Artist on the Rise Karisa Brings in “Endless Summer”
Canadian songstress Karisa is set to enthrall listeners once more with her latest EP Endless Summer, released on July 26, 2024. With synths, drums, and guitar riffs that evoke the spirit of the 1980s and early 2000s, the EP vividly captures the essence of summer, setting a perfect backdrop for nostalgic reflections on sun-drenched memories.
Karisa shares,
“”Endless Summer” EP is a musical tribute to summertime, filled with memories.”
The lyrics describe coastal settings in all three songs, painting an image in the listener’s mind of the perfect “California dream.” The lyrical transitions from day to night or sunset to darkness are brought in to symbolize the end of this imagery, creating the feeling of these memories and days coming to an end.
“Night Waves” pays homage to the Vaporwave sound movement, while also using house synths and a catchy pop chorus. The song explores the feelings of trust and betrayal.
“Coastal Dreams” is inspired by the new wave electronic music (New Order, The Cure, Psychedelic Furs) from the 1980’s mixed with modern Euro dance melodies. The song brings a nostalgic feel with a modern and unique twist. It captures the feeling of being young and free, driving along the Pacific Coast and following your heart.
“Mirage” is mixed with 1980s guitar riffs and mid-western pop-punk sounds to create an energetic alternative vibe. It takes inspiration from Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer” and Avril Lavigne’s debut album “Let Go”.
Whether you find yourself dancing barefoot on the beach at sunset or cruising along coastal highways with the windows down, “Endless Summer” is an essential addition to your summer playlist, seamlessly blending into every moment of your sun-soaked adventures.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Karisa and I’m a Toronto based Alternative-Pop artist. I’ve been releasing music since 2020, and my passion is to create songs that capture moments in time. I’m a really nostalgic person, and I love to try and base my music around that, through sound, visuals, and lyrics.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
My recent release ‘Endless Summer’ EP captures the nostalgia of summers past—from childhood and decades before—through sound and visuals. I wanted to paint the picture of a hot summer and the memories that come from it. I always feel a sense of longing and sadness when summers end and time goes by, and I wanted to capture that. I miss the long summer days of the past, so I wanted to make an EP that not only symbolizes that but makes you feel it.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
The writing process begins with me brainstorming what my next sound will be. I think what vibe am I looking for? What feelings do I want to capture? I usually go on Pinterest to start brainstorming ideas and create a vision. This vision is basically an aesthetic that I want to transpose into sound. I like to create an immersive vibe and capture the emotions and feelings that I want to express through that vision. With all this in mind, I think of sounds and instruments that I want to utilize. In the ‘Endless Summer’ EP I had this vision of capturing time and trying to put nostalgia for summers past in lyrics and sounds. I then sit down with my Co-producer and co-writer CL3VR (Lucas Vuco) and we start to build this vision by searching for certain sounds and melodies. Sometimes it takes days to finally settle on a composition we like, and often we end up abandoning numerous beats we create in favour of others. Once we structure and build the beat we like, we write lyrics to it with the vision in mind. The process is so natural to us, and is similar every time we sit down to work on music!
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
We will be making music videos for this EP, which will be in the same vibe as our past music videos created by the talented Duzzie Daze production! We hope to perform these songs live too! I will also be promoting the EP through promo videos on TikTok and IG.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
One of the biggest moments for me was being featured on Earmilk. It was the first time I saw an article in a larger online magazine published about my music and it made me so incredibly happy!
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I recommend everyone go check out Short Trip TO, they are super talented and their music is such a vibe!