Tomemitsu

Over the last year, artists have had to get even more creative than usual to bring their ideas to life. Collaborating has become a particularly challenging prospect, but like any other kind of adversity, many musicians have learned how to connect with others in new ways in order to bring their vision to life. Los Angeles’ Tometisu is a prime example of this, as his new record, Sun, is his most collaborative work to date. Though Martin Roark, the multi-instrumentalist behind the project, is quite familiar with writing and recording music within the confines of his own bedroom, he decided to branch out from there, enlisting the talents of several friends, including Eva B. Ross, Christina Gaillaird, Lala Lala, and V.V. Lightbody. He also reunited with fellow Angeleno Dre Babinski of Steady Holliday, and the two recorded a reimagined version of their 2019 Valentine’s Day track “I’m Just Waiting For Your Love,” which ends Sun on a very sweet note. Despite the challenges this presented, Roark nicely pieces together these collaborative compositions with tracks that are solely his own creations. In addition to joint highlights like the bossa nova inspired “Wish Erase” and the spirited duet “Say You Want Me,” Roark also shines brightly on his own, particularly on the moving “The River,” the delicate, but radiant “And Now (Sunrise),” and the ambient “A Little Prayer.” It’s a mix that flows seamlessly and sees Roark cohesively incorporating a number of contributors, while still staying true to his gorgeous brand of lush bedroom pop. 

Sun is out now via Friends of Friends and we had the chance to catch up with Roark to chat about the process of making the record, his background, and what it was like collaborating during the pandemic:

How has the last year been for you? How have you been spending your time? You record a lot at home, but at the onset of the pandemic, did you find yourself able to jump into writing and recording? Or did it take some time?

This last year has been quite the rollercoaster. So much has happened in the world that creativity often took a backseat to just facing the onslaught of what the pandemic has brought. Fortunately, I had recorded most of my album by 2020 and was focused on the final bits and mixing. It's all been exciting and nerve-wracking. But I've been trying to ride the wave and take the ups and downs as best I can. I released an EP the week that George Floyd was murdered and that really put things into perspective. It was a good opportunity to refresh, to listen more, and to think about how difficult life is for many others right now. During the pandemic, I was still working (in healthcare) so I didn't have the vast amounts of "free time" that many were dealing with. I would write and record when I had ideas, but this last year has not been my most productive. Despite all that, I obviously still love writing and recording and try to do it as often as I can. Even without social justice revolution or a pandemic, musical ideas come and go in spurts so I find that I am happier with myself if I don't stress out over creativity draughts.

How’d you get your start playing music? You’re based in Los Angeles. Were you involved in playing in any bands/projects in and around L.A. before you started recording as Tomemitsu?

I began playing music as a child in the San Francisco Bay area. My dad tried to teach my sister and I piano. I picked up the cello for school orchestra, which led me to the bass, and eventually to the guitar and drums. I played in some punky and screamy bands in junior high and high school and when I moved down to LA to attend USC I eventually started a band before I graduated. Then after moving around LA for a little while I found myself playing bass or guitar in many bands around town (So Many Wizards, Crown Plaza, Trabants, Basement Babies, Dark Waves, Nylon Smile). Throughout all this, I was always writing songs on my nylon string guitar gifted by my uncle. I submitted a track I had written after a tough breakup titled "in dreams'" to a summertime compilation from a blog called Portals and they accepted it. After that, I had developed a little confidence and my Basement Babies bandmate Andy was always telling me to put out a solo record so I collected a bunch of demos together and called the record M_o_d_e_s, which is an anagram of "demos". Then a bunch more music happened haha.

You collaborated with several different artists on this record. How were you able to incorporate these varied contributions and still make the record sound cohesive? How would you compare making this record to Loaf Eye or the I’ll Be Alright EP?

My first record was completely solo. Then Loaf Eye introduced a couple friends from other bands like Christina Gaillard of Crown Plaza and Erik Felix of So Many Wizards. Half of the songs from the I'll Be Alright Ep are also on Sun, and the other half were brought in from other sessions. When recording my newest record I knew that I wanted to have more friends involved. It's just more fun with homies and there are parts they can perform better than I can. I think the key to keeping any record cohesive is having some common themes of instrumentation throughout. Mostly I try to involve my nylon string guitar in all of my tracks. That guitar coupled with my voice keeps everything in the "tomemtisu" realm. When I recorded my first two records, half of it was just done with the laptop mic facing whatever instrument I was playing. I have since turned my spare bedroom into a mini-studio aka Laveta Loca Studios, with a couple decent mics and preamps and some nice bass traps for acoustic treatment. I'm working my way from lo-fi to mid-fi.

You collaborated with V.V. Lightbody on “Same Mistakes” and “Wish Erase.” How’d you two originally connect? And I know you only had a short time to record in person together, so what was that like and how were you able to put the track together?

I have long been a fan of the Chicago music scene since I was a hopelessly emo teenager obsessed with the Kinsella brothers' projects like Joan of Arc, Cap'n Jazz, and American Football. Usually, if I find a new artist I like I'll just shoot them a message to let them know, and fortunately that has led to some nice friendships and collaborations. Vivan's first record "Bathing Peach" has an amazing closing track called "90s". After reaching out to her I found out we had a mutual appreciation of each other's work. I happened to have a song (Same Mistakes) that I had envisioned flutes on, and Vivian had planned to visit LA after finishing a tour playing flutes for Lala Lala. So the timing was perfect. Since I had most of the idea fleshed out in midi, it wasn't too tricky to go through it with Viv while she made some tasty adjustments. Recording with her was fun and breezy since she is super pro, but down to earth too.

For “Wish Erase,” you mentioned that you were inspired by the Brazilian song “Aguas de Marco” by Tom Jobim and Elis Regina. What was it about that song that appealed to you and has Brazilian music influenced your songwriting in other ways?

"Wish Erase" was partly inspired by the track "Aguas de Marco" performed by Tom Jobim and Elis Regina. I'm so in love with bossa nova music, probably because my mom is from Brazil and we have visited many times since I was young- often to stay with my family in Rio de Janeiro. I think that the bossa-nova vibe fits me. There's some beachy sunny optimism contrasted by melancholic sadness. Musically I was inspired by the playfulness of the piano, the syncopated feel of the guitar, and the wonderful interplay of male and female vocals. Another bossa-nova artist I love is Joao Gilberto. I just love the way that the guitar and vocals interact.

What was it like collaborating over the internet with Lala Lala, Christina Gaillard, and V.V. Lightbody on this record? What were some of the challenges? Were there aspects to it that you found easier? What was each of them able to bring to the record? 

Working on music via the internet can be challenging, but that's ok. I think what I enjoy most about internet collaborations is that the work falls on the individual. Instead of coordinating a day to record and work with someone else, they just do it on their own time. Since I mostly started Tomemitsu to be able to work independently, I appreciate working in this way a lot. Bands are like relationships with multiple people, and songs written are like the babies conceived from those relationships. So I find that collaborating with someone who doesn't have a similar vibe can be just as difficult in person as it is over the internet. With all the wonderful women (Vivian McConnell, Lillie West, Christina Gaillard, Eva B. Ross, Dre Babinski, Lisa Sonoda) who contributed to my record, it was super fun and easy. Aside from the parts I recorded with Vivian in person, everyone recorded their vocals themselves with their own setups. Lilie also tracked guitars and keyboards at home, and Vivian also tracked some additional vocals at home. It can be challenging to mix together parts that were recorded under different conditions, but not impossible. It's just so rewarding to have more female voices on my songs and I'm super grateful to have had those opportunities.

The instrumental track “A Little Prayer” reminded me a little bit of “Boa Noite,” the closing track on the I’ll Be Alright EP. I read that that track came from a meditative recording session. Did you approach recording “A Little Prayer” in a similar manner? There’s also a powerful spoken word part on the track. Where’d you get that from?

The song "A little prayer" actually is mostly influenced by the organ parts of Yo La Tengo and the end of the Daniel Johnston track "Walking the Cow" where he holds onto a really sad chord on the keyboard. Whereas "Boa Noite" was recorded live after a meditation with Lisa Sonoda who collaborated with synthesizers and Tibetan singing bowls, "A little prayer" was tracked over a weekend the year before the pandemic. I like the idea of metaphorically sitting on something while it wavers between two states. I think the organ chords I chose kinda sit between states of hopefulness and sadness. I started writing the track with the idea that it would be a bass-centric track for a little contrast to the guitar-dominated rest-of-the-album, but I loved how the droning organ pulses throughout. The vocal sample was found by just searching the internet for "free vocal samples". I was led to a site with lots of old recordings and snippets from NASA projects and missions from the 60s and 70s. I think the sample fit perfectly because it's cautionary while still being appreciative of the grandeur of space. I think of it as a little moment of calm before the last phase of the album.

You originally released “I’m Just Waiting for Your Love” with Steady Holiday back in 2019, but you re-recorded a different version for this record. Why’d you decide to revisit and re-record the track?

I re-recorded "I'm just waiting for your love" because I had some unresolved issues with hiss on some of the recorded tracks on the first version, which I had accepted because I was trying to release it on a deadline for Valentine's day. Not only did I relish the opportunity to clean up my vocals, but I also had fun redoing the song at a bit faster tempo. The first version is nice and slow-core. This new version is more romantic and flowing. Dre was able to redo her vocals at home this time (since it was during the pandemic) and they turned out superb!

Do you have a favorite song on this record or a song that you loved either the backstory of or the process of?

One of my favorite tracks on the record is "And Now (Sunrise)" which is also a new version of a previously released song. This is one of Leeor at Friends of Friends Records favorite songs. The original version was born as the middle track of a concept EP (The Cave EP) depicting a fall into and out of sadness. It was super fulfilling to re-record this one with more consideration for traditional arrangements. This is my first recording where I performed an improvised solo on bass guitar. However, I liked the take so much I doubled it an octave up on guitar to help it stand out. I demoed this one in a couple of other styles too.

Which song are you most excited to share in the live setting once shows return? And how do you envision performing these tracks?

Taking time off from a band setting has led me to miss playing with my bandmates so much. However, coordinating the schedules of many is much more difficult than coordinating for one. While I’m excited at the prospect of returning to playing with friends again, I'm still unsure of how I feel about returning to pre-pandemic show life. I prefer writing and recording, where I can make mistakes and try again and again. Since I often record many layers it’s tough to translate to a live situation. It's fun for me to revise songs so doing a stripped-down acoustic set is a likely avenue.

Who are some artists from your local scene that you’d recommend to our readers?

In LA there are so many great musicians running around it's hard to choose just a couple, but I'll do it anyways: Post-Life is one of my favorite LA punk bands and features drums by So Many Wizards member Erik Felix. Sonoda is a super dreamy experimental pop band who also helped out on my record. If you like Broadcast you will like Sonoda. Obviously, check out the latest records from Steady Holiday "Take the Corners Gently" and V.V. Lightbody "Make a Shrine or Burn It". Both are absolute bangers.

What’s next? 

Let’s all stay safe and we get through this pandemic stronger and smarter. I’ll keep making music since it keeps making me happy. Grab a copy of Sun on yellow vinyl from Friends of Friends records on Bandcamp and I hope to come perform for you soon!

Sun is available to purchase on limited edition vinyl via Bandcamp or Friends of Friends Records. You can also stream it on your platform of choice. Keep up with tomemitsu by following him on Instagram and liking him on Facebook.