Name 3 Songs: In speaking of live performance here, in thinking of wanting to bring a certain energy to the stage and figuring out how that is replicated in recorded music, Kai you’re mentioning having this extravagant presence on stage that you might not otherwise encounter. We noticed when we were at your shows at South By that it feels like it’s maybe a bit of a cathartic process for you, like being on stage and being able to perform these songs, and I’m curious if you also feel that way?

Kai: Yeah, I do definitely. Firstly, obviously, I’m writing about, you know, my life and a lot of stuff that I kind of struggle to process in other ways. So that’s already cathartic in itself. But then yeah, that kind of movements are sort of cathartic in themselves independent of an audience. But then maybe, there’s an added element to have it witnessed, which maybe I don’t really understand why, but doing it in front of people. And the idea that other people might be getting something out of it as well is in a sense, really, really nice. 

And so like with that and like thinking about just like how deeply personal your lyrics are, has it been challenging for you or does it come easy for you to get those thoughts out into song and then not only sharing them with audiences, but sharing them with your bandmates? 

Kai: There’s been a few instances where I’ve been nervous sharing stuff, but my kind of… I really struggle to be… And this sounds a bit weird. I struggle to be sincere with my music. So usually I have to make it as dramatic as possible, and usually, I guess the lyrics themselves are sincere, but I dramatize it and make it as theatrical as possible to, I guess, kind of cover it up in a sense. Which this record is so that it’s kind of like theatrical in a sense, the first half, so I can kind of mask what I’m saying and it makes it a lot easier to express that when I pretend that I’m joking, but I’m not. If that makes any sense. 

I feel like for a lot of people, it’s kind of easier to do the dark comedy or joke about feelings because it’s hard to be open, especially when you want to be sometimes where it’s like, okay, like I want to share this. I want to get this out. But it’s difficult and kind of uncomfortable. And maybe sometimes even feels a little embarrassing to be like, guys, I’m going through some shit.  I feel like that’s really relatable and it’s really interesting listening to the record since you have your album coming out on May 24th, Call a Doctor, and how it does very much feel like a story throughout the whole album. In speaking about this and thinking about the themes of that and sharing all that, for the rest of the band, what is the songwriting process like for all of you? Where do you guys come in and how involved are you and, what’s it like watching these songs come to life when they are so deeply personal to Kai for everyone else?

Jayden: It’s been really fun. Like Kai has brought some amazing ideas to the band and it’s just been a really incredible process to be a part of, y’know, working through those songs and, getting to the point where we can play them live. And the time in the studio was really good. It was a lot longer this time and Kai had a lot more time to develop those ideas and put them together. So it’s been really interesting to be a part of and playing these songs live now. We’re really keen to get some of these new songs that are on the album out and live and see how they go. 

Kai: Do you feel like emotionally connected to themes and stuff? 

Jayden: A lot of what you write about is very personal to you. And I think there are themes that I relate to, but I feel like a lot of it is, your story. And you put a lot of your experiences and your heart. And that’s what I think makes it so the music so powerful. And, it is easy to connect with. And when I’m on stage and playing live, you know, it’s definitely a feeling, playing these songs. Sometimes when we’re playing like Divorce, it can hit a sweet spot sometimes. And especially when you see that connection with the crowd and you see how they, you know, can sometimes relate as well. It goes the same way for the other songs, like Strangers which are just kind of wild and crazy and just having fun.

What is it like for you specifically, Kai, the way that fans interpret the songs and the conversations, if you have them with listeners, where it’s kind of like, oh, I got X, Y, Z out of the song and you’re like, actually it was about ABC, but cool. 

Kai: It doesn’t bother me if it’s like, oh, that’s not what I meant. I find that no matter what, if someone gets anything out of it, it’s so sweet. Like, I was at a show the other day and someone came up to me and they were like, oh, like, shame it’s not now got me through such a difficult time. And that to me is just like, oh my god, because I know that feeling, like me right now for the last five months, I’ve been going through a thing and there are these songs and these albums that are so critical to getting through stuff. And the idea that stuff that I’ve written has done a similar thing for someone else is kind of like, I don’t know, it’s emotional to say the least. Yeah, so it’s really nice to hear that kind of stuff.  And I guess just the whole sort of shared human experience thing.