Interview: Five Minutes with HOFFEY

‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’ is a song collaboration between electropop sensation HOFFEY and genre smasher, music producer Vincent via Physical Presents. The song instills a sense of light in the darkness that has been 2020. ‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’ is a rare dance track that can make one study Vincent’s impeccable design and  HOFFEY’s buoyancy conveyed in the vocals and melodic production. 

We had the pleasure of talking with HOFFEY members Jordan Toohey and Erika Toohey below.

Set the tone for us. Why the arts?

Art is such an outlet of expression. I think music helps a lot of people and helps them find their identity. It’s how we both found ours and it’s how we met each other.

Which comes first when you’re producing – the sound or the idea?

It’s different every time it really depends. Sometimes it’s as simple as a synth sound or a drum/bass groove that sparks an idea or a feeling. Sometimes we have a hook or lyric idea that’s been floating around in our heads.

Does your material feature any collaborations?

We actually have our first Collab ‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’ coming out with Vincent on Oct 23rd!

What’s on your current playlist?

We’ve been listening to a lot of Still Woozy, SG Lewis, Cosmo’s Midnight.

Tell us about the chemistry you have with your fans on stage.

We both love people and love the energy of performing. Music is such a powerful way to connect with one another and we find that people are usually intrigued by our sound and want to know more about our story.

What techniques do you experiment with to get your original sound?

Most of the time we record on Voice Memos if an idea pops into our mind. Or if we hear a cool sound like birds chirping or waves crashing etc. and then we’ll put that idea into the mix and play around with the vocals. Experimenting and thinking outside the box is something we always try to do, that’s the beauty of music. When you don’t put yourself in a box the skies the limit.

Take us through a day in the recording studio.

We always start with coffee, lots of it, and then get to work on the most current project. We tend to have the most motivation and inspiration in the evening. But we’ll usually spend 3-4 hours writing or rewriting a song take a break and then try to record the day we write something because that’s when it has the most emotion and feel.

Was there a specific moment in your life where you thought, “this is what I want to do”?

For us both we knew at a young age that whatever we did with our lives it had to do something with music because that’s when we both feel the most at peace and alive. We have big hearts for helping people and making a difference. Music is a form of art and expression that people relate to on such a different level. And if one of our songs makes someone’s day or helps someone through a hard time then that means the world to us.

What do you keep close by while you’re playing a set?

The only thing we keep close by is our hearts. Making sure that we sing straight from them. That and probably lots of water and a couple of beers for after.

Any emerging artists on your radar?

There are a lot of very talented amazing artists out there! It’s hard to choose but one that we’ve been noticing  Yaeow. He’s so talented, and an amazing songwriter.

What gets your creative juices flowing?

Usually, it’s a change of atmosphere or scenery. Overcoming obstacles and challenges in life. Listening to music and doing something we’re afraid of. Pushing limits.

Take us through your collection of gear, tech or software that accompanies your creative expression.

Right now we use an Apollo Twin X for our interface and a Shure SM7B for a mic. 

We currently like to use Ableton, it’s easy to whip up quick ideas.

Any side projects you’re working on?

Not currently, but we have lots of ideas lying around.

How have you refined your craft since you entered the industry?

Both of us actually used to sing more acoustic/folk music but had such a passion for Electro/Pop music. After we met about four years ago we both began making music that came more natural to us but felt like it was so hard to pick just one genre to stick to and that’s why we fell in love with making electro/pop music. There is no right or wrong way. 

Breakdown the news for us: what can we expect from you this year?

Well, we’ve been writing a lot of music during lockdown so you can definitely expect an EP in 2021!

Famous last words?

GOOD THINGS ARE COMING.

Purchase & Stream ‘GOOD THINGS ARE COMING’

Follow HOFFEY:

Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify

Follow Vincent:

Facebook – Twitter – Soundcloud – Youtube – Instagram – Spotify