Soon after the release of their debut EP, Singapore emo math rockers have released a spectacular full length called ‘Sun Eat Moon Grave Party’. which I hesitated to promote on IDIOTEQ without a proper interview add-on. We finally made it to wrap up our little chit-chat, so here it is – an interview with Singapore band FORESTS, a 90s emo/math pop punk rock band, who have just wrapped up their Japanese tour and are ready to play some more shows this month, including the record release show of the new outstanding LP from their pals THE CAULFIELD CULT. The debut LP from FORESTS plays through 8 songs in less than 30 minutes, features interesting time signatures, complex rhythms, beautiful and anthemic vocal parts and showcases a truly competent group of musicians, leaving the listeners wanting a lot more. Don’t sleep on this one and scroll down to learn more about FORESTS!
Emo-math crackerjacks swinging out tunes in the likes of TeraMelos, Snowing, Fall of Troy, BraveBird, and FreeThrow with a distinct taste of anime inspired tunes locked up in a cage filled with soft pastel colored pillows.
Answers by the band’s bassist Darell.
Hey there guys! Thanks so much for taking some time with IDIOTEQ. How are you? Can you please introduce the band to our readers?
Greetings IDIOTEQ Good day! I’m fine as hell, I hope you guys are too. Okay basically we’re a three piece emo math pop band from Singapore! I’m Darell, I play the bass and yell in the band, and on the guitar we have Adam he also yell sometimes and lastly our drummer is called Niki!
Cool! What influenced the idea of this amazing emotive math rockish punk rock hybrid you’ve developed within the sound of FORESTS? What is your educational background and what skills do you need to have before starting a math rock band? :)
Initially we wanted to form a band to sound something along the likes of FOALS, TWO DOORS CINEMA CLUB, those dancy groovy stuff but with screaming but yeah, we’re glad it didn’t happen.
We listen to a lot of midwest emo and Asian math rock. I have a bachelor degree in accounting and finance. Yep MATH. To start a math rock band you need to get distinction in mathematic and you need to top the class.
Technically, what is it about this specific style that engages you? Is it the complex time signatures, the polyrhythms, the specific riffing with a calculated atmosphere?
We just wanted to make music that you could bop your head and dance to, time signature wasn’t a priority when we started. Initially, we had plans of making songs with complex time signatures, polyrhythms and all but we found our material to be not so musical, and scrap them completely.
Are there a lot of math rock and experimental indie artists in your area? Please tell us more about your view on the Singapore independent music scene.
The math rock experimental scene here in Singapore is slowly expanding. Shoutout to the guys from SPHAERAS!
There are abundance of great new/old bands, but only lacking of venues to play.
How do you feel about your debut LP? Are you satisfied with the final result? Was writing and releasing it the most defining moment of your band?
Releasing the LP has been a good milestone for the band! We are definitely proud of it, we are glad and honestly very excited to be able to share what we have been working on for the past year and a half.
Photo by Bobby Wong.
What was the hardest part of working on “Sun Eat Moon Grave Party”?
I would say the hardest thing about making the album is finding the time to rehearse and write. Currently, Darell and myself (Niki) are holding full time jobs, and Adam our youngest member is still currently finishing his national service. (Singapore’s mandatory conscript army obligations)
Other than that, it’s been smooth sailing!
How do you title your songs?
Some songs were written with its title in mind, some were just plain random.
Is touring an important part of running FORESTS?
Yes!! It sure is! We would like to be able to tour everywhere and play for everyone who would be interested in watching us that is, hahaha..
Singapore being a small country, has a small music scene. That being said, it is a closely knitted community with everyone supporting everyone! I’m sure they are happy for us to tour and spread our music outside of where we live, like how we would be for them as well!
If you could travel anywhere to go on a touring adventure, where would you go and why?
We would love to be the first band to play in space! Hahaha… No really, we would love to play at every continent and explore every inch of this beautiful planet we have before it gets destroyed.
Ok guys, is there something really wonderful that has happened to FORESTS that would have never have happened if not a coincidence or if you hadn’t made a certain turn somewhere? What’s the role of serendipity in your history? :)
The best thing so far has been this Japan tour! We would like to give a shoutout to Anvea and Mize from Lithe Records, and Keisuke from Cut The Tension for making this tour possible!
This band would not have formed if I (Niki) hasn’t been on a music forum, just window shopping in the ‘bands wanted’ section.
Ok, so what new exciting things are coming next in the world of FORESTS?
We are actually just played our last show in Japan today, going to explore the country over the next few days.
We hope to play more shows this coming year, finish up the touring circuit for SEMGP. As of now, we are already writing new material for the upcoming release! We are going to take as much time as we need to make the next album, to make sure it tops SEMGP.
Good luck with that! :) Ok guys, thanks a lot for your time and please feel free to wrap it up with your final words. Cheers from Warsaw!
Thanks for taking the time to do this, I know it isn’t easy, especially with the time difference and all.
Much love from Singapore!!
