Following on from the roaring response to their much-loved debut single 'Wrong Thing' earlier this year, US duo Oh Buddy! are back on the grind once again with their glossy new effort 'It'll Be Another Day'.
Capturing more of that bright and infectious indie-pop aesthetic they are quickly earning a reputation for, 'It'll Be Another Day' makes for an incredibly rich and mesmerising listen. With its fresh and upbeat textures set to some riveting hooks throughout, they continue their ascent as one of the more exciting names on the rise right now.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with them to find out more about their origins and what has been inspiring them most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
Conor: The first instrument that I fell in love with was actually the human voice. My mom was very big into music and everything she would play would have been considered pop at the time. It was all vocals, and I just loved singing along.
Chase: For me it was definitely the drums. I had a neighbour growing up who was a retired school teacher with a Neil Peart size drum set in her basement. I was mind blown and the day after I saw it for the first time I walked back to her house, got her drum instructor’s number, and called him up as an eager nine year old.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
Conor: My earliest memories with music was dancing around in the kitchen with my mom, listening to Luther Vandross and Rod Stuart. Being so young, I remember getting chills listening to Superstar or Tonight’s The Night, and not really understanding what that meant, but knowing that it was special that music could do that. As a teenager, I remember getting more into guitar playing, which is when I started to be influenced by groups like Journey, or The Allman Brothers Band.
Chase: I remember music always playing in our house growing up. My dad played in a band in high school and always had his acoustic and Les Paul around jamming to Boston, Rush, and Blues Traveler. Simultaneously, my mom was obsessed with Fleetwood Mac, John Denver, and 90’s country. We were constantly listening to music whether in the car or at home.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Conor: My mom was extremely influential on me in regards to listening to music and developing my ear. When I was young I remember she gave me a CD of Off The Wall (Michael Jackson), learning later that she didn't want me to get scared by Bad or the Thriller album!
Chase: Mine definitely is not as cool as Thriller hahah but I remember buying the Backstreet Boys self-titled record and wanting to be one of them so bad. Those songs were so powerful to me as a kid trying to understand pop music.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
Conor: There are truly so many songs I would love to take credit for. Honestly, it's an impossible question, so I'll give you a couple current answers. At this moment, I'll go with Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves, and Robbers by The 1975.
Chase: I’ll do a classic and a current track. Classic wise I wish I would’ve written Tequila Sunrise by the Eagles. It’s literally perfect. Current song wise, I think Feather by Sabrina Carpenter is a perfect modern pop song. So good lyrically and incredibly catchy.
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
Conor: This is a very timely question for us because both Chase and I are changing our studio setups a bit, meaning our process is currently evolving. I'll be working on something more “ritualistic” as time goes on, but in general it's just been to attack the idea when inspiration comes, and not let it float away. One thing I can say is ALWAYS a part of the conversation when we write new music is the question “What have we not done yet/never done before?” Whether it's a drum feel, or an arrangement idea, we have that conversation every time we write something new. That's always really inspiring to me.
Chase: I think as I’ve learned more about writing I try to stay in writer mode as long as I can until I need to switch to editor mode. Writer mode is free expression, writing phrases, no judgement, just trying to get as much down on paper as possible pre-judgement. The editor cap has to come later so that you don’t judge a potentially good idea too early.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
Conor: There are so many to name. Right now, I can't stop listening to Tate McRae, Eva Snyder, and Charli XCX. I also have Sabrina Carpenter’s new single Espresso on repeat. I think Female Pop is going to dominate my Spotify wrapped at the end of the year, and I'm not mad about it!
Chase: I’d agree. Female pop is super exciting right now. We’re constantly inspired by Dua Lipa too or the latest Kacey Musgraves. Also, I think Japanese House is insanely good. Conor and I gravitate towards a lot of older music and then get excited by the melody, production style, and lyrical cleverness that a lot of the female pop artists are doing right now.
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Conor: Another question that's so hard to give just one answer. At this moment, I'll say The 1975. We saw them this past year in Nashville while they were on their world tour, and it was just such an amazing experience. I just love those guys. They are so creative in how they want to tell their story on stage, so being a part of that would be amazing.
Chase: The 1975 would be insanely cool, or Harry Styles. I think musically we would be a good bill.
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
Conor: When working with the right people, I find the actual process of recording a song to be incredibly rewarding. Chase and I are both multi-instrumentalists, so when we write a song together, we usually have a pretty realised vision of where we want the song to go. Adding somebody else into the mix can sometimes be dicey, but we have been working a lot with Nick Lobel (Nashville) to take some of our ideas to the next level and it's been the most amazing experience. Finding someone you vibe with creatively and developing that trust with them to incorporate their ideas can only make everything better..
Chase: I think the ability to selfishly express through art but then have it connect with others. Making music can be both very selfish and selfless but at the end of the day you as the creator need to be into it or find some connection in it first in my opinion if someone else is going to genuinely enjoy it too. But there is nothing cooler than seeing people connect with a song you wrote that helped you.
And what is the most frustrating part?
Conor: Things are alway changing so fast, and developing your voice online can sometimes be super frustrating. The music industry feels so volatile at times…but also, timing is everything! Social media is at its best when people are their most genuine, but being your most genuine may not be enough to break through the noise. On the other hand, being creative in this different way, and trying all these new ideas and ways of connecting with people is incredibly exciting too.
Chase: Technology is incredible these days but also wildly distracting. It’s hard to keep up sometimes but we are always trying to remind each other to focus on what we like and what we’re moved by and that helps to narrow in versus being too distracted by all the possibilities. In addition, it’s tough how short of a life songs and or records can have. So much work can go by so fast.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Conor: It was given to me by my high school English teacher Bryan Bruno. I remember we were talking about this MASSIVE artist that I didn't like, and he encouraged me to exchange the word “like” with “understand yet.” His main idea there is that, if you approach something you don't like with the humility of recognizing that you may just not understand the ideas yet, you could learn so much more from the experience. I think about this pretty much every day and it has shaped my thinking in so many ways. Now, some of those artists I didn't “like” when I was in high school, are some of my biggest influences.
Chase: yeah that piece from Bruno was an amazing early lesson! Also, I think our first real booking agent Jordan mentioned how just going out and being an artist, band, whatever versus sitting around and waiting for someone to help you do it is good. You have to try stuff that is scary and even when you’re not ready. We’ve made a ton of mistakes but you always learn the most from those than when things go right but we’ve always been grateful for the experiences which lead to more of the discovery of where you’re meant to be. It’s all choices at the end of the day! So get out there and make it happen!
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Oh Buddy!'s new single 'It'll Be Another Day' is out now. Check it out in the player below.