faang's new music video for "Rockstar" follows them and a group of friends speeding through the vacant streets of L.A. and encapsulates the energy of those that reside there. It’s pure chaos that erupts from beneath the surface of this cinematic masterpiece, with camera shots are pure flames. The heavy bass coupled with a badass guitar riff that lingers throughout the video is quite literally enough to send you to the f*cking moon.
Read our exclusive interview with the duo below.
What’s the perfect place or mood to listen to your music?
Going really fast in a car. Or when you're in a plane, the moment it's lifting off the runway.
What do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
Hope and maybe a little bit of euphoria (but not too much) and a whole lotta swag.
In what dimension do you think that your upbringing and environment shaped the sound of your music?
Ky—I think listening to Kanye at his peak while experiencing the first gen of an internet driven over-exposure to an unattainable standard of success has kind of defined our production style. The hyper relevant pop-yet-cinematic aesthetic of MBDTF and Yeezus inspire me to this day and has influenced so much of what we make.
Luke—Adding to what Ky said, having grown up all over the country and never feeling attached to a physical place, I really feel like I was raised on the internet, and have always had a self aware but burning desire to be deep down the rabbit hole of American spectacle, so that level of mediation and energy totally shapes the music for me.
Do you like to accentuate the meaning of the song with your visuals or do you prefer to give the song a whole new meaning with a music video?
Ky—At this point I’m not trying to establish a real narrative that binds the songs and visuals together. The visuals are more like scenes from a movie that takes place in a “faang world” so to speak, the soundtrack of which is our music. I do want to start moving towards more narrative driven work for faang in the future though.
Luke—Our aspirations are to get to the point where we have the resources and the tech we use is advanced enough where we can independently produce cinematic film-like experiences for faang.
For “Rockstar”, you’ve created an awesome music video. How does it compliment the story of the song?
Honestly the video was mostly an excuse to get a bunch of our friends together and have fun on camera. We also wanted to converge a bunch of cool people that we know, we've always felt like there's this crazy diversity of subgroups that make up the creative scene in NY and LA that are rarely all seen on camera together.
faang is a project of 2 artists. How do you divide the work? What’s the biggest advantage of being a duo in the studio?
Ky—I design and render out all of the 3D visuals we do, sometimes working with other photographers and DP’s for the live action portion of the work. I also produce/engineer all of the music. I think the biggest benefit of being a duo is whenever one of us is having a depressive episode the other one can help bring us out of it.
Luke—I do the majority of the vocals and creative direct a lot of the visuals alongside Ky. Another aspect of faang that I work on is the upcycling of “faang merch” by reworking vintage and designer clothes to have minimal net waste and brand them faang clothing to build out the world of faang, contrasting the studio level quality of Ky’s 3D work so we have both the physical and digital covered on the race to create fully saturated visuals.
The music video of “Rockstar” is very chaotic but in the best way possible. Why did you choose this mood for the video? And what’s the message of the visuals?
Ky—When we made the song, tensions were super high in the US and the world in general. "Rockstar" is a playful exploration of the grey area of these internal and external conflicts.
Luke—When I wrote, “Who knows what the right side is,” it was really me verbalizing the conflict that I felt making another song titled “Rockstar” in the hip-hop trap vein. That lyric is testament to the conflict we feel making hip hop adjacent music, while continuing to do so because at the end of the day we genuinely love making it and seeing how the stuff we’ve made has inspired and brought people together.
"Satellites” is a real bop where you showcase your massive songwriting talent. Tell us more about the message of the song. And is the song based on your experiences in your career?
Ky—Luke and I are both kind of obsessed with technological advancement whether it's good or bad, and the implications it has on our future. The song felt a little like it belonged in a more optimistic yet still dystopian version of Blade Runner. That's what inspired its loose narrative of a departure from earth at the tail end of an apocalypse while also feeling like there is something beautiful to starting from scratch.
Luke—"Satellites" is an aspirational ballad that acknowledges how much damage has been done and continues to be done, dancing on the razor's edge of the touch and go race between Utopia and Oblivion, a poem in the dark.
Your lyrics are honest and very relatable. Have you ever felt a barrier between your emotions and songwriting? What’s the key to a good song for you?
Ky—We’ve both grown to respect the difficulty that can often arise when trying to connect an emotion to a lyric in a song in a way that really feels genuine. The hardest thing is getting this translation right, and performing it in a way that captures the spontaneous energy of felt when freestyling on a beat or instrumental for the first time. A good song to me is something that evokes emotion. It often has nothing to do with what is being said, but if an artist can align the instruments sonically or sing in a way that viscerally captures an emotion. I think that makes for a great song.
Luke—I agree.
Imagine COVID ends tomorrow, what’s the first thing you guys would do?
As douchey as this is, throw a party at Chateau Marmont. Or maybe the private club James Goldstien has in his house.
This should come as no surprise, because as anyone could tell, Tohji is a man who likes to have fun and look good doing it. The artist presents himself as the midpoint of multiple worlds and styles; he is a rapper, yes, but with a keen eye for visuals as his, Tohji seems like some creation wholly unique.
A rapping, high-fashion inspired incoclast who seems to have wandered off an early aughts film set. Take the visual for his breakaway hit, "Oreo." A delirious beach day, all hazy sunshine, drag-racecar donuts in the sand, and friends and liquor in equal measure. Tohji is ringleader among them, leading us through the hedonistic scene with an ease and sense of fun perfectly suited to the music.
Here, we find out a little more about the man behind the persona without it being enough to demistify; Tohji obviously knows better than to allow that.
How long have you been making music?
2-3 years.
Does music run in the family?
My dad regrowing their hair, wit the frontier spirit.
What is your process for making music? Do you write lyrics or improvise?
Both.
You record music in both Japanese and English. What’s the thought process behind using both languages? Is it important that people understand the lyrics to you? Or is it more about rhythm and melody?
Using both languages is my most natural way to express. I want listeners to feel my music as a whole. I create the atmosphere with music and visuals, not just with lyrics.
Last year you dropped the Angel EP, and this year "Oreo" has brightened your star quite a bit with remixes from high profile artists. How have things changed for you between projects?
I put out Angel and played several gigs in Europe and Asia. I made new friends through those times who gave me new inspirations to my work. I’m always making music for my friends so I think there was a definite change through that process.
If Covid weren’t a factor, what would you ideally like to be doing this year in terms of music? Any projects on the horizon?
I would want to go back and forth around Asia, making music, seeing my friends there, also spending some time in western countries would be nice. I know there’s a lot going on in Asian countries, but I haven’t been there many times. We could have gigs in different cities, making new atmosphere with new friends.
You described yourself as “the new visual Beatles," and it’s an intriguing quote. Visuals seem to be a big part of your artistry; do you think your image is of equal importance to your music?
Yes! I make a whole big swag.
Who are your visual influences? Films, artists, video games? Anything in particular that inspires how you present yourself to an audience through album covers, Instagram or music videos?
When I quit my high school, I spent a year in my room watching movies, drinking a bottle of whisky everyday. That was precious time for me.
Musical influences? If you could collaborate with anyone right now, who would it be?
Punk, crunk. My friends.
Do you have a favorite song of your own right now?
My project for the next summer.
Are there any local Japanese artists that inspire you? That you’ve been listening to and would want to give a shout out to?
Loota, Elle Teresa, Le Makeup, Mall Boyz.
Genie in a lamp. Three wishes. What are they?
No thanks.
The single, which features Skepta, comes with a video that nods to a multitude of classic American horror films. In it, gruesome imagery with references to Scary Movie, American Psycho, The Silence of The Lambs, Candyman, and more, is merged with slowthai's glamorous and imaginative flair to create a signature style.
TYRON is set to be released on February 12th.
