Interview

East India Youth

Interview by Derek Robertson
Photos shot by Isolde Woudstra in Amsterdam, NL

With his headlining slot at our 10 Year next week, we sat down with East India Youth’s William Doyle to talk pressure, self-reliance, and why he’s striding further into the spotlight. With new album Culture of Volume, William Doyle is aiming for the stars, but flying high – and flying solo – has long been his preferred modus operandi. We talked about pressure, being self-reliant, and why he’s striding further into the spotlight.

East India Youth

You used to be in a band. What prompted you to go it alone?

Frustration and boredom. I’d already established a way of working by myself when I was around 14, recording on the computer. Then I just started playing in bands. So it was a return to my roots more than anything. It wasn’t like ‘let’s try this out and see how it goes’, it was a case of ‘this works better, so let’s do it again’. I enjoy working by myself more and feel like I can get to the heart of my ideas a lot quicker on my own.

How did it feel when you made that decision?

‘All my pop star ambitions exist right now, in this space.’

It was a watershed moment in my life generally, when I finally clicked that Total Strife Forever was going to be a thing. Finishing that off, I’d never felt more exhilarated and felt like I had a direction. I didn’t have anything in my life at that time really, but I’d just entered a new relationship and you know when you fall in love and it’s a really vibrant time – like everything is just fucking amazing and beautiful? The music was so much more emotional and had that content to it, and everything just fell into place.

There’s no hiding place – either with writing or performing – when it’s all down to you. Does that cause pressure?

Yeah, but I don’t see it as pressure, it’s just the way I’ve chosen to be and I have to live with it. Also, there’s no pressure anyway because people let me do whatever I want; I’m given license to go wherever I see my ideas going and that’s really cool.

East India Youth 2 - Isolde

What’s the idea with stepping out from behind your table and into centre stage?

Basically my gear is still in front of me, but it’s all on stands now, so there’s more of a dynamic to it. It was on a flat surface and I felt tied to it, so now it feels far more fluid; it feels like I’m not looking down and tweaking things, I’m engaging with the audience, which is what I wanted to do more. My main thing with this record is that I want to take the one-man-band aspect as far as it will go.

Does that have to do with the “pop star ambitions” you’ve talked about?

Yeah. Pop music, and being a pop star, is about having an immediate reaction to something, both in the music and the representation of it. I have my avant-garde / electronic influences bubbling under the surface, and that informs how the top layer is presented, but that top layer is very pop. So, my ambitions are to be taken as seriously as any pop musician, but to never feel afraid to let those other influences come to the surface and push those as a part of what you do. Lots of people have done that – Bowie did it, Madonna’s done it – we just don’t have those similar type of pop icons now. Culture of Volume is my stab at doing all that in a way that can be accessible.

With the new album, does it feel like you are standing on the precipice, ready to jump off again?

It did until I completely removed myself from the situation; it’s other people’s jobs to do certain things now. I’ve made the record, it’s coming out, and there’s nothing I can do about it now; I can’t go back in time and change it! My only focus is touring and making sure the live show is as strong as it can be, as well as starting the next record, so it doesn’t really feel like I’m on the edge again. Releasing a record is a sure-fire way of inducing anxiety, for sure, but I’m more comfortable with the way things work and less curious about them too; I’ll be alright.

East India Youth 3 - Isolde

East India Youth plays OT301 on 28 March in Amsterdam as part of Subbacultcha Forever. The event is free for Subbacultcha members before midnight.