As our final duo spotlighting Spotify’s Lorem playlist, the up-and-coming alternative musician and creative director talk about their best memories, navigating working with a close friend and favourite Lorem artists
Spotify
This year, we kicked off our project in honour of Spotify’s alt-pop playlist, Lorem. Starting off with a zine spotlighting some of Dazed team members’ favourite Lorem tracks, the following zines called upon artists on the playlist itself, along with their collaborators. Past zines have included emerging indie artist Hemlocke Springs in conversation with creative director Ana Peralta Chong, along with singer Faye Webster and her graphic designer brother Luke. Now, we’ve called enlisted up-and-coming pop-punk dubstep artist underscores for the final zine.
Born and raised in San Francisco as April Grey, underscores, began on posting music SoundCloud at the age of 13. She has since gone on to release six EPs, two albums, tour with 100 gecs and collaborate with the likes of Gabby Start and Jane Remover.
For the visuals accompanying her latest album, Wallsocket, she enlisted her close friend Ayodeji. Arguably, underscores is to Ayodeji what Olivia Rodrigo is to Petra Collins and what Aphex Twin is to Chris Cunningham. Together the duo filmed a three-part mini-film, split into three music videos, following the lives of three teenagers. Despite the innovative cinematography, the videos, directed and shot by Ayodeji, are shot on iPhone.
Below underscores and Ayodeji talk about how they met, their best moments working together and key lessons.
What’s the wildest memory from your time working together?
underscores: We shot at this motel for the “Second hand embarrassment” video, like one of those motels where you pay by the hour. A tonne of people there thought we were shooting a porno and heckled us. And then at one point we were trying to get a shot on the motel balcony and the receptionist at the front desk started screaming at Ayo and called the police.
Ayodeji: I begged her not to, trying to explain we were shooting for a school project.
underscores: The classic School Project Defense.
Ayodeji: But once I saw that she actually made the phone call I ran back over to April and we packed everything up in a panic.
underscores: We, like, speedran it. We were out of there in three minutes.
What is your favourite project you have created together?
underscores: Lowkey might be ‘Second hand embarrassment’ for me. That one was just really fun to make.
Ayodeji: I definitely have the fondest memories from ‘Second hand embarrassment’. Especially being in Longport, New Jersey, felt extremely surreal the whole time we were filming. I’m probably most proud of ‘Cops and robbers’ as a video though.
underscores: Same, I think that’s the best video we’ve worked on together. The budget went up and we stopped trespassing.
What is the biggest lesson you have learnt about each other?
Ayodeji: NO MORE BLUE.
underscores: We loveeeeee blue. Both of us were super anti-using heavy red tones in the videos, but I think we’re both coming around to red. Getting SICK of blue.
Ayodeji: I hereby officially apologize for my blue-ification of Wallsocket.
What has (the other talent) taught you about collaboration and friendship?
underscores: I like to do as much as I can by myself, and I learned how to trust other people’s creative vision through working with Ayo. He’s got a super idiosyncratic visual language and is super talented at communicating complex ideas in subtle ways. It’s futile for me to try and do that myself ‘cause I won’t be able to even get close. The resulting art is always better when I can fully trust in Ayo to helm the whole thing.
Ayodeji: More than anyone else I’ve ever worked with, April just has an entire world built that the music and art direction for each project is meant to live in. As specific as everything is, she still gives me room to express my ideas within the work and has never let work get in the way of our friendship. She’s shown me through our work together (and the way she carries herself through other areas of her career) that being a successful and productive artist and treating those around you compassionately aren’t mutually exclusive.
underscores: I’m super glad we’ve hit a kind of rhythm now.
Favourite artist to get ready to?
Underscores: I remember we would listen to a lot of Tisakorean while shooting.
Ayodeji: Ambient worship music or the Minecraft soundtrack.
underscores: Oh yeah, Ayo’s on a no-lyrics kick. I’m the opposite; I’ve just been listening to pop acapellas.
Favourite song from the Lorem playlist?
underscores: ‘Once then we’ll be free’ by Wisp. I feel the Wisp hype. Palpable.
Ayodeji: ‘Bright Red’ by Ryan Beatty. Loved his album so much.
If you could collaborate with anyone on the playlist who would it be and why?
Ayodeji: I’m taking a long break from music videos so…
underscores: But, like, imagine an Ayodeji-directed WILLOW video. Or, like, a non-$500k Olivia Rodrigo iPhone video.
Ayodeji: I wish.
underscores: Chaeyoung’s technically on the playlist through her Coco & Clair Clair remix. I’ve wanted to produce K-pop songs since I was, like, 12.
Do you make your own playlists often, if so which is your longest and most listened to playlist?
underscores: I have this playlist called ‘22-gauge shotgun’ that I made for Wallsocket where I just put anything remotely inspiring in it and then I would shuffle it. It’s 37 hours and 11 minutes long. Love to make a playlist.
Ayodeji: I’ve had a playlist of worship music that I’ve been adding to for 3-4 years that I always come back to. Other than that it’s usually playlists for long drives – lots of Bon Iver.
Listen to Lorem here.