Vancouver indie band Rococode released their new EP, Young Ones, today; this is particularly noteworthy to Victorians because Rococode vocalist Laura Smith was born here in town. Smith says that their new EP was a product of spending some time away from the studio and getting to play with some old synthesizers.
“It was the fastest we’ve wrote something and gone through the writing process, which is really exciting for us,” she says. “We started writing it in September of last year in Los Angeles at a songwriting camp, which was really cool. We then went to the National Music Centre in Calgary, where we had access to 100 vintage synthesizers, and we put down all the keyboard parts there and then finished in December.”
Smith says that although EPs are shorter, they’re important for artists. She says that the public is consuming music so fast that new bands are almost forced to keep pushing out new material so that the audience doesn’t have to wait a long time for a full-length album.
“Nowadays, I think people need to consume a lot more music,” she says. “Putting out an EP is a nice in-between, compared to just a single. It’s more digestible than a full-length album, but it’s still something that’s concrete as a creative idea. It’s also nice to have something like that in my song catalogue.”
Coming up for new ideas for songs isn’t an issue for Smith. She says that it’s more the person’s responsibility to keep themselves in check and to stay motivated when creating new music.
“It’s only hard if you let it be hard,” she says. “It’s definitely something you have to work at. If you don’t have the right mindset, it can be hard. Luckily we haven’t had any writer’s block. Collaborating is great, too. It’s like waterfalls—ideas just keep happening and it’s really helpful.”
Rococode will be playing at the Spirit 150 Victoria celebrations on June 30; Smith says that she’s excited to be coming back to her hometown to play alongside some huge artists, and for something as exciting as this celebration.
“I’m really excited,” she says. “I spent a lot of time going downtown as a kid and as a rowdy teenager, chilling on the streets on Canada Day, so it’ll be really fun to be a part of the festivities. I’m thrilled that we get to play before Tegan and Sara; I’ve been a big fan of theirs for a long time.”
Rococode
5:30 pm, Friday June 30
Free, Legislature lawns
spirit150victoria.ca