Behind The Scenes of NYIKO's latest single, "Like The Movies"

Interview by Mary Perez

Graphic by Emily Lantzy

It can be so easy to romanticize relationships, especially when all of the examples of love in media are portrayed in such dramatic fashion that anything less of grand gestures and dreamlike scenarios would be unfitting. NYIKO, an LA-based indie-pop artist, explores these unrealistic depictions of love in his latest song, “Like The Movies.” The track — featuring guitarist Niles Gregory, bassist Stone Irr, and producer Kyler Hurley — was released on April 22 through Trailing Twelve Records. I had the chance to speak with NYIKO over the phone last month about the process of creating his latest single, what to expect from his upcoming record, and things he’s been listening to while staying safe during this pandemic:

Your first single of the year, “Like The Movies,” came out on April 22, and something that you noted about it was that it was entirely created within your bedroom studio! Do you feel that having that setting created more of an honest or intimate feel to the song?

Yes. I would say that being able to write and create something within the comfort of my own home and my own home studio adds a level of intimacy to it and definitely a level of honesty in the whole process. Essentially, when you bring in more people or bring a song into a new space, there’s obviously a desire to make it bigger or have a lot of other opinions. What I really appreciate is being able to have a lot of control, at least at those early stages. Being able to bring in Niles, Stone, and Kyler into the process later on and just be able to take our time recording at home really benefited the process. 

One of the elements that you incorporated into “Like The Movies” was more of a full-band feel to the song, so did you find any challenges in getting that particular sound?

At first, it didn’t even really occur to me when I was creating the song to have live players on it. At first, I was kinda thinking that I’d be able to just do it all myself. As I was showing the demo to some people and Kyler specifically, it really occurred to me that we needed to have live bass and live guitar to bring it to life. I would say that one of the things I learned the most about while doing this was just figuring how to engineer bass and guitar properly and have them gel with the rest of the instruments that are synth-based instruments. I programmed all of the drums myself, so that was a big learning experience and super fun, but very tedious at times.

The song revolves around that unrealistic teenage romance that is often portrayed in movies and television, so were there any particular films or shows that you had in mind when putting the song together?

When I was younger, I watched a lot of teen drama and teen romance and I was obsessed with “The OC” and “The Notebook” and I would say those two were really good jumping-off points for setting the scenes for lyrical content of the song. I would say that kind of depiction of love and romance is very epic, in terms of “The Notebook,” but it can also be very heartbreaking and often times, real love and real relationship are not as extreme as those shows and movies’ depictions. I think I was trying to create a balance of those two worlds or contrast those two worlds by speaking in the lyrical content of that really epic “we’re running into the ocean and dancing in the streets” and asking the listener and potentially asking myself, “Are you okay with having a relationship that isn’t these extreme rollercoaster rides of emotion and these epic, significant movies?” Those two were big influences.

Were you rewatching them while coming up with the idea, or had you been thinking about it for a while?

I had been rewatching some of “The OC,” but I did pull up some of the scenes that I remembered from “The Notebook” just to keep them fresh in my mind, specifically the “You’re a bird, I’m a bird” or the “I wrote you letters for a year.” They’re those really iconic moments from the film to draw inspiration [from].

Are there other elements of media today that you can see influencing some future songs?

I think that using film and TV and art as a jumping-off point or as a lyrical reference is pretty common in my writing. Usually, a song will start off with inspiration from my life, the actual impetus of the song, but then to help flesh it out and develop it more, I definitely look to my favorite film or TV or even just artwork to get more influence from.

Additionally, the track draws influence from British post-punk and new wave music, so how is this different from some of your previous works?

I’m an avid listener of British post-punk and pop punk and new wave, and I have been for probably the last ten years. I am always interested in exploring different genres within my own creativity and music. This single is in direct contrast with the Crush EP, which came out last August. That EP is very electro, down-tempo, even some hip-hop and future bass influences, whereas this new single is really in the lane of synth-pop, post-punk, indie rock kinda sound. I would say that the reason for that difference was that, for the Crush EP, I was working with a producer, a longtime friend, The White Electric, and they were the ones composing the instrumentation. They were sending it to me and I was writing all of the lyrics and melodies and somewhat restructuring the instrumentals to fit the structure that I was thinking of and then sending it back to them to finish it up. The instrumentation was coming from them, whereas with this project, all of it is coming from my side; all of the producing, melody, and composition were from me. Not to say that I don’t produce stuff that is more electro, somewhat hip-hop leaning, but for this project itself, this kinda post-punk stuff was the most genuine and honest way to explore these contexts and themes.

Will there be a music video coming out to accompany the song’s release?

It’s funny you say that because there have been plans to do a music video for “Like The Movies” for a few months, and we were planning on having a music video come out with the single originally. We were planning on filming it early last month. However, two things happened: at the beginning of February, I ruptured a disk in my lower back and had to have back surgery. That was the first thing. I was completely out of commission for a month. That postponed things for quite a bit. When we were ready to do things again, everything got shut down and everyone was put into quarantine. At this point, I’d say that, yes, there will be a music video for it, but as for when it will be filmed in the way that we originally intended, it’s uncertain. 

I know a lot of other artists are trying to film music videos from home while quarantined, so is that something you’ve thought about doing?

I’ve been thinking of ways at home of using archival footage of films, but the issue with that is that it’d be a lot of time to do that and we could potentially run into licensing stuff if we put it on YouTube. I kinda had that idea and shelved it. I have so many other projects that are demanding my time right now that it’d be more appropriate if a fan did that kind of thing. I was trying to think of some ways to get a full visual piece for it. There are some social media assets, some really short things, that are going to be promoting the single, but they’re 15 seconds long as opposed to the full run of the song.

Outside of your upcoming song, you mentioned that toward the end of 2018, you had been playing around with different demos that all had various production styles and spent a lot of time trying to decide which ones to keep and how to make them feel more cohesive. How did you come to eliminate some of those demos?

I’m writing music all the time, constantly voice-memo’ing, making demos essentially. In 2018, I was kinda revisiting this massive pile of demos from the last year or so, and essentially, I listened through each one and made notes. The way that I came down to the ones that I wanted to pursue and fully flesh out was a combination of my own note taking and sending it to a few friends. One of those people was Kyler Hurley, [who is] a longtime friend and always great at giving feedback, and we exchange feedback all the time on each other’s projects. It was a combination of my own notes and feedback and things I wanted to pursue, along with notes compiled from friends and most specifically Kyler.

What are some things you’re looking forward to showcasing on your upcoming record?

It’s still a little bit secretive, but there will be a record coming out soon. “Like The Movies” will be on it. Without giving too much away, “Like The Movies” is definitely representative of the sonic landscape of the record and is a great kind of intro for what the rest of the record will feel like for people.

What are you currently listening to while in quarantine?

Being a longtime radio DJ in college and radio DJ for a little bit in Los Angeles and I had a monthly slow dance night, I’m always making playlists and listening to music. In terms of what I’m listening to this week, I am obsessed with the new TOPS album, I Feel Alive. I’ve also been listening to the newest Yumi Zouma record. Their new one’s called Truth or Consequences, and this is their first independent release and I’ve been in love with that band forever. Those are the top two right now. I’ve also just recently started the new Waxahatchee record, which is fantastic.

If one of your songs could be used in a movie soundtrack, what song and movie would you choose? 

I would say if it was “Like The Movies,” it would be super meta if it was used in a rom-com that’s very cinematic and epic. Maybe in “10 Things I Hate About You?” I think that seems like it’d be a very appropriate use.

What’s your go-to karaoke song?

Blink-182’s “I Miss You!”

What’s your guilty pleasure song?

I honestly don’t feel any type of shame about any music I listen to, but I would say Madonna’s “Borderline” just because it’s very cheesy and 80’s, but I also stand by that entire self-titled record.

What would you say to someone who’s listening to your music for the first time?

If this is the first song you’re hearing from NYIKO, I would encourage you to listen to the rest of my songs because there are some that are similar and some that are very different. Even if you hear this song and don’t like it, there’s a chance that you listen to the rest of my stuff and there will be something that speaks to you. That’s definitely a goal for my own music: to just push the boundaries of the style of music that I’m making. I’m super communicative on social media, and I love chatting with people. My Instagram is @_nyiko_ and I just made a Tik Tok, so there might be something happening there soon!

For fans of girl in red, joan, and COIN, NYIKO’s latest single could be your newest obsession! The track’s danceable and upbeat melody will be stuck in your head all day, but take a deeper look at the lyrics to really see the truth behind aspiring for a grandiose love. With questions within the lyrics like “Will you stay until the end / Even if it’s all pretend” or “Even the brightest stars burn out / How do you know we won’t too,” NYIKO challenges listeners to contemplate the harsh reality of expecting love to be how classic movies and shows portray relationships. Be sure to check out “Like The Movies” and keep an eye out for new music from NYIKO this year!