Premiere • Iris Temple: Duality EP
As summer slowly fades into autumn, nature remains at its most lush, most strengthened. My Roscoe Village home is riddled with vines dancing with the sturdy bricks and every tree outside boasts its fully-powered greenery. Pardon the digression, but it's the music and lyricism of Iris Temple that puts me into this natural visual awareness. With tracks like "Overgrown" and "Ferns" arriving back in May and June, the concrete swamp of Chicago is all too familiar for these Kansas City transplants. The duo, made up of Quinn Cochran (production/vocals) and Aura (vocals) don't have much available to the public, but what they do offer (two songs on their SoundCloud and a feature track with Appleby and Elias Abid) is dense, impressive, and highly refreshing.
“Sleepless nights
you’re lurking through
my fantasy.””
After premiering the second single "Overgrown" back in June, we are now happy to premiere the entire EP, Duality. From two of the finest rising Chicago talents (and roommates), the five song project will certainly act as a Jumanji enabler, meaning: as soon as you press play, your house will be wrapped in thick ivy. Hell, an elephant might run through your front door. Enjoy the EP above and peep the video for "Philosopher" below. It can be found alongside a quick Q+A, which the duo answered in the same manner that they handled the EP: together in the same room.
How would you describe Duality to a stranger on the street?
In our minds Duality is a journey. It's a story about departing, and then arriving...but not knowing exactly what to do once you have arrived...or what it was that you actually set out to do in the first place. Duality is an Odyssey that explores all of our musical influences while we attempt to create a new sonic environment.
How long has this EP been in the works?
So fucking long.
What's the origin behind the title?
As humans we tend to conceptualize things in terms of opposites. In this project we wanted to explore the point at which these contrasting sides meet. Specifically, the prevalent idea in mind while we worked was the combination of the artificial and natural. Not only in production, but in the subject matter as well.
Directed by Elias Abid
The hallucinatory/dreamy writing here is worth noting. What's the writing process like for both of you?
Aura: I don't know that I could pin down a process for my writing yet. Sometimes I'll write a verse in two seconds, like it's been marinating for ages. But other times I'm completely stumped. Then, I'll be buggin' out at 4 a.m. because I've figured out exactly what I want to write about.
Quinn: I write very subconsciously so I usually make sure to listen to the instruments very intently. Then I'll figure out patterns that I like and try to let words fall into place. The meaning is typically something I figure out later in my writing. But it's always influenced by the production and Aura's writing.
“Wait, would you tell me
what you think
about the concept of a dream?””
Did either of you do creative writing/journaling prior to Iris Temple?
Aura: I'd say sparsely. I wrote stories all the time when I was in elementary school, but I didn't really latch on to writing as a craft until IT formed.
Quinn: Growing up I've always written songs in one way or another.
The EP has a bit of a conceptual background. Care to explain/expand?
For us it's a chronology of events that detail a seemingly pointless journey. It embraces the uncertainty that comes with any goal. Past that it's up for interpretation.
What's next for Iris Temple?
We're just gonna keep making music.
Any final words/thoughts/wisdom/shout-outs?
Shoutout the homies. Y'all know who you are. Thanks to Bryan Schwaller for taking our music to new heights. Thanks to Elias Abid for making our visual for "Philosopher" and for helping us refine our edges. Thanks to neonpajamas for supporting since the beginning.
