SACHI's new single Take Me Back, is out now! We chat to the duo about the release and more.
Image: Evan Xião
New Zealand electronic duo SACHI have unveiled their latest banger, Take Me Back, The track serves as a love letter to live music, after months of craving to return to the stage.
Written in 2019, the duo began re-working on the track during last years lockdown, enlisting Aussie musician G-Flip to help finish off the song. Take Me Back comes after the duo made their euphoric return to the stage, headlining festivals across New Zealand this summer. The track encompasses the unrivalled energy SACHI bring to their live performances, after luring listeners in with simmering, delicate opening chords, the song launches into your new favourite dance floor track.
The release is accompanied by a visual compiled of fan footage from across SACHI’s recent summer festival tour, creating a sentimental collage of shared moments. Showcasing the magic of life music, the visual showcases the connection we all share through live music.
Take Me Back follows SACHI’s dual 2020 singles Enchante and You (A La), and their 2019 EP, Nights With Ruby, earning the duo over 35 million Spotify streams. After storming New Zealand stages over Summer, and with more upcoming festival dates, SACHI are reassuring the rest of the world that the show will go on.
Take Me Back is out now! Read out interview with SACHI below.
Tell us a bit about how you began your musical journey...
It’s been a long one! To keep it brief, we met and started playing in bands together when we were in primary school. Nick on guitar, bass and vocals and Will on drums. As we grew up and the band fell apart, we substituted band members for computers and synthesisers. We both found a love for electronic music and started producing together for fun.
Congratulations on your stellar new single Take Me Back! The song is a love letter to live music, after months of craving to return to the stage. What was the driving force behind the creation of the song?
We wrote the first version of Take Me Back when we were living in LA in 2019. During lockdown we dug the demo and workshopped it with our mate Georgia (G Flip), and it kind of took on this whole new meaning at a time when we couldn’t play shows or go out dancing with friends. We were writing about fading memories, lost times and dreams.
The track's visual is a video montage compiled of fan footage from your recent summer festival tour, again showcasing the magic of live music. How important was it for you to capture the effect live music can have?
We are so lucky to be able to have shows and a sense of normality here. We thought it was important to showcase that to the rest of the world, and spread a little bit of hope.
The song expertly exhibits your signature sleek production, proving a euphoric soundscape full of energy. How did you arrive at the style of music and sounds present on the release?
Take Me Back is kind of similar to Frankenstein’s monster, it went through a number of different versions and iterations before we came to the final version you hear now. We often go through the process of remixing our songs a few times, sometimes with friends and collaborators like G Flip and Montell2099, (who helped us out with Take Me Back) until we find something that we really love.
What messages do you hope listeners take away from Take Me Back?
Often when we are faced with adversity as the world is now, looking backwards and appreciating great memories of the past can make looking towards the future more hopeful.
If Take Me Back was a piece of visual art, which artwork would it be and why?
Maybe a Jackson Pollock painting? We were just splashing stuff at the canvas sonically and the song ended up as this colourful amalgamation of all the different weird things we did.
Could you kind of talk us through your creative process when writing and recording songs?
We usually start songs individually and send them back and forth to each other over the internet, when we find songs or ideas that excite both of us we finish them together. It’s a fun and free flowing process.
Did you encounter any challenges whilst creating music during the COVID-19 pandemic, or did it allow you the time and space to immerse yourself within this musical project?
Lockdown was a beautiful time for us creatively, we had so much time to hone in on writing with a complete lack of distraction. It was a great opportunity to dig up old ideas that we had forgotten about and develop them further. We did a lot of that.
You’ve just launched a brand new live show, designed by Human Person. How involved were you in the process of crafting the visual elements of the show and how did the collaboration come about?
We’ve been friends with Ben and the Human Person team for a few years now, and have always been such big fans of their work. Working with them on the live show, as well as the visual direction for this current EP, has been an experience we’ve really loved, it’s been super collaborative and the HP team have such great taste. We put a lot of love into the visual and conceptual side of our music.
What are you bringing to this new live show that differs from your past performances?
We kind of approached the show as a 60 minute piece of music, rather than a collection of separate pieces as we have in the past. A lot more time and thought was put into ebb and flow, interlude, tension and release. We remixed alot of our songs to give them more life in a live environment.
The current pandemic has obviously put a halt to touring internationally, what are your touring plans post pandemic? Will we be seeing you on Aussie stages soon?!
As soon as it is safe to! We can’t wait to get back to Aussie, it’s number one on our list.
RAPID FIRE
Biggest influences?
Daft Punk, Justice, Chemical Brothers
Dream collaboration?
Pharell, Damon Albarn or Arca
Album that has had the most impact on you?
Will: Disclosure - Settle. Nick: Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
How do you define your musical style in 3 words?
Fun, dancy, flirty.
A musical release you’re most looking forward to in 2021?
New Lorde and new Matthew Young.
If you could create the soundtrack for any film, which one would it be?
Cheaper by the Dozen 2.
Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus?
Miley OFC.
The best/most memorable show you’ve ever performed?
Probably Rhythm and Vines in Gisborne last year, to over 20,000 fans. Pretty unreal.
Album you would listen to on repeat on a road trip?
Currents by Tame Impala or Live Vol.1 by Parcels.
Best concert you have been to?
Will: Twenty One Pilots.
Nick: David Byrne.
Last concert you went to?
Leisure.
If you were a Spice Girl, what would your spice nickname be?
Will: Foxy Spice. Nick: Party Spice.
Guilty music pleasure?
Gabber and not guilty about it!
If you could support any artist on tour, who would it be?
Daft Punk.
An artist you think has had the most influence on the music industry.
The Weeknd.
What advice would your current self, give your future self, for a year from now?
Text Mum, text mum, text mum.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I was too young to remember.