ODESZA: Our Favorite Locals Building From The Ground Up (Exclusive Interview)

[divider]Staying True To Their Roots[/divider]

It’s been almost a year since we last caught up with ODESZA and we were giddy to see the Seattle duo make their Shambhala debut later that evening. Seated in the intimate enclosure adjacent to the tight knit quarters of Shambhala’s press center (which was smartly located next to the freezers full of tasty otter-pops), we were greeted by ODESZA’s Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight. Both casually clad in black tee-shirts and black denim situations, we half expected them to walk in sync, much like they behave on stage where they mirror virtually every movement of each other.

Harrison and Clay sat down on the camp chairs across us looking relaxed and centered, despite having just gotten off the tour bus from their last gig at Beloved Festival.

Harrison: “I think anywhere you have to travel to the middle of nowhere, and a bunch of people conjugate to listen to cool music is awesome. Usually the vibes are good because people care enough to go all the way out there. I’m into that.”

Throughout the year, ODESZA has done a pretty awesome job at maturing their festival palette while staying present in the PNW. From Sasquatch, What The Festival, CHBP, Shambhala, and Decibel, local diehards have followed ODESZA with unmatched fervor. To reciprocate that love, they hosted their In Return album release party for free, right here in Seattle proper at Q Nightclub.

Clay: Aw I love Seattle to death. The crowds are awesome.
Harrison: The love we get is outrageous.
Clay: It’s crazy too because the No. 1 question we got our first two shows in Seattle was “where are you guys from?” and that’s definitely changed since then.

The love was ridiculous at ODESZA’s In Return album release party, and hands down one of the most crowd-unifying shows we’ve been to at Q Nightclub.

ODESZA has grown tremendously from their humble roots in the PNW whilst under Counter Records’ umbrella. The label was so enamored with the ODESZA guys before signing them, Clay remembers big-wigs at Counter Records flying out to Seattle to meet with them on several occasions, an effort that resonated with them. “The whole label is full of incredible talent, and the love has been there…they really take care of their artists” Clay adds fondly. This sparked a question that we had been eager to ask about In Return. The vocalist on Say My Name was someone we were entirely unfamiliar with.

DMNW: So how did you guys come across this mysterious singer/songwriter Zyra?

Harrison and Clay both fall into a mischievous fit of man-giggles.

Harrison: She’s incredibly talented, and we love her to death….that’s all I can say.

At the time of our interview, ODESZA wasn’t able to disclose any information on Zyra, who’s liquid vocals appear on Say My Name and It’s Only. But on a later date, Harrison reveals in an interview with Complex the nature of their initial collaboration. Zyra had connected with ODESZA via social media, sent them a few samples of her vocals on old ODESZA records and voila: A harmonious match was made.