Chandra On the Making Of “Just With You”
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of "Just With You?"
I was sat thinking one day about how I'm quite an emotionally inert person sometimes... I don't cry at movies and don't get easily upset. But then there are memories or sounds or smells that launch me into short bursts of uncontrollable inner joy, so powerful that they make me well up. And I just thought... this must be something that most people experience. That utter joy or an inner glow that happens when something triggers a nostalgic memory. And I immediately just knew that I needed to write about it.
What impact do you hope "Just With You" will have on your audience?
We want it to make people cry. And I know that sounds awful but these will be tears of joy and contentment. We hope this song makes you think about the things that make you who you are... that make up your soul... the memories of wonderful events in your life that reflect love, safety, trust... genuine happiness.
What was your favorite moment in making the music video?
When you think about it, it's kind've strange to go down the animation route if you want to portray raw emotion... but for some reason we just had this vision of what the video could be... and really it's about the eyes. Chandra remembers Mario and Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto talking about the creation of his cel-shaded Zelda game 'The Wind Waker' and how the eyes were the portal to complex emotions. So we leaned on that idea with this video. When we made the first test we were immediately blown away and knew this was how it had to be.
What is your creative vision as a band?
It's actually really simple. We want our music to enable people to smile and have fun but also be provoked into thinking about the complex issues we write about and to become better people for it. If a song hits that brief then nothing else matters. Genre, style, speed... It's all secondary to that core mantra.
What role do you feel emotions play in your music, and how do you channel them into your performances?
Emotions are everything. Chandra is the core lyricist and we always say that our performances and songwriting are so convincing because they are real. Chandra writes about things that he himself has experienced... been moved by, been changed by, been empowered by. We hope that comes across in everything we do.
