A Story of Sentiment: Dejima’s Debut EP ‘Future Be Bright’
Cover Art for Dejima’s Debut EP Future Be Bright
Bay Area born musician, Dejima, released his debut EP Future Be Bright on August 8, 2021. Kaveh Hodjat, who goes by the stage name Dejima, created this EP ahead of his experience of moving across the country to attend Emerson College.
The psychedelic rock sound encompasses the bittersweet and nostalgic “coming of age” feeling that swallows most freshmen before immersing themselves in college environments.
“I knew that I was going to college soon, and with all of the emotions that came with that, I just naturally started writing songs and made a project that depicted how I felt. Everyone else was going through the same thing. So I guess it was just my goodbye gift to everyone,” Hodjat said.
Like a lot of his other creative works, Dejima made this EP as a quarantine project. He has a musical background, playing the drums since the age of four, and picking up guitar, bass, and keys since the lockdown began. GarageBand and Logic were his primary platforms for creation, and he learned a lot of his technique and skill from Dayglow’s videos on YouTube.
Dejima’s sound was heavily influenced by a handful of notable artists and bands, closely adapting the psychedelic rock, vintage-sounding impression of Tame Impala and The Beatles. Meanwhile, the Motown soul vibe created through Al Green and Marvin Gaye’s music gave inspiration to his songwriting.
Screencap from the Music Video for Dejima’s “I’m Going Wild”
The hardships of quarantine and forcibly being stuck in the house also encouraged Dejima to change his creative process. Instead of scrolling endlessly through his phone on a daily basis, he would channel his energy more productively into learning the guitar. The artist mentioned experimenting with his guitar after playing soccer with some friends, and using those emotions and experiences to make music he was more connected to.
Considering the EP track-by-track, Dejima shared that he aimed to tell a story through his music, the song titles, and the order of the tracks. From the excitement of “I’m Going Wild!,” to the contemplation of “What’s the Goal?,” to the progression of “What I’ll Find” and finally the climax of “My World,” Hodjat looks to carry his storytelling from his filmmaking over to his music curation.
As an artist, Dejima is very objective; he has a vision and gets what he needs to make it a reality, by whatever means necessary. Hodjat takes advantage of the opportunity to pursue his own aspirations in music, as opposed to collaborating with a group of people. Making music on his own is novel to him. Prior to releasing solo work, he made music with a band called Coral 9.
When asked if he had a favorite track on the EP, Dejima responded with, “I don’t really have a favorite because they all mean something different to me. But in terms of being the most promotable, ‘I’m Going Wild!’ is more commercial and it’s the easiest to digest. I feel like it has the most to offer, and when submitting to playlists, that’s the song I use. So I guess I’m the proudest of that song in that aspect.” The single now has over 15,000 plays on Spotify.
“I’m Going Wild!” has made its way onto several Spotify playlists including Spotify Fresh Finds: Rock, Indie Playlist • BIRP! September 2021 and Monday Spin.
Hodjat did mention that “My World” is his most personal track on the EP. He claims he is the most vulnerable in that song, exemplified by the monologue in the middle of it. Dejima talks about how the future withholds a lot of the unknown in regards to his happiness and success. The monologue is a perfect ending to his story, and continues to add to the reminiscent perspective on his childhood as he moves forward in fear of what adulthood could bring.
As for Dejima’s sound, he plans on releasing some singles in the near future to resume the moving story he has begun. Hodjat mentions that he misses having access to live drums, since it was such a huge part of how he initially got into music. However for the meantime, electric drums will suffice for the artist.
Future Be Bright adequately set up Dejima’s transition of moving into the northeast, as well as moving into music. The artist also shared that his music was welcomed significantly more in college than it was back home. Hodjat is delighted with all of the support he’d received so far, and is excited to see what awaits him in the future.