July 17, 2024 • 7 mins
Bella Rafflyn is the solo project of Coast Arcade's singer Bella, she called up for a chat about writing the song Overdrive at a beach, honing it in bars and what she has in common with Dead Favours and the Dave Matthews Band.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Radio Darkeys Off the Record podcast with Greg.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let's have a chat with Bella Rafflin.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hey Greg, how are you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Really well? I thinks so. I caught up with you
briefly at the New Zealand Music Awards and we were
talking about your band Coast Arcade. Are they still going
because you guys did Rhythm and Fines. You've had like
a pretty good time with them, But now there's a
solo thing going on.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah, not to worry, Coast Arcade is still alive and
very well. I've actually been working on this project for
longer than Coast Arcade has been around, but it's only
become kind of public in the last few months or so.
But don't worry. I've got two projects and they're both
sprinting as fast as they can.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
This is what it is to be a full time musician.
Now you've got all these things going on totally.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
As I say to people, like, if I want to
do it full time, I've got time for two projects,
so why not, you know?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, so the Coast Arcade thing that's still going. How
is this solo project under your own name, Bella Rafflin,
How is this different from that?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
They both come from quite different places. Solo project is
kind of unapologetically me the good, bad and the ugly,
and coast Akade comes from a slightly different place, maybe
a slightly more romanticized place of someone who loves the beach,
loves surfing. But also coast Acade has band members who
write with me, so the music becomes quite different. But
(01:22):
this project is basically just pop songs wrapped in distorted guitar,
and that's the music.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And how do you come up with these? Is it
on your distorted guitar or does it start with an
acoustic always electric?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I find yeah, yeah, every now and then we'll be
at a super cool bar in morning Side called six
o five. We'll start with like an acoustic guitar, but
usually the electric.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
You say, we is there someone else that's helping you
with the writing of these songs?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I do pretty much all of the writing on my own,
but I'm super lucky to work with Chris Mack, who
is the bass player in six p'in sixty and he's
produced for loads of people, including Dead Favors, and he's awesome.
We've been working together for the last four or five years,
so we write a lot at his bar.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
At six o five four or five years. It's quite
a long time.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah, I know. We get along super well ninety
nine percent of the time and I love it. It's
so much.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Fun and together you've come up with this song Overdrive.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah. So this song was actually written this time last
year on a songwriting camp in Munga Phi. Dan Spencer
and I were chapped into like a little room and
basically just told to create and that's what we did,
and that's how Overdrive came about. It's taken quite a
few different forms of the last year or so that
we finally got it to a place where everyone was like,
(02:42):
that's that's the version, and now it's out in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
What made this version the one? Is it the distorter guitars.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
It toes the line between my roots which are in
grunge and indie rock and rock, and it has a
little bit of a poppy, a punky twist.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
What are we going to experience, you know, emotionally, where
are your lyrics taking us?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
I think for me, this song really comes from quite
a vulnerable place, wanting to let people into your life,
being too scared having your walls up. So that's where
kind of overdrive takes you.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Okay, let's check it out then, shall we?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Sweet it sounds good.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
This is new from Bella Rafflin. It's called Overdrive. I'm
radio Headache and it's radio Headache. And that is brand
new from Bella Rafflin. It's called Overdrive. And we're lucky
enough to have Bella on a zoom with us. Now
killed it. Bella, thanks for bringing us that tune.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Oh, thank you for listening.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Whereabouts in the country are you at the moment? Are
you Auckland based? Are you? Are you South Island? Where
are you?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I am based in Auckland. I grew up in Mission
Bay Area, so that's where I am.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
All right, not a lot of waves there, but somehow
you're into surfing.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I just love the beach. I love the sand, the sun.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
We were talking before about how there's a lot of
surfy vibes to your band cost Arcade, but this is
completely separate. This is you under your own name, Bala Raflin.
There's a song. It's only just come out. Is there
more songs coming this year?
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Definitely. We've got so many songs written and ready for
this project. It's been around for five years, so so
many songs.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, okay, some people like Rivers from Weezer, will write
like a couple of hundred songs for an album. Over
four or five years, you must have tens of songs.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, there's definitely many songs kicking around in lots of
little riffs and bad voice notes sitting in my phone.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah. Some people talk about their songs being like their kids,
and it's hard to choose a favorite when you've got
tens and tens. I mean that's like you're running an
orphanage kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So how do you choose your favorites? Is that a
collective decision between you and Chris Mack.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Chris definitely has some pretty strong opinions. He you know,
he likes what he likes, he doesn't like what he
doesn't like. But for me, I really enjoy playing the
songs live and getting a feel for how the audience
responds to them, because I think you can tell a
lot about a song from the way people who are
just music listeners rather than music players respond to your songs.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah, you've had heaps of gigs over the years. You
played Rhythm and Vines last year. Are there any gigs
coming up as your solo as you as Bella Raffling.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, I have my first ever headline show at the
Tuning Fork on the third of August, and you can
get tickets from wash tiks, dot co, dot in z
and it's going to be a super fun night with
obviously unreleased songs except for Overdrive. So I'm really excited
for it.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
When you're a solo project, it's you up there on stage,
you're bell of Raffling. You've got the electric guitar that
you can play, but there's obviously more instruments going on.
Is it like a Dave Matthew's band situation where it's
you but there's band members going on? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So I've got some super awesome session musicians who jump
on stage with me, and I love having people on stage.
I don't I don't think I would enjoy it as
much if it was just me out there. You get
people to bounds off of and have some cool moments with. So, yeah,
it's me and a backing bandeh.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
All right, So that's August three, did you say?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yep? August three?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Cool? And perhaps in the summer your tour of the country.
Perhaps later there's going to be an album, all these
things we need to keep an eye on. How do
we do that?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok x, you name it, I'm there?
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And what do we look for at Bella Rafflin? How
do we spell that r a double f l y
in R a double f l y ino. I don't
know many Rafflins, so it's a new one for me.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Yeah, well it's not my actual last name. It comes
from a house that my dad grew up in called
Rafflin House in the UK, so that's where Rafflin comes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
From, Bella Rafflin. Thanks for your time on Hodaki.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Thanks for having me. Greg appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Radio hod aches Off the Record podcast.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Why not subscribe so they download automatically and don't forget
to rate us five stars?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Thanks Mane.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at hodache dot co dot nz it m
Welcome to Radio Darkeys Off the Record podcast with Greg.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Let's have a chat with Bella Rafflin.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Hey Greg, how are you? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Really well? I thinks so. I caught up with you
briefly at the New Zealand Music Awards and we were
talking about your band Coast Arcade. Are they still going
because you guys did Rhythm and Fines. You've had like
a pretty good time with them, But now there's a
solo thing going on.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Yeah, not to worry, Coast Arcade is still alive and
very well. I've actually been working on this project for
longer than Coast Arcade has been around, but it's only
become kind of public in the last few months or so.
But don't worry. I've got two projects and they're both
sprinting as fast as they can.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
This is what it is to be a full time musician.
Now you've got all these things going on totally.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
As I say to people, like, if I want to
do it full time, I've got time for two projects,
so why not, you know?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah, so the Coast Arcade thing that's still going. How
is this solo project under your own name, Bella Rafflin,
How is this different from that?
Speaker 1 (00:59):
They both come from quite different places. Solo project is
kind of unapologetically me the good, bad and the ugly,
and coast Akade comes from a slightly different place, maybe
a slightly more romanticized place of someone who loves the beach,
loves surfing. But also coast Acade has band members who
write with me, so the music becomes quite different. But
(01:22):
this project is basically just pop songs wrapped in distorted guitar,
and that's the music.
Speaker 2 (01:29):
And how do you come up with these? Is it
on your distorted guitar or does it start with an
acoustic always electric?
Speaker 1 (01:35):
I find yeah, yeah, every now and then we'll be
at a super cool bar in morning Side called six
o five. We'll start with like an acoustic guitar, but
usually the electric.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
You say, we is there someone else that's helping you
with the writing of these songs?
Speaker 1 (01:49):
I do pretty much all of the writing on my own,
but I'm super lucky to work with Chris Mack, who
is the bass player in six p'in sixty and he's
produced for loads of people, including Dead Favors, and he's awesome.
We've been working together for the last four or five years,
so we write a lot at his bar.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
At six o five four or five years. It's quite
a long time.
Speaker 1 (02:09):
Yeah, yeah, I know. We get along super well ninety
nine percent of the time and I love it. It's
so much.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Fun and together you've come up with this song Overdrive.
Speaker 1 (02:20):
Yeah. So this song was actually written this time last
year on a songwriting camp in Munga Phi. Dan Spencer
and I were chapped into like a little room and
basically just told to create and that's what we did,
and that's how Overdrive came about. It's taken quite a
few different forms of the last year or so that
we finally got it to a place where everyone was like,
(02:42):
that's that's the version, and now it's out in the world.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
What made this version the one? Is it the distorter guitars.
Speaker 1 (02:50):
It toes the line between my roots which are in
grunge and indie rock and rock, and it has a
little bit of a poppy, a punky twist.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
What are we going to experience, you know, emotionally, where
are your lyrics taking us?
Speaker 1 (03:05):
I think for me, this song really comes from quite
a vulnerable place, wanting to let people into your life,
being too scared having your walls up. So that's where
kind of overdrive takes you.
Speaker 2 (03:16):
Okay, let's check it out then, shall we?
Speaker 1 (03:18):
Sweet it sounds good.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
This is new from Bella Rafflin. It's called Overdrive. I'm
radio Headache and it's radio Headache. And that is brand
new from Bella Rafflin. It's called Overdrive. And we're lucky
enough to have Bella on a zoom with us. Now
killed it. Bella, thanks for bringing us that tune.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Oh, thank you for listening.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Whereabouts in the country are you at the moment? Are
you Auckland based? Are you? Are you South Island? Where
are you?
Speaker 1 (03:47):
I am based in Auckland. I grew up in Mission
Bay Area, so that's where I am.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
All right, not a lot of waves there, but somehow
you're into surfing.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
I just love the beach. I love the sand, the sun.
Speaker 2 (04:00):
We were talking before about how there's a lot of
surfy vibes to your band cost Arcade, but this is
completely separate. This is you under your own name, Bala Raflin.
There's a song. It's only just come out. Is there
more songs coming this year?
Speaker 1 (04:13):
Definitely. We've got so many songs written and ready for
this project. It's been around for five years, so so
many songs.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Yeah, okay, some people like Rivers from Weezer, will write
like a couple of hundred songs for an album. Over
four or five years, you must have tens of songs.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yeah, there's definitely many songs kicking around in lots of
little riffs and bad voice notes sitting in my phone.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Yeah. Some people talk about their songs being like their kids,
and it's hard to choose a favorite when you've got
tens and tens. I mean that's like you're running an
orphanage kind of thing.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, pretty much.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
So how do you choose your favorites? Is that a
collective decision between you and Chris Mack.
Speaker 1 (04:52):
Chris definitely has some pretty strong opinions. He you know,
he likes what he likes, he doesn't like what he
doesn't like. But for me, I really enjoy playing the
songs live and getting a feel for how the audience
responds to them, because I think you can tell a
lot about a song from the way people who are
just music listeners rather than music players respond to your songs.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah, you've had heaps of gigs over the years. You
played Rhythm and Vines last year. Are there any gigs
coming up as your solo as you as Bella Raffling.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
Yeah, I have my first ever headline show at the
Tuning Fork on the third of August, and you can
get tickets from wash tiks, dot co, dot in z
and it's going to be a super fun night with
obviously unreleased songs except for Overdrive. So I'm really excited
for it.
Speaker 2 (05:34):
When you're a solo project, it's you up there on stage,
you're bell of Raffling. You've got the electric guitar that
you can play, but there's obviously more instruments going on.
Is it like a Dave Matthew's band situation where it's
you but there's band members going on? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
So I've got some super awesome session musicians who jump
on stage with me, and I love having people on stage.
I don't I don't think I would enjoy it as
much if it was just me out there. You get
people to bounds off of and have some cool moments with. So, yeah,
it's me and a backing bandeh.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
All right, So that's August three, did you say?
Speaker 1 (06:07):
Yep? August three?
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Cool? And perhaps in the summer your tour of the country.
Perhaps later there's going to be an album, all these
things we need to keep an eye on. How do
we do that?
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok x, you name it, I'm there?
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And what do we look for at Bella Rafflin? How
do we spell that r a double f l y
in R a double f l y ino. I don't
know many Rafflins, so it's a new one for me.
Speaker 1 (06:33):
Yeah, well it's not my actual last name. It comes
from a house that my dad grew up in called
Rafflin House in the UK, so that's where Rafflin comes.
Speaker 2 (06:44):
From, Bella Rafflin. Thanks for your time on Hodaki.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Thanks for having me. Greg appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
Radio hod aches Off the Record podcast.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Why not subscribe so they download automatically and don't forget
to rate us five stars?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Thanks Mane.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Find out more about this podcast and the people who
make it at hodache dot co dot nz it m
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