Fader - Sound In The Signals Interview

I recently had the chance to interview Singapore pop/punk band Fader. We had a chance to talk about the formation of the band, their song writing process, their new EP You're Guilty For Killing Me, and various other things. Check out the full interview after the jump!

First off, thanks for the interview!

Dan: Hey not a problem! We are more than happy to answer these questions!

For anyone who isn't familiar with your band can you tell me how you got together and formed Fader?

Dan: All the members of Fader met through an extracurricular school program, Song Composing Club. We initially each had our own specific genre that we were comfortable with so we felt that we should go on a common ground which was and still is pop punk but like the modern and newer rendition of it. Sort of like the sounds of The Story So Far and Neck Deep, since there weren't any bands that did that kind of thing at that point of time. Of course we still infused our own flavors to it rather than going straight with that certain specific sound.

When you write songs what is your process? Do lyrics come first, or music, or a little bit of both?

Dan: I usually come up with the rhythm guitars first and with the main mood and sound in my head, Hani will dig up lyrics that he has written before to be used for the song but if none of them suit the feel, he would go and write a set of new ones. The band would then come together for rehearsals where we would use the riff that I wrote and figure out other parts for each instrument in the band. We try to make sure each instrument plays something that fits and enhances the ‘theme’ or the mood that we are going for.

Hani: As for me, I would try to write a set of lyrics that would go well with the rhythm and not just write for the sake of writing. The flow and melody of the vocals are important too as it makes the song sounds tighter. Every instrument and every note is very important so never ever neglect a certain part of the band.

You just released your new EP You're Guilty For Killing Me. Can you tell me a little about the recording and writing process of the EP and how long you worked on it?

Hani: We decided to record with Phoon Zi Xiang of Typhoon Studios as he has worked with a bunch of other bands that we are very close friends with such as I, Devotion (Metalcore) and B.C (Powerviolence) and also because we loved the end product that he has produced with these two bands. For the writing process, we have been writing the instrumentals for about a year or so before starting the recording and the lyrics have been through a lot of drafts and editions as newer and more impactful events happened within that year that has influenced me to write songs about them. Once we were sure of the song structure and the flow of the whole thing, we decided to record our first single ‘Broken Ship // Empty Vessel’ with Typhoon Studios to see how the studio works with us. It was an amazing experience recording with Zi Xiang as he does not only act as a sound engineer but he also helps us out in the creative process which not many producers here do. He also makes sure that we are comfortable and builds a friendship between us and him so that we wouldn’t be awkward while recording over at his studio. We worked on the EP since September in 2015 and it took some time for us to finish it up as some of us were in the last semester of school so we had to priorities our GPAs first haha!

'You're Guilty For Killing Me' EP Artwork

The title of the EP is really interesting. What made you decide on the title You're Guilty For Killing Me and what is the meaning behind it?

Hani: Most of the lyrics in our EP You’re Guilty For Killing Me were written when I was in San Francisco and Los Angeles for two weeks. I actually kinda felt very distant from some of the people I love back home because I was in a different state from them hence making me think about them a lot. I actually wrote some of the lyrics while I was chilling on Twin Peaks at night and seeing a lot of couples being truly madly deeply in love with each other had caused me to feel quite lonely so I took out my phone and wrote about someone from back home. You’re Guilty For Killing Me is a build up of a few legal terms in the fourth song off the EP, Whole Truth, where there are three lines that go “The case is rested, the verdict passed. You’re guilty for killing me.”. And I think I was very inspired by the whole court system thing as I was going out with a law student back then.

One of my favorite songs from the EP is "Constellations". Can you tell me a little about the writing process for that song in particular?

Hani: Constellations is a song about being in a relationship with someone who self-harms and someone who wants to constantly kill themselves as they don’t see a point in life anymore. As someone who really loves them, you don’t want to see them go through all of these suffering and you just want them to feel better again but it’s tough because there is only so much you can do to help a broken individual as the only person who can really help that person is themselves. The song is also a mark to what we stand for as a band which is an aim to present hope for people struggling with depression, self-injury and thoughts of suicide.

I guess that about wraps it up. Thanks for taking the time to answer the questions. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

Syakir: I would like to thank my Mom and Pops for the support. And the Pops for listening to the EP.

Khai: Shout outs to Hani’s ex, without em the EP wouldn’t be where it is today.

Hani: sadbois2k16 in this bihhhhhh.

Whole band: Thank you guys so much for checking our EP out and promoting it. Really means the world to us, especially since we’re a small band from South-East Asia! Mad love for you guys! Singapore represent!