A new full album release from Casiocenz hits with a heartfelt and honest songwriting approach and blends that attitude in with a lush and bright Indie pop style but does so with hints of edginess lurking beneath the surface and I think this comes from that honesty in the lyrics portrayed throughout the release.
The Party of One album is packed to the brim with personality and oozing with character as the songs run the gambit of a pop soiree laced with some emotionally driven backbone and authenticity flowing in its veins.
Things I've noticed through the course of this album is that it's so bass driven and those bass lines really help these songs move forward in a very particular way to the point where it almost feels like the bass and the drums are what started it all.
There is definitely a great attention to some of the detail happening throughout this record and there's also a heavy array of subgenres or different styles to the songwriting from song to song as well which leaves some surprise behind some of the corners of the record.
So all of a sudden you hear a song you really didn't expect to hear and it hits you in an impactful way because you just jammed out to this bright and bopping pop single before this personal ballot hit you.
I love records like that because when you have a full album worth of songs that spans such a range of spectrum songwriting wise it takes you away from your own reality and puts you in someone else's.
This is one of the best forms of escapism you can imagine because it's the same as reading a good book or watching a good film.
When it's over you have to look around and reacclimate yourself again so that you can move on back to your reality.
It's just cool to hear records that do those kinds of things and do it in such a way that there is heart and passion and soul just dripping out onto the floor everywhere.
This is what real and personalized pop music is about because you get the sense that everything came from something genuine like a real life experience or a group of them for that matter.
This in turn also lets the album as a whole almost feel like a concept record in a way.
There is a way that the songs can connect to each other and my favorite aspect about that is being able to listen to the album in its entirety.
We live in such a single-oriented society which is okay, but it's great to hear records being released that are meant to be soaked in as albums.
This was such a refreshing body of work that we wanted to have a sit down with Casiocenz to find out where this record actually came from and what might be coming up next for the artist as well.
Here's what went down.
Buzz Slayers: Okay, let's start with your rendition of the Party of One album! This release had such a huge character and balanced a great array of pop! Where did this record come from?
Thank you! This album actually started back in the mid/late 00’s as various side projects. At the time I was playing in an emo band, so anything that I had been writing that didn’t really fit our style just got tucked away. Some of these songs went into storage for over a decade before I gave them another listen. I never intended to put together an album, I really just wanted a creative space where I could write music in any style I wanted, so I had formed 3-4 smaller side projects over time. Eventually I just decided they should all merge into one, and that was the birth of Party of One. Buzz Slayers: How did this all start for you as an artist? When did you fall in love with music?
The earliest documentation of my musical passion was when I was 2 yrs old. My parents have a video of me absolutely gettin down to Fly Me To The Moon by Frank Sinatra. I don’t remember actually putting on this performance, so I guess it really all started before I was even making conscious decisions to get into music. Then growing up, I would just get my hands on anything I could take and started playing various instruments. First guitar, then trumpet, then drums, bass, keys, and whatever else floated across my radar. Buzz Slayers: What kind of things really inspire other songs for you?
Life. Everything I write about comes from personal experience. Triumphs, failures, love, anger, angst, you name it. I love when artists can convey who they really are in their music, so I try to do the same with mine. Buzz Slayers: What are you performing on the record aside from vocals?
Everything haha. Party of One, ya know? Buzz Slayers: This album has some great styles on it! Can you give us some of your biggest influences musically?
Thank you! There’s quite a bit, but if I could narrow it down for this album specifically I would say The Cure, The Smiths, Joy Division, Brand New, Radiohead, The Shins, Dr Dog, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Elliot Smith, and The Strokes. Buzz Slayers: What are you doing when you're NOT working on music?
Trying to get my kids to school on time, then running a construction business. Buzz Slayers: Who's in your headphones right now?
It’s a constant shuffle including lots of small artists that I couldn’t even name. But to give you a few more well known artists, King Gizzard and Lizard Wizard, The Smile, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tame Impala, Boy Genius Buzz Slayers: Are you doing any live performances right now?
Not yet. Since I made the album alone I still have to assemble a band before I can play live. I refuse to play to tracks haha. It’s in the works though, just don’t have any realistic timelines at the moment. Buzz Slayers: Did you record yourself or hit a big studio for this?
I actually built out a studio space in the warehouse of my business and recorded this album a little bit each day after work by myself. Party of One, ya know?
Buzz Slayers: What can your fans expect from you in the near future?
There’s lots more to come. I’ve only begun to experiment with the genres that I want to play around with. The next album hopefully won’t take another 15 yrs to make, but I also have no forecast on when that’ll happen. I just know there’s a lot more that I need to get out. The only thing I’d say could be expected from me is that I will always be trying to write in new genres, there will be very little rinse and repeat in my stylistic approach. Buzz Slayers: Before we go, what would you like to say to fans of the music?
Thanks for listening. Truly. It goes a long way when you support an artist. It’s a lot of hard work and can put you in a very vulnerable spot to put yourself out there like that. So, thanks for just being a part of the journey.
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