The Los Angeles-based trio, TELYKast, is once again pushing the boundaries of electro-pop with their most recent dance track, “DAYLIGHT”.
The group (Linus Altman-Kurosaki, Kyle Tonoli, and Trevor Klaiman), consisting of a DJ, a guitarist, and a vocalist, is known for blending their impressive musical influences and backgrounds through the use of live instrumentation. Citing EDM influences, pop melodies, and intricate musical notation as prime sources of inspiration for their work, they have been able to sell out every headlined show thus far. Not only do they continue delivering electrifying genre-bending sounds that are revered in both club scenes and festival stages alike, but the band has also now broken into the perennial world of viral dance challenges on digital platforms.
Released in December 2019, “DAYLIGHT” is a daring party anthem that fuses organic instrumentation, a pulsating bassline, and gravitational synths to communicate the highs and lows of wanting feelings to be reciprocated by a certain individual.
The song has since gone viral across platforms, specifically TikTok, where a dance challenge was created by Conrad Rocha. This led to a number of other social media influencers soon following suit to participate, skyrocketing the track even further, with more than 49k TikToks shared on the app including the catchy lyric, “She only loves me in the moonlight / She always leaves me in the daylight.”
After collectively garnering an impressive 40 million streams as independent artists and collaborating with other musicians like Kaskade and Georgia Ku, the trio has now partnered with Astralwerks, the record label that is primarily focused on electronic and dance music and is home to artists such as Alesso and Marshmello.
The Knockturnal checked in with TELYKast to weigh in on the TikTok success of “DAYLIGHT”, their most recent musical collaboration with Cappa, and what makes their sound so particularly magnetic and distinct.
The Knockturnal: Your single, “DAYLIGHT” with One True God, has gone viral across platforms, primarily on TikTok. How do you feel about the song being featured on more than sixty-nine thousand videos on the app? What is the song about and what reaction did you originally expect?
TELYKast: The song is about the L.A. lifestyle that people live and the relationships that come along with it. We were always interested in TikTok and wanted a song that could do well on the platform so we were very excited about how far it has come!
The Knockturnal: Your latest collection of tracks, recorded alongside Cappa, Come Back / Filthy, was released just over two months ago. Tell us more about how this collaboration came to be and what the most rewarding takeaway from the experience was.
TELYKast: We do a lot of writing sessions and happened to stumble across Cappa and loved her voice so we DM’d her to do a session. The first song we wrote together was actually “Come Back” and we knew it was something special.
The Knockturnal: Considering you three each bring something different to the table, what path do your production and songwriting processes tend to follow?
TELYKast: We all come from different backgrounds which I think really contributes to our sound. I [Kyle] come from a heavy electronic music background, Trevor [comes] from rock and metal bands, and Linus who was classically trained from [his] Juilliard parents. All of our styles come together to bring the culmination of what we have today for TELYKast!
The Knockturnal: The use of live instrumentation in your music pushes the boundaries of electronic pop. What other inspiring musicians are you currently listening to that join you in this genre-bending trajectory?
TELYKast: I think it’s because of people like The Chainsmokers who are helping our vision come to life with what they are doing and pushing with their live show. We really look up to them as well as Odesza because they are on the forefront and always pushing the scene forward.
The Knockturnal: You release music quite frequently. Can TELYKast fans expect to hear new music from you in the next coming months?
TELYKast: Oh, yes! We have so many songs completed and ready to go that we can’t wait to show you guys! It’s about to be a lot of fun! Until then, let’s keep it rolling with “DAYLIGHT”!
Listen to “DAYLIGHT” below.
To stay updated with TELYKast, you can follow them on Instagram, TikTok, and subscribe to their YouTube channel.
Photo: Courtesy Capitol Music Group via Marcello Ambriz
