Jape on a musical role with This Chemical Sea

Expect to hear some vibrant, groove-laden new music from Jape when the Dublin electronic-rock band play Róisín Dubh on Friday, February 20.

Their fourth album, the brainchild of Richie Egan, has just been released. This Chemical Sea was recorded in Malmo, Sweden, where Dublin native Richie is now based. Was the change of scene important in the making of the album? “It was, actually,” he says.

“I know a lot of people in Dublin, I don’t know so many people in Malmo. The studio was in an industrial area about 15 minutes from my house. I was able to really focus on the album without bumping into someone on the street and going for a coffee with them.” I

n the past, Richie has worked on albums from home, but he went for a different approach in Malmo. “

When you’ve a mixing desk, it’s not conducive to working at home – I’ve too much equipment!” he says.

“To have a studio is good, because when you go there you feel like you’re in work mode. Whereas when you’re in the house, the line is blurred between ‘are you hanging out, or are you making music?’.”

The previous Jape record was called Oceans of Frequency – does Richie regard This Chemical Sea as a follow-up, thematically or musically? “Not really, to be honest with you,” Richie says.

“Whenever I write lyrics, I try to write them from my subconscious. I try to not think about what I’m writing, then I go back to the lyrics and try to see what feels true to me. “That’s just what came about,” he says.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.