Exclusive Interview with KREAJOURS

The album “Transmission” reveals the thoughts, feelings, and transitions that run through life itself. Each track reveals a distinct emotion, inviting listeners to delve into the depths of their own consciousness like a guide through the labyrinth of the afterlife. From the self-reflection and heartbreaking vulnerability of “Soloing the Heartlands” to the tentative exploration of the ethereal in “Namaste” and the gripping, raw fear of death in “Chrysanthemum,” this album paints an unfiltered canvas of human experience. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

KREAJOURS: We are Kreajours. There are four of us in the band: Campfire (lead vocals, drums, guitar), London Boy (lead vocals, guitar, bass), Seany Soundscapes (synth), and Parentheses (background vocals, guitar, bass). We self-produce our own tracks. Our musical journey was loosely defined during our time in college, where we all attended the same university, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Picture a town with tons of hipsters, house parties, and jam sessions. To make our history even more interesting, we all attended the same high school as well and built a pretty deep-rooted friendship above everything else. Our music was on and off during our college years and was rather casual. Eventually, the college experience ended, we parted ways due for various reasons, and ended up split geographically across the United States. Campfire moved to Orlando, FL; London Boy, Seany Soundscapes, and Parentheses moved back to the Chicagoland area. While the Covid-19 pandemic was ongoing, we rekindled our friendship and sparked up a fun project that we could all remotely participate in. This project was initially known as “Starlight”. Campfire initially coordinated weekly online meetings to discuss this project and we began to share more and more musical ideas across each other. It’s important to note that Starlight was much more than a musical project – it also contained a software programming element to redefine what it means to create and listen to music. We are still developing (literally) this concept and it currently is mostly underwraps until the right parties are fully involved. Months past and our musical project started to take off! We started to produce songs we actually enjoyed and thought of taking a slightly different direction with Starlight and just focus on music creation and production. We continued to produce our own tracks over the next two years, eventually arriving at a moment where we all felt it was necessary to share our creations with the world in the form of an album release, Transmission.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

KREAJOURS: The eclectic blend of experiences within Kreajours is perhaps best reflected in our musical training. A couple of us (namely Campfire and Parentheses) have extensive music backgrounds that stem back to the early years of our lives. Campfire was formally trained in percussion, while Parentheses was trained in multiple string instruments such as violin and guitar. Conversely, others in our ensemble ventured into the world of music armed with nothing more than raw talent, insatiable curiosity, and a hunger for sonic exploration. London Boy and Seany Soundscapes navigated the intricacies of melody and rhythm through sheer determination and passion for music. The synthesis of formal education and self-taught ingenuity within our band has birthed a musical landscape of distinctive sound that thrives on diversity. Each member brings a unique perspective and skill set to the table, contributing to a harmonious whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘KREAJOURS?

KREAJOURS: Our influence comes from a collection of bands including, but not limited to: Radiohead, Björk, Jack White, Sonic Youth, Tame Impala, and many, many more. The ethereal melodies of Radiohead, with their ability to evoke emotions through sometimes haunting melodies, left an indelible imprint on our musical psyche. The experimental genius of Jack White and Björk, who fearlessly explored uncharted musical territories, showed us the boundless potential of sonic exploration. And of course, the post-punk vibe of Sonic Youth and psychedelic rock sounds of Tame Impala left an everlasting impression in our music. As time progressed through our initial music project “Starlight”, we eventually settled on renaming the project to Kreajours (pronounced Kree–zhoors) – a medley of mixed letters from our government names with a French influence, proposed by Seany Soundscapes. Kreajours is also a linguistic concoction, a marriage of ‘create’ and ‘journey’, two words that encapsulate the very essence of our musical odyssey. ‘Create’ signifies our unwavering commitment to crafting innovative and compelling music, while ‘journey’ reflects our continuing exploration of uncharted sonic landscapes.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

KREAJOURS: At the heart of our music lies a symphony of emotions, intricately woven through raw, noisy lo-fi guitar, post-punk rock melodies, and ethereal vocal lyrics that invite listeners to embark on a profound journey of self-discovery through life and death. The raw authenticity of indie rock forms the foundation of our sound, grounding our composition in relatable human experiences. Layered upon this foundation are various chorus, distortion, overdrive, and other electronic textures that add a cosmic dimension to our sound and transport listeners to unexplored sonic realms. Our music seeks to resonate with listeners on a deeply personal level and may not necessarily be suitable for everyone. In Transmission, we invite listeners to explore a multitude of themes, including life, death, loss, love, loneliness, and hesitation. The first lyric in our album is “Off the face of the Earth just trying to get back to where you once were…”, setting the tone for an introspective journey into the depths of the spiritual human experience. Transmission is a sonic voyage that embraces the complexities of existence, offering a musical sanctuary where emotions flow freely and introspection and honesty take center stage.

5. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

KREAJOURS:

Currently, we are excited about exploring creative possibilities in the studio. We are focused on developing our evolving sound and vibe, specifically for any subsequent album releases. The studio offers endless possibilities to explore melodies, sounds, and rhythm and create the best possible music for our listeners. With that being said, there is a sense of intimacy to our music that is best heard in a live setting. We are looking forward to bringing the live sound of Kreajours to our fans and are working towards defining solutions to do exactly that. We are excited to develop a raw, unfiltered connection with a live audience and start playing shows very soon. There is nothing more exciting to us than feeling the reverberating energy and intensity from a crowd.

6. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as INDIE?

KREAJOURS: Most of us started out by playing songs we know and love by our favorite artists. We began our musical discovery by immersing ourselves in the work of the legends before us, such as Radiohead, Jack White, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and others. We learned a great deal by diving deep into chord progressions, song structure, and specific rhythmic elements of each song. We were able to use this foundation to adjust and tweak our own sound. We coupled these lessons learned with pre-existing formalized training in percussion and other instruments, bringing a very rhythmic element to many Kreajours’ tracks. Over time, we continued deeper in musical self-discovery. The melodies that once echoed the works of our musical heroes now carried our own narrative, our own emotions, and our own signature. For well over a decade, we have been individually creating music on and off for several years, individually building our own unique styles and deriving a distinct musical identity for ourselves. Blending our individual musical identities together into a single sound, however, was the last step that allowed our true artists selves to emerge and Kreajours’ unique indie post-punk sound was officially born.

7. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

KREAJOURS: Within Kreajours, we view music as a canvas upon which we paint a myriad of emotions, themes, and narratives. It’s a means of personal expression, a platform for engaging with the worlds around us, and a conduit for connecting with the collective human experience. While our music is generally apolitical and rooted primarily in technical artistry of composition, production, and performance, it’s also a mirror that reflects a sort of spiritual awakening and reflection. Very rarely do we write about current political or societal events, but rather choose to express our feelings towards existence in general, whether they are positive or not. We invoke honesty in our music, whether life is good or bad. As our debut single “Soloing the Heartlands” suggests, “I’m not afraid of feeling what is real.”

8. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

KREAJOURS: The relationship between our music and the energy we invest in it is a harmonious cycle of creativity and fulfillment. Every note composed, every lyric penned, and every moment spent perfecting our sound is infused with a sense of purpose and passion that brings immense satisfaction. The act of creation, in and of itself, is a cathartic journey that enriches our lives and fuels our artistic souls. While our music currently rewards us with a symphony of fulfillment, we also nurture aspirations for growth, evolution, and broader horizons. We envision our sound resonating across continents, our melodies becoming anthems of connection for audiences far and wide. As we continue to pour our hearts and souls into our music, we anticipate a future where the echoes of Kreajours ripple through time, leaving an indelible mark on the world.

9. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

KREAJOURS: Collaboration is a large aspect of what we do, and we do the majority of it remotely. Collaboration is what makes Kreajours a successful project and, without it, we would not have an album to present to you today. Typically, one band member lays out a track with basic guitar, simple drums, and vocals. That initial creation process of a basic track varies for each person in our group; some prefer to start with vocals and written words, while others prefer to generate a catchy riff or beat first. Once a band member’s initial track hits the rest of the group, we all take turns adding our unique elements to that track. In the event that we are actually in the same room together, we take full advantage of that time and record all instruments together and flesh out entire tracks in a more streamlined fashion.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

KREAJOURS: Releasing and promoting our first album, Transmission, has undoubtedly been the most significant accomplishment to date. This moment represents the culmination of countless hours of creativity, collaboration, and dedication; the album was not just a collection of songs, but a testament to our artistic identity. We could not be more proud of our work and sincerely hope listeners enjoy the 16 tracks on Transmission as much as we enjoyed creating them! We touch on some very real aspects of life and death, play with emotional strings, and blend it all together with a new unique sound that allows listeners to internalize an introspective journey of discovery. These moments truly mean the world to us.