Q&A: BEST DAD Turns Faith Into Feeling in New EP ‘heaven must’ve sent you’
WRITTEN BY FAITH LUEVANOS
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Songwriter and producer David Caploe, best known for his work in the band Hate Drugs, finds the divine in his latest EP heaven must’ve sent you, out everywhere now. The three-track EP explores themes of spirituality, love, and perseverance, with a shoegaze/pop sonic backdrop.
Songs that have been sitting in Caploe’s musical archive for 5+ years are finally seeing the light of day within this project, and he shared his excitement over the fact that they’ve found their place after all of this time. “I think there are songs that are meant to last, and it doesn’t really matter when they come out, so I’m hoping for a couple of these songs that that’s the case,” shared Caploe.
Heaven must’ve sent you feels like a collection of memories, bathed in nostalgia, yet vivid enough to feel just within your reach. Caploe’s artistry shines through in this EP, feeling like a real breakthrough that is sure to send him on an upward trajectory. If you haven’t paid attention yet, now is the time to start.
Life on Jupiter sat down with Caploe to discuss heaven must’ve sent you, his inner spirituality, how he discovered his current sound, and more. Read the full interview below.
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LIFE ON JUPITER: You began releasing music as BEST DAD in 2016. It’s so special to be able to make music for that amount of time and be able to view your music as a sort of scrapbook of styles and memories. How does it feel looking back on it?
DAVID CAPLOE: I started taking music seriously in 2014, which is when I started my band, Hate Drugs. “Chinatown” is sort of like the first BEST DAD track. It wasn’t really a BEST DAD track, it was a Hate Drugs one back then, but it was a song that I had written and recorded all by myself without the band. All of the band’s music had been done together, so when I started doing my solo stuff, I was like, “That should be a BEST DAD feature,” because it was exactly what BEST DAD is, it just hadn’t existed yet. BEST DAD is definitely more of a reflection of myself than it is the band stuff, even though the band is such a huge and important part of my personal musical journey. When I look back at it, it feels like me, but like a different version of me.
I’m sure you got the chance to explore a lot more, too.
CAPLOE: And the way that the music is made is so much different. When we’re making music together, it happens all at once, a little bit more than when I do it by myself. A song could take years of me chipping away at it, and there’s less accountability. I don’t have the other guys in the band like, “When are we going to finish this song?” But sometimes it happens way faster because I don’t have the friction of the band to hold back a song if it doesn’t feel ready.
Compared to your recent releases, your new EP feels heavier, even more shoegaze-y. What made you lean into this sound? It seems like it was always there; you just went all-in this time.
CAPLOE: It’s interesting. I’ve been listening back through the BEST DAD stuff that I put out over the last couple of years, and you’re totally right. A lot of the tones and the vibe are there, but it’s secondary. It feels a little more buried, which actually means that I brought out the part that buries me, which is interesting. I’ve gotten some feedback like, “Your vocal is way further back in the mix than your other stuff,” and that’s very intentional. It’s kind of a full circle for me because the music that I was making by myself right before the band started in 2014 sounded a lot more ethereal and lo-fi, so in some ways, this project is like me rediscovering 18 or 19-year-old me.
It’s been super rewarding, I love the new music I’m making. I have a bunch of songs that I actually wrote pre-Hate Drugs that are making their way into whatever this project is becoming because they fit. I never knew what to do with these songs, and now I feel like I do.
What would you say is the oldest song that you’re currently working with?
CAPLOE: There’s this song called “Lost in You” that I wrote in maybe 2012 or 2013, and it’s maybe one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written. It was so honest at the time. When I play it, I almost feel a little bit heartbroken because I remember what I felt like when I wrote the song, and I was so emotionally attached to this person. It doesn’t bring back feelings for the person, but more so takes me back to that headspace. It’s full circle for sure.
Also, it’s a good sign for a song that if years later it’s still as exciting or it still hits you. Sometimes, there are songs that come out at a certain time, and it’s important that they come out at that time, because it fits whatever else is happening. Then, I think there are songs that are meant to last, and it doesn’t really matter when they come out, so I’m hoping for a couple of these songs that that’s the case.
Who, or what, would you dedicate this EP to?
CAPLOE: In the past, I’ve written a lot of material that’s inspired by relationships or whatever I’m going through in my life, but for the first time, maybe ever, I’ve injected some of my spirituality into this record, not in a way that these songs are Christian or churchy or anything like that, but there’s an element of spirituality and purpose that maybe I’ve intentionally strayed away from, not because it wasn’t important to me, but because it was something that I felt was corny or weird. In these songs, I found a way to say things that I think or believe without doing it in a way that I feel uncomfortable with. This even sounds corny for me to say, but maybe, in a weird way, this EP is dedicated to God and realizing that I can be an artist and I can have faith, and those things can touch.
What’s something about you that many people may not know?
CAPLOE: I was born in Hawaii and grew up there before my family moved to Bakersfield, which is really interesting because I was born into what most people would consider heaven, right? Then I moved to what most people would consider hell (laughs), so I’ve experienced both sides of that coin. I’ve had to learn how to love a place that’s not easy to love, but I love it now.
You’re singlehandedly rewriting the Bakersfield narrative.
CAPLOE: I think I’m the only person who has ever moved from Hawaii to Bakersfield. I don’t know if I recommend it (laughs).
Throughout the process of making the EP, what was your favorite part?
CAPLOE: I have two answers, one is the beginning and one is the end. The beginning of any project for me is the most fun because, at least with my creative process, it usually starts with me spending five or six hours just working on a song on my computer in my little studio, and by the end of the day, I usually bounce out something and listen to it 5 million times and I’m so excited by it. Then, there’s this weird middle period where I’m working out the kinks and trying to figure out what to do for certain parts, but the end of this project has been unique for me because I’ve asked friends to add stuff after the songs were almost done. I left some space for a little thing or two from other people. “Pastures” had Nicholas Creus on it and he’s an incredible guitar player. It was fun having him come to my studio and lay some stuff down.
Moving forward, are you more likely to collaborate with other artists and have them add things towards the end?
CAPLOE: Yeah, a lot of the songwriting and early production has been me by myself, and then I’ll leave room for the spirit and just see where it goes if I inject a little bit of someone else into the song.
Have there been any challenges while making the EP?
CAPLOE: The biggest conflict has been the fact that I’m doing it on my own. It’s not making me any money, so getting through a project like this is tough because I’m constantly saying yes to other things that are more financially responsible. If I’m working on one of my songs and I get an opportunity to produce a song for someone else and it’s a paid gig, I’m going to put my music on hold. I started on these tracks sometime last year, and they’re just barely coming out. They were almost done by the end of last year, but stuff kept coming up and it kept getting pushed back. I luckily have the resources to make the music happen, but I just don’t have the time.
What’s something you would tell your younger self about your music career today?
CAPLOE: Keep doing what is exciting for you as you go. Don’t try to force anything, and it’s okay to take your time on things and just enjoy that flow of being in the moment. The solo thing wasn’t a totally radical move for me. I had these songs I was working on, and they very obviously weren’t for the band. To some people, going solo is an Earth-shattering thing, or the fans or the band could be upset, but for us, it wasn’t like that. Because of the timing of COVID, the band had slowed down a bit, but I hadn’t slowed down creatively, so I felt like, while we were figuring out how to be a band still, I was just going to put out music. Also, I would tell my younger self not to worry too much about each individual release and to just focus on the big picture. I’m still telling myself that every time I release something. I think as artists, we can get really hung up on how the latest release is doing, and I’m learning to let go of that and just think of the big picture.
Do you have any other messages you’d like to share about the EP?
CAPLOE: Two things. The first is directed at people who are creating art in general, and that would be to just keep doing it. Don’t be too concerned about the highs and lows of success or the process, and don’t get too consumed with whether people love or hate what you’re doing. Eventually, you’ll figure out who you are and then you’re going to be able to realize the best version of your art or yourself.
The second is directed to everyone else. Go to shows and be a part of your community. It’s way more fun and way more rewarding than isolating yourself. Be good to people and participate in the joy of community. At the end of the day, listening to music and streaming is totally fine, but the whole point of all of this is to be in a community. The music is valued more and the artists are valued more when we participate in that together.