Loyal Divide is a genre-defying quartet made up of Siddharth Chittajallu, Adam L. Johnson, Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Notowidigdo. They had originally formed in 2005 while attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, but didn't hit their stride until they moved to Chicago in 2007. Their lush, almost haunting melodies have been compared to Radiohead, Brian Eno and Luomo, but despite those prominent influences, Loyal Divide still manages to capture their own vibe with a remarkably fresh sound.
Within their EP Labrador there exists a mature, multi-rhythmic combination of layered samples that beautifully meld elements of rock, dub-step, hip-hop and electronica into what Sidd calls "psycho-pop." So far the group has been progressing steadily, and it appears things are about to get even bigger with their spot on the North Coast Festival as well as a new album entitled Bodice Ripper. Centerstage caught up with Siddharth Chittajallu to talk about their time in Chicago and what we can expect from their new album.
You originally formed in Ohio, and eventually moved to Chicago. How has the city embraced your style and in what ways has it contributed to your growth?
Our listening habits have changed from riding the train every day. For some reason, repetitive electronic music sounds great during the commute. We've all become big fans of Luomo's Vocal City, and I think you can hear some of that enthusiasm in our upcoming LP.
You already have an impressive list of people that you've already collaborated with here in Chicago. What's the experience been like for you working with these artists?
We've met a lot of passionate, interesting people through playing shows outside of traditional venues. There's no money in it, but we've benefited a lot from playing loft parties and concerts in improvised spaces. It's there you get a feel for Chicago's DIY community.
You weave together a lot of different genres, anywhere from boom-bap and down-tempo to electronica, rock and beyond. How do you balance all of those influences without sounding non-committal or meandering?
We try to make every song sound as good as possible and go from there. There are certain rules. Every track has to have a money shot.
So what's your approach to making a song? Is it more organic or calculated from beginning to end?
There are no consistent approaches. Some songs begin with a foundational sample or riff, and some songs begin as acoustic guitar demos. Then we toil over them until they've reached completion; it's usually very obvious when they have.
How did the concept of the Vision Vision video come about?
That video was 100 percent BBGun. They don't get many projects with complete artistic control, so I think they really relished the opportunity to make something on their own terms. It's a difficult video to show my grandmother, but I think the music fits wonderfully with the footage.
Tell me a little bit about your EP Labrador?
It's all music that we wrote right when we got to Chicago. Those songs are also our first attempt at home recording and electronic music.
What can we expect from Bodice Ripper?
It's an extension of Labrador. We intended to make a full album, but the tracks took us too long to write and we really wanted to release something. So we released the first four songs we completed. Bodice Ripper is the album we wanted to make.
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