Interview: Final Dinosaurs’ Lachlan Caskey on AI, Capitalism, and Area-Age EPs ‘KYO’ & ‘RYU’

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Lachlan Caskey discusses the making of Final Dinosaurs’ cyberpunk sci-fi sister information ‘KYO’ & ‘RYU,’ two EPs whose songs discover AI, capitalism, narcissism, and humanity’s self-destructive tendencies.

Stream: ‘KYO’ – Final Dinosaurs

If we are able to relate to issues from 1000 years in the past and our trials and tribulations are the identical, then one thing hasn’t modified.

Eons from now, within the 12 months 3023, a dying satellite tv for pc emits the final remnants of a modified humanity that it has to cling onto.

Someplace on a cyber-centric planet, the punk youth of the longer term are tapping into these radio waves, and there they discover the music of the previous.

That is the setting and prologue to Final Dinosaurs’ latest document, KYO. The EP and its idea are a critique on each capitalism and narcissism. This can be a world that has been ravaged by occasions of the previous, and now the pattern of the youth is to musically relive that very previous.

'KYO' EP - Last Dinosaurs — ‘KYO’ EP – Final Dinosaurs

“It’s like a warning from the previous that we haven’t modified and previous historical past is sure to repeat itself,” Final Dinosaurs’ Lachlan Caskey tells Atwood Journal. The aim of those songs, he explains, is to focus on each the absurdity and the harmful nature of the time we live in now.

Launched April 5 by way of Nettwerk Music Group, KYO exists as a sibling to Final Dinosaurs’ 2023 space-age EP RYU, which the band launched to the world as a “assortment of transmissions” intercepted from that dying, future AI satellite tv for pc. Each KYO and RYU are based mostly in the identical universe, but distinct from each other; the variations between the EPs and their tracks are a direct reflection of the band.

Last Dinosaurs © Keaidkumchai Tongpai — Final Dinosaurs © Keaidkumchai Tongpai

Final Dinosaurs’ two frontmen, brothers Sean and Lachlan Caskey, along with bandmate Michael Sloane, write and produce collectively in a manner that’s extra futuristic than conventional. Whereas they’ve made earlier information collectively within the studio, Final Dinosaurs have discovered that the world has developed past the necessity for the whole lot to be achieved in a single location.

As such, KYO and RYU have been written throughout worldwide borders. With Sean Caskey situated within the brothers’ native dwelling of Australia and Lachlan in Los Angeles, California, time and distance needed to be crossed to ensure that the album to come back into existence.

This coincidentally displays the time and distance that the document’s idea and the songs themselves cross. A time capsule of its personal, the album consists of tracks each written particularly for this launch, and tracks backlogged as much as eight years into the band’s historical past.

The most effective half is, this isn’t simply an audio album.

The discharge is paired with a comic book guide co-written by the band’s members and illustrated by Chris Yee. This creative visible accompaniment fleshes out much more of the complicated universe inhabited by RYU and KYO.

“It’s form of a combination of Blade Runner and Tim Burton,” Lachlan Caskey says.

The cyberpunk world is impressed by an AI generated picture from artist Luke Nugent, based mostly out of the UK. Sean Caskey had come throughout Nugent’s work in a Pinterest browse, and after getting involved with the artist, a complete universe quickly unfurled.

Nugent is now the duvet artist for the brand new album, concerned closely within the course of and creation of the band’s sci-fi world. That is just the start of their exploration into what’s going to come.

“I’m rattling positive we are going to produce different issues born out of this universe,” Lachlan Caskey smiles. He and his bandmates don’t know precisely what’s to come back subsequent, however that’s the great thing about a world created from creativeness: It by no means has to cease rising.

Final Dinosaurs’ KYO and RYU have been packaged collectively for a bodily album, entitled KYORYU, set to launch on Worldwide Dinosaur Day (Might twenty first) 2024. Dive into this cosmic journey beneath as Lachlan Caskey discusses the inspirations behind Final Dinosaurs’ new music, their space-age transmissions, and extra!

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:: stream/buy KYORYU right here ::

:: join with Final Dinosaurs right here ::`

“Paranoia Paradise” – Final Dinosaurs

A CONVERSATION WITH LAST DINOSAURS

Atwood Journal: Thanks for talking at this time, Lachlan! To start out, how lengthy has Final Dinosaurs’ new album been within the works for?

Lachlan Caskey: Wow, good query! I don’t know, it’s in all probability one thing like a 12 months. The rollout instances for the music, after it’s achieved, are all the time ridiculously lengthy as a result of that’s simply what the advertising and marketing necessitates. Yeah, I swear to God, we had this factor completed a 12 months in the past, however there was a bunch of stuff we needed to refine. And dare I say it, I undoubtedly favor it to not be like this, since you get rushed into getting one thing achieved, after which unexpectedly the music’s simply sitting there, doing nothing, and also you simply want you can be engaged on it nonetheless, however one way or the other you’re not allowed to.

How lengthy was the writing course of, then?

Lachlan Caskey: Nicely, it was like some songs had existed for actually eight years, after which different songs that we did two years in the past, after which different songs that we’ve simply written throughout the previous two years or 12 months. So yeah, it’s a combination. Massive combination.

So it is form of acquired items from throughout from completely different components of the band’s historical past?

Lachlan Caskey: Yeah, Just about!

The intro video for the album may be very very similar to a time capsule, in order that feels prefer it ties in with that just a little bit.

Lachlan Caskey: Yeah. Funnily sufficient. There are numerous serendipitous parts to this. The video that you’d’ve seen, that’s my brother’s EP, and my EP is being launched in the intervening time. It’s referred to as KYORYU. However the humorous factor about RYU, apart from the very fact, sure, it’s a couple of satellite tv for pc, and the one different ambient music that we’ve ever had was a music referred to as “Satellites,” and we didn’t understand that. Additionally, RYU is my brother’s Japanese title, and that’s the Japanese phrase for dragon. And it’s 2024, the 12 months of the dragon, so one thing particular is sure to occur.

That wasn’t all deliberate?

Lachlan Caskey: No, undoubtedly not!

With songs written some years in the past and a few simply now, are you able to give us a peek at your songwriting course of and if it is modified for various songs?

Lachlan Caskey: In all probability the one distinction is that Sean and I labored very individually. Sean labored principally by himself, after which with a producer named Oscar Dawson. And I did the very same factor, besides I labored with a good friend of mine named James Angus. Conceptually it’s a correct, reside, studio recorded album. So we went into the large costly studio within the large room with the large SSL console and tried doing it that manner for some time, working with a man we respect loads who’s nice in his personal proper, Scott Roscoe, nevertheless it didn’t pan out how he needed it to. We began the album very a lot in a discussion board that we’re not used to creating music in, which is in a totally collaborative sense of 4 guys in a room with a producer feeding again on you. That’s the way it began, and we saved some parts perhaps, however we mainly clean-slated it and simply DIY-ed it once more. In order that was separate and completely different.

So you probably did separate components, after which got here collectively?

Lachlan Caskey: That’s the way it’s labored for the previous three releases, yeah.

Since you’re all in other places. I do know you are in LA, proper?

Lachlan Caskey: That’s proper, yeah. And the opposite boys are in Brisbane, Australia, the place we’re born and raised – however once more, nothing new. I’ve lived out of Australia as a lot as I can prior to now 5 years, so I’m very used to doing it by distance.

Does your new album have any tie-ins to your earlier information?

Lachlan Caskey: It’s simply these two that type of comply with a narrative, utterly separate from the rest. It’s additionally as a result of we’re producing a comic book guide to go together with it. It’s a narrative in a universe that the music, the video clips and the comedian all conform to the identical universe mainly, so it stands alone in that manner.

Are you all engaged on writing that comedian guide as properly?

Lachlan Caskey: Yeah, we had, and it’s achieved. Sean’s components are achieved and it’s out. My half isn’t out but, nevertheless it’s achieved mainly. And yeah, I don’t know what we’re gonna do with it. It’s gonna come out sooner or later. I don’t know if it’s gonna come out in two items. I’m not in a position to expose stuff, however I’m actually glad and stoked with the story that we’ve created, and the illustrator has achieved simply probably the most unbelievable job as properly. So we’re fairly enthusiastic about that.

Is that each one labored on in the identical manner that the album was, in numerous components after which pieced collectively?

Lachlan Caskey: Individually once more, yeah. My half and Sean’s half are fairly separate.

So what was the inspiration behind the sci-fi theme for the brand new album and the storyline? What gave you guys the concept of that story?

Lachlan Caskey: Nicely, it was numerous issues, however the impetus was that my brother loves Pinterest and I suppose by Pinterest, he discovered an AI-generated picture that was hyper-realistic wanting. However it was of those two Asian cyberpunks – very loopy cyberpunk-looking guys. Type of scary. Someplace like a cross between Blade Runner and a Tim Burton movie. Like Edward Scissorhands within the 12 months 3000. And so they have been holding these mini-TVs. It’s simply probably the most photo-realistic picture you’ve ever seen. And he came upon that it was this artist named Luke Nugent from the UK who fees an arm and a leg to generate these pictures for you. We acquired involved with him, and the duvet of KYORYU and the duvet of RYU are two of his pictures.

Mainly, that picture simply knowledgeable the entire universe as a result of my brother instantly thought when he noticed that picture. Think about that it’s the 12 months 3023 or no matter and that this civilization has collapsed and reformed once more. After which the youth of this period… Type of like how youngsters acquired obsessive about SoundCloud music for a second. Think about if the factor again then was tapping into historical radio indicators and listening to music that’s 1000 years outdated and discovering algorithmically generated music from an AI satellite tv for pc 1000 years in the past.

That’s form of what the punk’s like or one thing like that. And that’s the premise of RYU, is that it’s an album that’s utterly AI generated based mostly on this AI satellite tv for pc that was constructed 1000 years in the past that was truly fairly highly effective however is waning. Its battery is broken within the launch and it might’t final so long as maybe a nuclear battery would usually final. So it reprograms itself to simply be probably the most sensible reflection of civilization, which is to simply generate music. However that’s how Sean’s story got here, after which my story mainly got here out of that, as a pure results of that.

Sean’s picture story was impressed by Luke Nugent’s picture, after which my story is impressed by Sean’s story. The man who primarily got here up with these items, the technical particulars, is a good friend named Erick Carrada, he’s good friend of mine. My first American good friend ever, from San Diego. He’s a sci-fi buff and is aware of the whole lot about each sci-fi story ever, so we acquired him to jot down and construct out the universe.

I really like that concept of a sci-fi album. You’ve got been mentioning loads that it is about this AI satellite tv for pc and AI sooner or later, and that is actually large proper now, folks beginning to use AI. Was AI utilized in any a part of the album? I do know you talked about it was used for the duvet.

Lachlan Caskey: When it comes to the precise songs… No. I don’t know what the software program is like; I do know the software program is on the market, however no. No AI within the sound. That’s all human, fortunately. We’re all execs. None of us are hysteric about AI. We’re all form of followers of it, to be sincere.

Would you ever find yourself utilizing AI in songs, or may you see it getting used?

Lachlan Caskey: No, no. I imply, we’d love to listen to AI attempt to copy us. That will be attention-grabbing. That will be very attention-grabbing. However no, we might by no means exit. Who is aware of? We would do it. I don’t know.

That is sensible. The album’s idea is that these are songs from “now,” being listened to sooner or later, and that is the context you are seeing it by. That is one thing that might occur, that individuals may be wanting again sooner or later on sure songs. Is there a message you are attempting to ship with that, or is it only a cool concept that must be out on the planet?

Lachlan Caskey: It’s only a story. I believe the overall message about what’s taking place in RYU is the concept… It’s a warning from the previous that we haven’t modified and maybe historical past is sure to repeat itself. As a result of if we are able to relate to issues from 1000 years in the past and our trials and tribulations are the identical, then one thing hasn’t modified.

My story is the prequel to that story, 1000 years in the past. So the current day is mainly… The entire character of the whole lot I’m releasing is a critique of capitalism and a critique of the tradition of narcissism that’s prevailing and simply how absurd and humorous it’s and that it’s simply completely harmful. So I don’t know, we’re not attempting to color any large message or something like that, however these are simply the issues we’re occupied with I suppose.

Do you’ve got any additional plans concerning the album or the story going elsewhere? Persevering with to develop upon itself?

Lachlan Caskey: Good query. No, nothing in place. However I’m rattling positive that we are going to produce different stuff that’s born out of this universe as a result of I believe as time goes on, we wish to reduce as a touring band and simply turn out to be a manufacturing home or one thing. We’ve actually loved doing this as properly. And it looks as if our nonetheless small however very, very devoted fan base is like, they like it.

I believe the aesthetics are actually on level with the comedian and the universe we’ve constructed. I believe if we proceed to develop… We’re in search of to be a bit greater than only a band of three boys on this one. I believe we are going to proceed to try this. So whether or not it’s within the type of a manga or perhaps if we are able to get the funds to make an anime, that might be superb. One thing like that.

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