“Our biggest goal was like, ‘Let’s make a record and take our time and put a band together, release it on white label vinyl and take over Toronto!’” says Esthero, vocalist for the band of the same name.
But things didn’t quite work out the way she imagined. After finishing only six songs, Esthero and musical partner Doc found themselves with an American publishing deal. While they had planned to release the music independently, they ultimately signed with Work Records. Their debut album, Breath From Another, had just been released at the time of this interview.
Esthero’s music blends ethereal vocals with a wide range of influences, including hip hop, jazz, and dub. It took time for the duo to find their sound, but once their fourth track, “Heaven Sent,” was finished, they knew they were onto something.
“‘Heaven Sent’ was the first one where I really felt like I was discovering what my voice was all about, instead of just my influences,” Esthero says. “And with that track, Doc’s beats just started getting amazing. Musically, he’s always been strong and always had a sense of who he is, but that’s when we really started to click.”
Esthero and Doc describe their creative process as being “like tennis.”
“I write songs out of thin air — melodies, ideas — and Doc writes music constantly too. He’s got millions of discs full of ideas,” says Esthero. “Sometimes I’ll hear something and already have lyrics, or it’ll inspire me and I’ll start singing over it. Then the ball’s in his court and he takes it to another level. Eventually he becomes a production genius and puts the final touches on it. That’s how it goes. There’s no real formula.”
“There are times when I’ll just start singing over a beat with no music at all, and he’ll build chords around it. Other times he’ll come in with something almost finished and I’ll write the lyrics. It goes both ways.”
Doc adds, “We both play guitar too, so sometimes we just sit around and play. Unfortunately, because of the position we were in, we didn’t have the chance to sit in the park with sandwiches and write songs. It became more like musical tennis — back and forth — but it worked.”
With the album finished, Esthero’s next goal was putting together a live band. Doc explains that the goal was to make it feel like a real band, not just a recreation of the studio recordings. With two guitarists, a drummer, triggered samples, a backup singer, bassist, and keyboardist, they felt they had achieved that.
“Now’s the time where we can totally flip the script with the arrangements,” says Esthero. “And try all the things we never got to record.”
“Hopefully we’ll get a wicked opening slot and completely outshine the band we’re opening for,” she adds, laughing.
Do you ever go back to the musical fragments that you’ve chosen not to develop as songs?
Esthero: “Yeah, because there were some things where Doc would come to me with a piece of music that I wouldn’t be really into, and then months later it would be in my head and suddenly I’d be inspired to put something on it. Or there are vocals I’ve written that we haven’t done music for yet that I’d really like to use.
It’s helpful because we have a whole bunch of songs and little ideas all over the place. Sometimes things inspire you at different times. I find myself thinking about things we’ve discarded that we can go back to. It’s sort of a safety net.”
Do you usually know right away when a track is done?
Doc: “Now I do, now that we’re done making the record. It was the hardest thing for me to learn, because when you’re coming from the production side, you always think it can be better. With so many gadgets in the studio, you’re like, ‘Maybe I should change this.’
It’s cool because now we understand that once you establish the vibe, it’s not about all the studio trickery. While making the music, it was definitely hard to stop.”
Esthero: “It’s good because we learn from each other. We push and pull each other. Doc has listened to the songs a million more times than anyone else because he recorded and produced them, so he’d change things because he got sick of hearing them. It messes with your head.
I’d come in and be like, ‘Yo Doc, it was fine before — remember, the world hasn’t heard it yet!’ And sometimes he’d be right and push it further. We just have to keep each other in check and try to keep fresh ears. Sometimes it’s right to keep pushing.”
Doc: “For me, I’m always trying to get that feeling. The first time you hear a song, it gives you something, and then the more you listen to it, that feeling fades. You have to remember that it was there, because you’re not going to feel it after the 500th time.
There are some songs we’ve done together where I didn’t have to fight that feeling. They were just done, and I had no problem committing to them.”
