Esimorp
Esimorp is an indie rock band based in Hong Kong.
Formed by Promise Armstrong, Ric Newsom, Julian Chan and Paul Roth, the band is revealing their debut album Roar Like the Ocean. The record explores different subjects such as love, life’s struggles, determination, internal integrity.
“What ties all these topics, and the album, together is the overwhelming sense and message of being able to always persevere and rise above - regardless of the depth or gravity of what may come,” says the band.
The project features their previous singles “Apostasy”, “Nothing More”, “But I Will Rise Again”, “The Minutes” and the most recent single, “Ghost Town”.
Roar Like the Ocean is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Airam Dato-on
Introduce the band - where are you all from?
Promise Armstrong - Atlanta, USA - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keys, synths.
Ric Newsom - Atlanta, USA - electric guitar, additional production.
Julian Chan - Hong Kong - drums, percussion, backing vocals.
Paul Roth - Sydney, Australia - bass, backing vocals.
What's the band's story? How did you guys meet?
Promise and Ric met in high school. Julian was the first friend Ric met from HK as a mutual friend introduced them during a Skype call. Paul met Promise and Ric through a mutual friend in Hong Kong.
How long have you been making music together for?
It's a bit complicated. Ric and Promise started playing music together in 2005 or 2006. Julian and Ric began jamming in 2013 and the three of them started performing together as Esimorp in 2014. Paul joined in early 2017.
Do you remember the first song you ever worked on together?
As a band, it was probably “The Minutes” or “Apostasy” from the upcoming album. They've evolved quite a bit since then though.
At what point did you decide to become a band?
Well in early 2017 we were playing together, and then we won a battle of the bands. So that was when we really saw the potential in being a proper band.
How would you define Esimorp, the band?
Esimorp is definitely a rock band - constantly going between Indie Rock, Pop Rock, Alt Rock and even some Folk Rock.
You’ve just released your debut album Roar Like the Ocean - what's the story behind this album?
For me (Promise) the past 5 years have been the most changing and trying years in my life, and the songs on the album tend to reflect those changes and challenges. Roar like the Ocean captures a range of experiences from me leaving the US for Hong Kong, to finding love and marrying her. This album’s creation has been my way of easing various hurt, reflecting on personal difficulties, dealing with the way the world spins, and responding to the goodness I’ve seen through it all. So when you listen through, I hope you may find yourself taken on a journey that speaks to the questions in our minds, the fears of the heart and the determination and grace I found to rise above it and keep moving forward.
Could you describe us the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create this album?
The songwriting process is multi-layered for us. Every song on this album began with Promise. He normally writes about ideas that inspire or confuse him. After he initially writes and deems an idea worthy of being heard by the rest of us, he introduces it to the band. The band writes by heart - we play and create whatever the song evokes in us. Each musician writes parts that work in harmony with the overall spirit of the song, coherent with the already existing vocal melody, progression and lyrics. Even if sometimes those ideas aren’t anything like what Promise was originally expecting! The full transformation normally takes place as we play shows and add extra parts to songs in the moment. Lots of our songs have these small, maybe insignificant, parts that we all love and hold on to which we birthed and tried while performing. So as a band we pair the mental, intentional musicianship with more emotional, spontaneous creativity in order to make songs we are truly proud of.
In terms of people who helped create this album, our recording/mixing engineer, JB Pereira, immediately comes to mind. He's a bit of a newcomer too and does mostly independent/freelance work, but he's crazy talented and has a fantastic ear. We knew we had found the right guy rather quickly as he was already a friend of ours, and in the sessions he immediately slipped into the role of 5th bandmate. There are many other people without whom we couldn’t have made this album the way we did, but most of the chemistry happened between us and JB.
What are the different topics you are talking about on this album?
Roar Like the Ocean addresses various topics from somewhat unconventional views. For example, our first release ever, which we re-recorded for the album, is a song called “Apostasy” (strange name, we know). It’s a love song but from the angle of improper expressions/methods and over-indulgence. Other love songs like “Solace” and “My Wreckage” express love as an anchor or as a way of healing. We also tend to write songs about the inevitable feelings in life, asking the tough semi-existential questions like “Am I far from who I could be?” in the face of watching the world around us spin into madness. Other topics include reality vs rose colored lenses (such as Golden Age thinking), determination, and a person’s internal integrity. What ties all these topics, and the album, together is the overwhelming sense and message of being able to always persevere and rise above - regardless of the depth or gravity of what may come.
Any favorite memories from the making of the album?
The feeling of getting to the end of tracking each part and knowing that we’re happy with the quality and sound - the joy, satisfaction, and celebration in those moments are really great memories.
I (Ric) had some pretty fun moments tracking guitars. The first solo in Nothing More took me about 13 takes haha. In the end, the only way I could play it properly was by making a crazy guitar face. Just google “guitarists holding giant slugs” for an idea of what it must have looked like. I also remember the moment after I nailed the solo in Bias. I was pretty excited and relieved to say the least. We actually have a video of that moment and my perhaps mildly embarrassing but genuine reaction.
What were the hardest parts about making this album? And what were the best parts?
Hahaha. Scheduling, sorting out different opinions, budgeting - we had a few helping factors such as Ric doing loads of research and planning, and JB is a brilliant recording and mixing engineer.
One of the best parts is also one of the hardest, which is sorting out different opinions. There were things in each song that we were either adamant about or were fine either way, and by the time we got through all of these then we can each walk away with something we all love.
What do you like the most about this project?
The end result is one of the best parts. The process is great, but it’s only made great by having something that you are truly happy with and truly proud to share with the world. Our greatest accomplishment to date is being able to sincerely feel that way about our debut album.
At what point did you realize this album was finished?
We had 5 or 6 mix reviews and 3 master reviews, so the obvious answer is at the end of that hahaha. But with all the instrumentation through each portion we were all listening for what else needs to be added or taken away. Keys and some final guitar touches were last. So when we could listen through the songs and they were all sounding full, interesting through each part, and had uniformity in sound while still having their own identity - that’s when we knew they were ready.
What made you want to name your album Roar Like the Ocean?
Lack of creativity hahaha. Actually, we were really honing in on the idea of getting beaten down but always getting back up again (very much in line with the theme of our song “But I Will Rise Again”), but none of the titles felt right. We tried to think outside that box and look at some of our other lyrics to see what else would make sense thematically for the album and have a good ring to it too. That’s when Julian suggested “Roar Like The Ocean” as it really captures the sense of both beauty and power, or even peace and danger, which has captivated people around the world through the ages, and to an extent it’s that same duality which we also feel defines this first project.
What is your goal for this album?
We would love for this album to get as far and wide as possible, and to gain some good traction. In more measurable terms, we’d like for this to put us in a place where we can keep on doing this - to develop a solid and growing fanbase that loves our music and allows us to keep making more and getting it out there. We’d love for this album to attract some great international support slots and put us in a place to do more and more successful headline shows.
What message do you want to convey through your music?
If you do life right, you’ll experience ups and downs. So when you’re up, appreciate the view above the mountain tops because it truly is breathtaking and life is worth the living. When you’re down, know that you still have a view and most of the time that view is up. Let the dirt from below be a catalyst propelling you forward and higher. We all fall so we can rise, so rise.
You are based in Hong Kong - how would you describe this city?
Hong Kong is a beautiful city of amazing urban and natural landscapes - a city that can move fast and where you can constantly meet new people. The city is well and truly hurting at the moment, however, as I’m sure many have seen with the extradition bill proposal which has divided the city and also brought to light many of the underlying issues and problems that the city has.
As a band, what do you want to accomplish?
Super-stardom!!! hahaha Short of that it would be awesome to make a living as musicians by creating our own songs and sharing them. However, we also have a strong desire to have a positive impact and leave people with hope. So if it’s just for the sake of making music then we really feel that half of the equation is missing.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
If everyone possessed a greater ability and willingness to empathize.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
Do what you’re passionate about and keep going. It’s easy to feel like things are not going anywhere but actually they build up over time - just usually more time than you initially wanted.
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