5 Minutes With… Indigo Face

Fresh from a stint of relentless songwriting and producing, European duo Indigo Face are ready to release their latest masterpiece, ‘At The Gate’. Inspiringly stylish and expertly produced, the track acts as the perfect glimpse into their heavily anticipated forthcoming EP.

Singer/songwriter Mariachiara Terragin and producer and multi-instrumentalist Maxime Obadia met at British and Irish Modern Music Institute (the same college that birthed Tom Odell, George Ezra and James Bay), where they both graduated with first-class honours. Straight off the bat of their successes, the pair started to make headway with live gigs at hotspots such as The Dublin Castle, Shepherd’s Bush Empire and The Great Escape Festival.

Mariachiara’s vocals land delicately somewhere between Chvrches and Chairlift reeling with evident Björk and Goldfrapp influence, whilst Maxime’s James Blake inspired instrumental capabilities and productional skill are enviable Indigo Face have opened themselves up to write and perform truly great music. Hands-on with every aspect of their project, the pair have got retro-futuristic synth-pop in the palm of their hands and they know how to mould it.

We caught up with Indigo Face ahead of the release to get to know them a little better. 

Hi there, how are you and what are you up to today?

Hello, we are very good, thanks! We are currently in our studio checking the mastering of our upcoming single, At The Gate.

To those not familiar with you, how would you describe your sound?

We don’t like to put things in a box but we would define our music as Alternative/Pop.We see our music as a fusion of our different musical backgrounds: Art Pop, Pop and Electro (Kate Bush, Eurythmics, Björk, Daft Punk) for Mariachiara, and Alternative, Funk and Soul (Blake Mills, Ry Cooder, Prince and James Blake) for Maxime.

Can you the name albums and artists that have influenced you the most?

“Sound and Color” – Alabama Shakes (2015), “The 2nd Law” – Muse (2012), “New” – Paul McCartney (2013),  “1000 Forms Of Fear” – Sia (2014), “Union” – Saint Saviour (2012), “Asile’s World” – Elisa (2000), “Homogenic“ – Björk (1997).

Which other artists are you into at the moment and why?

We really like what France has brought up lately in terms of Alternative and Pop sounds. We saw Ibeyi performing at The Great Escape this year and we loved them. Their debut album is fresh and very creative. Christine & The Queens is another artist we really like, a musician who crafted her sound in London and imported it in France where she is now becoming the new queen of Pop there. 

What would we find under the category of “Guilty pleasures” in your music collection?

Ibrahim Maalouf (“Illusions” – 2013) and Bombino (“Nomad” – 2013). 

The UK music scene is certainly always changing. Some might say that at the moment it’s more electronic oriented. Do you think this makes it more difficult for indie/alternative acts to get recognition that it would have done ten years ago?

The music industry is a tough world and it can be difficult to break through if many people are doing the same thing but we believe that, if you work hard, keep the faith and if you are authentic in what you are creating, you can make it.

If not the popularity of electronic music, what would you say some of the challenges indie bands face today in the music industry today?

When you are an indie artist, it can be difficult sometimes to generate a regular income out of your music. Also, sometimes, you find yourself being your own manager, promoter, designer, stylist…

Where do you gather song writing inspiration?

London is great place to get inspired. We often go to see art exhibitions. For example, Mira Schendel‘s retrospective at the Tate Modern in 2014 really moved us and certainly had an impact on the creation of our second EP. We get a lot of inspiration out of movies as well. We like arthouse film makers such as Ingmar Bergman, Wim Wenders and Joseph Losey. Sometimes it can just be the sound of a word, a color, or a memory. The simplicity and complexity of ordinary daily life can inspire a whole song.

Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when put music together?

We usually write lyrics, melody and music at the same time. We start from a single sound or chord and gradually weave the whole tune from there.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever done and why?

We recently performed at Metropolis Studios as part of the Spinnup showcase. It was great to play in such iconic studios where some of the greatest artists recorded. The energy was very special and the crowd very responsive.

And the worst?

During one of our first gigs in a London pub, we were all waiting for the big entry on keyboards and then sadly realised they were not plugged.

If you weren’t a musician what would you be?

Two unemployed trying to become musicians.

Do you have any particular gigs or festivals that you dream about playing?

We would love to play at the Glastonbury Festival and gig at Wilton’s Music Hall in London or the Olympia in Paris.

If you could perform alongside any other band or artist, who would it be?

Björk, Christine & The Queens, James Blake and many others…

Do you have any information regarding upcoming releases, projects or gigs in the pipeline that you would like to tell us about?

We are about to release our single At The Gate that will be followed by other four tracks. We can’t wait to share our new music!