Pigeon Spins Featuring an Interview with Kazu Osumi

Kazu Osumi - Times of Love  

With "Times of Love," Kazu Osumi delivers a poignant musical journey that reflects on the passage of time and its impact on love. Set against a backdrop of nostalgia, this release is a departure from Kazu's previous singles, showcasing a more evergreen production that resonates with a message meant to endure for generations to come.

By incorporating human instrumentation and introspective lyrics, Kazu creates a heartfelt composition that invites listeners to reflect on the enduring nature of love and the beauty of cherished memories. As the release date approaches, mark your calendars to experience the heartfelt storytelling and musical brilliance of Kazu Osumi's "Times of Love."

Interview with Kazu Osumi

What inspired Times of Love and its reflection on the passage of time?

I’ve always loved songs that leaned into nostalgia, so I knew that this was a song I did eventually plan on writing. Our time is the most important commodity, and yet we don’t know how much of it we do have. When I write, I tend to pull from multiple sources of inspiration and then condense it into one perspective or story. Loss has been a large part of my life in the past few years—whether through death or the restructuring or ending of relationships with others and also with self.

The verses were largely just a reflection on time and our purpose. I remember thinking as people offered condolences for my mother’s passing, that what they always recalled was her kindness. When she did pass, I spent a lot of time leafing through all the photo albums she had created. I always did that as a child and would marvel at how much can change with time.

I had gotten stuck when writing the song, and it was only after reading a post by Surrija, one of my favorite musical artists, that I figured out the rest of the song. In the post, she was celebrating an anniversary and posed the question, “What is time?”. So naturally, I thought of possible answers to that question which is what became the pre-choruses. It’s special to me because she graciously agreed to do the background vocals and some counterpoint for the song. There’s magic in that woman’s voice so being able to hear it on one of my productions is meaningful.

Musically, I structured the chord progression for the verses based off of some unknown song to me that my former bandmate, Kazu, had played the very first time we met. It was a played on this terribly cheap, no name electric guitar that had this odd half oval shape. It kept going out of tune and it was all quite comical. We were just teenagers. The next time I saw him he had upgraded to an Epiphone SG and then shortly after an Epiphone Les Paul. That was my homage to him. He passed from cancer at a pretty young age. I always thought we’d play together into our twilight years, so I named my artist moniker after him.

How does this track differ from your previous singles?

This one is my first solo production. I wanted to keep it an evergreen type of production with all acoustic instrumentation because I wanted the instrumentation to feel timeless. In that sense, it’s less edgy and more traditional.

How do human instrumentation and introspective lyrics shape the emotional impact of the song?

There’s been this big fuss about AI and how it is going to restructure the music industry. It’s another tool in my opinion. I wanted the song to be incredibly enveloped by our human experiences that we, of course, experience with the passage of time. If you tally up the number of years of musical experience of everyone involved in this project—the musicians and engineers—it is probably a few hundred years all together. That’s hundreds of years of each individual’s unique life experiences and their musical choices that are a product of those experiences. How beautifully human is that?

What role does nostalgia play in your songwriting and production?

It’s hard for me not to be nostalgic because I’m always writing with introspection. I think what is great about music is that it gives voice to a feeling that people can’t really convey in their day to day, but they feel it in their everyday.

Which artists, such as Radiohead or Billie Eilish, influenced this track?

I drew mostly from Eric Clapton and John Mayer for this one. It’s not a very alternative rock sounding track at all. I do enjoy music from lots of different genres and styles. I know I’ll have fun exploring it all in the future.

How do you balance vulnerability and strength in your music?

I think the vulnerability is in the openness of the storytelling or the scene that is being created. The strength usually exists with the hope or gratitude.

What messages or emotions do you hope listeners take from Times of Love?

I hope that it feels like moving through memories—the ache of knowing something’s over, yet feeling gratitude that it ever existed.

How do you approach creating cinematic arrangements that support your storytelling?

I think focusing on melodic components does this as well as what instruments to incorporate in the arrangement. I always love strings and played violin as a kid. I feel like there’s always some magic when you incorporate that.

How has your songwriting evolved over your recent releases?

I think the identity of who I am as an artist is beginning to take shape. I think who I am has always been consistent at its core—but it’s the self-realization that takes time to crystallize. It’s interesting to see yourself through the lens of other people. This, of course, can be a good or bad thing. But, it affects the songwriting in the sense that you understand what the audience is most drawn to, so you can begin focusing on those aspects of yourself.

Looking ahead, what themes or directions are you excited to explore in future music?

In my upcoming work, I want to delve into what it means to be human today and how our democracy is changing, using music as a lens to reflect on these times.

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Kazu Osumi on the Pigeon Spins Playlist