Though they weren’t bright yellow on stage, indie band Ducks in the Attic still drew a crowd at The Mansion.
Alongside the band Whisper Gang and artist Clovehitch, Ducks in the Attic performed on Oct. 15, with doors opening at 8 p.m. The audience danced to Ducks in the Attic as they performed their debut single, “Something in the Water.”
The show began with a bang the second Ducks in the Attic walked onto the stage.
If audiences are interested in Pink Floyd and Tame Impala, then Ducks in the Attic is a phenomenal band to listen to. The band’s drummer, Sam Alexander, Sci ’23, said these artists influenced the band’s approach to lyrics and sound.
“It’s kind of a weird mishmash of what people like, and it’s cool because we all have different tastes. We found out a few days ago that Kristen [Kim] doesn’t even like Tame Impala,” Alexander said in an interview with The Journal.
Written by the band’s vocalist and saxophonist Kristen Kim, ConEd ’22, “Something in the Water” is about an ex-boyfriend. Her lyrics reflect what it feels like to depart from a relationship.
“There’s something keeping you back and something that’s keeping you interested or that you admire about the other person. So, there’s ‘something in the water,’” Kim said.
She was inspired to write “Something in the Water” the day they were set to perform at the Something in the Water brewery on Princess St.
“We were in the middle of writing a tune and were thinking, ‘Wouldn’t it be hilarious if we wrote a song the day of having a gig at Something in the Water and named it “Something in the Water?”’ So, I wrote the words around that idea,” Kim said.
Emphasizing the encouragement she received from the band, Kim didn’t find the writing process too difficult. Her relationship with the band consists of their willingness to follow Kim’s ideas while giving input if the band feels something should be changed.
Though the band is close now, Alexander explained their initial meeting was filled with some ambivalence.
Vocalist and guitarist Luke Chennette, Sci ’25, and bassist Marcus Tantakoun, ArtSci ’24, met Alexander when Chennette and Tantakoun moved into Alexander’s student house two years ago.
“We had a couple of people leave the house I was living in, and then those two guys [Chennette and Tantakoun] showed up on our doorstep because they found a Facebook ad or something,” Alexander said.
The band’s single speaks to feelings of uncertainty, which reflect how the bandmates’ meeting led them to be initially unsure if they would get along.
However, the trio became fast friends, and the band formed when Alexander overheard Chennette playing the guitar. Months later, they decided to formally play together, recruiting Arwin Ibriahimi for the keys and Kim along the way.
Alexander said living together gave them the chance to get comfortable playing with each other.
The band’s name was inspired by Chennette’s experience at a cottage with his friends, and years later Tantakoun suggested naming the band Ducks in the Attic.
The band’s agreement on a name made them stage-ready, and they performed their first gig at the Mansion last year, as openers for Rooftop Caravan, whose guitarist, Oliver Little, ArtSci ’23, asked Ducks in the Attic to perform with them.
Coincidentally, at last Sunday’s show, Chennette couldn’t perform due to prior work commitments, so Little filled in to play the guitar.
The band enjoys diverse music tastes and brings different instrumental talents to accompany their sets and make new sounds.
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