At the weekend, Melbourne singer-songwriter Eddie Casper released his second album, the 78-minute odyssey titled 'Ohmage'.
Completely self-produced, and playing every instrument featured, the album traverses indie rock, dream pop, progressive rock, and psychedelic sounds."The writing and recording of 'Ohmage' was a rite of passage in every way," Casper says.
"It's the sound of me falling in love for the first time, and the anguish that followed when the relationship fell apart.
"I really had to learn how to put myself back together and all these experiences found their place on 'Ohmage'. It's an album of acceptance and gratitude, but ultimately a celebration of love."
Who is Eddie Casper... I'm a Melbourne-based singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer. I started writing my own songs from around the age of 15 and quickly became obsessed with the production side of things.
I adopt a 'one-man band' approach to making music – I love getting lost inside my own head as I slowly construct these songs.
I sound like… My first album was a homage to '60s pop and I think The Beatles and Beach Boys influences are all over that record. This new album though has more of a '70s experimental sound thrown into the mix.
My heroes are David Bowie, Trent Reznor, Sufjan Stevens, Kate Bush, and Kevin Parker; try and imagine if they all collaborated and that might be close to how I sound(?).
My first gig was… I am yet to perform my first gig as Eddie Casper. Hopefully, once live music returns, I'll assemble a band and launch myself into performing live.
When did you settle on your artist name… Edward is my real name, so that explains the first part. As for the 'Casper'; I wanted a relatively cheesy sounding name to match the '60s pop vibe of my first album.
Thus 'Eddie Casper' was born. Although my second album has quite a different sound, I'm still sticking with the same name.
In the studio I usually… Am snacking! I work in a home studio, so I'm usually just shuttling back and forth between the pantry. It takes me a while until I'm actually 'in the zone' to make music.
If I could tour with anyone… Tame Impala, please. I have so many questions for Kevin Parker.
Social media is… Something I try not to spend too much time on. That said, I'm still a relatively active user.
My favourite app at the moment is... Voice memos. I know it's obviously not a new app and it comes pre-installed on every phone, but it's the best way to quickly record a musical idea.
To date, my most embarrassing moment was the time… I started forming a monobrow as a teenager, and in an attempt to shave it off, I ended up losing almost half an eyebrow. The hair grew back a little crooked too, so I'm always reminded of this moment.
Life on the road can be… Something I am yet to truly experience, haha.
If you'll have me on your bill, all I ask is that my rider contains… I'm easily satisfied with beers. Mountain Goat might be my fave, but I also love Stone & Wood in the summer.
The most scary scenario I've found myself in was… I was involved in a pretty serious head injury during a basketball game when I was 18. I suffered from post concussion syndrome for about a month, coinciding with my final secondary school exams.
I still had to sit exams in my dazed condition, but thankfully got derived scores in the end. Now there's a metal plate that's screwed into my eye socket forever!
What celebrity/ famous person would you love to be your spokesperson... Alec Baldwin. I recently rewatched '30 Rock' while in lockdown and was blown away by his charisma.
If you had to live in a city abroad, where would you choose and why? Probably Berlin. I feel like I'd have a great time throwing myself into the music and arts scenes there. Or maybe I just want to record my own take on Bowie's Berlin Trilogy?
Three people you'd like to invite around for a dinner party? Paul Dempsey (my favourite local), Kate Bush (I'm low-key obsessed with her) and Sufjan Stevens (I imagine he would be an amazing cook).
If we were coming over to your place, what would you cook us? Pasta is half my diet, so I've mastered the perfect pesto pasta dish.
No matter the expense, send me a case of… Vintage microphones, please. Specifically, I would love a pair of old ribbon mics. I'm geeking out too much, aren't I?
The last time I saw the inside of a gym was… I've never been much of a gym goer. I prefer to go on a run around the block (does that count?).
What's the one chore you dislike the most? Cleaning a mouldy bathroom. Does anyone actually like that?
Do you have any phobias? It's not exactly a phobia, but I can never sleep the night before a plane flight.
Would you ever partake in a reality show? I would love to be on 'The Amazing Race'. My family used to watch the show religiously when I was younger.
If you could prank any of your friends, who's your target, and how are you bringing them down? My partner has a soft toy rabbit that she sleeps with each night. We recently watched 'Toy Story', so I was thinking of moving the rabbit around the house while she's not looking and insisting that it lives a life of its own.
