PHOTOGRAPHY BLACKSOCKS
STYLING Yasmin Williams
HMUA Callie Foulsham using Lisa Eldridge
LIGHTING TECHNICIAN Kai Taariq Jadwat
FASHION ASSISTANTS Hannah Kitty Brown, Isenkkel Akhtimer & Vella Akhtimer
PRODUCTION & WORDS Madeline Reid
SPECIAL THANKS Chris Cuff at Good Machine PR
An ‘isotope’ is a variation of a chemical element that has the same number of protons but a different number of neutrons. Now, I’m not much of a woman in STEM, but upon hearing the title of the newly released EP by sibling duo Wasia Project, I understood that their music would not involve reciting the periodic table, but rather, inspect how their unique experiences and emotions can be distilled through a singular lens.
Composed of 21-year-old William Gao and 19-year-old Olivia Hardy, Wasia Project released their second extended play, Isotope, on 29th August following the widespread acclaim of breakout single ‘ur so pretty’ and 2022 EP how can i pretend?. Their ever-evolving sound integrates codes from jazz, classical, indie and bedroom-pop with a mature ease, layered with the duo’s haunting vocals – Olivia; angelic and evocative, Will; solemn and grounded – that echo the painstaking realities of heartbreak and self-discovery in teenagehood.
Their latest offering follows one character grappling with juxtaposing feelings on love and identity. The EP opens with the angsty ‘Is This What Love Is?’, an anxiety-riddled series of existential questions accompanied by heart-racing piano chords. ‘Takes Me Back Home’ resolves some of this unease, as Olivia discovers what brings her comfort on this soothing ballad, followed by the record’s first fever-dream-like interlude.
‘Somebody Come Through’ is the stand-out track from the EP, once again hearing Olivia descend into self-doubt, singing “Tell me why the way you look at me is so confusing / Oh-woah, why do I feel stupid?”, and slowly coming to terms with the reality of the situation, repeating “Nothing ever changes” as the track fades out. ‘To Get Better’ hears Will take the lead, showcasing his impressive baritone range as he ponders a deeper level of contemplation. The EP features a second interlude ahead of ‘Tell Me Lies’, the record’s cinematic instrumental finale.
Isotope is undoubtedly a masterful development for the budding songwriters, and is arguably one of the best releases of the year thus far. The EP is accompanied by a poignant short film, a first for the band, that sees Olivia and Will struggle to navigate a series of labyrinthine scenarios, produced by creative director and director duo, Charlie Drinkwater and Charles Gall.
After working intensively over the Winter and Spring to record the EP and its corresponding short film – and again throughout the EP’s late Summer launch – Will and Olivia have, in recent weeks, been spending some time apart. For Will, the Isotope press run has wrapped up just in time for the latest season of Netflix’s hit queer rom-com series, Heartstopper, which drops on 3rd October. Will plays Tao, best friend to the show’s protagonist Charlie, and has received critical acclaim from audiences and industry members alike for the show’s sympathetic portrayal of diverse teen romances.
“It’s all pretty nuts,” says Will, admitting he has another interview after our phone call. “It’s a wonderful celebration of, and letting go of, the work and sharing it with the world. I think with all of this coming out at the same time, there is this big sense of release – it’s out there now. I’m holding nothing,” he catches himself and pauses. “I’m holding less back than I was, so that feels freeing.”
It’s a wonderful celebration of, and letting go of, the work and sharing it with the world. I think with all of this coming out at the same time, there is this big sense of release – it’s out there now.
Meanwhile, for Olivia, a holiday to Greece with her boyfriend provided some much-needed relaxation. She talks about how good the weather was, the books she read (she’s currently enjoying Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star) and the relief of turning her phone off for a week. “Creatively, it was also fuel,” she shares. “We were staying on this really small island and you could hike down to these little coves – they weren’t formal beaches, they were just rocks. I went to one where all the rocks were this marbled green colour, and the sun was setting… I’d never seen that colour in a natural landscape before, the whole beach was glowing with these smooth green pebbles. I loved it.”
For Will, inspiration has come from a source closer to home thanks to a recent trip to London Fashion Week, attending shows for British menswear retailer Kent & Curwen and Asian-American industry favourite Chet Lo. “The worlds of fashion and of music, I think it’s a very similar vibe, and I get the same creative energy that I feel when I hear new work and when I see a new collection,” Will explains. “I get such a buzz from it every time, seeing it in such proximity. I feel honoured just to be present there – especially London being my home, it’s a beautiful thing to see some of the designers that have had a big impact here in my home city.”
“You were also saying, seeing a show that designers have worked so hard on for the whole year…” Olivia interjects. “They put so much work into it, and you get to see them on their big day. It’s a special experience that I think is similar for musicians releasing an album or EP.”
A few weeks prior to our interview, Will and Olivia were rifling through rails of eclectic clothes on the set of the BRICKS Voices digital cover shoot, ultimately opting for sleek suiting, embellished knitwear and relaxed co-ords. On set, Olivia expressed her trepidation about assembling her wardrobe for stage as the pair are preparing for their biggest UK solo tour to date.
Today, with a summer of festival sets under their belt, Olivia appears more resolved. “I think I have a firmer sense of what the vibe is,” she asserts through a patchy phone connection. “I think in relation to Isotope and the music we’ve created, we’ve talked about monochrome, 90s minimalism, and more of a chic, sophisticated look.” They’re calling from the back of a cab hurtling down the M25, as a delayed flight home from Hamburg has them running late for tour rehearsals.
It was here at Reeperbahn Festival in Hamburg that the duo performed the EP’s striking single ‘Somebody Come Through’ live, giving fans a glimpse of what they can expect from the upcoming tour. “It’s my favourite [song] to play in the whole set now, honestly, just because of how fresh it is,” Olivia beams. “I think it goes down well with any crowd because of how fun of a song it is sonically. I was having a little euphoric moment yesterday playing it, it’s very anthemic.”
The sheer scale of the sound across the seven-track record marks a new chapter for the band, departing from the insular, bedroom-style recordings of earlier releases. While participating in a Q&A at the Isotope film screening, held at the Selfridges Cinema, the duo surprisingly cited film composer Hans Zimmer as a key inspiration for the EP. On first listen, Zimmer’s influence may not appear obvious, but when comprehending the magnitude of the instrumentation the duo desired, Olivia says they were inspired by Zimmer’s recent work for Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, Dune.
“We love that really heavy sound,” she says. “In ‘Takes Me Back Home’, we talked about this ‘starfish bass’. That’s the way I described it to our producer when we were trying to find the sound, like something is hitting the ocean floor and the sand explodes from it in slow motion.”
In ‘Takes Me Back Home’, we talked about this ‘starfish bass’. That’s the way I described it to our producer when we were trying to find the sound, like something is hitting the ocean floor and the sand explodes from it in slow motion.
Olivia wears Full Look CULT NAKED, Shoes CLARKS, Jewellery PILGRIM. Will wears Suit & Shirt KENZO, Shoes VAGABOND
Their symphonic sound is also supported by string arrangements on ‘Takes Me Back Home’ and instrumental ‘Tell Me Lies’. They explain that the latter track had originally been a longer, six-minute song, but failing to find a resolution between them, they opted to feature only the final two minutes in order to include the string composition on the record. I sense that they are both still tender about the song’s surgery, yet remain adamant that the original recording didn’t innovate enough from their previous releases.
As a lover of writing and poetry, Olivia admits she can become demoralised by her own perfectionism, spending endless hours improving satisfying sounds, replacing nuanced rhymes and obsessing over the exact meaning of each word. “If Olivia didn’t have deadlines, we would never release anything,” Will jokes.
She reveals how unhappy she was with last year’s single ‘My Lover is Sleeping’ upon its release: “Now I look back and I listen to the record, I really like it, but it took me changing and even broadening my tastes, I think, to appreciate all the things that were good about it. I’m still learning how to trust my gut fully.”
Will, meanwhile, reveals his impulses are quite the opposite: “If I didn’t have a deadline, I’d probably still release everything but in very loose form. I’d do a full on Mac DeMarco vibe and release hundreds of random tracks and demos all the time.”
With such an intimate understanding of one another’s independent creative processes, it could be difficult to imagine any other minds collaborating with the close-knit kin. However, thanks to a trip to the Photographer’s Gallery, Will and Olivia bonded with fellow creative duo Charlie & Charlie for the short film. “They had a real intuitiveness about them and were led by the music,” says Will. “I think the music, combined with the time we spent together, informed them into our universe in the right way.”
Following a lucid script, the Isotope short film captures the dichotomy within the singular character featured across the EP who grapples between moments of self-realisation and moments of doubt. Charlie & Charlie took references from the David Bowie classic The Man Who Fell To Earth, while Will and Olivia drew on the visual stylings of Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai and the photography of Daidō Moriyama. “We definitely had to learn each other’s languages quite quickly,” Charlie Drinkwater remarked at the Q&A.
“It was a new challenge and it was a healthy one,” Will explains. “I think it’s good to bring a third party into the collaboration sometimes because, otherwise, we can be in an echo chamber of ourselves. We don’t want that.”
Despite the growing support team surrounding them, songwriting remains strictly between the siblings. Writing for the Isotope concept proved another new challenge for the duo as they blended their individual perspectives on shared experiences through one lens, finding their balance between their authentic emotions and dynamic songwriting.
“We’ve thought about [our collaboration] a lot over the years, and I think moving forward with writing ideas is where we come together, especially recently. Those ideas can range from the smallest hook, or a bunch of lyrics that I want to put to music, or even fully formed songs,” says Olivia. “We have our feelings, and we have our authentic voice, and we feel, and we write, and those ideas come out in a natural state of ourselves, usually when we’re alone. Collaborating comes when we sit together and show each other the ideas.”
“The collaboration, for me, is very special and unique as we play to our strengths with it,” Will adds.
The young rising stars are already used to being described as “wise beyond their years”, but there’s no doubt they possess an astute introspection – in both their songwriting, and how they’re able to talk about it – that feels similar to artists with much larger discographies to reflect upon. As their global profile continues to grow, the duo are considering the depth of the emotional intimacy of their work, and the revealing results of sharing this in a public forum. While they admit this is a conversation they must continuously have, the siblings are careful not to tamper with their organic imagination.
“Even though we’re in the Isotope world and we’re following a character, it is inherently this very personal project of personal experiences, and feelings, and love, and mental health, and the fundamental reality of existing,” Will reflects. “I think being a young person throughout any era – I don’t think it’s necessarily generational – in any era, being young comes with lots of change and sensitivity.”
I think putting pressure on being honest and being really deep about your feelings all the time is equally as [difficult] as trying to not talk about your feelings.
Olivia wears Top CRIMINAL DAMAGE, Trousers HAIRY MARY, Shoes VAGABOND. Will wears Top LATE CHECKOUT, Trousers AMI, Shoes KENZO
“I think putting pressure on being honest and being really deep about your feelings all the time is equally as [difficult] as trying to not talk about your feelings,” Olivia muses.
As Will’s learning lines for a new role and Olivia is making final touches to their Isotope UK tour, it’s hard to envisage where the time for new music fits into the pair’s increasingly-busy schedules. However, what remains clear is how indispensable Wasia Project is for both siblings’ creativity. “Obviously it is work, but I think it’s this glorious outlet,” Will begins. “To bring songs to and art to, and thoughts and ideas – it’s just this amazing space. I see it almost as a space that I can bring things into, almost like a studio.
He continues, “If you see Wasia Project as a studio, it’s a room you can bring ideas to and workshop and shove around. It’s a safe haven of sorts, but a haven of really hard work and a really exciting, buzzing energy.”
Wasia Project is not Will, nor is it Olivia, and it’s not even a culmination of the two siblings. It’s a third, other thing – a sonic encapsulation of the idiosyncratic bond between family, a room to share creativity without fear but developed through the fiercest lens, and a liminal space where two souls can find solace in their uniqueness and their similarities.
Listen to Isotope by Wasia Project on Spotify and Apple Music now. For more details on the Isotope UK tour, visit the Wasia Project website.
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