Following the release of her new 4-track instrumental EP, ‘Summer Dreams’, inspired by her time in Hawaii, we caught up with ORCA.
– Hey ORCA! Can you start by introducing yourself to our readers?
Hi, thank you for doing this interview. My name is Lydia but I release music under my project name ORCA. I chose this name because I am an ocean lover and huge advocate for marine life. Ever since I was very young I have always had a fascination with whales and dolphins, especially Orcas (aka Killer Whales) so I felt that the name ORCA was succinct and reflected me really well. As a musician I grew up playing guitar and piano but, as time goes on, I have picked up more instruments along the way such as the bass, accordion, and drums/percussion. It’s hard for me to pick a favorite genre so I tend to make music in whatever mood that I feel reflects me in the moment, and lately that means that I write relatively chill and relaxing tunes like those found on “Summer Dreams”.
– What inspired you to create your latest EP “Summer Dreams” and how did your experience in Hawaii influence the sound and mood of the album?
“Summer Dreams” is a small collection of instrumental songs that I wrote while living in Hawaii and just after I left Hawaii when felt very nostalgic for my time there. I chose these songs to include on this EP because I felt like they captured the magic of summer and I wanted to share that feeling with anyone who listens. Regarding the first two songs on the EP, I really wanted to capture the feeling of lounging at the beach park with friends in the evenings while listening to music and doing art. This is something that my friends and I did often while I lived there and miss it greatly! In addition to the relaxing tunes, I experimented with atmospheric sounds such as birds chirping and ocean waves gently crashing in the background to try to capture the sounds that remind me of the beach. The last two songs in particular I wrote to accompany underwater videos that I took while freediving (a sport that is basically extreme snorkeling) and used a lot of reverb to capture the feeling of the ocean.
– Can you tell us more about the creative process behind each track on the EP? How did you translate your experiences into musical compositions?
– The first track, “Of Your Own Accordion”, was written during a livestream on Twitch when I was using the time to practice playing my new accordion. I had been working through a guitar practice book at the time and fell in love with the jazz sections in the book, so the rhythm guitar part uses a lot of chord progressions that I really enjoyed playing during practice. Then I used the accordion to accompany the rhythm guitar and layered it with a melody on guitar that felt captured the moment.
– The second track, “A Summer Snooze”, was a similar experimentation with jazz chord progressions inspired by my practice. They reminded me of lazy afternoons in the park or the beach being lulled to sleep by the sunshine so I tried to capture that feeling with the addition of a melody on guitar and atmospheric sounds.
– The third track, “Dance of the Sirens”, was written a year or two ago on the keyboard. I wanted it to be a call and response piece that reflects two beings communicating with each other during the dance. It starts with the high part copying the low part and then as the song progresses, the two parts join to create the soundtrack to a beautiful underwater dance between lovers.
– The fourth track, “One Breath”, was written around the same time as “Dance of the Sirens” and is strictly a guitar piece. I wrote it immediately after returning from a trip the Big Island where I went diving among some of the most beautiful coral that I’ve ever seen. My goal was to use the guitar to capture the exhilaration and beauty of holding your breath to dive down and feel like you’re one with the ocean.
– You mentioned being inspired by Lofi study music for the first two tracks. What drew you to this genre, and how did you incorporate its elements into your own style?
When I started recording music, my husband requested that I make some lofi music to help him study since his job is very rigorous mentally and he’s always studying for various certifications. So, originally it was a style of music that I was doing just for him. In order to feel more inspired and further experiment with the genre, I ended up asking my friends to offer ideas for cover songs that I could re-create in the lofi/study style. In early 2023 I recorded my album “The Lofi Lounge” which is an album of 15 tracks, most of which are covers of popular songs. It wasn’t a genre that I originally felt particularly drawn to, however, after that project I found that I really enjoyed slowing things down and discovered the beauty in a more chill style of music (whereas before I tended to lean more towards punk and rock). Ever since then, I’ve found a lot of satisfaction in writing slower music that focuses on lilting melodies as well as experimenting with the lofi style drums that are characteristic of the genre.
– The last two tracks are inspired by the ocean and magical moments while snorkeling and freediving. How did you capture these experiences musically, and what emotions were you aiming to evoke?
The two songs “Dance of the Sirens” and “One Breath” are very different, one is on piano and the other on guitar. However, they both aim to capture the feeling of being underwater and I used reverb to help capture that feeling. In one scenario, “Dance of the Sirens” is a call and response between two siren lovers and ends as a magical dance with the two coming together in the end. This song incorporates reverb on the piano, vocalizations in the background, and percussive elements to add mystery to the dance. In the other scenario, “One Breath” uses the guitar to lead you through the exhilaration of being underwater and feeling like you are part of the ocean. My personal best breath hold is about 2.5 minutes so, for me, both of these songs can be experienced within one breath underwater and was an intentional choice on my part.
– As an instrumental EP, how do you ensure that your music effectively communicates the emotions and experiences you intend without the use of lyrics?
The choice of chord progressions and melodies are extremely important in communicating emotion. With a good melody, the instruments end up taking on a voice of their own and speak to you through notes instead of words. I find it can be a very magical experience when you let the instruments do the talking and allow your imagination to sweep you away to a new land. In this case, I think that lyrics can actually be very limiting because then you are directed to a specific place and explicitly told what the song is about. With an instrumental song however, your mind is free to travel. An artist that does this really well in my opinion is Silent Island and I am very inspired by their album “The Curse of Coleodeia”.
The choice of chord progressions and melodies are extremely important in communicating emotion. With a good melody, the instruments end up taking on a voice of their own and speak to you through notes instead of words. I find it can be a very magical experience when you let the instruments do the talking and allow your imagination to sweep you away to a new land. In this case, I think that lyrics can actually be very limiting because then you are directed to a specific place and explicitly told what the song is about. With an instrumental song however, your mind is free to travel. An artist that does this really well in my opinion is Silent Island and I am very inspired by their album “The Curse of Coleodeia”.
– What do you hope listeners take away from “Summer Dreams EP”? Are there any particular feelings or memories you hope to evoke through your music?
I think I’ve touched a lot on this topic throughout the interview, I want “Summer Dreams” to be exactly that… a dream of summer! I hope that it evokes nostalgic feelings of warmth, the magic of summertime love, and the alluring mystery of nature.
