After the enforced hiatus the global pandemic, Taiwanese math-rock band Elephant Gym are ready to to burst into action. Their fourth full-length album World will be released on 14th December along with a European tour, including a run of UK dates featuring a slot at the prestigious Portals festival. It’s a busy time alright, but guitarist Tell Chang found time to speak to us, exploring the past and looking forward to the future.
A lot has happened since we last spoke (here), most notably the global pandemic. How did that period affect you personally, and as a musician?
We were infected by Covid-19 around the same time. So we tried to work at home and communicate online. However, it seemed to be impossible to reach any consensus.
We realized that in the past, when having a meeting face to face, it was easy to realize the emotion of each other. Therefore, Being kind and supportive is much easier.
However, the information you could sense through a screen was very limited. Once being unable to feel the sadness, tiredness, frustration from others, we got pissed off easily by the cold expression from the screen. We had a serious fight during that time and Elephant Gym (also featuring bassist KT Chang and drummer Chia-Chin Tu once felt like falling apart.
Through the pandemic, we have learned that we need to bravely express our emotions, especially the negative ones instead of hiding them. Also, asking the feeling from others is a very important way to build up true communication and trust.
How did it affect the band’s dynamic? Did you find new ways of working/interacting?
We started to view the atmosphere of work seriously. When a discussion becomes too stressful, we will stop it and take a break. Later, we will try to understand the reason for the conflict: do we need to discuss more to reach a consensus? Or is the conflict caused by different personalities or aesthetics? If so, who should we follow?
You found ways to circumnavigate the pandemic, such as the 12-hour live stream. How was that as an experience?
That was a crazy project. We released an album called Dreams during the pandemic. But due to the lockdown, it was impossible for us to play live for our overseas audiences. Therefore, we came up with an idea that we will play a 12-hour live stream show through the internet. It was a fun project but we don’t think we will do that again. That kind of exhaustion was beyond imagination.
I found that many artists expressed anger through their music during the pandemic, but the band’s latest album Dreams had a more healing vibe. Would you say that’s a fair assessment, and how did the pandemic inform Dreams?
Instead of being angry, we felt like the lockdown cooled us down and made us look into who we are, what values we really care about. Apportioning blame is always the easiest way to solve problems. But maybe, reality is more like the inflection from our heart.
Speaking of the last world tour, with [third album] Underwater we were touring and producing the album at the same time. Compared to that, we had a more quiet and joyful time during the production of Dreams.
Although the band is referred to as “math-rock”, you draw on a wide range of influences. In what direction do you think your sound will travel next?
Imagination is the most important engine that drives Elephant Gym to create. But math-rock is always the root of Elephant gym. However, we acknowledge music genres to be organisms rather than definitions. Through time, life will grow. So do music genres. And musicians are the nutrient. We try not to be limited by words. Instead, we want to be a special and nutritious ingredient for math-rock. Maybe, it will be more colourful and interesting than before. Or maybe it will grow into something we have never heard before.
The band has also collaborated with a wide range of artists. Is there one musician/band who you’d like to work with?
In the upcoming album World, we have asked our idol musicians and friends all around to join in! We have done a groundbreaking collaboration between Taiwanese and Indian music with Shashaa Tirupati. In addition, we have arranged a song with 2 basses with Seiji Kameda, the bassist from Tokyo Jihen, who has been a big influence since we were kids. The album will be released on 14th, December!
You are scheduled to play Portals festival next year. Have you heard about this festival? And what are your expectations?
We have known Portals for a long time since many bands have played there. The founder, Asher, has been inviting us for years before the pandemic. Last time, we went to ArcTanGent (reviewed here) and it was located in the countryside. This is the first time to join a festival inside London. It is hard to imagine the vibe so we are excited to experience the rock scene of the city!
In addition to Portals, do you have any plans to tour the UK next year?
Of course! We are playing at Bristol on Monday 27th May, Carlisle on Wednesday 29th May, and Manchester on Thursday 30th May.
Elephant Gym recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. That’s a good time to take stock. Are you happy with what the band have achieved over the past 10 years?
We think what Elephant Gym has achieved is already beyond our expectation. There is no Math-Rock scene in Taiwan. Being in a Math-Rock band was likely to be viewed as a bad hobby 10 years ago, hahahaha.
However, now Elephant Gym is our career. Trying our best to produce and play good music is one of our main goals in life. How can it be more lucky than this?
When we were students, especially in Asia, we could only play and write music after finishing tons of homework. Now, we can focus on music! (but sometimes it’s still little too tiring hahaha)
What are your hopes for the next 10 years?
We like different kinds of arts. Recently, we have done lots of crossover projects with musicals, troupe, orchestra. We hope we can play our crossover projects for overseas audiences!
Finally, if I had a magic wand and could make one wish come true for Elephant Gym, what would it be?
Please find peace in everyone. If there must be wars, hope we can fight for what we really believe.
