It’s been a while since we last caught up with Wotts, one of our favourite indie-pop duos from Canada. Comprised of vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Jayem and bassist/guitarist Ricky 100, the pair has gifted us some of the dreamiest and most inviting tunes, which we’ve had the privilege of sharing with you.
Today, Wotts dropped ‘Laundry’, their cracking new single that sees the duo venturing into new sonic territories, and we thought it was time to chat with them again! Taking us through their brand new release, what their unconventional songwriting process looks like, and when we can expect their debut EP and full-length album, please join us in welcoming back our dear friends Wotts!
Welcome back you two! It’s awesome to have you here once again! Since we last spoke, you’ve released five more singles with another one on the way. How do you feel your music has evolved over this period?
Great to be back, thanks for having us again! I (Jayem) think the main thing that’s changed is that we’re more focused when it comes to our sound. It’s not that we were throwing anything and everything at a wall back then, but you could argue the first few releases were all over the place sonically. I wouldn’t change anything because we learned so much by doing that, but now I’d say we’ve started to settle into our own lane.
I have been fortunate enough to get a sneak peek at your killer new single ‘Laundry’ and you’ve done it again guys! It’s an absolute banger! I know you were inspired by acts like Fontaines D.C. and The Horrors, but what else would you like our readers to know about your latest tune?
Thank you so much! I’d say the fun fact for ‘Laundry’ was that 90% of it was recorded on my iPhone. I got the idea to do that after going down a Steve Lacy rabbit hole. It would have all been by iPhone but we couldn’t resist throwing some real drums into the mix. I think the lesson is though, never be afraid to mix it up when it comes to process, it can really make things interesting and it might even flush out new ideas.
Now, I’m sorry to pose such a tough question so early on, but what song of yours are you most proud of releasing and why?
I’d say our track ‘Before’. It was the first song we ever released after moving on from the hip-hop band we were both in. I’d never produced or recorded for this genre, let alone sang on anything. It was one of those situations where you pretty much close your eyes, click submit, and hope you don’t get skewered by your friends and family. It might not be our best tune but we’re proud of it cause it kicked off the journey.
Please tell us a bit about your songwriting process. Not specifically for any song but just in general. How do you take an idea and turn it into a piece of music?
I’ve learned that we’re weird when it comes to process since 99% of our songs start with a vocal melody. I think that stems from the fact I never picked up an instrument before starting this project, so my voice was all I had at the beginning. Once we land on something we like, the sky’s the limit on what’s next since we never restrict where an idea goes. It’s definitely not the “right” way of doing things, but who cares!
What would “being successful” in the music industry look like to you? And is it something that you think about when creating new music?
We dream of a world where we can make enough to live off of, but that’s not something we bank on. Instead, we equate success with happiness. As long as we’re happy doing this and it adds to our lives, that’s all we can really hope for. We keep that in mind when we’re creating, which is probably why we’ll drop a Beatles-inspired track and follow it up with a post-punk one. Life’s too short, have fun with it.
Which of your lyrics would you like to see printed on a T-shirt?
I think “I just wanna feel love” from our track ‘WANNABE’ would be perfect. It’s a universal feeling and the sentiment sums up 95% of our music.
OK, guys – desert island time! You can each grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you choose?
I’ve been dying to get a question like this! My three would be ‘Out of Touch’ by Brothertiger, Blur’s self-titled album, and ‘Moon Safari’ by Air.
As for Ricky, his are In Rainbows by Radiohead, ‘Catch Thirty Three’ by Meshuggah, and Queens of the Stone Age’s self-titled album.
It’s been great to have you two here again, thanks so much for taking the time! I know that you have an EP in the works…Is there a release date that we can look forward to? And, I guess in a broader sense, what do you hope your musical future has in store?
Yes, we do! So ‘Laundry’ is the first single from the next EP ‘Good People, Bad People’. We’re working on some music videos for it, so TBD on a release date, but it’s looking like it’ll be out this August.
Beyond that, we’re incredibly excited to say that we’ve started to work on our first full-length album, so look out for that in 2025. On top of that, we’re getting the live show sorted. Busy times but we’re super stoked about what’s to come!
