On May 7, the enigmatic Kit Hepburn announced his hazy new single “Left Alone”, an entirely self-produced track which draws upon ambient soundscapes with subtle R&B elements.
Left Alone is a melancholy number, reflective of the global shutdown that the world has experienced since COVID-19 hit. This dark and brooding track is accompanied by an appropriately moody video clip, created in collaboration with filmmaker Lucas Haynes.
Kit Hepburn is Zac Kazepis’ solo project. His latest release, “Left Alone”, has a sombre undercurrent. It’s an emotive response to the isolation and loneliness experienced by millions during the coronavirus lockdowns. Gentle, electric piano tones are complemented by cosy beats which drive the momentum with slow assertion. Kit Hepburn’s vocals float softly throughout the track’s atmosphere. Lyrically, the song explores themes of heartache and the driving desire to feel close to your partner.
This independent artist originates from regional Victoria and is currently based in Melbourne. Kit Hepburn wrote, produced, mixed and mastered left alone during Melbourne’s extended lockdown. As he notes,
“It feels so good to be releasing “Left Alone”. I was obsessed with getting this song just right, so it feels good to be finally sharing it with the world and getting it out of my bedroom.”
FIB chatted with Kit Hepburn today about life in Melbourne and his latest single.
What’s the meaning behind your new single, “Left Alone”?
I wrote it when I was living on my own in lockdown. I was stuck in a house in regional Victoria. I was during around a lot at night, there was nothing to do. I was recording heaps. I was in this old house and at the time, I was kind of, feeling quite stuck where I was at. Obviously because of Covid, but I’d been originally moving to Melbourne before the lockdown happened. I was feeling quite stuck and I remember I was just, like, waiting to go. I had been in and out of a long-term relationship the year before. I was just, like, seeing people kind of romantically.
I guess when you’re not feeling great in your life in other ways, I was feeling quite disconnected and wanting closeness with somebody. Also, knowing that the relationships I was in weren’t really that meaningful. It was a lot about wanting to be somewhere else. Wanting that closeness with somebody romantically but also having massive walls up. That feeling of all of that, of what I was doing, driving around at night, thinking about this stuff, listening to demos of the song.
You wrote, produced, mixed and mastered “Left Alone” by yourself. What was your creative process like?
Yeah, I don’t know if it will stay that way. I’ve got some other tracks in the works but it was out of, kind of necessity. I’ve done that before with music. When you’ve listened to a song like a thousand times and you’re trying to get it all right, mastering, it’s definitely a kind of mind-bending process to get it all done. I knew how I wanted it to all sound. I knew it was something I could figure my way through because I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound in terms of the mix and master. And I was referencing, using a lot of referencing to other mixes and watching heaps of YouTube videos and diving deep in. It’s good to be able to kind of, [create] a full vision of what I wanted it to be. From like, the sound of it to the vocals, to the way it was mastered and put together.
Is that a long process?
It can be. Because I wasn’t doing much else in lockdown it took like, probably, about 2 weeks. That would be the intensive, when I sat down and I had the song. But I was working on this song, the bare bones of it, like the year before I had kind of the rough idea but it wasn’t exactly right. There are little jazz drum samples scattered in there somewhere. Like, there’s a lot of stuff in there. It took a long time to just, get it right.
Where do you feel that your music sits genre-wise?
It’s an interesting question, I’ve been trying to figure that out too- laughs. I think it’s, um, a mix of like, indie influences. I pull from a lot of hip hop and R&B influences in terms of the production style. Then it’s got a certain lo-fi aesthetic to it as well. So it’s like a blend of those I think. I’d say it was somewhere between like, an alternative rock, alternative R&B with lo-fi elements.
Who are your biggest influences?
I think musically, like Radiohead when I was a teenager was the band that really opened me up to what you could do with atmosphere and sound. Also just, in terms of how they shape their sounds and how diverse their catalogue is. I remember because I was sitting on a bus to and from school. I grew up in rural Vic and I would just be on my own and I would be listening to OK Computer and In Rainbows, being like, sad in year 9 -laughs.
But as well as that I think, listening to a lot of RDM a lot of hiphop. Frank Ocean is a big influence as well, as [the] kind of artist I aspire towards, when I listen to the arrangements on Blonde. The way that album is put together, that’s one of my favourite albums. Also looking at Madlib, Jdilla and the way they made beats. When I waa getting into leaning how to produce, I didn’t know it was a thing you could do when I was in high school. I always wanted to be able to be able to make, like, a whole song and do all of the parts but I didn’t know that you could. I remember listening to Flume’s first record and I remember watching all of the interviews about him. I was like, “oh, you can do this – damn” – laughs. I was massively into his stuff and learning how to produce, I was looking at him a lot.
So, you were playing music in high school?
I was self-taught on piano, that was my main instrument. I was making little songs on the piano, played ukulele and guitar. Once that I figured out that production was a thing, it was just that transition and that shift of being able to have a whole pallet and a whole sound which has opened things up. It took me a while to get comfortable with singing too, it wasn’t always the plan.
I remember I had one gig. My friend booked it and I had a set ready to go. I was like, 2 days out or something, and I was like, “I reckon I’m just gonna try and sing”. Like, I just winged it. It was the most stressful two days of my life. I was trying to like, put together all of these little songs for a 40-minute set. It went well and after that, I just didn’t look back.
In terms of the music video for left alone, how did it come together?
It was definitely inspired by that experience of driving around. I was working with my friend, he’s a great filmmaker, Lucas Haynes. I met him through my friend, she lives next door to me. I was looking for a music video guy and she was like, “talk to Lucas”. We were actually shooting another music video the night that we went to shoot “Left Alone”.
We were already pretty tired when we got into the car. Lucas has this, like real old, green convertible. The engine is pretty crap. I was like, “yeah sick”. He had an old VHS camera. He basically jumped in, we had this old blue light which another crew member was holding up. I was in the kind of costume we’ve used for press shots. We were driving around and it was just a case of driving around and seeing if we could capture what it felt like when I was making the song. What that whole period was like. We came up with something which is quite heightened, quite ethereal. I think that’s what we were going for. I think it captures the vibe.
You talked about the impact which Covid had on Left Alone, how else has it affected what you do? Has it had a big affect on your life musically?
At the time, it sucks to be isolated. You couldn’t go out and do any of those things. I was pretty fortunate that I work as a solo artist. I was fortunate that I could jump on and do that stuff. At the time it gave me a good amount of time to be able to just record, record and record what I did. But, coming out of it I think there’s definitely like, hunger and people want to see stuff. People definitely want to see stuff.
For me it has put a big fire right under me; to just want to go out and do as much as I can. That was my reaction to Covid at the time, I was like, “I don’t wanna be here, sleeping in this house. I’m just gonna make music until I’m not here.” So yeah, that was how it worked. It’s even good, for me it’s been an easy transition. Coming out of it, I’m running around heaps and busier than ever so it’s pretty good.
What do you like the most about what you do?
I love performing, I’m getting ready to take out a new live-set soon with a bunch of new songs. I love live performance because you can capture something unique within the room which only exists there. You can do stuff that isn’t like, on the single. No one else has heard that version of the song. So I love that element of it. And you’re in a room with people, they can feel your energy, you can feel theirs. It’s something else entirely I think, when it’s really good.
But I also love being in the studio and like, figuring out songs and that feeling of when you’ve stayed up all night working on a song. You don’t even know what’s happened with the time. Then you listen on your headphones and you don’t even know how you made that. That feeling is the best feeling, when things just happen creatively. When you’ve just made something and haven’t even thought about it, it’s just come out of you. I think that’s one of my favourite things about it.
Have you got a recording set-up at home?
Yeah, I’ve got a little set-up. I started out writing music for stage shows and films and stuff a few years ago. That’s how I built out my studio and learnt the ropes of producing as well. So I kind of winged it into a job. I had no idea what I was doing and just kind of like, pretended until I learnt. Yeah, so I’ve got a good set-up at home which is really good to have. As I do more, I think I’ll be heading into the studio and working with other producers. Get second opinions and things like that and also kind of expand out in terms of the scope of what I want to make musically. Yeah, I’ve got a sick home set up for sure.
And where do you want to take your music in future? Is it the same vibe?
It’s hard to say, I think. I’ve got a whole bunch of songs that are yet to come out. I think that I’m inspired by a lot of different things and a lot of different sounds. I think that having this vibe and that aesthetic will probably remain but that being said, I also want to branch out a lot and do a lot of different things stylistically. I’ve got stuff I want to do with guitars, some days I want to write a piano ballad with nothing else. It’s a juggle and I’m still trying to figure it out. There’s a lot that I wanna do musically and explore sounds and explore possibilities. It’s evolution I guess.
Melbourne’s the best spot to be in, musically isn’t it?
Yeah, I love it. Right when I was moving here, I got like, a really cool place in Brunswick. Right when I was moving to Melbourne, I had just started another job. I was acting in a comedy festival show all at once. I was sleeping 2 hours a week, on an air mattress, waiting for my furniture to arrive. Now that I’m here, it’s the best.
And what’s next?
I’m gonna be recording some more, then I’ll probably announce some shows. Hopefully in the next month. I’m just getting my live set right, but yeah I’ve got a whole bunch of stuff in the works. I’m working on an EP coming out later in the year. Around October is where I’m kind of slating it. That’s finishing touches kind of stuff. I’m gonna go like, maybe find a shack in the middle of nowhere and lock myself in and finish it up.
Check out Kit Hepburn’s video clip for “Left Alone” below:
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