Source: Promo Image
Brighton based rocks Dorje released their first EP which rocked to number one in the iTunes rock chart, charting in 44 countries and last month the band unveiled their second self-released EP. The band have just headed out on tour (dates below), but ahead of the tour we had a chat with Rob Chapman about the bands’ lyrics, their writing process and what it all means.
Mosh: How does the lyric writing process begin for you – Does the music come first, or the lyrics? Do you collect fragments and ideas when inspiration strikes?
Rob Chapman: The music always comes first for me, and this might sound odd but I really have little to do with the writing process… it’s entirely subconscious for me.
It’s really a case of there being something in place that sets a mood, like a cool riff or a verse. As soon as we get together as a band and start playing new material I just get this feeling and it flows from there, I never try to “write lyrics” they just flow, freeform as I improvise singing.
Mosh: Is this process always straightforward for you? Have you ever struggled with ‘writer’s block’ or similar?
RC: I have only really found the process difficult if I’m just not feeling a particular part, song etc. But I never rush the feeling… In fact I have toured songs before that were lyrically unfinished and just improvised on stage – some verses were even written on tour.
Mosh: Do you go back to lyrics you have previously written and edit or refine them, or is it a case of ‘one and done’? Do you collaborate or share lyrics with other band members and take their feedback on board?
RC: So far I have only re-edited a tune once, and that was for our latest single ‘Flower of Life’… there was a part that I repeated, for me repetition can be powerful, kinda like when Zack de la Rocha does it… but the guys weren’t keen so I made a quick edit in the studio as I cut the verse.
Mosh: Are there any bands or artists that have impressed or inspired you lyrically? Do you try and emulate any other lyricists in particular?
RC: Yes absolutely, I’m a huge fan of Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and that whole movement in general. I also take lyrical inspiration from bands/artists like Radiohead, Paul Simon and more recently Karnivool who I came to more for a love of the lyrics than the music although the latter has now grown on me.
It’s the way these artists describe a location or create a story that I like, again not that I have much to do with the process.
Mosh: Do you draw lyrical inspiration from outside of music, such as authors, films or artists?
RC: Yes, I have in fact been able to get the same feeling and flow of lyrics by looking at paintings… in particular anything really big, landscapes, immersive settings.
Mosh: Is there a specific space (mental or physical) where you get ‘in the zone’, or can you write anywhere at any time?
RC: Anywhere the guys are at, when we are all hooked up and flowing (Coffee helps), then I just grab my phone and start singing and writing down what comes out.
Mosh: Do you choose to publish your lyrics or keep them personal? Is it important that fans be able to access lyrical content?
RC: I always publish my lyrics, but I really like people to find their own meaning in them.
To me they are a bit like dreaming, I often have no idea what a song is about until a few weeks later and then I realise it was about an event in my life I was coming to terms with, maybe a fear/regret or something like that.
Mosh: Can you remember when you began writing lyrics? Was it a conscious choice? Something you drifted into out of necessity?
RC: It was something that I really needed to do, being a frontman was a choice through necessity… I’d been through the mill of singers and never been able to find one that didn’t have some kind of issue. I took up the job reluctantly, but took it very seriously.
Mosh: What is your favourite lyric and why?
RC: It’s little sections of songs that always get the hairs on the back of my neck going… like “For cracks in the pavement” (Radiohead), “I’m the dirt beneath your feet, the most important fool you forgot…” Soundgarden, “I need something good to die for, to make it beautiful to live” (QOTSA)… I could go on!
Mosh: What is your favourite lyric that YOU have written?
RC: All of my songs are a catharsis, some of them quite painful to sing live and mean… I guess the one line that I get the most release from is probably ” I would guide your way, burning the shade” from ‘Centred and One’… or possibly “Teeth in the neck and you’re drained” which is from a new tune called ‘Detritus’.
Mosh: Is there anything you actively try and avoid when writing lyrics? Any topics or themes you think are overdone?
RC: Yep, I never swear – I think there are creative ways around that… other than that as I’ve mentioned it’s all subconscious… so anything can come out ha ha.
Mosh: Is it important to you that lyrics always tell a story or have meaning?
RC: No, it’s important to me that lyrics carry a feeling that allows the listener to access a visual, something that matches the vibe of the music… I’m not in control of wether it’s a story or not.
Every single lyric I write has a meaning wether I know it or not.
Mosh: Does your knowledge of your vocal delivery have any impact on how you write lyrics? Do you write to fit a vocal style, or fit the delivery to the lyrics?
RC: I will occasionally deliver a vowel sound in a certain way to make a lyric work, although this is more of a me dealing with my limited vocal experience thing… I’m really still a junior vocalist – been singing properly for about three years.
You can catch the band on tour now
07 Nov London – Borderline
08 Nov Glasgow – Audio
09 Nov Manchester – Star & Garter
10 Nov Leeds – Key club
11 Nov Hard Rock Hell Festival
12 Nov Nottingham – Rock City Basement
13 Nov Birmingham – O2 Academy 3
