Meet The Musos: Get To Know South Coast Bedroom Producer Ioakim

Following the release of his debut EP in September 2022, ioakim is back with his latest single, backseat.

Filled to the brim with shimmery indie-pop, backseat picks up where feel something or nothing at all left off, as ioakim mulls over relationship anxieties. 

Taking the best elements of late ought’s electro, new wave, bedroom pop and more, backseat thoughtfully melds many genre influences into ioakim’s signature sound, always driven by a visceral and thought-provoking feeling at its core.

“Backseat was first written in my room in 2021. I remember showing Joe [Mason, co-producer and co-writer) about a week after we had written passion and sent him the stems to the idea." 

"Our next session together we were listening to a lot of mid-western emo and worked on some more guitar parts and wrote the chorus together. The prod went through many versions over the next year as we worked through it. 

He continued, "Backseat battles the entangled feelings of nostalgia and anxiety within a relationship. The endless loop of overthinking and in actions lead to consume you, bringing out hidden insecurities which ultimately ends in a breakdown communication.” 

Give us the story behind your name?

ioakim: ioakim is my last name. It is originally a first name from Cyprus that came over from my dad’s side of the family. It wasn’t until they migrated over to Australia that it become our last name as their original first name was too complex in English. 

If your music was a flavour, what would it taste like?

ioakim: It would taste lightly salted and slightly sweet - exactly like the Cobs popcorn. It’s one part surprising one part addicting.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences and how have they impacted your own sound and style?

ioakim: Some of my biggest musical influences include early '00s and '10s indie acts like Phoenix, MGMT and The Strokes whilst Singer/songwriters like John Mayer, Matt Corby and Ben Howard really grew my love for songwriting. 

Sonically I’ve always been drawn to fuzzy guitars, nostalgic melodic lines and honest songwriting, it is something all of these acts have, it was super infectious to me from a young age. It’s timeless.

What’s been the biggest moment in your career so far?

ioakim: I’m going to say releasing my debut EP and/or my first writing trip to LA. Making music outside of my bedroom on the other side of the world was super surreal.

What’s the most unusual or unexpected source of inspiration you’ve drawn from when writing a song?

ioakim: Probably seeing a photo of a girl in red standing on the bonnet of a burning car.

Can you share a hilarious or cringe-worthy moment from your early days as an artist?

ioakim: Naming one of my first musical projects after the suburb I lived in. Haha…

What are the top three tracks or artists you’re vibing on rn?

ioakim: Somebody Else - Pynch, Ferrari - Microwave, Satanist - boygenius

 What’s something that fans not might know about you?

ioakim: There’s a high chance I’ve designed some of the clothes in your wardrobe…

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

ioakim: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix, because it’s perfect. It’s just hit after to hit. A

 good guitar tone, drum tone, vocal melody one after another. It gets me so excited every single time I listen to it (which is a lot).

What’s in the works for you in 2023?

ioakim: Lots and lots of new music. Wow - I can’t wait for you to hear it.