The Away Days
The Away Days is a first where dream- pop and indie music has never come so close together. We can’t stop listening to them. Why? Because, some locals, from Istanbul, Turkey, has realized the gap in music both in the country and generally in art itself, and did something to fill that space. What they’ve done is equal to the success as seen in international platforms. Once you’ve read the interview, you’ll get to know them better and understand what we’re trying to say.
The song is very chaotic and complicated. I think Istanbul is a place that coincides with these words like no other.
Could you tell us about yourself? Where do “these guys” come from?
SEZER : We are from Istanbul (Sezer ), Izmir (Anıl) and Antalya (Can). I met Can at university. We both studied economics. We then met Anıl and the band’s backbone was formed. In the beginning, we only played covers for a few months. Then we realized that we were producing admissible and nice-sounding ideas and focused completely on production.
Tam şu anda “Your Colour” dinlerken editör olma avantajımı kullanarak sormak istiyorum; Bu parçanın altında yatan sebepler, düşünceler ve mesajlardan biraz bahseder misiniz?
SEZER : Sonbahar her gelişinde bana büyük bir hüzün getirir. Şarkının yazıldığı dönem de sonbahardı. Yazın tüm neşe ve renklerini sonbahara teslim ettiği zamanki o duygu değişimleri, bu şekilde form buldu şarkıda. Özellikle gitarlarını yazarken, o dönem en derinlere indiğimi hissettiğim şarkı bu olmuştu.
On this journey that you began in 2012, your songs have been featured on top music platforms and your name was highlighted in some press outlets. What is the reason for this success from your point of view?
CAN : There are countless parameters but I can say working hard, researching, good songs and the right kind of PR is the reason.
How were you introduced to Shoegaze music? How was the process?
CAN : We didn’t really decide to go forward with it to be honest, the process developed naturally. And it continues to do so. I don’t define our music as shoegaze, I don’t understand why, but lately our sound is getting labeled as shoegaze. It’s hard, but I guess categorizing it as indie dream pop is more accurate.
Your video for “Best Rebellious” was shot in Istanbul. What’s the connection to Istanbul for this song? Why Rebellious and Istanbul?
SEZER : The song is very chaotic and complicated. I think Istanbul is a place that coincides with these words like no other. I don’t mean Istanbul as a whole, of course. It might sound a bit elitist, however if we were to add our feelings on Bağcılar or Bayrampaşa, not many fans, including us, would have been able to listen to our songs. That’s why you see fancier parts of Istanbul in the music video.
Usually your songs give a sense of darkness and struggle. Of course this is only one of the sides of your music but how do you interpret this? What is it that you want to reach with your music, or what you want to express?
SEZER : Like everyone else, we make music by trying to portray things, whether we are aware of them or not. I personally get little inspiration from the outer world when I produce. Usually, it’s my soul and subconscious leading me, and ideas come out as a result of my brain perceiving what it can from these directives and putting it in the most aesthetic form possible. I agree with the darkness and struggle bit. We will be throwing you in deeper and darker wells compared to our previous albums, specifically on a few songs. Be ready.
You’ve participated in many international music festivals. What’s your route for the near future?
ANIL : We will release our first album this year. You might even get a few surprises from us in the summer. One of our long-term plans is to move abroad.
Is there an unforgettable live performance memory you’d like to share with us?
SEZER : Last year, we played at United Islands festival in Prague. Our last song was Best Rebellious. At the end of the song where there is the solo part, Can played in the wrong key. It was 5-6 seconds but it felt like he played like that for minutes. It felt so long that I thought Can had low blood pressure and I considered calling someone for help.
What would be on the top 5 of The Away Days’ playlist?
Kings of Convenience – Freedom and It’s Owner
Foals – 2 trees
The Strokes – Hard To Explain
Foster The People – Ask Yourself
Sakin – Kırmızı Oda
Who influences you the most lately?
SEZER : I think, there is a great 90’s Turkish Pop especially Tarkan (no joke) influence in some of the songs in our upcoming album. We’ve been influenced by Tame Impala’s work in general. Personally, the way Erlend Oye’s touches the guitar and Nick Allbrook’s clean bass walks are musical performances that I’ve been affected by.
Is there anything that you would like our readers to know?
CAN : Apart from people who actively go to concerts, I would like people to live, not really ‘know,’ the experience of live concerts as oppose to just sticking with online streaming. You can go out tonight and have a nice time watching a band play live for example.
Photography: Tabitha Karp