Indica in Decay and Lumpy Prove That It is Never Too Late to make Ska
Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with both Indica in Decay and Lumpy who have joined forces for their upcoming ska EP which will be released via Lavasock Records!
Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with both Indica in Decay and Lumpy who have joined forces for their upcoming ska EP which will be released via Lavasock Records! Additionally we talked about how the collaboration came about, things that can be ska, and so much more!
1. Mustard is grateful and appreciative to have you both join them again at On The Shelf. How are you both doing today?
Bryan: Mustard! I am doing great, just got off lunch break and had a filthy brown slathered all over my sandwich. It was most excellent - wish you could have tried some. There's even some mustard under my fingernails that I'm saving for later. Pic attached for proof
ILAN: I’m the studio all day, it’s a great one!
2. Before we begin, Mustard wonders, how did this collaboration come about?
Bryan: Ilan reached out to me at some point during the summer of 2023 and asked if I had any interest in doing a split EP with Lumpy & Indica in Decay. We were periphery online ska cult friends over the last couple years and I really enjoyed the Indica catalog. I thought it was a great suggestion that would make for a unique collaboration. At the time, I had a few songs that I wasn't really planning on finishing or putting out, but felt this was the perfect excuse and platform to finish them up and git that shit out there.
Ilan: I was just glad Bryan said yes. When his album Burn The Page dropped, I had it on repeat for weeks. I still catch myself with little bits of his songs stuck in my head. That album was a real display for the whole scene of how far ska can branch out from the norm of skate punk.
3. Your Instagram biography asks a very important question: "wanna book some Lump?" How can a human book Lumpy? What is the best way to contact you?
Bryan: Please contact me through my contact form! https://bryanhighhill.com/contact/
4. When we spoke last you mentioned how one should burn pages that no longer serve you or contribute to your well-being. How do you know when to do this?
Bryan: If you have any momentos, pictures, letters, whatever - Physical items that negatively tug at those heartstrings everytime you look at them, or make you feel things you no longer want/need to feel... that is a good time for some burnin'
5. At the start of the year you released the first single off your upcoming split EP "COULDA BEEN SKA." On this track you were also joined by the likes of Flip and The Combined Effort, Holy Schnikes!, Sad Snack, and Musicubes. Could you describe the creative process behind this song?
Ilan: I’d met Flip (Filipe) all the way back at SPI Fest 1 in Texas and we spoke about collaborating on some new Indica tracks. Before going on an east coast tour in September for SPI Mini Fest, I lay down midi versions of all the parts with my producer friend Musicubes and sent them out to Gizmo from the Hellas, Mike from Holy Schnikes! (Who always sends back the coolest improv tracks as goodies), Flip, and Hunter from Sad Snack. It was my first time writing horn parts specifically in the proper keys and ranges, instead of writing everything in C and hoping folks are solid at transposing like a jerk. After that we got everyone in the bands we could round up to do backup vocals.
6. This song is the ska version of "Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda, Scene 3" from Indica in Decay: Act One. When did you decide that you wanted to ska-ify this track?
Ilan: Right off the bat. I’d started Sad Snack with Josh PM when I was tracking Indica Act One, so I was writing more ska at that point than I had in years. It was also right when Ska Dream by Jeff Rosenstock came out and I had long hours of driving between Portland and San Francisco to imagine what my own ska cover album would sound like. Being an electronic project with an ongoing narrative, I also drew inspiration from how weird the Gorillaz G-Sides, D-Sides, and dub album were.
7. Mustard wonders: what are some other things that could have been ska? Is there still time for them to transition to being ska?'
Ilan: It’s never too late to make ska. I’ve personally been annoying CBS by pitching a new Ska Trek series their way every couple years. We’re on Ska Trek: Voyager now and they tell me to please lose their address.
8. You recently released the second single off the split EP "SKAPWATER" featuring Dynastic, Lumpy, Holy Schnikes!, and Musicubes. Did you work on this song at the same time as "COULDA BEEN SKA?"
Ilan: Yes, and while juggling production on the third song on our half of the EP. With gigging and touring it’s been hectic.
Bryan had his songs basically locked in when I approached him in fall 2023 about a potential December release. And I know he’s got some other really great recordings up his sleeve. That guy never stops recording.
9. Mustard is curious: which brand of bottle water is the most ska?
Ilan: None. Hi-C Ecto Cooler. I’ve seen a lot of advertising for new Ghostbusters movies but not a lot of talk about the juicebox roll out plan. I’m concerned.
10. Is Ska Water purified, distilled, or sparkling?
Ilan: See above answer pertaining to juice boxes.
11. Lumpy's second single off the upcoming release is "Sometimes" which is about letting go of cruel and painful times. What advice would you give to those who may be struggling with this?
Bryan: Whatever has happened has happened. It's easy to drown in the whatifs, over-analyzing the past, trying to reason through somebody else's actions, all of which you have zero control over. There are rarely any answers you can find on your own so it's just an endless path of self-destruction. Take that energy and put it back into yourself. Do what you can to pursue your dreams, pursue happiness, better your position in life whether that's your career, other relationships, your physical and mental health. Say yes to new things. Whatever it is, funnel that negative energy into something that you can actually benefit from.
Also, yolo
12. This EP is being released via Lavasock Records. How does it feel to have this EP released by this label? Could you share more about how this partnership came to be?
Bryan: I'm just thankful other people are taking interest in new music that I'm creating and encouraging me to keep on. That is rare for me, so I'm extremely grateful to Ilan and Lavasocks Records for including me in this endeavor.
13. Mustard wonders how these singles serve as an introduction to the split EP?
Bryan: Well, it's really a matter of the order in which we've done things. We put out tthe singles before we put out the full split ep, so the singles naturally are an introduction to the whole collection of songs.
But really, the singles are a truly great representation of the creativity, uniqueness, and breadth of music on this album. They show the differences in our approaches to songwriting and creating music but those differences are really what makes the album as cohesive and fun to listen to as it is.
14. Can readers pre-save/order the upcoming EP?
Ilan: We are very excited to have the whole EP streaming and available for cassette pre-sale in late March.
15. Where is the best place for readers to check out your music?
Bryan:
Ilan:
Bandcamp -
https://indicaindecay.bandcamp.com
Spotify -
Instagram -
https://www.instagram.com/indica_in_decay