Sounds and Sonics: I'll Explain Later - Korby

Multi-instrumentalist Korby has cracked the code. He's found a way to truly captivate audiences from day one.

Despite having only released one project, Korby has already built a cult fanbase with I’ll Explain Later and his journey is nothing short of significant as he combines thought and vulnerability amongst the ability to effortlessly blend a variety of sounds into mesmerising sonics.

And as a postgraduate neuroscientist, it’s almost as if Korby’s unique perspective infuses his compositions with depth and complexity seldom seen in today’s alternative music scene. With each track meticulously crafted to evoke an assortment of emotions and deliberations, he's really just trying to get things off his chest. Delving into the depths of his own psyche as well as the those around him, he serves as a mirror to reveal the intricacies of life and openly treats his tracks like therapy sessions that we're all listening in on with our ears pressed up against the door.

Already garnering attention for his original approach and undeniable talent, we were able to carefully dissect, track by track, Korby’s I’ll Explain Later.

Track 01 - Feel My Face

This opening track is so attention grabbing right from the start which has the prominent use of drums and ambient sounds. Can you walk us through your creative process behind emphasising different sounds or instruments in this particular track or the project as a whole and its importance?

It all started with a piano I bought on Facebook Marketplace for £50. It was out of tune, and some keys didn’t work, but eventually I found a melody that sounded cool. I made it my mission to make something from it, even though it sounded wonky and out of tune, I thought that it could still be used to make music because the instrument itself had so much character. So, I added a chopped up drum groove that gave the wonky piano some structure and a rhythm to cling on to and ‘Feel My Face’ was born. After that, I added in the bass lines, and  that really came from me just playing around with the guitar and having fun. Almost by accident I found a way to make it make sense with a bassline that glued all the instrumental elements together. When I was recording the song, I wanted to give each instrument the chance to show its character. I doubled and pitched some of the bass parts and that gave it more of a lead guitar feeling. Similarly with the piano, giving it space within the composition allowed for it to stand out against the textured production in parts. I feel like I gave each instrument its own place in the track. They’re all as important as each other.  

Track 02 - Nosebleeds

Nosebleeds speaks on romantic relationships and features acoustic guitar playing and hazy synths. Could you elaborate the significance of delving into personal experiences through your music, and what do you hope listeners gain from these narratives?

It always feels most natural talking about real experiences that mean something to me. It’s usually things that I need to process, or things that I haven’t had the chance to talk to anyone about, or simply something I want to let people know. I’m hoping that whoever is listening to tracks like ‘Nosebleeds’ are able to resonate with the stories I'm telling, because after all we aren’t that different from each other. I approach it like, maybe I am talking about someone not finding the time in the day to eat, and getting nosebleeds because they’re not taking care of themselves properly, that might help someone else who is trying to work through something that they’re trying to process in their own life. 

Track 03 - To Let Go

To Let Go features a sombre piano in the background which moves in a different direction to the first two tracks. In addition to your instrumental prowess, what other aspects do you believe set you apart as an artist to watch? How do you distinguish yourself?

I don’t think there’s been many artists from where I’m from, with the music background that I have, talking about what I’m talking about in the way that I’m talking about it. I feel like I have something new to say. People might not have heard it packaged like this before, and although it’s new, I feel like if you listen to it, like really listen to it and take it in, it’ll all sound familiar. It’s not too far off from what we all already know of music. 

Track 04 - Young Until We Aren’t

'Young Until We Aren’t' features like a nice interlude that breaks up the project into two halves. What was the reason for making a track that focuses on reflection and nostalgia?

It’s literally that, ‘Young Until We Aren’t’ arrives to break the project into two halves. The first few songs have a younger and more playful perspective, while the three tracks that follow come from a more mature viewpoint. They’re a bit more serious. 'YUWA' is the junction between those two perspectives, reflecting the dissonance between life’s good and bad decisions, between mature and immature choices. I’m a Gemini, so it’s only right that I show the two sides of me.

Track 05 - My Garden

'My Garden' feels like a standout track on the project that moulds together an abundance of sounds and ideas that are all very cohesive. Could you share with us the importance of cohesion in your musical processes and how you ensure each element serves the overarching vision of a song? 

During the process of making a lot of this music, I found that I can’t force a song to be something it’s not…it doesn’t work like that. You have to let every song become exactly what it’s supposed to be, and stay true to the essence of the song. I feel like the cohesion comes when you keep that front of mind, only keeping the elements that add to the story of the song. If it doesn’t add any context, or elements of narration to the track, then more time it’s not necessary. With ‘My Garden’, every element was carefully placed to add to the overall essence of the song. I did so in order to create a feeling, and I think I managed to convey that well.  

Track 06 - Making Faces

The instrumentation in 'Making Faces' feels both intimate and expansive, adding depth to the emotional landscape of the song. Can you share the creative process behind crafting the musical arrangement to compliment the themes explored in the lyrics?

‘Making Faces’ was one of those songs that came very naturally to me. It started with the drums; my guy Ruhan laid an intricate groove with a 6/8 swing, which felt quite ambiguous. On top of the drums, my guy Elliot Frost played in a one take guitar line. Right off the bat it felt like a conversation between the guitar and the drums, it was so perfect. At that point, I locked in with my boy RJ and we had a discussion about what I could even talk about on a track like that, where all the instruments seemed to be asking for some context through the lyrics. We went back and forth for a while before he said, “Korby, just talk your shit, tell me about your day today”, and that sparked something. The lyrics just flowed out of me after that. We recorded the whole song that day. RJ and I spent a good couple hours building out the production, we played the synth in the outro together, with him playing the notes out while I messed around with the octave buttons and other functions on the synth pad. I think if we used a preset called juno or prophet. We didn’t plan it at all, but it sounded so cool we kept the first or second take on there. 

Track 07 - Wait For You

Listeners have deeply resonated with the vulnerability and sincerity expressed in 'Wait For You'. How do you navigate the balance between vulnerability, strength and honesty within your music, particularly in songs like this that touch on themes of longing and connection?

I do it by just being honest. Like all of the other tracks on I’ll Explain Later, ‘Wait For You’ came from me wanting to get something off my chest. I didn’t set out to make the track that it became, I just needed to let something out. That’s what I was feeling at the time. Those lyrics relate to so many overlapping scenarios in my life, and at the time I was having trouble understanding how to move through them all, I didn’t really know what was going on to be honest. So, through that song I chose to honestly explore my feelings. What am I like when I'm left alone? How do things actually pan out? How do I cope when things get too deep? What are my vices? Are they healthy? Overall, through the song I found strength in knowing that there’s always somewhere or something to come back to, and I hold that close. 

Listen to the full project below and keep up to date with Korby's journey on Instagram