By Lucy Fitzgerald 
Hi! How does “Just Try” reflect the evolution of your sound since meeting in 2019?
A: Hello! YASSiN here! Although there are a handful of songs on the record that come from our early days where I did the majority of writing, the biggest evolution that can be heard throughout the album is our creative collaboration. Back when we started I’d show up with a song and an idea of the direction we should take it in, but as time went on and this album was made Sean & I started finding that direction together.
On a song like Caroline, I remember sitting in my parents’ basement while Sean played the chords on his tele. We went back and forth on what the song should be about until BOOM. We had the song. Then there’s a track like Happy It Exists where we had written the bulk of the song and on a drive to Sean’s house, we said “hey what if we do a fun gospel thing at the end” and then we did it! This album is full of magical collaborative ideas that stemmed from us having a good old time. It is a huge difference compared to when we started out!
Can you share the story behind choosing “Just Try” as your album title and mantra?
A: So the song Just Try started many moons ago, as an untitled Pro Tools session Sean and I started when I got a new synth plug-in…(tale as old as time) And as we often did when I got a new toy to play with, we’d open up a session and mess around a bit! I quickly made a little chord progression when I tweaked the sound a way I liked and Sean improvised a melody with some lyrics overtop of it. It was all done in about 15 minutes. We just did one take of the vocal and then we closed the session and forgot about it for YEARS. Time went on and we kept making more music until eventually we had a body of work that ALMOST felt like an album. Now something I often do as well is, when I’m stuck on a song to the point where it annoys me, I close it down and open up another session. So on a fateful day, that exact thing happened and I stumbled back upon this untitled track. I listened back to what Sean sang, now with a few more years life experience, and it hit me.
I knew this had to be the album title as soon as I heard Sean sing “and it don’t have to look like anybody else’s life, just try” We both felt like somehow this song we didn’t put any thought into at all captured exactly how we’ve felt over the years while trying to be a part of the music industry. What you hear today is pretty much exactly what we demoed our years ago. Same words, same sounds…we just added a few strings and a few more vocal layers.
What was it like working with Kevin Dietz, and how did he influence the album?
A: Sean here; looking back, working with Dietz was essential to the process, and the journey wouldn’t have been the same without him. On top of being an excellent sound engineer and all-around music guy, Kev is a great personality to work with. It took a lot for me over the years to come out of my shell and even begin to discover my role as a singer and Kevin has been a crucial piece of that puzzle. You can find a ton of skilled professionals who know what they’re doing, but when it came to getting vocal takes down, Kevin’s guidance and attitude helped lay down the path we would walk. He’s always down to try new things and find new sounds, in a way that keeps us moving forward and staying on track. Kevin Dietz is a 10/10 recording and mixing tech, producer, and friend.
Which track on the album was the most challenging to write and why?
A: Each song had its own unique adventure, but I think the beauty of a lot of these songs is that they came to us quickly. Every song that ended up on the record didn’t feel forced in any way. There are things about recording them that were a challenge in a fun way, like Cut Keys we recorded that to no click track with the full band live off the floor. Come to think of it the second verse of that song had some lyrics we didn’t like up until the final day of vocal recording, which I suppose was a challenge! But it did fall into place perfectly at the end. But yeah, we feel really lucky about a lot of these songs. We often listen now and think “how did we even write this?” Its a good feeling to have! As I said above though, there were A LOT of interesting challenges production-wise. The transition in Happy It Exists from the slow part to the fast part…let me tell you it was a mission to perfect but a blast at the same time!
How do you blend such diverse genres into a cohesive sound on this album?
A: I think part of blending genres, for better or worse, comes in part from being exposed to a lot of different people, sounds, and walks of life, but also the feeling that you as an individual are never just one thing or one way. Whether we nailed it or not is up to the listener, but us pulling influence and style from different areas, the intention to blend sounds, feels like it stems from the attitude that says, “I’d like to do whatever I want so that I can get myself closer to whatever it is I’m feeling; then let it out.” In terms of executing a blend of genres, you can fall back on structure, the composition of a track, the things that, historically and through experience, you think should be here and shouldn’t go there.
Genres exist for a reason; a collection of themes, lyrical content, style, and sounds that speak to various people, which can then be more easily accessed, physically and conceptually because their existence is informed by what has come before and what works for listeners. And that shit is dope. And a lot might work for you, so you put in a little a’dis, a little a’dat, BOOM; Just Try.
What personal experiences did you draw from while writing the songs for “Just Try”?
A: As many will hear. A lot of our songs are love songs. (How original haha) they’re mostly inspired by my now fiancé who at time lived in Vancouver while I lived in Toronto. So songs like Close The Distance, are literally about us wanting to close the distance…I can happily say we’ve been living together for over a year now haha. Then there are songs like Caroline & You’re That To Me that aren’t about romantic love that we almost rather have the listeners tell us their personal experiences that connect to the stories in those songs if that makes sense.
Sean, can you discuss how you approached showcasing your vocal range on this album?
A: A large part of my approach was just showing up to the studio, ready to sing. When we began recording what would become the album, I had a few songs under my belt with YASSiN, but still not a ton that would wholly define who I’ve been as a singer or ArTiSt until that point. It’s kind of a catch-22 situation; an open-ended, creative direction (yay) with the paralysis of choice (awww). We had been gigging with a good amount of the songs that had yet to be recorded, so a lot of in-the-moment, live experiences really helped shape how we would approach the vocal booth. It’s also fun and funny for us, when a husky, blonde, long-haired, bearded dude comes up on stage and starts ripping some falsetto, real Catholic-like, much to the surprise of the crowd. I think going back to the idea of a genre, or a way a certain thing has been in the past, and challenging my own limiting self-beliefs almost guided me through that; make all the weird and cool sounds you can because why not?
What message do you hope listeners take away from your debut album?
A: It’s simple, because a lot of the time life itself is not, or at least how we feel about life gets complicated. I think it’s safe to say that each of our experiences as humans, with varying degrees of relativity, can feel like a freshly made, poop smoothie, crowned with a little umbrella and slice of orange or whatever; life can just SUCK. You know that, I know that, we all scream for ice cream. SOOOOO, with that in mind, why not Just Try that new thing?
Which song on the album is your favorite to perform live, and why?
A: Ouuuf we have a few favourites these days! Number one right now has to be All Summer! When we started playing that one live, it wasn’t out yet but still the fans loved it. Now when we play it, the audience goes NUTS. They dance, they sing, it’s the dream. We’ve even played it more than once at some shows and the crowd still loves it. Feeling that shared energy in a room is unlike anything! Another one I personally love playing is You’re That To Me. Now that Sean and I have an extended band that’s not just us, we have been really working on BIG harmonies. You’re That To Me was the first one I think we really nailed live, and ouuuu it feels so good.
Looking back, how did your experiences in Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Artist Program influence this album’s creation?
A: Our experience through Canada’s Walk of Fame Emerging Artist Program feels like it’s been integral, on a molecular level, to our journey of becoming all-powerful, super handsome, musical wizards. The folks that we’ve met (Griff, looking at you) and the experiences we’ve gained through the program CANNOT be replaced. The accolade alone, of placing near the top of the program, adds this legitimacy, to others, but also to yourself and how you believe in what you’re doing. It’s provided such a solid platform for our spaceship to take off from. We feel extremely grateful for the doors in the world and in ourselves, that this program has opened. It was a huge piece of evidence supporting the notion that good things do happen, when you Just Try.
Listening to songs so you don’t have to! Just kidding :D, you totally should. Music blogger by day, nurse by night