Sound of the City: Genre-defying Vancouver band Dacey on curve balls, live shows, and upcoming releases
Alternative R ’n’ B, neo soul, jazz, lo-fi hip hop, and more influence the local group’s music
Dacey. Photo by Heather Fabia
SOUND OF THE CITY is a series created in partnership by the City of Vancouver and Stir that showcases Vancouver’s diverse music scene, highlighting BIPOC and underrepresented artists and acts. Each edition features a Q&A and a Sound of the City playlist curated by the artist that features some of their favourite local musicians.
Dacey
DACEY TAKES ITS name from Dacey (pronounced DAH-SEE) Andrada, who draws from numerous styles in her music, including alternative R&B, lo-fi hip hop, neo soul, indie, and jazz. The 21-year-old East Vancouver musician is influenced by artists such as Amy Winehouse, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, SZA, and rapper Anderson .Paak. Along with her band—guitarists Justin Tecson (JT) and Nate Chan and bassist Joshua Akow—she feels right at home in the underground scene.
Read what’s on the band members’ minds these days and listen to Dacey’s Sound of the City playlist, below.
Dacey’s Playlist
1. Ludic - “Heart Emoji”
2. adam brian paul - “You and Me Both”
3. Hether - “Pink Purple Blues”
4. The Jackson 5 - “I Will Find A Way”
5. Blackbyrds - “April Showers”
6. Boylife - “Lush”
7. Hamb Sun - “On Top of the Roof”
8. Schwey - “Can’t Stop (A Playa)”
9. ZDBT, Prado - “Elastic”
10. Daniel Lin - “Envy”
11. La Dispute - “I See Everything”
12. Counterparts - “Decay”
13. William Bonney - “Drug Lord”
14. sans vigae - “Barricade”
15. Spiritbox - “Circle With Me”
16. YONLAPA - “Let Me Go”
17. Kendra Dias - “Flexible”
18. Se So Neon – “Go Back (집에)”
19. adam brian paul - “Temple of the Dragon”
How are you feeling about life right now?
JT: I’m pretty optimistic as of now. Things are going well with music and life in general, I’ve got not too many complaints.
Nate: Life has been throwing a lot at me lately, but I find ways to persevere despite it being painful in doing so, but my band always has my back and it keeps me moving forward.
Josh: I’m kinda caught in a transitional period. I often need to remember to take a deep breath and celebrate my accomplishments. After that, I’ve gotta say that things seem pretty good! I’m looking forward to spending more time with friends and around music as we ease our way out of the pandemic!
Dacey: Life has thrown some major curve balls at me, this year especially. However, I’ve been trying to keep my head up as much as I can; and with the band by my side, they’ve been helping me get through it.
How has the pandemic affected your work?
JT: The pandemic has definitely been a blessing in disguise work-wise. My part-time job shut down during that whole period so that gave me a lot of free time to work on music day in and day out.
Nate: The only music-related work that I’ve had before the pandemic was playing live shows with the band, and having that taken away was quite painful. During the pandemic I still tried to produce on my own and write songs, but not having a stage to share any of it really hurt, which makes my excitement for live shows to come back extremely prominent.
Josh: At first I thought the pandemic brought everything I had lined up to a sudden halt. Looking back I can appreciate all the time I’ve had to spend finding myself as a musician and an individual. I now feel more ready than ever to tackle whatever challenges come my way!
Dacey: It’s been bittersweet. I like how I’ve had all this free time to write and relax (sorta) but at the same time it’s been hard finding inspiration to write about since you’re not doing much sitting at home.
What are you working on right now? Do you have any plans or projects lined up for the rest of 2021?
JT: Dacey singles and demos and a few other projects with other artists like Hamb Sun.
Nate: My personal music, a lo-fi math rock project named “Waterfall Eyes”, which has a single coming up.
Josh: We’ve got a run of singles on the way now that we finally signed a deal! I’m super excited to share everything we’ve been working on with our friends and fans. Outside of the band, I’m working hard at producing and mixing for other artists, as well as developing my new solo project ‘DRILLY NELSON’!
Dacey: We are currently working on a few singles we have lined up for release, alongside writing for our upcoming self-titled album.
Where are you finding solace and comfort?
JT: Friends and family; also making music!
Nate: As an introvert, spending time by myself really helps me find myself if I ever lose it.
Josh: Friends, video games, and spending time in the comfort of my room!
Dacey: Weed. Writing down my feelings.
What are you most looking forward to once the pandemic passes?
JT: Live shows, touring, and travelling!
Nate: When live shows are a thing again I would love to once again feel the punches of a melodic metalcore mosh pit.
Josh: Live shows, travel, and good times with the homies!
Dacey: I would love to play more live shows in the city, across Canada, and eventually plan a tour!
What song or album has been in your heavy rotation recently and why?
JT: This new Boylife track ‘Lush’ has been on repeat for awhile now—it really tugs on my heartstrings. Also some Pinkpanthress, Donda and Tkay Maidza.
Nate: I’ve been listening a lot to a slowcore band called Gleemer, which really combines midwest emo with modern grunge. It’s almost as if Basement played 30 bpm slower.
Josh: The new Baby Keem project is incredible. I love how diverse his performances are, as well as the killer production!
Dacey: I’ve got three vibes going on for me as of recent. ‘Pink Purple Blues’ by Hether, ‘VanGogh’sLeftEar’ by Zelooperz. Oh, and the new ABBA’s good! ‘Don’t Shut Me Down’.
Can you give a shoutout to one of your favourite Vancouver musicians or artists? What about them inspires you?
JT: Hamb Sun has been pretty inspiring for me—his production and musicality are topnotch. It’s such a privilege to be able to work with him on upcoming music.
Nate: Courtney LaPlante, the lead singer for metalcore band Spiritbox. She started out in an alternative band called “iwrestledabearonce”, and since then she’s just been really killing the metalcore scene. I can’t think of any other female vocalist that can scream as good as her.
Josh: Kendra Dias is amazing! I love her cool vibe and laidback temperament. Her intuition for vocal melodies, rhythms, and harmonies is quite impressive. (I should probably finish the track we have in the works... Whoops!)
Dacey: Ludic, absolutely love their funky fresh-filled vibe. A trio so tight you’d want to fly out to see.
What would you like to see change in Vancouver?
JT: The city needs more live venues and places to perform—it’s something severely lacking in this city.
Nate: The police treat the homeless and Indigenous people really poorly. This is completely unrelated to music, but I truly think the police here are racist to a degree.
Josh: I’d like to see better infrastructure for the local music scene. Far too many venues have been shut down over the years, which reduces opportunity for the plethora of talent in the city to get out and perform!
Dacey: The nightlife. Too vanilla for my liking.
Who is your dream collaborator?
JT: Kenny Beats/Kanye/Timbaland/ The Weeknd; all their songs are topnotch so I couldn’t pick just one!
Nate: My dream collaborator would probably be Yvette Young. Not only is she incredibly skilled at her instrument, she plays with so much emotion, unlike any other guitarist I’ve heard before. She also plays violin and piano, and the emotion translates just as well.
Josh: Hands down Charli XCX!!! I love how bold her sound is. She does an amazing job of pushing the boundaries of pop music, and has been a huge inspiration of mine recently!
Dacey: My dream collaborator would have to be Tyler, the Creator hands down. I am deeply enamoured with his vision, sound, and steez. My second dream collaborator would have to be Anderson. Paak.
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