Melbourne's dream pop, hazy new wave, lo-fi shoegazey artist, Soft Powder has achieved a career-defining moment – the release of his debut album, 'Somewhere Like Paradise'.
Spread across eight songs that come in at under thirty minutes total, 'Somewhere Like Paradise' is an immersive headphones ride through evocative and melancholic tones as Soft Powder aka Andy Szetho points a lens on his own journey via his Cantonese-Australian heritage to explore themes of self-awareness and letting go of emotions to embrace something bright and new."These eight, hazy pop songs are the culmination of all of my past experiences and influences," begins Szetho.
"This is the album I've always wanted to make, which is why it was important for me to challenge myself to compose, produce, mix and conceptualise the entire project from start to finish.
"The entire creative process of constructing this album provided me with relief from reality, and it allowed me to escape from the real world and enter into my own imagined paradise.
"I hope these songs offer listeners a similar experience."
Soft Powder has written a piece listing the advice/ lessons he'd impart to his younger self that he's shared with scenestr.
Authenticity / Everything
The most important piece of advice I would give to young Andy is to be authentic. It's so vital to write music and portray yourself in a way that reflects your story and experiences rather than trying to fit a mould or pander to trends.It's really obvious when artists aren't being themselves, and although these artists may experience success, it's often short-lived. People crave authenticity and audiences connect with genuine, meaningful creations.
Manage expectations / Be realistic
My experiences both making music for Soft Powder and in my previous band have taught me that the music industry can be full of disappointment in terms of things falling through, opportunities not coming to fruition, and industry people trying to sell you success.Managing expectations is important because it reminds me to stay focused on the music I'm writing and the things that matter.
If good things happen, great, but I always find that my mental energy is best spent on my creativity rather than on chasing opportunities. If you're writing authentic, meaningful music then those opportunities will chase you instead.
Don't be afraid to be vulnerable
This one is kind of tied to authenticity because it's so easy to shield and hide genuine parts of your creative self, which can lead to inauthentic work.I would remind young Andy to allow himself to be vulnerable as it can get you into a headspace where certain ideas and feelings that you weren't particularly conscious of flow more naturally.
Allowing yourself to be vulnerable also adds another level of connection to the songs as a songwriter, and I think this connection has the ability to translate to audiences as well.
Expression / Technical Ability
This is another songwriting-related lesson I'd teach young Andy.When I was younger and playing in rock bands, I often used to consider and worry about how other people would perceive my technical ability as a musician. This would influence my songwriting in that I would try to write instrumental parts that sounded complex and impressive, but as I grew as a songwriter and a person I realised none of that actually matters.
I realised that adding technically impressive parts to your songs simply for the sake of it doesn't necessarily add anything interesting to the song itself and it can sometimes detract from it.
It was also after listening to artists like Rowland S Howard and Cocteau Twins that creating atmosphere and mood became so much more important to me than how fast I could play or how many notes I could fit into a bar. I would pass this onto young Andy to save him from falling into that trap.
