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Japes is the project of Mia Kelly (she/they), a musician, producer, DJ and broadcaster originally from Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) and now residing in Naarm (Melboune).

Japes showcases a piece-meal approach to genre, juxtaposing treated guitars, sonic art and deep bass to concoct a thoughtful heady blend. Since releasing their debut EP Junk, Japes has made sparse appearances on local compilations (Strange Behaviour, Works for Loudspeakers) while developing into a live favourite in the capital, supporting Nabihah Iqbal (Ninja Tune) as well as performing at Cuba Dupa and Newtown Festival.

Following ‘Doom’ and ‘Process’, Japes has just released ‘Lighter Thief’, the third single from her a new digital EP Omen, out August 1 via Sunreturn.

‘Lighter Thief’ crackles with dusty percussion, wonky pads and droning synths. Its themes lean into ideas of self forgiveness, acceptance and closure.

“The idea of the song came from a silly little tune I wrote in my head while in the shower,” says Kelly. “I write like this a lot, and just repeat melodies over and over, with whatever thing I’m ruminating on that day. Lighter Thief is about reflection and moving on, knowing things will be okay again. I wrote the songs on Omen in a time of turmoil, and finished them in a period of healing, which I feel the song reflects.”

‘Lighter Thief’ was co-produced with Bevan Smith (Introverted Dancefloor, Glass Vaults) with the collaboration aided by NZ on Air Music’s New Music Development fund. “The sound of ‘Lighter Thief’ was born from a collection of electronic drum samples that Bevan had curated. We had been working together for some time at this stage in the project, and I wanted to try incorporating his sound-design practice earlier in the songwriting process. It was a fun way to work and created a great mix of both our practices; I’ve always used a lot of sampling and field recording when producing. From Bevan’s samples I created the bones of the song, and together we collaborated on bringing it to life.”

“’Lighter Thief’ is my favourite song to perform live, it’s changed a lot, and I’ve really enjoyed the process of the sound evolving.”

Check out all things Japes below:
Instagram
Bandcamp
Spotify

Photo credit: James France