With their first mini LP, the duo Primary Colours is proving that sounds don’t need any kind of artifice in order to be perfectly classy. Beautiful and harmonic melodies, accompanied by moving lyrics, is Briana Capote's and Gutxi Bibang's recipe for success, a couple that rescue the best from past decades and transform it into pop/folk songs that feel absolutely fresh.
We meet up with them on a cloudy afternoon, but the duo really knows how to warm up the place. With their awesome personal style and their confidence, they would definitely be part of my 'cool people list', but, above all, the best thing about them is how approachable and kind they are. That's probably the reason why their songs sound so true. If you want to check it out yourselves, they will be playing on the 27th of February in Barcelona and on the 6th of March in Madrid. Don't say we didn’t warn you!
Your mini LP is called "Synonyms for Heartache". Could you tell us synonyms for Primary Colours?
Briana: I would say romantic and cinematic. And also tragic… Not tragic as terrible (laughs). Tragic in a dramatic way.
Gutxi: Yes, I think romantic and cinematic explains it quite well.
It’s great you said cinematic, I have this feeling as well. Is there any film in which you would like your music to be featured?
Gutxi: I would say a film by Wes Anderson. He’s really great with music and soundtracks. Or Tarantino, he has amazing soundtracks as well.
Briana: Yes, Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola. We watch lots of films; we always recommend films to each other!
You just released your first album. How does it feel to have your work out there? Especially considering it is a really personal one.
Gutxi: First of all, we are very excited. It’s just like turning the diary I never wrote into music and sharing it with the public, but it is quite personal.
Briana: The thing is that the five songs on the mini LP were all Gutxi’s creations from years ago. I adopted them somehow, just like when you adopt a child when you enter a new marriage. It's a bit like being naked.
Talking about "Synonyms for Heartache", it has a really painful title. Did you try to make something optimistic out of it?
Briana: I think I am the optimist, I’m always like: “I wanna be happy!” (Laughs). And then Gutxi is all romantic and dramatic in the best of senses. But yes, as far as our future LP looks like, it’s a mixture of both. That’s the good thing we have, that we balance each other in the themes we approach in our lyrics and songwriting.
Gutxi: We talk about sad songs, happy songs, psychedelic songs or nonsense songs… It’s just my life. Our life. That’s how it sounds.
Tell us about your creative process. Do you look for confrontation to create or does it have to be a smooth process in order to get harmonic results?
Gutxi: When it all started I already had these songs, and I wanted to share them with someone, a singer. For me, she’s the best singer I’ve ever met. We started then and we’re now co-writing, because she is also a great lyricist and a great songwriter. The thing is that we are like brothers, we sometimes fight but we will always love each other. Besides, we have the same taste, so it’s really funny.
Briana: In order to create an array of songs that any person can relate to, it's very necessary to be a big drama king or queen so as to get people to connect with your emotions, as well as realizing what is it that you are feeling so you can put it in a song. The more you feel, the better the song will be.
Your sound is really clean, free from all kind of artifices. Was this something you intended to achieve or is it just that you feel comfortable keeping it simple?
Briana: The music in the XXIst century has turned into an overly produced, almost cookie cutter business, where everything sounds the same. And even though we are referencing the past, we’re also trying to take it somewhere different, presenting a different take on that music. It’s like stripping down music, because in the end, the value of an artist is on how well he or she sounds with just a microphone and a guitar.
Gutxi: The mini LP is fully recorded live; there are no tricks, not even headphones. It’s so real, just guys playing in a room. We are really proud of that. We are just Primary Colours, Briana and I singing and playing the guitar. So if you like this mini LP, you will love the show. And we have to mention that the work with the producer was pretty easy too, we are very happy with it. He wasn’t trying to change our stuff.
Briana: Yes, he was very clear with us. He was a real character, but he knew what we wanted from the first second. We felt like we were on the same page.
Who are your musical references? I’ve read a number of things out there, from Smashing Pumpkins to Arctic Monkeys, but they don’t seem to be the obvious influences. Is there any sound you especially admire?
Briana: I grew up listening to Motown and jazz and psychedelic 70’s rock, because my parents were musicians. I then started listening to Shakira and the top 40’s. You listen to so much music it's difficult to tell what is influencing you. What are you listening to right now, Gutxi?
Gutxi: I’m listening to Mac Demarco and Foxygens. And I’m really excited about the next coming album of one of my favorite bands, The Horrors. But yes, in the end, we like all types of music. Good music.
In your aesthetic, your sound and pretty much everything around you, there’s an obvious love/preference for past decades. Has this always been an obsession?
Briana: It all comes down to being really dramatic, I guess. That’s what it is for me. Again, because of my background: I’ve always watched a lot of films from different eras, and I specifically like this style of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, because I think these are the most important decades of the XXth century. The 90’s and the 00’s haven’t had as much repercussion; they’ve been like a copycat of what happened in the past. I do wish that I had been born in the 50’s and I had gone to Woodstock, I do wish I had lived in a completely different era, but that would all mean that I wouldn’t be here right now.
Gutxi: The real rock and roll comes from the 50’s and 60’s. Yes, I guess that was the most real of times. Everything is copied now. It’s cyclic.
The artwork for your covers and videos has been made by different artists. Both things are really important, as they give that first impression of the band. What kind of relationship do you have with these artists?
Briana: I asked my Dad, who was also our drummer, if he could do something for the cover of the first singles, because he has been experimenting a lot with different types of arts. And we loved the result.
Gutxi: Laura Martinova, the director of the videos, is one of my best friends, as well as one of my favorite directors. She has been very supportive, she really believed on us. It was produced by Wearenotfilmakers, which are great as well. And my sister, África Bibang, took the picture of the mini LP cover. So basically, we’re all a big happy family. We all do our bit!
I can't avoid asking which is your favorite color.
Gutxi: I would say… Black.
Briana: Mine's yellow. Do you want to know why? Because of the Power Rangers! My favorite Power Ranger was the yellow one. Nobody knows that because it's the most embarrassing thing within me(laughs).
Can you give us a sneak peak into your next album? And a hint about where to find you in the upcoming months?
Gutxi: That’s the plan, coming up with an album in a couple of months, we’re thinking about May. We’re definitely ready for it.
Briana: That would be the logical next. But the truth is we have really high goals and would also like to go to the States. We’re so looking for a record label!
Gutxi: Briana and I will go there and record it! I guarantee you!
Briana: Again I’m the optimist so, of course! (Laughs)