01 August 2024 - 0 Comments

Japes is the project of Mia Kelly (she/they), a musician, producer, DJ and broadcaster originally from Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) and now residing in Naarm (Melboune).

Japes showcases a piece-meal approach to genre, juxtaposing treated guitars, sonic art and deep bass to concoct a thoughtful heady blend. Since releasing their debut EP Junk, Japes has made sparse appearances on local compilations (Strange Behaviour, Works for Loudspeakers) while developing into a live favourite in the capital, supporting Nabihah Iqbal (Ninja Tune) as well as performing at Cuba Dupa and Newtown Festival.

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Omen is a heady brew of bubbled synthesiser, field recordings, deep rhythmic bass, dusty percussion, wonky pads, liquid guitar lines and metallic drones. Omen showcases Kelly’s ability to intertwine their love for electronic music with honest songwriting, reflecting on themes of heartbreak, mental health, and the feeling of alienation.

“Writing songs about difficult subjects that can give people solace and help them open up,” says Kelly. “All the songs are written about or influenced by events in my life, heartbreak, mental health, feelings of loss and alienation. I've always been a bedroom producer and have made music to make sense of the world around me. The time around this EP was the aftermath of a particularly turbulent time where I was doing a lot of reflecting. “The name Omen is a reflection of feeling paranoid and anxious, like you’re about to unveil a horrible truth. But it also holds a feeling of hope, for the horizon, for things to improve and renew.”

“There’s a lot of field recordings throughout the EP, it’s a practice I’ve always been fascinated by. I love the idea of being able to collect sounds from throughout the world and use them to add context and meaning to songs. I also use them to make synths and textures, it gives it a natural and interesting feel, and helps tie all the songs together. There's recordings of a rusty playground near my house, an orchard I used to work at, the beach at oriental, cicadas (they make excellent shakers), and lots of other places around Pōneke.”

The songs on Omen were co-produced with Bevan Smith (Introverted Dancefloor, Glass Vaults) with the collaboration aided by NZ on Air Music’s New Music Development fund. “Mia is a really great song writer and incredible singer,” says Smith. “She's very humble and fun to work with. My contribution was mainly adding drums and textures, mixing and sneaking in backing vocals (as I usually do).”

“We didn't set out to make any specific type of music” notes Kelly. “The tracks are an exploration of what sounds we could put together, and a really big learning experience for me of collaborating and learning some different approaches to music making. I’ve always tried to blend my love for electronic music and honest songwriting in japes and collaborating with Bevan has really uplifted and created some cool forms of that."

Along with Bevan, Kelly notes that Wellington leaves a lasting impression on Omen. “I’m constantly influenced by the people around me, my friends and whānau, sometimes strangers on the street. The Pōneke music scene is so vibrant and eclectic, and there are some incredible people who I really look up to that are making music and using their platform to uplift and inspire other artists. I feel very thankful to have got to know so many amazing people through the scene, and it's going to shows and connecting with them that gives me the drive to keep creating!”

Photo Credit: James France

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