Apparently, a foray into indie pop has been a long time coming for Nick Bassett. “I’ve been wanting to do a project since high school,” he explains, “but it’s just now happening.” This aforementioned project is Camera Shy, an acoustic band he’s formed with Whirr bandmate and vocalist Alexandra Morte. Intimate, gentle, and upbeat, the duo's new approach seems the complete opposite of the noisy shoegaze of their current band. In fact, when you compare Camera Shy with some of Bassett’s past endeavors (Deafheaven, Nothing), the transition doesn’t make much sense at all.
To help us better understand, Bassett answered a few questions in advance of Jack-O-Lantern, Camera Shy’s first EP out June 24 on Run for Cover. Still, what needs no explaining is the wholesome appeal of Camera Shy; it’s probably difficult to imagine stomaching such sweet declarations as “you are my favorite word” or “I’m happy you’re here to catch me when I fall,” but you might be shocked to find how easily these soothing little ditties actually go down. From Morte's high, clear vocals to an impossibly cute take on the Velvet Underground classic “After Hours,” there's plenty to love.
Stream Jack-O-Lantern below, and read on for words from Bassett.
From Deafheaven to Nothing to Whirr to straight-up indie pop. Seems like an interesting evolution…
I guess I'm just into different sorts of stuff and like to switch it up to keep things from getting stale. Not all that interesting, ha.
What are the major similarities/differences in creating this type of music versus the other music you’ve been known for? Did you find any unexpected common ground while making the EP?
It's similar in the sense that writing songs for it comes very natural for me and I can easily write an entire song in five minutes. It's different because I'm not trying to make everything as crushing and moody as possible. All the songs are vocal driven, so I tend to chill out the leads and just make sure there are good places for vocals to take control.
Is there reasoning behind the spooky/sweet EP title, Jack-O-Lantern?
Honestly, no particular reason, I just thought it was fitting with the artwork.
