Interview - Is Tropical

SD3000 - Give us the background, how did Is Tropical start?

Is Tropical - We formed at the start of 2009 and started playing live shows at the end of march. We had known each other for some time and all shared an interest and taste in similar music, so it was a very natural progression to start making the music we wanted to make.


SD3000 - How did you start working with Al ‘O Connel (Klaxons, Big Pink)?

Is Tropical - We were introduced to Al by our manager. We met up with him a few times prior to recording the single which was great because we could really tell we were all on the same page. We were aware of the music he'd produced and engineered in the past and were big fans, he just seemed like the perfect choice. He's great at capturing the energy of a track and that was our main objective.


SD3000 - I don’t know if it’s the lyrics, the drums and the scarves you wear in the video for When ‘O When but it feels like there is a bit of Adam and the Ants in there.  Am I right? Is he an influence?

Is Tropical - It's almost impossible to not love Adam and the Ants. We weren't aware of this comparison before, but it always seemed as though he was trying to push things forward in a unique way, which we guess is our aim. It's important as a band to be a package that people can really get into, and he's a great example of someone who did exactly that. It wasn't just about great songs, it was about a performance and costume which is what we aim to achieve with our overall stage performance which contains projected visuals and masks.


SD3000 - What are you influenced by?

Is Tropical - We consider everything to be an influence. Even with something we dislike, we try to turn it into a positive, by making a conscious decision to not sound like this or that.


SD3000 - Are there any other London bands that you are tight with?

Is Tropical - Yeah, there's a bunch of great bands around at the moment. Filthy Boy are incredibly forward thinking for their age with amazing songs and lyrics. Fiction are another great band where everything just seems to work and you can sense something special. Age of Consent are a new band who look like they're gonna smash it soon. Then there's others like Babe Shadow and Gaoler's Daughter who have brilliant pop songs. We've been tight with Mystery Jets from the start, truly super nice guys who make ridiculously good music. Can't wait for there new album. It seems a very promising time for music.


SD3000 - What’s your favourite spot in London to hang out?

Is Tropical - We like to hold a lot of our own parties. So probably each others houses for late post night out fun. The Macbeth is great place to go watch bands, we spend a lot of time there.


SD3000 - How do you go about writing songs?

Is Tropical - It varies quite considerably. We don't have a formulaic approach to songwriting, and this is possibly why our music takes many forms. Sometimes one of us will write a whole song on the guitar and take it to the band, others we construct with programmed beats and put melodies over the top. We wrote a whole song on the organ recently, one of us playing the bass pedals, the other playing chords, and the other playing lead parts whilst using the built in drum machine. It's a fun way to work. Occasionally we'll have a happy accident whilst making a song. On one demo a drum track was dragged into a synth layer accidentally and became the main hook in the song.


SD3000 - What’s the biggest gig you’ve played?

Is Tropical - We haven't really played to massive crowds. We like to play fairly intimate venues where people become immersed in our show as much as we are.


SD3000 - What’s next? Is there a new track coming/ EP/ album?

Is Tropical - Our first single 'When O When / Seasick Mutiny' was just released on the 18th Jan through Hit Club, and we've been busy recording our new single, which we're really excited about. Other than that we'll just have to carry on working hard and wait and see.

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