Interview: Indigo FM
Introducing the newest addition to the Silver Gun Records roster: Indigo FM
Indigo FM is the musical project of singer/songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Esteban Obando. Esteban was born in Bogota, Colombia to a musical family but grew up in Montreal, Canada where the family emigrated when he was a child. There, he showed an affinity for music and began taking piano lessons from an early age. During his teenage years, Esteban picked up the electric guitar and began playing in bands embarking on a life-time love affair with rock music. After graduating from Berklee College of Music in 2015, where he studied piano performance and Music Production, Esteban relocated to Los Angeles where he has lived ever since with his partner and longtime musical collaborator, Emma River.
Indigo FM formed as a band in 2019 and has since put out a string of successful singles including “Us Against the World”, “Daffodil”, “Houston” and “Anhedonia”. Since 2021, however Indigo FM has morphed into a solo project. Inspired by Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, on the upcoming record "A Billion Burning Suns" Esteban has written the songs, and multitracked all the parts with the exception of drums, provided by Bastian Jansen and Jarvis Jeb as well as background vocal arrangements provided by Emma River. A notable exception is the track "Hold That Thought" which came about as a fruitful collaboration between producer Alexis Rodriguez of Silver Gun Records and Esteban. Indigo FM's musical influences include the Strokes, Pink Floyd, Elliot Smith and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
What inspires your music?
Making music is the way I connect with the world. My goal is always to tap into something greater than myself. When I listen to my favorite records I feel understood, seen and heard by people I've never met. I feel more connected than in most of the conversations I have on a daily basis. In short, art makes me feel less alone. For me, creating art and sharing it is the most important thing. The feeling that my music is a tiny drop in the vast ocean of art that exists in the world gives me an immense sense of satisfaction because I know I'm a part of something greater than myself that I'm contributing to it in my own small way.
Who are some of your influences?
Pink Floyd, The Strokes, Elliot Smith, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Frusciante, Tame Impala
What are some of your favorite memories from your career?
Making and releasing the music video for my track “Houston” with the help of my super talented sister Susana Obando was great fun! Making live music videos of “Houston”, “Anhedonia” and “Daffodil” at Clear Lake Studios was also a rush. Tracking with a full band at the Village Studios was a great experience and dream come true in terms of making tracks "the old fashioned way" as opposed to me chipping away in front of the computer (which is what I currently like to do). Other fun gigs I remember are playing at the Venice Beach Art Walk as well as playing full band shows right before the pandemic.
Which of your songs/EPs/albums is your favorite and why?
Setting aside the new album, I have a soft spot in my heart for “Houston.” I love how upbeat it is. It also has a special meaning for me in that it expressed a lot of how I felt at the time of making it. I have the, maybe not unusual, tendency among artist not to listen back often to the music I've made for fear that I'll hear only the flaws or what I could've done differently. I don't think that'll ever go away which is also why the antidote for me is just to continue striving to create art that is authentic and true to me at the moment of creation, but even that is in permanent flux. I'm constantly learning and letting myself be influenced by different art and music so I doubt I could ever make the same song twice. I'm also very proud of “Anhedonia” and “Daffodil” both of which I co-wrote with Connor Sullivan.
Who are some of the collaborators who helped you create your favorite works?
My very favorite work I've created is the one I'm about to release and to complete it I had some invaluable help along the way. I would like to shout out Alexis Rodriguez @elaletsis who mixed and mastered the album, produced one of the coolest songs on it and provided encouragement and support throughout the whole process. Emma River @emmarivermusic was instrumental to me even finishing the dang thing. She was my sounding board and collaborator every step of the way, assisting me with beautiful vocal arrangements, encouragement and vital feedback. I also want to shout out Bas Janssen @radioactive_8reakfast and Jarvis Jeb @jarvisjeb for playing drums on the tracks and absolutely killing it! Lastly, I want to thank the friends who listened to the project in varying stages of completion and took the time to give me their thoughtful and constructive feedback. It made me see things I don't think I would've seen otherwise and made the whole thing better! I won't list them here but if you're reading this, you know who you are!
What are your goals for this upcoming year?
My goals for this year are to release my first ever album entitled A Billion Burning Suns, make it available on all major streaming platform as well as printing a limited run of vinyl LPs and making them available to fans. It's always been a dream of mine to put out an album that I can hold in my hands and listen to from start to finish on my record player, enjoying the experience the way I envision it would be enjoyed the most! What can I say? I've always been drawn to old things. I also plan to record and release a few live music videos of singles from the Album with new arrangements and instrumentation. I love to experiment and try different sound combinations so that should be tons of fun to create. Lastly, I plan to get my band together and play some shows towards the end of the year to push the album. I'm looking forward to seeing how the songs will fare in live mode versus the controlled environment that is the studio. That's the kind of stuff I love to do!
Parallel to all this I have a project to cull from old forgotten demos and see if I can find song seeds that inspire me to take them in a new direction. I'm also allowing myself to take more risks in production and songwriting. For example, I'm experimenting with automatic lyric writing and collating ideas to create interesting combinations. When you write like that, meaning becomes secondary to the sound of the words and it allows to project yourself onto the work which I find interesting. Likewise for production, I'm looking to incorporate different instruments and recording techniques to broaden my pallet. Sometimes the amount of things I want to do feels overwhelming but at least I'm constantly learning from my experiments.
How can our readers best support you right now?
By listening to Indigo FM on Spotify, Apple music, YouTube, etc. and more directly, by donating through the Indigo FM Spotify page.
A BILLION BURNING SUNS hits your favorite streaming platform in January, 2024