Turning the volume up Canadian style and taking our hearts into a new galaxy, we sat down with ORCHAD to chat more about their heavy new release SKIN. Keeping it real and showing us the challenges of the current underground alternative scene in their hometown, this is an insightful look into how it started for the exciting Montreal band.
Hello there ORCHAD. Thanks for taking the time to slice it up with us and chat about your electrifying new single, SKIN. Firstly, please tell us who is in the band and how did things all start musically?
ORCHAD: Thanks for having us. We’re ORCHAD, a duo that’s made up of a singer and guitar player. On vocals we got Julian Della, and on guitars we got Justyn Vynn, and it’s been that way since 2018. ORCHAD started as the brainchild of Julian. After struggling to find members to complete a band, he decided to write and release the music on his own. He wanted to ground the music in rock, but be free to write anything he wanted regardless of the genre. He wrote and recorded a 6 song E.P. that ended up being ORCHAD’s first E.P. “Vices & Desires” of which he completely funded. During the recording process for that E.P. Julian called up good friend Justyn to add a few guitar solos to the tracks. Julian had wanted Justyn several times to join him, but he’d stopped playing in bands professionally. Through the process of writing and recording the solos, Julian asked again if Justyn would join, and after being floored by the level of quality with Julian’s songwriting, and his tenacity, he accepted. From there, it’s been both their goals to make you dance, and make your head bang.
Montreal, Canada is your hometown. What was it like growing up and is the local underground music scene thriving currently or not yet?
ORCHAD: Montreal is really an awesome place culturally. There’s no shortage of entertainment in the city, everything from Art shows and displays, comedy festivals & open mics, music events, so many restaurants, the nightlife is incredible. It’s brutally cold in the winter, humid as hell in the summer, and the city streets are always under construction, but we’re incredibly fortunate to be able to live in a city with so much culture, and personality. It really does inspire.
There are two ways to look at the underground music scene. On one hand, the music scenes are thriving in that there are so many acts with so much talent, and so much variety. On the other hand, there isn’t much visibility available to a lot of these acts, there’s not a ton of A&R around, especially for a metropolis like Montreal with such a diverse amount of music coming out of it. There are some very healthy scenes like the Metal scenes, Hip-Hop and Drum & Bass music scenes, but outside of those, there aren’t really any Music blogs, radio stations, etc. that are dedicated to Alternative or Rock music, especially ones that don’t fit neatly into those lines. Something we feel is important for a local scene to really thrive.
Your music seems to blur the line and is completely original. How would you describe your music style to someone who has never heard a song before?
ORCHAD: That’s our Achilles’ Heel. What is our music style? The only way we can describe it is that we make you dance, and make your head bang. It’s Rock N’ Roll with pop sensibilities, but there’s tasteful shred guitar, and electronic elements. We both love Guns N’ Roses, and Led Zeppelin, but we’re also huge fans of The Weekend, and Dua Lipa. We’ve had a hard time attempting to define our sound, and when we’ve asked members of the music industry, fans, family/friends, other artists, and those within the entertainment world, they also draw a blank to who we can compare ourselves to. If we’re to put something down, it’s adventurous Rock N’ Roll/Alternative, or Aggressive Pop!
Please name a few bands or role models who inspire you all to reach greater heights?
ORCHAD: There’s so many, and over the years the main artists we’re inspired by has changed, but right now The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Fall Out Boy, Palaye Royale, Billie Eilish, LeBrock, Muse, Avenged Sevenfold, Guns N’ Roses, Queen, Elton John, David Bowie.
Ok, let’s dig deeper into your new release SKIN. What is the vision behind the track?
ORCHAD: SKIN deals with Toxic Hook-Up Culture, Passion, Non-Commitment, and Resentment. We’ve both had our fair share of these relationships, and we’ve both been active participants and fully aware of it. The song talks about a relationship based solely on sex and nothing more, the passion within it, the repeated cycles of attempting to end it and the eventual resentment of the other person who completely mirrors you who also doesn’t want to love you. The best description we’ve heard is that SKIN is an Anti-love song, that SKIN relates more to modern relationships than a ballad does.
Your debut album is set for release in the summer of 2023. What can new and old fans expect from this upcoming project?
ORCHAD: Expect to bang your head, expect to dance, expect for it to be fun, have some humor, be positive, and cynical, and expect that our sound will not fit into what we’ve already released before. No two ORCHAD songs sound alike, and we’re keeping it that way, but what we’ve got ready excites us so much and we can’t wait to share it with the world.
Last of all, do you have any tours or live shows on the horizon?
ORCHAD: We do! Our next show is on December 17th at Piranha Bar in Montreal, followed by some dates in Ontario in February (dates are still being settled now). From there, we’re still planning!
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Hear this firecracker of a single on Spotify. See their socials on IG.
Interview by Llewelyn Screen