Wasia Project: a new freedom, an unbreakable bond

Wasia Project are levelling up with their new EP, 'Isotope', a deliciously dark offering that sees the sibling duo pushing their sound into bold, uncharted waters. Check out our latest Hype playlist cover feature.

Words: Ciaran Picker.

What were you doing when you were 19? Maybe you were at uni, getting out of your head on White Lightning and failing your Business Studies degree. Maybe you were "finding yourself" on a gap year where plans to travel to Southeast Asia ended up as a lot of time spent playing video games in your bedroom. Well, Wasia Project (aka Olivia Hardy and William Gao) are here to make you feel even worse about those decisions, bringing the world their deliciously dark second EP, 'Isotope'.

Starting with atmospheric lead single 'Is This What Love Is?', 'Isotope' swirls around in a space that the band haven't been in before, with six-minute heartbreaker 'To Get Better' sitting between shorter instrumental tracks 'Interlude' and closer 'Tell Me Lies'. Effortlessly combining jazz-blues rhythms with classical piano, indie-pop percussion with earthy basslines, and glass-shattering vocal performances with open-hearted lyricism, the brother-sister duo delve into a more experimental and expansive world than they've ever dared to before.

Where their debut EP 'how can i pretend?' saw the band carving out their place within the indie-pop scene, their newest offering is a defiant marker of intent, an indication of where they want to go. "We had a new freedom with this EP," Olivia remarks, "it's the first time we've really zoned out on a body of work and said, 'Okay, how does this work within the wider project?'"

It's this sense of perspective that produced an EP swimming in self-discovery, sweeping string movements, and a sound as haunting as it is beautiful. Recorded between tours, the pair poured their experiences on the road back into their writing. "There's a real sense of journey on the EP," William muses, "and it's definitely reflective of our time on tour; it was intense and stretched us, but in a way that helped us learn and take in all that was around us."

"We used 'Is This What Love Is?' to dictate our direction, really," William reveals, "it initiated this vibe where we could elevate what we'd already done and make it more playful. We've created something that's definitely darker-toned, and that's where the instrumentals almost act as a tonic; they bring swells of hope and beauty to balance it all out."

The tracklisting for the EP evidences a duo taking full control over their creative process, something Wasia Project have used to their advantage. Nowhere is this clearer than in the naming of the EP.

"I remember so clearly you coming down with a Pinterest mood board at like midnight when we'd ordered food after a show, just so excited going, 'Guys guys, it's got to be 'Isotope'," Olivia laughs.

"It just made sense to me," William replies. "Isotopes are basically atoms that have the same nucleus but a different number of protons – they're linked but are still their own thing – and I just thought that fitted for the band. We're different people but bound by the same voice."

As siblings, the pair are uniquely bonded in a way that you don't often find in other bands, something that has allowed them to forge their own path both musically and emotionally. "As individuals, we write a lot," William says, "but it's in our shared understanding and sense of empathy where the Wasia sound is really born."

Olivia agrees: "I don't know if it's a sibling thing, but we have similar values about when to leave a song alone and say enough is enough. Like with 'To Get Better', we tried to cut it down and change stuff, but it was all so connected and insanely raw that we had to leave it."

The word that keeps appearing when talking about Wasia Project's journey over the last two years is learning. Whether that's in the writing and recording process, in their live shows, or in their ability to control the Project's direction, 'Isotope' is as much a mission statement for where they're going as it is a reflection on what's already been.

"We wanted to use it as a mark in time," William candidly states, "we want to use 'Isotope' as a springboard for whatever comes next, doing stuff that's strange or unexpected, but in a cool way."

Speaking to the two of them, it feels practically impossible that they are only 19 and 21 years old, respectively, and even more impossible that this is only their second EP, speaking with maturity about their own creative process in a way that some bands never achieve.

"We're definitely learning from each other," Olivia acknowledges. "I used to have this sense that we were totally in control of the music and where it was going, but Will has always been really good at letting the music reach its own conclusion. With this EP, it feels like we've created something, but it's also a machine of its own. I'm learning to let things just be what they're meant to be."

Nowhere is this clearer than with the aforementioned instrumentals, specifically 'Tell Me Lies', which Olivia originally wrote for a solo show. "I listened back to it and was too scared to record it," she smiles. "It just sounded like an amalgamation of everything we'd done before, so we Andre 3000-ified it, cut it down, and brought in the 'Takes Me Back Home' chords reversed."

The level of growth that Wasia Project have experienced is made even more unbelievable by their busy individual lives, which has seen Olivia flirt with solo projects and living in Italy, while William rocketed into the public eye in Netflix smash hit Heartstopper. This time apart, though, has only made the band stronger.

"If you're always doing the gig, you run out of stuff to write about," William posits. "Doing our own thing allows the creative juices to flow in different ways, especially if acting is super intense at that moment or I'm on set a lot, or when Olivia was at college or living abroad."

Olivia adds, "I think this has been the first year we've been able to really lock in and focus on the music. There's a lot of pressure to balance everything out, to manage our own time and produce stuff, but it's definitely healthy pressure."

Clearly, what they've been doing so far has worked, landing them not only a support spot with piano-pop star Tom Odell, but also with Grammy winner and all-around jazz-pop icon Laufey, experiences that proved invaluable for the pair so early in their career.

"The speed of absorption and how much we grew was mad," Olivia describes. "I snuck into the crowd for Laufey a few times, and it really changed how I wanted to act on stage and interact with the audience." William nods, "We really want to plan the 'Isotope' tour; we're really ambitious with what we want to get from it."

Ambition is at the heart of Wasia Project's progression, and it's taken them far and wide. Sold-out shows at London's Heaven are quite an achievement in themselves, but it's their global experiences and successes that have pushed them to further their individual and collaborative boundaries.

"We were out at Montreux Jazz Festival and there was this open jam session," Olivia recalls, "and it makes it so clear how much you don't know or can't do. I think as a singer I want to get more involved in the instrumental stuff, and I always want to get better at anything I can."

This is very much the calm before the storm. Once the EP comes out, the pair embark on a September tour and continue to work away, writing and creating in many different guises. It would be easy to fall into the rhythm of it, to zone out and just let life flow, but Wasia aren't going to let that happen.

"I'm in a place where I can appreciate what we're doing," Olivia states. "I want to be present; I don't want to escape what's right in front of me. The EP is all about being angsty and existential, so hopefully that gets it out of our system, and we can just enjoy life."

William agrees, "I've learnt more about myself in music than in any other part of life, so I want to just sit back and see it all as it happens."

Wasia Project might have discovered their darker side over the last two years, but there's no doubting that their future is incredibly bright. ■

Wasia Project's EP 'Isotope' is out now. Follow Dork's Hype Spotify playlist here.