Caspia is the solo project of Caravãna Sun’s bass player, Ant Beard. In a lot of ways, his solo venture is a pleasant distraction away from the rigors of a life touring around the world playing high-energy shows in his band. Caspia as Ant has previously alluded is ultimately aimed at the heartstrings and the soul. With that in mind, Ant’s debut single and music video Alone, released just last month fits the bill perfectly, especially given where we find ourselves right now in our isolation bubble.
Never one to let an opportunity pass, I recently touched base with Ant about his new single produced by Joel Quartermain of Eskimo Joe fame. Here is some of what we talked about.
Sometimes it’s said that the moment you complete a song, the journey with it has changed. A song like Alone could easily relate to where we are at right now, but you wrote this song pre-Covid 19. Tell us about your journey with it to this point with its release?
It’s been an incredibly deep time for reflection and this song has been at heart of it for me. It was mostly written about 2 years ago about falling out of touch with myself and my values, what I wanted in life. Now in Covid time, I’m unpacking everything that was and really enjoying the process. Feels great to capture a song that really spoke so clear about that time for me.
The song contains a kind of wisdom to it. It feels like you’re trying to reassure us, maybe even yourself, about the uncertainty of things. Is that a fair assessment?
Yeah for me it’s an assurance for sure. So many songs like this come in the form of almost another voice to mine. I mean it’s me, but like a better version of me or something. Feels great to be in touch with that honesty and vulnerability when writing songs
In which part of the process did the piano come in?
The piano came in the week before. The song was originally written on the guitar but had all the same chords. For me the piano gave such an intimacy that the song was craving. The bridge in the song showed up the day before once we pulled the song onto piano. Almost a sign to say shit yes, this was the right decision.
There are also some cool electronic passages on Alone. Did you envision those sorts of arrangements as part of the writing process?
Yes for sure. I always knew that the chorus was going to be massive with electronic layers. Came out bigger than I imagined tbh but was always the intension to paint these lines with analogue synth.
Tell us something surprising about the making on the music video directed by Sam Brumby?
The shot before the first chorus drops, I had to fall backwards in an ocean pool, fully clothed at about 4:30am in the morning. With only one set of clothes, I had to make sure I nailed it the first time. Low and behold, your boy nailed it.
Finally, do you have a target date for new material or an album?
I’ll have a new single out in August then an E.P. Sometime around November!
Alone is out now through Ditto Music. For more information on Ant Beard’s solo project Caspia including updates check out his Facebook page. Follow on Instagram.
Rearview Mirror 
Such a beautiful and powerful song!