San Francisco producer Giraffage has showcased his skills in downtempo, melodic trap/R&B on his new record ‘Too Real’.

With this cleanly produced new set of tracks, Giraffage aims to reflect his encounter with depression and working towards self-help by bringing an optimistic tone to his music. Pulling more from early-2000s indie-rock a la Interpol and Radiohead rather than the current trends of electronic, the composition and sonic landscape of ‘Too Real’ is unique and intriguingly gorgeous.

We spoke to the man himself to talk in detail about what brought out this album and makes him the artist he is.

Stoney Roads: Your album has a really refreshing in today’s world of electronic, did that happen on purpose?

Giraffage: I feel like I’m always surrounded by the same sound constantly and I feel like this album is kind of like a breather from what’s around.

SR: I found it sits in the more alternative realm, were you more influenced by different material this time around?

G: Yeah totally, I did go back and listen to a lot of older stuff which probably attributed to the sound. I grew up listening bands more than electronic music, the more guitar-centric stuff. I was definitely diving into a lot of older music, stuff like Interpol and the Strokes from that early 2000s era.

SR: How does indie/alternative rock make its way into your music now?

G: Yeah I definitely tried to borrow from the chord progressions and melodic facilities from that alternative rock sound more than other electronic music

SR: This album reflects a dark period of your life, is making music often a go-to for when you’re coping with demons?

G: I feel like there’s a weird need to make music for me, or an urge to create something. Whatever I’m going through in my life is being reflected through the art that I create, and I was definitely going through battles of depression. I think there are more sombre themes but I feel like the album on the whole is actually rather hopeful rather than depressing. Because it’s fun making music, it’s the answer to my problems in a way.

SR: When it comes to electronic music, what sound or style do you find yourself gravitating to the most?

G: I tend to gravitate towards the weirder sounds, recently I’ve been into minimal techno stuff, because I feel like the sound design is so cool, people are taking like garbage cans and what not and making it sound so metallic and cold. I really dig that. I’ve been listening to a lot of older electronic stuff such as the yellow magic orchestra. But I’m kinda all over the place, not sure if there’s one particular genre.

SR: So you’re more of an all-rounded music fan? Keeping an open mind?

G: Yeah that’s definitely my approach, I had a lot of phases growing up, like a garage rock phase, a metalcore phase.

SR: Who didn’t have a metalcore phase?

G: Haha exactly, but I’ve generally listened to anything, it’s all music. My music is always benefits from listening to a lot of different stuff. I feel like as a producer I’m super analytical when it comes to music, like every little thing I’m like ‘Oh I’ve heard that before’ or I’m paying close attention to structure and chord progressions. That kind of comes naturally.

SR: When you were growing up as a musician, were you involved much in the local music scene of your area?

G: Not really, I grew up more on the outskirts of San Francisco so it wasn’t really the main, popular area. There was kind of a hardcore and metal scene, and I was never really to involved. Growing up there wasn’t that many people around me who had the same music tastes. It was pretty rare to find someone else at 15 who was into Interpol.

SR: So music’s always been a more solitary experience for you growing up?

G: I would say music was mostly a solitary experience, I had a corner of friends that I would share a lot of music with, but for the most part it was something I would learn on my own.

SR: That’s gotta be a little different now right? haha

G: Definitely being a producer and having producer friends is a really cool thing to have has really helped in that area.

SR: Charlie, thanks for chatting with me, good luck for the release! We have it here in Australia because of our timezone and we’re loving it haha

G: Thanks heaps man, good talking to you!

–

Stream Giraffage’s album ‘Too Real’ in full below.