In Conversation With #192 - Cj Pandit
Cj Pandit has just released his sophomore EP ‘+44’ - providing us with an unique snapshot on how he sees the world.
Born out of a necessity to create and express, the four track body-of-work depicts freedom, reliance, change, self confidence, guilt and what it means to push your boundaries creatively. Each track on the record makes its own mark, culminating in a dynamic, genre-bending record that is here to occupy a space all of its own.
He took a moment to talk to us about how this EP came together.
Hey there Cj Pandit, how are you? So your new EP is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hey! I’m good, thank you. It feels great, strange but great. It’s been a real learning process I think, what it means to put music out has changed and is always changing but i think it’s reinforced my commitment to making art.
It is titled ‘+44’ - does that have a certain meaning behind it?
It does, it’s the UK’s international phone code, and was one of those things that kept popping up and came to have a whole different connotation by the end of the process. It felt so important to find out who I could lean on, and who could lean on me and who we could call in our times of need.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
I made it up in Liverpool where I've been working for the last few years in Mike Hall’s (Clean Cut Kid) studio “Deadroom”. Mike, his wife Evelyn and myself wrote and recorded this EP over a couple of months during the second lockdown. It was a relief to see other human beings and just be creative. Proper salvation really during that time. Zero outside distractions meant we had time to experiment with more things than we’d tried before. Probably the best thing to come out of those sessions was solidifying my love for Bea, their tiny dog. She started coming in and sleeping on my bed during that EP and I don’t think I have ever been so happy in my whole life.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
Friendship, confidence, guilt. We’re all racked with so many insecurities that get amplified in this world and I think I wanted to embrace them on this EP. I think we’ve pushed ourselves so hard musically and creatively to achieve something better than what we created yesterday and that can only come from a place of honesty. It hurts to be as open as I have been with this EP but it felt like a necessity, and I hope some of the songs find people that need them.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
It’s either the double denim wearing therapist line from +44 or ‘you said you had a dream, that you kissed me in the rainforest cafe.’ line from boyfriend. Both feel fun and kinda throwaway but so incredibly specific at the same time. Love being hypocritical.
If your EP could be the soundtrack to any film - which one and why?
Any Adam Sandler. Aspire to have his outlook on life one day.
Now the EP is out there - what next for you?
Album! We’ve made it, I'm incredibly proud of it. Now I just want to go and gig and build the fanbase and the world I want my music to exist in so by the time that comes out everything is flying. I’ve been working a lot on other pieces of art to go alongside all the music too. Making zine’s, film photography; I even bought a type writer to write a sort of daily log whilst in the studio. My different creative arms need to be stretched at all times so with every release I feel completely satisfied i’ve given everything I can.
