Roll of the Dice: 11 Questions with triton.

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Roll of the Dice is a short interview format with a variable amount of questions. A Pair of dice is rolled and the total, between 2 and 12, is the amount of questions we can ask. All questions are given to the interviewee(s) at once, and no follow-ups are allowed. The interview may be lightly edited for content and clarity.

triton. the genre-bending musical project of Scott Murphy is gearing up to release Sundown in Oaktown. The new LP, co-produced by Geoff Rickley (Thursday) will be out 27 January (pre-order). TGEFM got to have a brief chat with Scott about the making of Sundown In Oaktown, collaborations and what’s next.

Thank you so much for agreeing to this interview! What should TGEFM readers know about you and your latest record Sundown In Oaktown?

Thank you so much for having me!  triton. started on the sands of Kahalu’u in Keauhou, Hawaii. I’ve worked for years on presenting a new, unique sound which combines elements from Hawaii with influences from early 2000’s scene/electronic/hip-hop/indie/alternative/lofi/jazz/and wherever else my mind wanders. I strive to write and release location-centric albums that thematically and sonically tell a story as a whole and take the listener on a journey. I released a Kona-themed album in 2017 called Washed Up. Sundown in Oaktown is my second installment, and traces a story through Oakland and the Bay Area. 

This record is being co-produced by scene vet Geoff Rickly (Thursday, United Nations, No Devotion). How did this partnership come together?

I reached out to Geoff early 2020 during the quarantine to see if he’d be interested in helping with the project. It had been a stop-start since 2017 and I was at an impasse, and needed fresh perspective/life to help me complete it. He seemed pretty energized by it, and I fed off that as well. From our first discussions after he listened the first couple times, I felt like the album was in safe hands, that he understood my vision and wanted to sharpen it, crystallize it, but not change it. I’m forever grateful to him for everything he put into this, and I’m so stoked on how it turned out. I learned a lot off him along the way, and continue to. It was an honor to work with someone who inspired me as a musician. 

Collaboration weighs pretty heavy on the tracks released from Sundown In Oaktown, was this part of the plan all along for the record or was something that came about more unexpectedly?

Whilst I didn’t start this off with the collaborations, they kinda fell into place as I went along, and especially during quarantine, a lot of creatives were eager to work so it provided a perfect time for collaboration. With that being said, however, a personal goal has always been collaboration, so to get these guests on Sundown In Oaktown was a real personal accomplishment. When I was living in Oakland, and having a rough time, these guys were all part of my soundtrack. I remember riding BART, walking the streets, listening to Thursday, Underoath, The Dangerous Summer, so it is quite poetically fitting to have these voices singing back and playing on this record. 

Speaking of the team-ups, who would be your ideal musician to collaborate with?

This is a hard one. I mean, I’ve already worked with some of my dream collaborators, on this project and some songs I’ve started since. I also, as dumb as it sounds, don’t like speaking about collabs until they’ve actually happened. A stupid superstition, but one that controls me nonetheless. I’ve had a few get close and not quite work out, so I like to keep it close to my chest until it exists. Early 2000s scene, Hawaiian legends, forward-thinking producers, underground rappers, people looking to move music forward, are all welcome to give me a ring. 

What effect, if any, have the cultural and political landscapes of the last few years had on your music?

I’m sure they’ve indirectly had a lot of effects on the music, as they’ve affected me as the vessel. I’ve changed, grown, evolved as a person, so I’m sure that translated in how I write, compose, emote, process as well. I don’t think I’ve really unpacked that yet. I know one big thing was that the quarantine in 2020 allowed me the time and circumstances to be still, to sit with my thoughts, process trauma, create, and that moment of being locked at home allowed me the time and platform to complete this album and write/finish/start a lot of music.

What is it about music that you are most passionate about? What motivates you to keep writing?

The capacity it has to connect, to heal, to vindicate, to make the listener feel seen. I love listening to something dark, obscure, weird and that completely resonates. Sometimes I’ll listen to a song and it’ll just inhabit a dark corner of my brain, and I won’t feel so alone. In my flaws as a human, in my experiences, in my struggles, in many of my hardest times, there have been albums in my headphones just dragging me along, keeping me going. If I can provide that for someone, the opportunity to provide that keeps me going. And I think the more honest and sincere I am in my writing, the more value I can present as it will be unique, and the more rewarding it is. That is such a beautiful concept, that a song can help someone you’ll never meet in ways you’ll never know. 

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

in general? Or specific to music? A few nuggets to apply across life are the only constant is change, the more we resist the more we erode, everything is temporary, failure is the cornerstone to success, the more you think you know the less you know. In music, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons, don’t put an external weight of expectation on your work, or judge it by its reception. Do it for you, because you love the art, the process. Stay true to the self’s creative vision, don’t make something because you think it’s what someone else wants to hear. Don’t be afraid to make some shit along the way either, not everything you create will be a hit, but it is all important in the process and journey, the duds as well as the keepers.

Nobody can deny the world has been changing drastically over the last few years. Where do you see the future of music, both for triton. and also for the industry at large transitioning in light of these events?

triton. has a long way to go. I like to trace places I’ve lived with albums, the first album was Kona-based, this one Oakland/Bay Area, there are many more chapters to be written. Sonically, I don’t want to stagnate either, so I want to incorporate new sounds and approaches into each album. There are different sonic avenues I’d like to explore. There are more collaborations to align. There are more musical boundaries to be pushed.  RE: the industry at large, time shall reveal. I’d imagine we will continue to see technology be used in new and innovative ways to continue to push the possibilities, and make DIY more accessible. I think some of the most compelling stuff right now has an incorporation of cutting-edge technology, production, with a contrast of analog, organic, and imperfections, and isn’t over-produced. 

One of our obligatory questions in these interviews also tends to be the one I have found most important on a personal level. Who are some bands on your radar that TGEFM readers may not know about, but you think they should?

I’ve actually been terrible at keeping up with new music lately. I’ve been listening to a lot of stuff from the 90s and early 2000s. But one band is definitely Deep Sea Diver, they rock. And another is Sweet Pill, just found them recently and they’re cool.  

Beyond the release of Sundown in Oaktown, what’s next for triton.?

Continuing to evolve and push my sound. More collabs. Push musical boundaries. Lyrically continue to explore the human condition. Working on a ton of music as we speak.

Was there anything I missed that you’d like to share or dive deeper into with our readers?

I think we’ve all been through a lot over the last few years. Just be kind to yourselves, remind yourselves that there is no value in comparing yourself to anyone else, it’s ok to take things one day at a time, focus as much as possible on being present when possible, and inform your decisions with love.  I’ll end it with a Hemingway quote; “there is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self.” Mahalo, triton.