What is your name?
Croissant
What is your genre of music?
Almost always some variation of synth infused indie pop. Dreampop, Chill Pop, Bedroom Pop, 80s Pop etc
Give us a little bio about you.
Croissant is the indie dream-pop music project of multi-instrumentalist and 25% French songwriter Ethan Heaselden. Whilst joined by a group of beautiful and talented musicians on stage, Ethan writes, records and produces the song alone and can often be found dwelling in his makeshift studio inside the reverberant walls of his bedroom and practically buried amongst his collection of guitars, basses and synths.
What made you go into music?
There was always music on in my house as a kid. My mum always sang songs that she’d written at the piano or guitar. In the car on the way to school my dad would listen to Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac. I remember when Spotify first came out, I was sat in his spinny-office chair as he excitedly showed me his playlist full of 80s bops – like Final Countdown and Take One Me – from his teenage years.
I’d been taught how to play classic one-hand basic versions of tunes like Crazy Frog, or Avicii riffs but then one day, completely by ear, I taught myself how to play Clocks by Coldplay and I was so chuffed with myself that I proceeded to learn every Coldplay song in existence, shortly followed by Tom Odell’s back catalogue. Then it was a slippery slope into learning how to play more and more songs. And then in school one day, I used the incredibly old version of Logic to record a terrible rendition of Final Countdown (see how things are coming full circle). My old music teacher Mr Stannard was an absolute hero and instead of making me stick to the lesson plan, he saw my love for recording and production and let me do my own thing. Without him, I wouldn’t even be contemplating writing songs nevermind releasing and touring them. All my music teachers throughout school and college have been incredibly supportive and constantly pushed me out of my comfort zone. Years worth of interesting originals written and synth, bass and guitar purchases later and I’d written One Minute Away; my debut single. And now my computer is full of half-terrible, half-okay ideas waiting to be played around with and released.
Who are your influences?
An odd mix of Tame Impala, Tom Waits, and many more.
Are you signed?
No
You’re set to release your new single ‘Next October’, tell us more about the single.
Next October is a song based on a coffee shop conversation. A conversation with a friend about how they always found some sort of struggle every October. So, the song is a promise that no matter the month, or the weather, to be there and that there’s always the guarantee of next October to try again. Legendary manager Brian Clough once said; ‘Saturday comes again, welcome or not, it comes again like it always does, welcome or not, wanted or not, another judgment day – the chance to be saved, the chance to be damned.’ Granted, he was talking about football but I read it another way after the coffee.
Describe the track in two words.
Chilled. Bouncy.
What was the writing and recording process like?
The writing happened the same day as the conversation the song is based on. As soon as I got home I was trying to come up with a chorus and landed on the chords and lyrics fairly quickly. I think the bass-line came next; first recorded on a Novation Mininova before re-recording on a Korg Monologue. Fast forward a year later – a year of adding and trying new things before getting bored and starting a new project before returning and adding some chorus filled chords from a Juno – and the song’s mixed, mastered and ready for listening.
Who did you work with on the single?
I was lucky enough to have a talented singer-friend named Gracie record vocals. Actually, I think she came in and improved some of the verse melody as well, which was definitely needed. Ian from Turtle Leaf Studios helped mix the track and Mike Lawetto (a.k.a. the analog guy) mastered the track.
Will we see a music video for ‘Next October’ and if so what can we expect from the creative process?
You definitely will. There’s a vision and a team ready to shoot later this month! Little exclusive: it’s being filmed in the coffee shop that the conversation that sparked the idea for the song was had in.
Will we see an EP or Album and if so, what can we expect from it?
I’m very excited to unofficially announce that there will be an EP. Unofficial only because I have no date as of yet. But it will likely be either in the Summer or Autumn of 2023. I’m really proud of the songs that are on it; I think they’re the perfect blend of personal and relatable, and hopefully pleasant enough to listen to.
What else can we expect in 2022?
Five more singles including a Christmas song, a very 80s inspired dance track and a psychedelic rock-pop song filled with dozens of synth lines and heavy vibrato, although some of these will probably spill over into 2023.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 years?
Ideally on a stage somewhere enjoying the music with a field full of people.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
I don’t really know many quotes. The aforementioned Brian Clough once said, ‘I want to be me.’ I guess that’s pretty good. He also had the classic, ‘I believe in two things; Jesus Christ and myself.’ Okay, now I’ve gone down a rabbit hole of Clough quotes and my favourite has become ‘I want no epitaphs of profound history and all that type of thing. I contributed. I would hope they would say that, and I would hope somebody liked me.’
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
1.) Band mates. That’s an important one.
2.) Plug things in. Trust me. That’s an embarrassing story.
3.) Guitar strap.
4.) Dextrose. I’m diabetic and gigs use up a lot of energy.
5.) Passion. No one likes a band who look like they want to pick a fight with the carpet.
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
TikTok
