Nick Hakim appears to inherently perceive the worth of silence, of sparseness. The kid of a Peruvian father and a Chilean mom, Hakim was born in Washington, D.C., and now resides in a quiet pocket of the Ridgewood neighborhood in Queens, New York, alongside the Brooklyn border. After we catch up over Zoom lately, he’s calm and composed, sometimes plinking his piano as he speaks. Close to the top of our interview, the dialog veers towards legendary experimental composer John Cage. Hakim goes to his bookshelf, and reveals me his copy of Silence, a group of essays Cage wrote between the Thirties and Sixties.
However his disposition modifications every time he begins speaking about creating or enjoying to a crowd, whether or not that’s at a large competition or in a small, intimate room. His voice virtually trembles as he will get misplaced interested by the expertise of constructing, one thing he’s been doing since his early EPs and his spectacular 2017 debut album Inexperienced Twins. Final October, he launched his third album Cometa, an formidable mission that pulls inspiration from musical greats comparable to Stevie Surprise, Iggy Pop, and David Bowie. The experimental influences of every artist might be heard all through the file, notably on the roiling bass, eclectic guitar, and hushed speak-singing of “Feeling Myself.” Elsewhere, tracks like “Vertigo” flirt with trap-esque drums fused with romantic guitars. “Fragrance,” in the meantime, is a hushed ode to a lover’s leftover scent, every line delivered with Hakim’s quick-paced falsetto.
Following an album launch present performed near residence on the Ridgewood venue TV Eye, Cometa has taken Hakim to locations like London, Paris, and Acapulco’s Tropico Fest. “These had been an enormous studying expertise for me in an unimaginable method,” Hakim tells Rolling Stone. “I actually like enjoying on my own, and I actually like enjoying small, small venues.” This 12 months, he’ll hold going with a tour throughout the U.S. and Canada, after which he’ll return to Europe for a run of March dates earlier than heading to Latin America. “I’m going again all the way down to Chile and Peru after the European dates that we do that 12 months. I’m most likely simply going with my guitar and possibly I’ll do a solo present or one thing down there, however I’m primarily going to go see a variety of my household that I haven’t seen since 2008 or so,” he says.
Forward of the brand new dates, Hakim spoke to Rolling Stone about making Cometa (and a sister album that’s on its method) and shared what he’s trying ahead to now that his music is transferring by way of the universe.
I used to be on the TV Eye present, which was the primary present for Cometa. I used to be close to the again, however the vitality was palpable. How had been you feeling that first night time of the file’s launch?
It was good to be near residence. It was an attention-grabbing present as a result of it was the primary time that particular band and I had performed collectively as a bunch. I’ve been making an attempt out new ensembles of musicians, so it was attention-grabbing to play that music with them. It was like all of us type of realized it for the primary time. Particularly after lockdown and never enjoying for some time, it’s been fairly an adjustment getting again into the groove. With an ensemble of musicians, I believe the primary occasions it may be tough, however as we’re actually beginning to settle into it, how we method every factor, there’s the components that we attempt to honor or decide to be taught, and we mess around inside them. For the previous nevertheless a few years, I normally simply play guitar and sing. That is my first time doing reveals the place I’m primarily enjoying keyboard, and that’s been a enjoyable adjustment for me. I play a variety of piano at residence, so I’m all the time type of practising. I really feel like I observe piano greater than I observe guitar, however I’m all the time exploring. The objective for me is to only hold determining the way it can develop into such as you, when [the instrument] actually feels such as you’re not pondering, when it’s part of your physique, you understand? These moments of enjoying the place it’s like, “Oh, that is pure.”
How did the remainder of the discharge reveals go in California, London, and Mexico?
L.A. was most likely probably the greatest reveals we’ve performed in a very long time as a bunch. London was wonderful, and it was solo. Final week, I truly performed two reveals in Spain all through Galicia. Mexico was nice; my mom is from Chile and my father’s from Lima, so I’m truly making an attempt to go all the way down to South America. I used to be in Brazil in August, engaged on my good friend Arto Lindsay’s file.
That is our first headline tour in a short time, since earlier than the pandemic. I’m most enthusiastic about occurring the highway with individuals who will all be enjoying on one another’s set. The openers for the U.S. dates are this unimaginable artist June McDoom and her band mates Evan Wright and Sergio Tabanico, who’s a Mexican-American saxophone participant. All of them play in June McDoom’s band, and I’m going to be singing with them on the tour. They’re going to be part of my set in direction of the top. I’m simply actually enthusiastic about touring with musicians that may all type of share house with one another. I really feel like we’re simply going to get so fucking good by the top. I simply actually love their music, and I’m excited to go on the highway and construct a musical dynamic and a bond with them, which I already really feel actually heavy with them.
Cometa’s been out since October. How are you feeling concerning the file now that it’s been out for a little bit bit?
I’m so comfortable that it’s on the market. I really feel actually optimistic about it, and I simply need to hold going and rising, hold constructing my life. I’m simply going to maintain writing. This album is a little bit timepiece. It actually jogs my memory of lockdown, and it was actually what stored me optimistic throughout that point. Having these songs made me really feel very nice, and I nonetheless really feel that method. I’m excited to maintain enjoying them.
Would you name this a lockdown file?
It truly is. I felt like… what else may we do besides get busy? There was an extended time frame, like the primary chunk of it, which was tough. I didn’t do something. I put out my second album [Will This Make Me Good] on Could 15, 2020. I’m glad I did it, however I used to be not in a extremely good headspace. It simply was so bizarre for anybody that was releasing music and for everybody normally. It was tragic and it was unhappy and it was complicated, however after I put that file out, I had possibly like a month and a half the place I didn’t do something. I used to be simply not caring for myself. I had some those that had been actually inspiring, associates who would name like, “Oh, I’m understanding on daily basis, maintaining a healthy diet…”
I heard about these folks, however it’s like… “What do you imply you’re not crying in your sofa?”
Actually! I felt so defeated. I didn’t really feel good. After my second album, I felt like making something can be making it about me or one thing. I simply felt so many issues. I believe that’s the rationale I didn’t put [Cometa] out till now. I knew that the subject of the file and the subject material was made with simply me in a room. I made that file with none exterior perspective. It was a mirrored image of how I used to be feeling, and I believe I used to be actually making an attempt to speak optimistic issues and speak about issues that I care about. After that lengthy part of not doing something in any respect, I type of bought my shit collectively, and I began organizing and composing. I put collectively possibly like 40 demos or one thing… I principally have been engaged on two data this entire time. I’m ending up the opposite one proper now.
So is the subsequent one a sister file to Cometa?
They’re so totally different. I’m not making an attempt to hurry something, both. I’ve by no means actually made a file the place I used to be rushed to get one thing on the market. I really feel like there’s artists that I like a lot who’re like that. Frank [Ocean] has like three albums, D’Angelo too, My Bloody Valentine has like two. After all, then you may have folks like Prince, Stevie Surprise, and Marvin Gaye who stored making stuff on a regular basis and placing it out. I’m so impressed by these folks, though under no circumstances making an attempt to match myself to them. I do know my work, I do know my functionality, and I really feel like I’m pondering of what my threshold is of pushing myself into a brand new type of house. I turned utterly obsessive about ending [Cometa], and it was actually onerous as a result of these songs are so particular to me.
You sound such as you crafted this with such care. What stands out to you on that album?
I believe “Occur” was a kind of occasions the place I simply was not interested by something in addition to, just like the guitar and the melody and among the phrases that got here to me and like, and it’s so easy. It’s such a easy tune. My intention was actually pure, I believe.
I bear in mind after I wrote it, I awakened at, like 5 within the morning, utterly shaking. I’ve a variety of hassle sleeping generally, and generally I get up and I’ll have to seek out one thing that calms me down. I simply began enjoying it, after which I went into the studio later that day and I tracked the guitar and had my good friend monitor some drums. If you get so deep right into a sure factor, it’s inconceivable so that you can deny the trail that it must go on. The trail might be chaotic — for me, it might really feel actually chaotic. It’s summary to me, how I come to those conclusions. I’m a scholar, and I need to continue learning and getting higher on piano and guitar. I need to hold being conscious of how my voice is rising and how one can adapt to it by way of totally different phases in my life.
Cometa Tour Dates
North America
1/24 – Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe
1/26 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Corridor
1/27 – Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
1/28 – Nashville, TN @ The Blue Room
1/30 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Corridor
1/31- Austin, TX @ Parish
2/01 – Dallas, TX @ Membership Dada
2/03 – Phoenix, AZ @ Insurgent Lounge
2/04 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
2/05 – Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriets
2/07 – Los Angeles, CA @ Regent
2/08 – San Francisco, CA @ Regency
2/10 – Portland, OR @ Surprise Ballroom
2/11 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos
2/12 – Vancouver, BC @ Hollywood Theater
Europe
3/12 – Berlin, Germany @ Lido
3/13 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg OZ
3/15 – Paris, France @ Trabendo
3/16 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique Rotonde
3/18 – London, England @ The Discussion board