Southern California-based indie psych-rock artist Karaboudjan shares his new single, ‘SCATTER’ – the first single off his upcoming EP due out later this year.

“Like most artists, I tried to hunker down and write as much music as I could during the start of the pandemic. I’m already a bit of a homebody, so I embraced the beginning of lockdown with open arms. I wrote enough tracks to create a few different projects aside from Karaboudjan, which tends to be a recurring creative issue of mine. I even contemplated releasing a new project/EP instead of these singles, but I really felt that the concept of Karaboudjan wasn’t finished quite yet. It’s like I’m still figuring it out as I go. For me personally, ‘SCATTER’ is about the journey of discovery and the nostalgia of traveling. When I was a kid, I always envied the kids who came back from holiday with stories from their international adventures. Growing up, my family never had taken us on a plane before, even domestically so naturally I had always considered it to be a certain privilege I wouldn’t experience. But the concept of visiting these places I’ve only read in books or seen on television just seemed so foreign to me. I had this moment on tour, where this immense sense of appreciation dawned over me. It doesn’t take too much to get burnt out from weeks on the road, so I guess this is my subtle reminder to appreciate things more, which became even more apparent after the start of the pandemic”. – Billy Kim (Karaboudjan)

‘SCATTER’ was self produced by Karaboudjan, and mixed and mastered by Stefan Mac. Single artwork photos by Nitemoves (Rory O’Connor).

Karaboudjan is the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Billy Kim, who has toured with musician and composer Tycho since 2016. Born in Inglewood, California, but raised a stone’s throw to the east in Fullerton, Billy grew up watching his parents sing together at home. While his parents saw music as more of a hobby, Billy knew he wanted to be a professional musician at the age of 13. By the time he was 17, he had already embarked on his first real nationwide tour. At the age of 23, Billy was featured in Rolling Stone after getting an opportunity to record an album with Grammy Award-Winning producer, Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse, Tom Waits). While enjoying the high from this remarkable opportunity, Billy lost his father due to Alzheimers. Karaboudjan is a tribute to Billy’s father.

In 2016, Kim joined Tycho’s touring band and relocated to Union City, New Jersey where he wrote most of his debut EP, ‘IMAGO’. “Our apartment faced the Hudson River, and we had the most incredible view of the Empire State Building. It was magical to have that view every time I looked up from my computer. It was the first time I ever lived away from home, and there was something so enchanting about the city for me. Probably because that’s where I fell in love with my wife”. Much like Karaboudjan, ‘IMAGO’ is also something of a tribute to Kim’s youth. Influenced by artists like Radiohead, Blur, Tame Impala, Jon Hopkins, Department of Eagles, Animal Collective, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Simon & Garfunkel, Karaboujdan describes his sound as dreamy psych-indie rock.

Headline photo: Oscar A.

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