Empty Melon Soundtracks a Late Night Spiral on Atmospheric Art Pop Single “Don’t Look Away”
Created and developed in Montreal’s DIY scene, Empty Melon (the solo project of Ada Lea bassist/producer Summer Kodama) follows up on her debut single, “Hoping to Find,” with “Don’t Look Away,” an atmospheric, dark, and emotionally charged song that transforms late-night spiralling into something strangely beautiful. Blending experimental electronics, art pop textures, and cinematic sound design, the track embraces discomfort rather than avoiding it, finding clarity through directness, vulnerability, and self-confrontation.
“Don’t Look Away” first emerged during a solitary drive in the early hours of the morning. “It started with spiralling while driving alone at 2am and improvising on the bass guitar,” Summer explains. What began as a fleeting emotional moment gradually evolved into a meditation on honesty, both with others and with oneself.
That commitment to honesty ultimately became the emotional core of the song. While the title may initially sound confrontational, for Summer it represents something much more personal.
“I think there’s a catharsis to expressing yourself and your needs with plain, direct language,” she says. “It allows you to facilitate an alignment with your most authentic self. Honesty is the most important component of self-expression.”
That sense of emotional directness is reflected throughout the production. Where “Hoping to Find” drifted through the hazy space between sleep and wakefulness, “Don’t Look Away” occupies a darker emotional landscape. Summer describes the two songs as “polar siblings,” with one basking in sunlight while the other emerges under the cover of night.
Written during the same month in May 2024, the tracks reveal two contrasting sides of the same creative period. If “Hoping to Find” explored rediscovery and openness, “Don’t Look Away” leans into uncertainty, introspection, and the courage required to face difficult truths head-on.
The recording process itself became an exercise in experimentation and trust. Seeking greater accountability and creative freedom, Summer found an important collaborator in Leo Bagel, keyboardist for Post NC. “I’ve been finding it extremely helpful having a collaborator to experiment with,” she explains. “I already feel two opposing voices in my brain, so the third brings balance, inspiration, and more accountability.”
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Created and developed in the DIY venues of Montreal, Empty Melon is the solo project of bassist and producer Summer Kodama. The project is a cinematic collision of live performance, hardware synths, and hybrid visual media.
Drawing from her experience as a jazz and classical bassist, session musician, and composer for theater and dance, Kodama crafts soundscapes rooted in experimental music, improvisation, and ambient electronics.
“Don’t Look Away” began during a solitary 2 a.m. drive. Can you take us back to that moment, and what emotions were running through your mind?
There was a period of my life where I was consistently teetering between feeling emptiness and overwhelm. I felt more clarity during all my moments of being in motion/commuting. Taking walks and drives helped with the stagnation. In my mind, the song is an audio painting of that feeling.
You’ve said that honesty is the most important component of self-expression. Has embracing that philosophy changed the way you write or produce music?
Yes. It also changed the way I listen to music. I’ve always been attracted to the humanity of an artist more than anything else.
You describe “Hoping to Find” and “Don’t Look Away” as “polar siblings.” What did writing these contrasting songs during the same month teach you about yourself as a songwriter?
I don’t know if I was consciously thinking about that when I wrote these two songs. I was so focused on the tasks at hand. I call the songs polar siblings because they sound anatomically similar, but aesthetically different to me, haha. Now that I think about it, both songs showed me what my capabilities and limits are as a songwriter and producer.
As both a bassist and producer, how do those roles shape the way you approach songwriting for Empty Melon?
I actually think my bass playing is more influenced by my song writing than the other way around! Song writing / composing has made me more interested in what other instruments (and not the bass) are doing.
The genesis of Empty Melon was writing songs in a DAW from high school and experimenting with eq, dynamics, timing, sounds and fx. I also studied with an experimental / classical double bassist named Robert Black for 2 years, where I was exposed to avant garde / extended techniques on the double bass. He’d let us use his studio to practice after hours. It felt like I’d sit at both the piano and the bass for hours trying to come up with the smallest thing. I’m beginning to realize how influential that time was.
Collaboration played an important role in this release. What did working with Leo Bagel bring to the project that you may not have found working alone?
I thought Leo’s artistry on the piano was just naturally a good fit for this song. His project, Post NC, is a prog/rock/jazz fusion band, and I just love his energy and sound design. We also play experimental/jazz sessions together sometimes and so we both have a vested interest in the avant garde, which I think comes through in the song.
He is also someone I’ve always felt comfortable getting in the think tank with and bouncing ideas off of. He came to my house on several different occasions, bringing synths and even a harpeji. I think the willingness to try things out is important for the process of collaboration.
Montreal has a thriving DIY music scene. How has being part of that community influenced your artistic growth?
Living in Montreal for a period of time (my Saturn return lol) was one of the most formative, inspiring and disillusioning experiences I’ve had, and I’m not sure I would have had the courage to try being an artist if I hadn’t been exposed to the community there.
I was there originally for school to get my masters degree in jazz composition, so I was exposed to the jazz / experimental scene first as a jazz bassist/composer. Playing in free improvisation groups was a game changer. The musical culture there is one that embraces authenticity, experimentation, and continued learning.
This is also the city where I got to experience a new start, made awful mistakes, experienced a low like I had never felt, learned a new way of being, found love, found myself.
If listeners could take away just one feeling or realization after hearing “Don’t Look Away,” what would you hope it would be?
Any feeling or any realization would be enough for me!