With a talent for making the intimate feel completely universal, South Coast producer and songwriter ioakim today shares his sophomore EP, wishiwasyourgirlfriend.
Like his debut EP, ioakim didn’t begin writing songs for wishiwasyourgirlfriend with the express intention of making an EP. The artist has always been staunchly DIY, writing and creating every piece of his music himself in his bedroom studio. This extends to his music videos, artwork, and merch, all of which he produces and designs himself. For wishiwasyourgirlfriend ioakim decided to push those boundaries, decamping to California for his first ever sessions with renowned writers and producers like Jordan Palmer (Carly Rae Jepsen, LANY), Day Wave, slenderbodies, Ian Walsh and Derek Fuhrmann. The EP’s focus single ‘fibreglass’ was written and produced alongside renowned Australian producer Wave Racer, featuring a deliciously hooky chorus lifted by a bed of synths and choppy guitars.
ioakim on the single: “‘fibreglass’ is a song that nearly didn’t exist. I nearly cancelled the session due to illness I decided to go for it anyways. The single was written after the last show of tour in early 2023 down in Melbourne with Wave Racer. Coming off a physically and mentally exhausting 2022 ‘fibreglass’ is reminiscent of that time.
It is about the feeling of someone fading out in your life. For whatever reason you can’t help think that if you were more vulnerable, more vocal and less busy the outcome could’ve been different.”
wishiwasyourgirlfriend is an EP that feels relentlessly energetic and alive, a clear evolution from his debut. The first song that poured out was the shimmering title track, with liquidy guitars bouncing back and forth under ioakim’s urgent vocals. Telling a story of painful, unrequited love, the track immediately set the tone and narrative for the whole EP, which sees ioakim pull apart and examine his feelings for a longtime best friend. At first, ioakim was scared to name the EP wishiwasyourgirlfriend, worried it was too direct. After a while though, it became clear it was the only name for it.
Care and intention are innately what listeners have come to expect from ioakim, who over the past few years has earned a devoted fanbase off the back of gleaming and propulsive indie-pop tracks like 2021’s ‘swimming pools’ and 2022’s breakout hit ‘mona lisa’. Having grown up on a musical feast of indie greats like MGMT, Two Door Cinema Club, The Strokes, and heart-on-sleeves songwriters like John Mayer, ioakim’s songs can be big emotional gut punches hidden within head-rushing pop-rock arrangements – or delicate, shoegazey watercolour paintings that hold the listener close.
wishiwasyourgirlfriend follows on from ioakim’s 2022 brimming debut EP feel something or nothing at all, which caught the ear of countless music fans, and since its release he’s locked down support slots for the likes of MAY-A, Eliza and the Delusionals, flowerkid, The Buoys, and co-headlined a tour with mates LORA and Friends of Friends. 2023 also brought about two acclaimed singles ‘backseat’ and ‘eight’ (featuring LORA).
ioakim’s art spans beyond music, curating his artistic vision with fashion and graphic design as extensions of his musical DNA. Whether its writing, producing, directing all of his videos to date, designing all of the artwork and also designing, screen printing and selling out all of his own merch from upcycled vintage, ioakim’s multi-disciplinary talents have allowed his artistic vision to never be compromised.
Having pushed himself well beyond his comfort zone, wishiwasyourgirlfriend is a vast leap forward for ioakim in every dimension. Press play and repeat on the glimmering EP today.
