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From doomed love to world politics, London based synth-pop duo KALEIDA (Christina Wood/Cicely Goulder) explore a variety of themes across their self-produced debut EP ‘THINK.’
The embodiment of all that it means to be DIY, minimal and feminine, their sound is refreshing yet captivating. GroundSounds recently caught up with the pair to talk about their latest project, musical inspirations and more, check out the exclusive interview below.
‘THINK’ drops on April 6th through LEX Records.
For those just discovering KALEIDA can you tell us about how you guys came together and started making music?
We met on the internet whilst Christina was working in Bali – she’d been looking for some production help on some demos and a mutual friend put us in touch. Cicely just remembers being totally captivated by her voice – even recorded through a tiny laptop mic!
How did you guys come up with the moniker KALEIDA?
A bit of intent and a bit of dyslexia – then we found out that the word’s ancient Greek origin means beauty in form.
What do you guys enjoy most about London? What is one thing every visitor should see or do?
Tricky – there is so much to see and do. There is a lot of good food in London at the moment, so we’d definitely recommend one of London’s many food markets like Borough, Maltby St and Broadway and all the pop-ups that come to life in the summer months. And going for a swim in one of Hampstead Heath’s ponds!
What has it been like working on your debut EP ‘THINK’, can you tell us about bringing this project to fruition?
We’d both say that this has been the most rewarding but also challenging first couple of years. The response to our first demos was overwhelmingly good, and we were naive to assume that everything else would go as smoothly! It sounds like a cliché, but we are genuinely pleased to have learned so much – both musically and about how the industry works. We definitely feel proud that we’ve pretty much created and driven this whole project by ourselves. You certainly learn to trust and depend on your creative partner in every way, and perhaps that’s part of what this process is all about.
Can you tell us about the creative and writing process for “TROPEA?”
As often, in song-writing, every time you make something there is a totally different process. For Tropea, it was just an ordinary day – we were playing around in the studio and Cicely played that bass riff and Christina started jamming on top – we were laughing a lot and then suddenly frantically realised we better record it before we would forget everything. The track later developed into something more ethereal as we started to build up the atmosphere of the chorus.
1 Million+ views later….Can you tell us about filming the music video for your single “THINK,” what was this day like? Also what were your expectations for the video?
This, like the track Think, was all a bit of an experiment. At that stage we’d finished the demo a couple of days before and Cicely’s brother, who is a film producer, found a link online to a competition to get to SXSW (they wanted a simple performance video of the band for the judges). Anyway, we got together with some studio lights some one had lent us, a few creative friends and a bit of playback and the video was made. We imagined we might use the video to show industry people but when we put it up on YouTube it was away – that was it, no looking back!
Can you tell us about the inspiration for your track “ALIAA,” and the cause that you guys aimed to highlight?
‘Aliaa’ was broadly inspired by an Egyptian feminist and activist named Aliaa Magda Elmahdy. We empathized with what she went through after posting a nude picture of herself on her blog during the Egyptian Revolution in 2011 – she was the target of several rape attempts and death threats and as a result emigrated to Sweden. We wanted to express how we relate to her struggle.
Do you guys have any pet peeves?
No, but Cicely doesn’t really like high hats.
What musicians are you currently finding inspiration from?
There are so many amazing producers at the moment: Haxan Cloak, Helena Hauff, pretty much everyone on R&S but we love a mixture of stuff, old stuff, old soul, hip-hop as well as electronic. We both have a thing for iconic female singers like Loretta Lynn, Nina Simone, Kate Bush and Bjork, as always, her new album Vulnicura is incredibly beautiful.
Starting in April you guys will be hitting the festival circuit, what do you enjoy most about festivals, which ones are you looking forward to most?
The crowds are amazing at festivals – everyone is so excited and energized. We’re looking forward to playing all of them – as many as possible.
After the EP drops, what is next for KALEIDA what can fans look forward to?
Our support tour with Roisin Murphy in May, which we can’t wait to do, a lot of gigs in London, the rest of the UK and Europe – and an album!
