Fashionista Boyfriend : Aquarius
Article and interview by Eric Riedel
So first off I want to say one thing. Fashionista Boyfriend is criminally underrated. I suppose like most cool things it’s the way of the world that they’re under appreciated. With the release of Aquarius I hope that begins to change. When initially speaking to Casey he described the album as chillwave or a return to the original idea of chillwave, Which I found to be an interesting focal point. I wasn't sure what to expect to be completely honest. Upon initial reaction to the music I found his vocals to be dreamy, drenched in reverb. I feel very strongly he would fit comfortably on a label such as SubPop post 2000 or even Ghostly. My first impression is that it sounded a bit like synth pop. It brought to mind artists like The Postal Service and Caribou and many bands from that era. This of course from only speaking from my very limited knowledge of those kinds of bands, but really what i'm saying it’s hard to not like this album.
The Interview:
TPA- Can you start by telling what went into the lead up to making this album? As in why this album now?
FB- Well...it's funny you ask that. This album was supposed to come out in 2020, but with the pandemic I pretty much lost all motivation for releasing anything. When 2022 came around I figured this year would be the best time rather than never, as it seemed that things were slowly going back to some sort of normalcy.
FB- But the majority of these songs were actually written in 2018, right before my previous album 'Last Night'. I tend to write albums way ahead of time, so it always feels like I'm catching up with myself, haha. I think I'm finally caught up now, though.
TPA- Wow, that's a long time to be working on an album. I mean even minus the covid break.
TPA- How did you approach the initial songwriting and did it change after you picked it up again?
FB- My previous album 'Last Night' definitely had a fuller sound; a real drum kit on most tracks, layers and layers of instrumentation, and a darker tone. I wanted to stray away from that sort of production and really focus on a lighter sound; no acoustic drum kits, reverberated vocals, and an atmospheric tone. There was only one other song that I added last minute after the long hiatus, that song was Grow Up and it's a bit different than the rest of the album.
TPA- Was it to challenge yourself? Or just to explore different textures. I'm always fascinated by what inspires artists down particular sounds.
FB- I think it's just the natural progression of an artist to change their sound. It's not like I was trying to challenge myself, but more of just creating things as they come to me whether they're different or not, you know? It's hard to write the same stuff with the same production techniques over and over again, at least not for me.
TPA- Makes complete sense to be honest.
TPA- I'd like to loop around to the beginning of your music journey
TPA- What inspired you to make music as Fashionista Boyfriend?
FB- The project started basically as soon as I discovered the original artists of the famed 'chillwave' movement.Bands like Washed Out, Toro Y Moi, and Neon Indian just to name a few. Ever since then I've been adjusting my sound and incorporating 80s-esque style mixed with a modern twist. As for the name.. I got the idea from when my girlfriend and I were getting ready to head out. I noticed her shoes didn't notice her outfit quite right when she called me a fashionista boyfriend. From there it kinda stuck with me. I've had multiple people come to me after a show and say they've been called the same thing!
TPA- Hahaha. Love that story. It's so earnest.
TPA- What are some of your other influences?
FB- Phoenix is a big influence for me. Something about the intricacy of the drum patterns intertwining with the synth pads really resonates with me. Another artist I really appreciate and take inspiration from is Brothertiger. Certainly a perfect blend of the 80s synth sound, modern production, and sort of a tropical sound that I tend to create in my work as well.
TPA- Are there other sources of inspiration for you?
FB- Anything tropical, rushing water, seeing an old friend you haven't seen in years, dancing by a lakeside, having to let someone or something go, there are all sorts of things that inspire my songwriting style.
TPA- Is there a particular track that stands out to you on this album? If so why?
FB- For me it's a toss up between I Know and Regrets. With I Know, there was some trial and error finding the right voice for the female vocalist part, but ended up working with Luna Lluvia once I discovered her music on social media. Her soothing vocal style was something I knew would be a great fit for the track. I think the song stands out on the album because of the unexpected additional vocals, but at the same time it blends so well with the track that it just works wonderfully. Regrets is probably the most upbeat song on the record, so it definitely stands out considering how chill and relaxed the rest of the album feels.
TPA- I agree with your views on those songs. The album does a great job of tonally and thematically being tied together but also has these little bits of variety that make them stand out and those songs are really good in that way.
TPA- Is there anything else we should cover?
FB- I think that's it!
TPA- Thank you so much for your time!!
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