everything really hard or being the songs’ overall sentiments. “It felt very circular for me, have a lot of diferent moments really energetic on the road,” “If I had to put it into one being such a fan of her when I that shift and feel almost like Knight says. “We actually come word, the album’s theme is was younger, never fathoming a play. We want you to go on a from a slow-tempo, ambient- ‘perspective,’” he notes. “That I would work with her one journey in diferent genres of style music background. But quote says that in a lot of day,” Knight adds. “On the music and to encapsulate a lot being on the road for two ways.” actual song, we were trying to of things within one show.”

DECEMBER 2017 | WWW.RELIX.COM | 21

Spotlight Odessa final.indd 21 11/15/17 12:56 AM