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Captains Of Entropy recently sat down with VENTS Magazine to talk about their brand-new single “Rosetta”. The interview is below.
What’s the story behind “Rosetta”?
It was originally a song I started over ten years ago based on the Rosetta space mission, which sent a spaceship to a comet.
I was inspired by the story and tried to create something spacey and dancey with lots of beeps and boops and synths, etc. Years later, after sitting unfinished on a hard drive, I decided to revisit it and see if it would be fun to repurpose as a tune for the Captains. After a few initial passes with Jason and Reilly, it became clear that it was meant to be a tune for us. We all fell naturally into the simple progression and explored it confidently, and I know it will be a fun one to play live too and really let rip. – Mike
The three of you started playing together during the pandemic. What do you remember most about those early jam sessions?
From this far out, the pandemic years are kind of a blur. I remember those sessions being a lifeline. A chance to connect, to explore, and have fun when there were few chances to do so. A chance to get out of the house, out of my head, and into the music. Everything was completely open back then as far as the music was concerned. We really didn’t have much of an idea of what we were doing, or what we were going to do with what we were creating. I just knew it felt good to be making music with my friends. So much has happened since then with the music; it’s good to remember how we started. – Reilly
Your songs can grow into bigger ideas, including videos and whole visual worlds. Do you usually picture those things while making the music, or do they come later?
I would say they usually come later. We are lucky to be close friends with some really talented and creative people who think more visually and are a total joy to collaborate with on our videos. I personally try to focus most on the music but am a glee-filled passenger on this journey. – Mike
“Rosetta” is an instrumental track. How do you tell a story through music without lyrics?
I think we’re all big fans of soundtrack music and other instrumental genres. Music’s magic power to me, is the ability to evoke such strong emotions through its lyric-less storytelling ability. Lyrics can be and are wonderful but they usually are more specific and in a way, direct the brain into feeling a certain way about something or someone. I like it when the listener is given complete control and can interpret the sounds the way their imagination wants to. In this case, the music suggests a journey into space. Are we excited /scared/nervous/awestruck? You decide! – Mike
The video shifts from scenes inside Jason’s house to a homemade spaceship. What was your favorite part of creating it?
We had some really talented and creative people designing and building the sets for us and putting the costumes together. I loved watching them do all the practical special effects, like the fake stars moving past the portal windows and the forced perspective shot of us approaching the rocket from outside. I’m happy to say that I contributed my handicraft skills by making the papier-mâché helmets that were featured throughout the video. It was a much bigger project than I anticipated, but I’m glad I took it on, and I think they turned out great. I had a lot of fun doing it. – Reilly
The video explores the idea of escaping everyday routines. Does that connect with how you feel about making music?
First of all, I’d like to stand up in defense of everyday routines. Everyday routines are not necessarily a bad thing; they can actually be pretty helpful much of the time. Getting stuck in a rut is really the issue. And when one is stuck in a rut, routines that were once helpful and stabilizing can start to feel burdensome and heavy. That’s where imagination and playfulness come to the rescue, and, in the spirit of Walter Mitty, I think that’s what we are exploring in the video. We can benefit from our everyday routines, and we can also benefit from a bit of an escape every once in a while. I think our music is a great vehicle for that kind of imaginary escape and it may have something to do with why we keep it instrumental; we provide the score so the listener can fill in the scene with whatever comes to mind. – Reilly
You recorded your debut album at Sunset Sound. What was that experience like for the band?
The Sunset Sound sessions for our album The Flea & The Worm were great. I had worked in Studio 3 there before, but this was my first time in Studio 1, which is the original room there. It kind of feels like an old garage because it was. This was also our first time going into the studio as a band, so there were all sorts of nerves and expectations. Whatever happened in that magical old room worked out because we are still booking studio time and still love the process of bringing new music to life. – Jason
Jason, you’ve mentioned growing up with music like U2, Talking Heads, and Paul Simon. How have those influences found their way into the band’s sound?
I’m not sure how much the U2 influence works its way into what we do other than trying to consciously evolve our work from project to project. We absolutely all come together in our obsession with everything about the Talking Heads. I think you can also hear the Paul Simon Graceland influence on songs like Infection from this EP. – Jason
Now that Beatrice Comes Home is out, what are you excited to work on next?
We are hoping to return to the studio in the new year to work on new songs and have already started writing. Before that though, we have a few new music videos to dream up for some already completed recordings. – Jason
Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to share with your listeners?
During our sessions for the Beatrice Comes Home EP, we also recorded 11 other songs that have yet to see the light of day. So now, circling back to what I’m hinting at in my answer to the previous question. We are excited to announce that there is a whole new finished LP coming out in 2027! – Jason
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