Inkakai On the Making Of “Drown (Shadow Version)”
Can you share any interesting or unique stories or perspectives in "Drown (Shadow Version)?"
This version of “Drown” deviates from the traditional Inkakai sound quite a bit. The band instruments take a backseat, giving a lot of room for the vocals and adding some piano that complements the song. Lyrically, the song tells a raw story of depression and heartbreak; one that continues in the main version of “Drown” that's more on the melodic side of the typical Inkakai sound.
The Shadow Version was written already in 2004 with producer Tomi Malm and our singer-songwriter wrote the piano verse around 2001-2002. We wanted to keep the authenticity and mood of that time of creation, so the released version has some recorded tracks from 2004.
While the later continuations of “Drown” – “Ariel” included – would paint pictures of fictious situations of people and relationships that never existed, these lyrics were heartfelt by the singer as they were written in the throes of real heartbreak. This can be heard on the vocal track, and we wanted to keep the vocals raw in that sense to let that come through.
How did you work with the producer or engineers to bring your vision for "Drown (Shadow Version)" to life?
The song went through a few arrangements throughout the years. For example, the original version had just the piano and vocals. For a long time, the Shadow Version was just gathering dust while we figured out what to do with it and focused on other songs. It wasn’t until around 2020 or so when Malm came up with the idea for this new version which served as the starting point for the final one. Our singer-songwriter did some re-arranging, sang vocals, and the rest of the band added some instruments on top of it.
What has been one of your favorite memories along the path to making "Drown (Shadow Version)?"
At the time of the first recording in 2004, Inkakai’s singer-songwriter was working a lot with Malm. Despite the darker lyrics, the recording sessions were very enjoyable and innovative – and probably also a healing experience, considering the themes of the song that allowed dealing with those emotions.
When reading something from almost two decades ago, it really gives perspective to oneself – but also serves as reminder that those emotions, these themes, are still extremely current today. Maybe even more so with the decline in mental health that can be directly connected to the influence of drugs and social media, and other negative phenomena related to them.
But in all depressive songs – at least from the perspective of this songwriter – the purpose is to get those emotions out of your system so that you can move on and grow from them. Not to dwell on them or become depressed by them. The best part of looking back at something like this in 2023 is realizing that you survived. In the end it’s all about survival.
What has been the most memorable experience or achievement in your music career so far?
If we go through these in chronological order, the first achievement would be our singer-songwriter getting his first record and publishing deal with Helsinki Music Company in 2005 – being able to quit his day job and focus on music which made a world of difference at the time. In hindsight that time is still precious as it was the first time he experienced anything like that in his life, and there was something very pure and special about taking the first steps as a professional songwriter. Lots of good memories.
He would later on end up co-writing with Max Martin and Per Aldeheim in 2006, a Fireal song called ‘Breathe’. Even though Martin’s involvement was brief, it showcased some of his genius that can be heard in his other works. Aldeheim was also a true professional and a great pleasure to work with.
Next up would be the Best Nordic Song award in NRJ Awards 2007 with ‘Fate’ featuring Ana Johnsson. Co-writing with Johnsson and Malm was a great experience, one that we continued on her album Little Angel with songs like “Coming Out Strong” that even resemble our sound of the time. The movie Jade Warrior that featured the song has a similar Finnish-Asian connection that we have in Inkakai with our multinational band members.
Chronologically third would not be any public achievement but extremely crucial regrouping of the band in 2009. Moving on from certain past toxic band members was a game changer and a big step towards a healthier and more balanced band.
In more recent years, the recruitment of international band members in 2019-, upgrading our style into the anonymous and masked one it is today – according to plan of the original sketch from 2012 – has been incredibly rewarding. For the first time it really feels like we’ve found the right way to do this thing which represents a plethora of things that we’ve loved since childhood.
Also, having Tim Palmer on board to mix the original version of Drown in 2022 was definitely a highlight for us. Especially considering that for some of us albums like Pearl Jam’s ‘Ten’ were the main reason we wanted to form a band in the first place, not forgetting U2 or ‘Beautiful Day’ which still sounds amazing today.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a musician, and how did you overcome them?
Generally speaking, the challenges of being a musician usually start with making a living out of it. With the abundance of music being released daily, it’s hard for an independent artist to stand out and build a viable career without the help of some serious financing and/or a bigger label. In our case, the challenges are greater in some ways because we are not invested in social media, not interacting with people that much and not touring at the moment.
While these challenges still exist, we’ve made the conscious decision not to let them hinder us. The modern trends or needs of the industry won’t dictate our lives, but neither will we abandon our music simply because this is not the easiest path to walk on. Obstacles are made to be overcome – and sooner or later, the path will become clearer.
On a more personal note, the biggest challenge in our band has probably been certain past band members and the consequences of them being in the band – and being let go of. The regrouping of 2009 was a huge change for the positive, but it wasn’t until 2019 when we let go of someone connected to the guitarists of the previous lineup that we finally moved on to a more peaceful direction. Yet, nothing changes the damage done – especially if it’s still ongoing. The random trash talk of a rabble can be easily ignored as it holds no power among the true professionals. But when it becomes conscious sabotage via friends and/or associates who work in Finnish media and metal labels, it’s a bit different then. It doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to know what’s going on when doors that have been wide open for years suddenly shut and songs that were about to go into heavy rotation suddenly don’t and all communication falls silent without an explanation.
This happening right after letting go of one last bad apple who happened to be connected to certain guitarists from a former lineup, was no coincidence. It’s true they might have had success in their sabotage efforts, but the fact remains that smart people always listen to both sides of the story. And those who don’t, well, their opinions don’t really matter in the end.
As a more global phenomenon, we already live in the golden age of misinformation where people are trigger-happy to cancel the next person or thing, actually eager to jump on the hate bandwagon. Modern times have made it especially easy to demonize one to others, especially if they’re somehow “weird” or antisocial and in general a bit disconnected from the rest of the society.
Some of us have been extremely unlucky that way – but to focus on the positive: the main takeaway here is that we survived, and that the bad apples are no longer in our lives. Coming from all that and then finding serenity, fairness, friendship, and peace with new band members, has truly been a blessing. When you have gone through Hell and survived, you really know how to appreciate your small slice of Heaven.
