Photo Credit: Jack McKain
Koda shares his latest video for new single “Curse”. The track is from his forthcoming album I Hope This Makes Us Better, which is due out spring 2018. Stay tuned for more new music and details on the new album coming soon.
The grandson of a famous Haitian singer, alternative artist/producer Jordan Sudak (aka Koda) spent the first half of his life as an army brat, being yanked from city to city across the globe. Living in three countries by the age of 15, Jordan watched as his free-spirited parents turned to a radical form of born-again Protestantism, banning contemporary art and burning his Harry Potter books in the process.
After finally settling in Columbia, South Carolina, Jordan’s family values took a bizarre turn as his father’s close call with a heart attack triggered an 180 degree flip on religion for the entire household. His parents eventually opened for an experimental rock band called The Radar Cinema. His mom claimed Jordan to be a family cousin, and he then became the band’s frontman.
Between rehearsals, Jordan would get together with the band’s keyboardist to listen to doom metal and sludge records while “circuit-bending,” the art of making new instruments through soldering circuit boards from toys like Furbies and Speak ‘N’ Spells. From there, Jordan made the deep dive into ambient and experimental music, teaching himself QBASE, a popular production software for electronic artists.
Initially crafting side-project Koda — a nickname he received due to his obsession with photography — in the world of ambient dream pop and Nordic folk, Jordan quickly saw the project see success to the tune of 20M+ streams and calls from music supervisors for scores featuring his vocals, which bared a welcome resemblance to that of Jonsí (Sigur Rós) and Thom Yorke (Radiohead).
This success led to the one-way ticket from Columbia to Los Angeles, where Koda would spend the next few years buried in the studio, writing 100s of songs as he developed what would eventually become his debut LP, I Hope This Makes Us Better. The project marks a return to his rock roots, a Radiohead-esque blend of vocals-driven neue-gaze, post-rock, and alternative electronica.
Musically Amusing 