A Chat with The Kiss That Took A Trip (22.06.23)
The brainchild of artist M.D. Trello, The Kiss That Took A Trip is what happens when you drift away in a daydream then wake up lazing in the sun wondering what just happened. Driven by a relentless passion to provide a respite from the world of “quick-consumption music”, The Kiss That Took A Trip offers intimate, personal and tender melodies. We speak with The Kiss That Took A Trip about his EP Hold Music, future plans, creating music, and much more.
OSR: What drew you to music and why did you opt for the name “The Kiss That Took A Trip”?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: I’ve been passionate about music since I can remember. I often came up with primitive songs when I was a little kid, so the itch was always there, but as an adult, I never felt like it was the right moment to develop it. Eventually, it came a time (a few years after the turn of the century) when I thought that the musical landscape was degrading and starting to lack in quality. That’s when I pondered the idea of writing and releasing stuff, not because I viewed myself as someone who could raise the bar, of course, but purely to have a right to complain. It’s like that principle of “don’t complain if you don’t vote”, you know, only translated to the world of music: I want to criticize others, so I will have to expose my own work.
Regarding the name of the project, it’s taken directly from a song by Acid Mothers Temple, a crazy psychedelic musical band from Japan that I enjoy. Those words struck a chord in me immediately. It was love at first sight, and I instantly knew it was going to be my artistic moniker.
OSR: Why do you create music?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: There is a ridiculous amount of music out there, and I know this might sound cynical coming from someone who is contributing to that saturation. But I don’t feel bad about it because I’m part of that minority that happens to create music for themselves. I know it’s cool to have an audience and a response, but I can’t think of myself in a situation where I’m not giving birth to musical ideas, even if they don’t get materialised. For me, it’s all about the pleasure of witnessing your vision actually brought to life. In fact, it goes beyond that. I fancy the idea of building a music catalogue, the covers, the song titles, the themes… it’s like the most personal brand I can think of. But this is a very old-school thought with a marginal following, especially when I think about the new generation.
OSR: You recently released the EP, Hold Music. What can you tell us about it? Is there a theme or backstory?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: I released this EP as a means to get back on creative track after a sudden halt in my activity. Coming back to the song sketches I was working on proved to be really difficult, so I decided to make a fresh start and write a few songs from scratch. It worked like a charm and this has allowed me to resume work on what will be my next album. There were no preconceived themes, and the title Hold Music was only intended to address the fact that this EP is nothing more than a warm-up until the fourth album. But funnily enough, once the songs were done, I realised how much my personal issues had transpired through the songs. So, to answer the question, the theme of the EP might be subconscious catharsis.
OSR: Hold Music is your first release in about four years. Why the hiatus?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: The answer to this question is an amalgamation of diverse personal issues. It started, as for everyone, with the pandemic, but then problems refused to leave me alone. Family losses, breakups and all kinds of emotional turmoil entered the picture. Needless to say, it’s taken some time to gather the energy to devote myself to music again. Despite the lively colours on the cover, Hold Music is the direct outcome of the darkest period of my life.
OSR: Do you feel Hold Music is an evolution in your sound or just continuing what you created before?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: I didn’t conceive this EP as a step towards any specific musical place, but for some reason, it turned out to be the most electronic thing I’ve ever done, by far. So it looks like it could be an accidental stepping stone in the general direction of electronica. At the same time, I know myself quite well, and it’s likely that this batch of synth-based songs doesn’t point to my immediate musical future.
OSR: If you could change anything about Hold Music, what would it be and why?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: Answering “low fidelity production” or “bad vocals” would be too obvious, so I’ll take a different route. Musically I’m quite satisfied with the final result, but I had a hard time deciding if the last track should be split in two parts or not. And to this day I still haven’t made up my mind about it. Additionally, I might have gone too far with some of the lyrics on ‘Spiteful Hopeful’ and its running time. It’s one of those times when you kind of forget about the potential listeners in favour of releasing your inner demons.
OSR: If you could have the attention of the world for one minute, what would you say?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: “Understand the principles of science, reject all magical thinking, think for yourselves, stop caring about the image you project, and do your best to gather as many people as possible in order to subvert the current political regimes, so we all can achieve truly representative governments. And don’t let anybody tell you that a certain song sounds ‘dated’ or how you shouldn’t feature some instrument because it doesn’t fit a genre or a current trend”.
Then I’d be booed offstage, but hey, I tried.
OSR: What items did you buy during the pandemic years that you wouldn’t even consider buying post-pandemic?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: I’m far from the typical consumer profile. I try not to purchase anything I don’t really need. Now that I look back on 2020, I realise I cut down my expenses.
OSR: Do you have future plans as The Kiss That Took A Trip?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: My next milestone down the road is the fourth album. It’s been delayed, reworked, and re-recorded but it seems that it’s finally taking shape and entering its final stages. I’m just a few months away from starting the mixing and mastering process. I really want this next album to be something very special, because I feel it’s a huge step up, so I’ll try to act accordingly.
OSR: Do you have a message for our readers?
The Kiss That Took A Trip: I know how impossibly difficult it is to get anyone’s attention these days (myself included). We all have so little time for ourselves… I don’t even find the time to click on a musical recommendation on a streaming platform, so how could I expect people to bother doing what I can’t be bothered to do sometimes? So, if they feel that they can check me out someday, it’ll make me feel great. But I still think that’s quite a feat.
Many thanks to The Kiss That Took A Trip for speaking with us. For more from The Kiss That Took A Trip, check out his official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
