The term "cool cat" is most commonly used to describe a jazz musician. It's also the name of a Looney Tunes character and, more recently, has mutated into a sarcastic way of poking fun at misguided hipsters.
But the members of Polycat chose the name simply because they're fond of felines and also happen to love a certain model of synthesizer. And you'd do well to listen out for this combo of young cats _ the eldest is 25 _ as they may well be about to make headlines with their particular brand of synth pop and catchy guitar riffs.
Released earlier this month, debut album 05:57 contains fresh, new gems _ from the well-received Ta Tur Kid Ja Luem Khoa (If You Want to Forget) and La (Farewell) to Mue Tur Ma Song (Send-off), which is about to be released as the third single _ as well as several remixed tracks.
Synth pop is far from being a novel concept. It's been around for decades and revived far too many times to recall. Quite a few Thai bands of the current generation have tried to embrace the style, now that it seems to be all the rage practically everywhere else, but the outcomes haven't always been pretty. Fortunately for us, Polycat has put the right amount of everything in, as well as inserting some subtle Thai twists. They've got the balance just right, sounding neither too dated nor too referenced.
The quintet, which only recently relocated to Bangkok to make their collective dreams come true, have also brought a new outlook and fresh attitudes to the music scene here. Prior to the move, Rattana Janprasit (vocals/guitar), Pure Watanabe (bass), Pongsatorn Sawatchatchawan (synth/saxophone), Palakorn Gunjina (synth/trumpet) and Kaweewit Chaikaew (drums) hadn't lived anywhere except Chiang Mai and a handful of northern provinces, but they say they're now slowly beginning to enjoy what the capital has to offer.
"At first we thought it was gonna be a huge change and that we'd have to adapt a lot. But it hadn't been that difficult, even if we do get homesick from time to time," admitted Pure, who is of mixed Thai and Japanese parentage.
And the transition doesn't necessarily have to be painful, for Chiang Mai bands are certainly no strangers to commercial success. The first wave included heavyweights like ETC, Mild and Hum and they've managed to establish a niche for themselves with a type of easy-listening pop-jazz, which has subsequently become synonymous with that northern city. But Polycat, who could be seen as spearheading the second wave, embrace a more modern sound; they have an experimental edge to them and a much stronger identity. Their peer group includes the likes of Electric.Neon.Lamp, The Roosters and Harmonica Sunrise. It's a very exciting time to be a musician if you happen to hail from Chiang Mai.
Polycat hasn't always Polycat, though. They haven't always played synth pop and electronic rock. Heck, they weren't even called Polycat until some time last year. On Chiang Mai's indie-music circuit, the boys used to be known as Skaranger, a moniker they decided to ditch, once they'd signed to Bangkok-based record company smallroom, for fear of misleading people about the kind of music they make.
Skaranger did the rounds of Chiang Mai music venues for the best part of five years, with a revolving cast of players. At one stage in the band's evolution, with three members studying at Chiang Mai University and another two at Payap, a private university in the same city, it became convenient to do gig regularly and the band began making a name for itself in the process. They started out playing ska rock with a brass and percussion section, but a new musical direction beckoned after they were invited to appear in The Hangover Part II, sequel to a Hollywood comedy which was shot on location in Thailand.
''We knew one person in the Thai production team who, like us, is from Chiang Mai. The movie crew was looking for a real band to play during a party scene in the film and they didn't want to use a Bangkok band. So we sent in an audition tape,'' Rattana explained.
Their slot in the film was short and sweet, but the boys did gain some valuable insights into dressing to fit the occasion and working to a tight schedule. Despite their rather insignificant role in the production, the guys had to go for several costume fittings in Bangkok before the actual shoot, which took place in Krabi. But much more significant was a life-changing decision they reached during this period, which they're now very glad about.
''The audition song we sent in was I Ran by ['80s British New Wave combo] A Flock of Seagulls,'' Rattana said, ''and that was when we fell in love with synth pop and the New Romantics and we started digging deeper. We found more and more things that inspired us and so we switched direction, then and there.''
Their dreams also began to solidify when they were recruited by No Signal, a Chiang Mai collective of progressive youngsters who get together and release albums of original music by its members. No Signal turned out to be the support system they needed to propel themselves out of the cover-band rut they'd been stuck in.
''The philosophy behind No Signal was to introduce a genuine Chiang Mai soundscape rather than just importing or copying stuff from Bangkok,'' Rattana went on. ''We hold a monthly concert with revolving bands as well as newcomers. There aren't any contractual bonds. The only stipulation is that any band which doesn't come up with at least one original song per month will be fined by having to buy drinks for everyone else!''
Asked to compare the Bangkok music scene with that in their native Chiang Mai, Polycat seemed reluctant to voice any opinions, explaining that it's been less than six months since they changed postcodes. ''I can say one thing, though, Pure piped up. ''There are quite a few music collectives in Chiang Mai and the scene there is really friendly there. There are many types of music being played, too. Everyone knows everyone; you keep seeing the same people at music events. I think it's very, very friendly.''
''Maybe we're all competing to get noticed and signed up by some established label in Bangkok,'' Rattana suggested.
Polycat's big break came after they plucked up the courage to hand a demo to the guitarist from Lomosonic, who happened to be visiting Chiang Mai at the time. That demo duly got passed onto Lomosonic's label, smallroom. From then on, things happened so quickly that these five cats had a job keeping up. Rattana and Pure travelled down to Bangkok for an initial meeting, and then the entire band was summoned.
''We were really intimidated. They didn't say anything about a record deal. We were just chit-chatting, talking about music in general and lifestyles as well as attitudes to life,'' Pongsatorn recalled. ''We didn't even know we'd been signed until everyone started discussing what our first single would be,'' he added.
It seems that the powers-that-be at smallroom welcomed them with open arms solely on the strength of their demo and original songs. But sealing the deal meant that they'd all have to move to Bangkok, which was an easy decision for some members to make, but proved difficult for others. Two of the original members decided to quit the band due to family obligations, which left five _ the current line-up.
Pure and Palakorn chose to put school on hold to try out their luck in Bangkok.
''It wasn't that easy for me as I have family concerns as well as an architecture job in Chiang Mai,'' said Pongsatorn. ''I also didn't have a good impression of Bangkok: I thought of it as cold and hectic; too big. But once I moved here, it was much better than I'd expected. People at our label treat us like members of the family and we really appreciate that.''
The name Skaranger was forsaken, the rationale being that they hadn't played real ska for years, and Polycat was chosen as a replacement as the five prepared to embark on a new chapter in their lives.
Not known for being in any hurry to take on new artists, or for hastily releasing albums for that matter, smallroom surprised Polycat by speeding up the various processes involved. The guys needed to compose and rehearse five new songs to fill out their debut album _ and they only had about a month to get the task accomplished. The recording sessions were especially intense, apparently, and they said they often had to spend entire days and nights cooped up in the studio.
''We were under a lot of pressure during that period,'' said Rattana. ''Some of our songs didn't pass smallroom's QC and they had to be reworked until all parties were satisfied. I remember us working on New Year's Eve while people were celebrating just outside the studio door. We wanted to join them so badly, but we couldn't!''
''When we're serious, we're really focused, but when we party, we also have a lot of fun,'' Kaweewit added.
All the hard work has paid off since Polycat's debut album didn't have to wait years to see the light of day, as is often the case with work by new talent. And now that their ''precious'' has been born, its fathers wish to see it grow to reach it full potential.
''We want as many people as possible to hear our music,'' said Pongsatorn.
''Being musicians, we want people to sing our songs, of course, but if that doesn't happen with this album, there's always the next,'' Rattana added. ''There are so many artists out there who never enter the big time, but their music resonates deep within their listeners, however few in number those fans may be. And that's what we are really aiming for!''
Told ya; these cats are cool.
