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The mandatory social distancing of the last months affects us all in different ways: there are those who are fine with locking themselves up and enjoy slowing down, but there are those who have been getting more anxious about everyday life than usual. Bohemian Betyars, a speed-folk freak-punk band from Hungary, just released their new song reflecting on the endless cycle of doomed restarting with a video directed by Adam Freund, whose previous work has been a Student Academy Award finalist. The video catches a glimpse of the Eastern European realm as we slowly lose touch with the real world and start all over again.
Bohemian Betyars is a fiddler band with a purpose to spread the feeling of bitter revelry the farthest possible. Their music has evolved into a new, exciting mixture of rocking punk, bouncing ska, swooping psychedelia, melodic themes all spiced up with Hungarian, Balkanic and Gipsy elements. Their new song evokes an entirely unique atmosphere telling a quarantine story with strong symbols reflecting on our everyday lives. The protagonist is trapped between four walls with towering pizza boxes, a missing mask and multiple TV sets reflecting on the major world events of 2020. This bizarre cycle is an imprint of the social isolation we are living in for the last few months all over the world, a cycle that connects all of us.
“Although the song was written before the pandemic, it has become even more relevant since. For me, this track is about the uninterrupted cycle of life, where man plans and hopes, but in the end, all is entrusted to the grace of fate. How many times must Sisyphus’ rock roll back from the top of the mountain so he can start his endless battle to push the rock back up. We know again and again.” – said the singer-songwriter, Levente Szűcs, about the track.
The music video was directed by Adam Freund, whose short film, Earthly People, in addition to numerous awards and foreign festival appearances, was a finalist for the 2017 Student Academy Awards. The cinematographer of the video is the two-time Golden Eye (main prize of the Hungarian Society of Cinematographers) award-winning Mátyás Gyuricza, the editor was Lili Makk, editor of Hungarian drama, The Citizen, and the visual designer was Ilka Giliga.
Elölről újra is available on YouTube for a week after its premiere and will be available on all music streaming platforms from 4th March. The new album will be released in the fall. Until then, immerse your quarantine days with Bohemian Betyars that will yank you out of the mundane weekdays and throw you into the deep waters of delirium, just as it was planned to happen.
Flow & Zeo is a Brazilian duo – and husband-and-wife partnership – who came to our attention recently via their brilliant LP, Spacekraft. Released via katermukke, it tells the story of a duo for whom making music is clearly their very reason for being. A wonderful listen from start to finish, we just couldn’t stop listening to it from the first listen. We were naturally, keen to hear the guys backstory, so we put a few questions to them over email recently. Here’s what wewnt down…
This album takes the listener on a real journey of sorts. Is producing an album different to producing an EP in that respect do you think?
We are having this experience – of producing an authorial album – for the first time. And has been a blast… we always had this aim. Living life during the pandemic, isolated, took us to a innervision and Spacekraft was conceived. Connected to nature in our garden where Studio “Árvore” was built we had an immersive connection with the cosmos…, looking to the sky, with our cats, lying on the grass, absorbing galactic energy, took us into a trip of a thematic album where music can take anyone to other dimensions. We realized that we could create our own journey through the solar system, honoring each planet with music.
It’s an immersive journey we’ve never done before. We explored a new way of producing music.
Did you have a general theme or vibe in mind when you were producing the album? Or was it more a case that you went into the studio and see what happened?
As we mentioned previously, sky observation brought us into this journey. The cosmos has so much to give and teach us ….. We absorbed a lot…. It’s infinite.
Our perception of the universe connected everything and we transformed this energy into music.
Which track came the most naturally? And which was the most challenging to produce?
The most natural was Terra, our mother earth “Gaya”. It was the last track produced of the album. We composed this track almost as a ritual, connected with our ancestrality. You can listen to the “Canto Sagrado da Mãe Terra” from a multiethnic Indian Tribe and we also used the sound of Schumann Resonance emanated from the earth in Space at 7.83hz. It sounds as an Ohm and flows through the track as a sub bass.
This mix of ideas during the creation process made us realise we should record a video clip for this track and this brought us into an historical indian tribe from Brazil, Tapaxós where we recorded the video clip.
The most challenging was Pluto, the ninth planet from the sun. The last track and also the art cover of the album. It was challenging…
Pluto, since 2006, is classified as a dwarf planet. It is so unique, beautiful and mysterious. From there beyond you will find much more than our solar system. The universe. We felt we needed to use a message of empowerment to represent such an amazing celestial body. When you listen to the track you can feel a different touch from the rest of the album.
At what stage did you know you were done and it was finished? Do you find it difficult to know when a record is finished?
To declare a creation finished is always hard. There are so many possibilities. When it becomes something that is special for you, a deep relationship begins and it’s very difficult to give it away hahahaha….
Aside from one another, who is the first person you gave it to for feedback? How important is there feedback to you? And what did they say about it?
Our mastering engineer – Vantonio. He was the first to have the whole album.
We met him because he mastered a track we released on D-edge records (Flow & Zeo – Substantial). We really appreciated his work and got in contact with him to master our album as well. Since then, we became really close and exchanged a lot. He became a friend and music partner. We are very grateful and happy with all the feedback we are getting from Spacekraft album.
The release is out on German label, Katermukke. How did it end up on there? Why is it a great place for you to releaser the album?
We had the feeling during the album creation that it could fit there. And it happened. It could not be better. We have a long relationship with Berlin and Bar 25, where we’ve played and also did our label showcase. Katerholzig, Kater Blau. We love the atmosphere. We have good friends in Germany. We also had a previous release on the label, a remix we did of the Track Space Junk from Uone & Western, Andreas Henneberg. Thanks to Dirty Doering and the Katermukke team for having us on board! It’s an honor for us!!
Even the artwork features an image of a faraway planet. Who chose the artwork?
All the design and concept was developed in collaboration with Bussola Agency from our friend Diego Mey who lives in Miami. As we mentioned, the planet of the artwork is Pluto, the end of this journey… but also the beginning of a much bigger exploration. Considering that, there are infinite possibilities to plan a new mission on the future. Why not!?
Do you think art and music are linked? Was the artwork and the aesthetics of the package very important to you in this way?
We let our senses talk through music. This is art. A subliminal communication. Art is the world’s salvation and it’s all linked.
Did this way of thinking influence your decision to release terra as a binaural track? Can you tell us a bit about that process also? Did you produce that track for 3D yourself? And what is it about 3d sound that you so love?
Binaural mixing is something new for us, but has been there for a long time, since the 50’s. Some of Pink Floyd’s music was mixed with this technique, among other artists. It’s so special…. The feeling you have when listening to it with headphones is indescribable. The sounds touch you and go in directions you never could imagine was possible.
Regarding Terra, at the first moment we produced it with “regular” mixing techniques, using Binaural Mixing only in one of the sounds of the track, as we also did in other tracks from the album. During a conversation with Vantonio (our mastering engineer) he showed us a release from Max Cooper that was Binaural recorded, It’s something out of this world. Respect!!
This encouraged us to make a version from Terra Binaural Recorded to be listened to with headphones, which is how you can get the full Binaural experience from it.
Its unique surrounding, everyone should try it.
What’s next for you guys following the album release?
We are giving the final touches on “The Sun” & “The Moon” , the protagonists of the solar system. Those tracks are going to be released on vinyl later this year.
Also other tracks from us that are not connected to the album will be out soon.
Besides that we have 2 new projects:
It’s our side project Influenced by 80’s and 90’s baggage mixed with nowadays textures, a combination of Breaks, Electro and Miami Bass.
Zeo: My first contact with DJing was in the “Baile Funk” of Rio de Janeiro. The music played was the old classic “funk carioca” which is a mixture of Miami Bass and the sound of the soul of Rio Favelas. MPC, Drums Machines, MC’s. Lyrics of love, against violence, and of also violence. A scream from Rio’s ghetto population.
Our passion for broken beats is an old thing. During quarantine we had the privilege to free our minds and travel into DFÜZE and make it happen. DFÜZE has been part of our studio creation for a long time and now it’s finally released on D-edge Records with 2 original mixes. Propeller & Burst and great remixes by Renato Ratier, Joyce Muniz and L_cio. Feeling grateful.
Oriented to downtempo and seeks through sound a relief for the soul. Smooth melodic aspects, deep immersion among details of acoustic elements and unique texture exploring sensorial frequencies.
The first release was out on the Portuguese label Flow Records.
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Stay connected with Rich Brian:
Instagram | Twitter | YouTube
What is your name and role within Inklines?
Will – I sing and play guitar.
Where are you currently based and how has your Covid experience been so far?
We’re all based on the Northern Beaches of Sydney. The last year has been interesting, with how much the whole environment of live music has changed. There’s been a lot of down time but we’ve kept busy writing and recording new music. Jamming heaps!
How did Inklines form?
I asked Tom if he wanted to drum with me after I saw him playing in a mate’s band, at a local show. My brother Jason was playing bass for a while, but he wanted to do other things so we called up Dan, who Tom knew from school, and convinced him to join.
What’s been happening recently?
We’ve been jamming heaps which has been really good. Keeping busy with promoting and preparing singles. We played our first show in 12 months just a few weeks back, which was great fun!
Your new single ‘Blossom’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
I think I was mainly just going for simplicity. I got the idea for wanting to do a big outro riff from Madison Cunningham’s song – “Song In My Head”.
How did Blossom come about?
I recorded the riff into my phone recorder a year or so ago. It just randomly popped into my head one night and I started writing bass lines under the riff. For about a week, I would record a different little line or chord voicing and add it on there until I just worked out what I wanted, where.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?
We recorded this and 6 other songs in a house on a farm just outside of Goulbourn. Lachlan West engineered, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered the whole session.
What programs/equipment did you use?
You’d have to ask Lachlan about the programs – I think Logic? The guitars in this track are primarily a Fender Telecaster & a Gibson SG Custom, with a J45 for some extra percussive textures. Tom played on an old Ludwig kit that Lachy owns. Dan uses a J bass & a P bass, I’m not certain what he used on this track but my guess would be P.
How did you approach the recording process?
We always like to get the fundamentals down from a live session. So, all the bass & drums and some rhythm guitars are taken from one of the 7 or 8 takes we do, of each song. Then I add all the extra guitar layers and vocals in later.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’m not actually listening to much at the moment. I’ve just kind of been relistening to things from the last 2 or 3 years. My most recent obsession was The Neighbourhood’s “Chip Chrome and the Monotones”, and I still love to listen to that, but I haven’t much else that I’ve been super excited about since.
What do you like to do away from music, now things are less locked down?
Recently I’ve mostly been busy preparing to be a father! My daughter is due in May. So I’ve been spending lots of time with my girlfriend, building cots, shopping for small clothes and all the rest! We also have a small business so I’ve been focussing on pushing that as much as possible.
You’re playing Saturday, March 27th Secret Location, Brookvale Sydney, what can we expect from an Inklines show?
We’ve actually just rescheduled the show for April 2nd! Normally you can expect us to play loud and hard, but for this one we’re taking it down a notch and giving the acoustic “unplugged” thing a go.
What’s planned for 2021?
We’ve got a bunch of songs to release so that will be the main focus! We’ll definitely play some shows when we can but it’s a strange world out there at the moment, so we aren’t rushing into anything.
https://www.facebook.com/inklinesband/
https://www.inklinesband.com/
“Mammoth sound and a relentless message.”
Claire Mooney, triple j Unearthed
“Enigmatic and hyper-active, Up Late refuses to sit in one place long enough to be confined. There’s metalcore, straight rock, EDM, pop and hip hop elements all woven atop one another, and with incredible harmony no less.”
Blunt Magazine
“Up Late is filling the gap within the Australian music industry where no other artist seems to be crossing these genres.”
MILKY
His first taste of new music since the release of his inimitable STARS EP in December, Up Late has teamed up with Toronto-based artist Dxrmant for his new single ‘YOU PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL!’. The track premiered last night via triple j’s Home & Hosed.
Having both grown up in hardcore/heavy bands while now pursuing genre-bending solo careers, ‘YOU PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL!’ is the result of a lockdown collab begun over Instagram DMs. The track finds Up Late and his collaborator poking fun at people who are wrapped in high school-like trends and narrow-mindedness.
Musically, Max Pasalic (Up Late) describes ‘YPIHS!’ as the punk music of the future — “no guitars, no band, just abrasive and distorted synths and electronics. It’s Mad Max meets Blade Runner, it’s Bring Me The Horizon meets Ashnikko, it’s metal meets pop.”
He explains that collaborating with Dxrmant found both artists bringing forth the tenacity and aggression of their pasts with their knack for genre-bending top of mind.
On the lyrics he adds: “It’s poking fun at people who continue to live life like they’re in high school. People who can’t get past their own reserved, narrow mind. People who latch onto trends or culture without actually participating or appreciating it.
“Both growing up in similar environments although living on two different continents, it felt like Dxrmant and I could really connect thematically and build on our own real-world experience living lives vastly different to the status-quo.”
In December 2020, Up Late’s work culminated in the release of the ‘STARS’ EP, listen below.
STREAM ‘YOU PEAKED IN HIGH SCHOOL!’ ft. DXRMANT NOW:
http://unfd.lnk.to/YPIHS
STREAM THE FULL ‘STARS’ EP NOW:
http://unfd.lnk.to/starsAbout Up Late:
Up Late – AKA the moniker for Wollongong singer-songwriter, producer and visual artist Max Pasalic – marked the first solo project to join the UNFD roster after his signing in September last year.
After debuting the project in May 2020 with a knockout entry into triple j’s DIY Supergroup comp, Up Late scored an honourable mention among 900+ other entrants, a nomination as one of the “10 most exciting discoveries of 2020” by triple j and nods from local music media including Pilerats, Blunt Magazine, Music Feeds, MILKY, Depth + more.
Backing it up with inimitable singles ‘FRIENDS’, ‘u left me on read’ and ‘Alone’, Pasalic continued to flex on his flair for unusual genre blends. Many may remember the 24 year-old as the lead singer of heavy act After Touch, who released various outputs on UNFD in 2017/18, while he also has credits producing for various local and international rap and hip hop artists including the likes of BONES.
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A State Memorial celebrating the incredible life and achievements of Michael Solomon Gudinski AM will be held at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday 24 March.
The State Memorial will include tributes, speeches, and performances commemorating Michael’s life, his considerable contribution to both the Australian and international music industry, his charitable works and his enormous passion for Melbourne and the state of Victoria.
Doors will open at 5.30pm with the State Memorial proceedings commencing at 7.07pm. The State Memorial will be held in line with COVIDSafe requirements and will be fully seated.
Those wishing to attend are invited to register their interest at vic.gov.au/michael-gudinski from Tuesday 16 March 5pm AEDT, with registrations closing Thursday 18 March 5pm AEDT. Successful registrations will be contacted by email prior to Saturday 20 March 2pm AEDT.
In lieu of flowers the Gudinski family ask people to consider making a donation in Michael’s name to Support Act – a charity that Michael passionately advocated for providing crisis and wellbeing relief to music industry workers.
Deadly quotes from media Feb 2021
“’Summer’ is on track to be one of the most powerful entries in their discography to date.” – Rolling Stone
“Australia’s best new music for February…weaving English with his native tongue, and delivering a powerful punk song with sugary hooks and a thrilling momentum that belie the horrors of such a massacre“. – The Guardian – Australia’s Best New Music Feb 2021
“’Summer’ is one hell of an amped track with a beat that drives so strong it has the legs to keep rockin’ all Summer long – The Partae
“When it comes to addressing Indigenous affairs in the music scene, no one does it quite like Chasing Ghosts frontman J
“Every track on the forthcoming EP is about real people and real situations, all of them born from intense real-life stories”. – Scenezine
“Jimmy Kyle honestly admitted that he “was scared to write these songs.” – Hysteria Mag
Busted Lung is a rollicking track with a pub rock chorus that satiates the thirstiest of music lovers with a punk-rock bent. The track is the second to be released this year from Chasing Ghosts’ forthcoming EP “Homelands” out on May 14th.
Listen to Busted Lung
Watch the video for Busted Lung
Like all songs from the EP, ‘Busted Lung’ is a true-life story inspired by the resilient and stoic survival of one of Jimmy’s friends who was seriously assaulted in what was a calculated act of violence towards a young proud Gay man in a sickening hate crime which took place in inner city Melbourne circa 2015. The survivor in an act of courage and incredible compassion forgave both his attackers who were facing a potential 15-year sentence and advocated they maintain their freedom and be given a second chance. ‘Busted Lung’ asks of the listener – “What would you do?”
The accompanying film clip is inspired by these events and is both compelling and confronting. Created by filmographer Neal Walters who directed film clips for ‘Parkway Drive’, ‘Northlane’ and ‘Tonight Alive’ it is emotionally charged depicting the multiple waves that come emotionally crashing down on you when trying to process something so severe – anger, shock, anxiety, isolation, grief and in this remarkable case, the compassion that flows through the mind of someone trying to deal with ‘what happened’ to him.
Lyrics from Busted Lung
I feel guilty for bothering you
I’m not lost but I don’t know what to do
I’m not dead but I’m barely liv’in
And something’s just can’t be forgiven
Hid the bruises so work couldn’t tell
I’ve always been clumsy as hell
I never asked for this decision
to send two men to prison
wanna forgive the things they’ve done
But it’s hard to do with a busted lung
But it’s all that’s in my head
About the forthcoming EP titled HOMELANDS Jimmy Kyle has this to say
“I know people are going to come after me with some of these songs,” he says. “But I know in my heart that telling these stories is right and telling them in the way I do is the right thing to do. I know my audience is predominantly non-Indigenous, so I have to engage them in a way that engages their heart. Because that way they’re not going to be judged, but they can put themselves in an empathetic position to go on the journey”.
Homelands EP will be released on Friday May 14
Pre-save now >> https://umusic.digital/
CHASING GHOSTS : are Jimmy Kyle (founder/frontman and chief song-writer ), Josh Burgan (guitar/vocals), Aaron Schultz (guitar/vocals), Jake Dargaville (drums), Chris O’Neill (keys/vocals) and Rohan Welsh (bass).
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Where are you currently based?
I’m currently based in Sydney. Thankfully now that COVID has settled down I’m starting to pick up some gigs in the greater Sydney area.
I got my first guitar for my third birthday so my hopeful father started trying to teach me at a very young age. I really started writing in high school when I wrote “Lillooet” off my upcoming EP and decided this is what I wanted to do. Since then, I have been writing and learning every and any facet of the music industry that I can get my hands onto.
Just been preparing to release the next few songs in the lead up to the EP. Starting work on some songs for later 2021 and 2022 but at the moment I’m really trying to beef up my social presence and audience.
Thankfully COVID was actually a really productive time for me. It gave me the time to sort out production for the EP and connect with some really influential and knowledgeable people in the industry.
I wrote this song when I was 17 and so I wrote it with a massive influence from Ed Sheeran who was and is a massive inspiration of mine. When trying to find the sound we thought about what context you might find this song in. We landed on quite a full, cinematic approach which turned out really great.
Despite being a 5 minute song it was one of the quickest songs to write. After having a bit of writers block I decided I would lock myself in my room and gave myself 1 hour to write a song. The song was based around a little crush I had in high school but knew she would never like me back, so I just experimented with the idea of unrequited love and after about 30-45 minutes ‘Atlantis’ was written.
We recorded this one at LoveHz Studios in Leichhardt with my producer and engineer Jordan Leonard, we then shipped of the vocals for time alignment with Clay Agnew over in Nashville and got the track mastered by Seth Munson in Colorado. So we had quiet the team behind this track, this was the same process for 4 out of the 6 tracks on the EP.
Luckily Jordan knows Michale Carpenter who owns and runs the studio so we were able to book in some after hours sessions. This session was my first recording session in the studio and so I think this session took about 6 hours.
This song was initially inspired by some of Ed Sheeran’s music, as the writing was, but we started to drift away from that a bit towards a more cinematic style. It certainly didn’t turn out how I thought when I was originally recording the demo, however it turned out much more epic than I could’ve ever imagined.
I’m starting to get a few more gigs in Sydney so performing band practicing is taking up a fair bit of my time at the moment. I love going to the gym, my schedules been a bit hectic recently so I haven’t had a whole lot of time to go but I try to go 3-5 times a week at the moment. I also study music at JMC Academy in Sydney. And aside from that I work at a pub to help fund the passion and continue to keep releasing music.
In 2020 I started getting into a lot of different artists. I really got obsessed with Lauv’s and Jeremy Zucker’s stuff. Aya Yves is also starting to shoot up in the Dark Pop game and I’ve been all over her new EP. Also super keen for Justin Bieber’s new album after some of the singles he’s released in the lead up to the EP.
Not really any one artist in particular but I’m still starting to find a look I really like and feel comfortable with. I love the new trendy baggy clothes in circulation at the moment and I also love the old classy look so still trying to find a middle ground between those two, but I may end up completely ditching that in favour of something different. Whatever I truly land on is something I need to feel super comfortable with.
More writing, more recording, and releasing the EP. My main focus is the EP, I am really excited about putting out these songs into the world and get as many ears onto it as possible. I really think the best is yet to come, some of the songs I’ve written this year alone have me really excited for what I’m gonna be releasing in the next 12 months.
There’s this phenomenal pub near uni, it’s predominantly for the uni students, but the food for the price is unreal. It’s hard to eat healthy when I can get a schnitzel and chips for less than $10.
It is with great excitement that Soothsayer share ‘Siargao Dreams’, the latest track from rising Melbourne-based musician, Juno Mamba (aka Vinci Javier) and the hypnotic follow up to his acclaimed debut EP Light Echoes which was released early last year.
Premiered as the Chillest Record feature on Sian Eleri’s BBC Radio 1 show on Sunday, Eleri described ‘Siargao Dreams’ as “Truly stunning…Not exaggerating when I say that might be the best track I’ve heard in 2021…”
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Photo Credit: Marnie Vaughn @marnie.net.au
What is your name and role within Full Power Happy Hour?
G’day I’m Alex, I’m the lead singer & play rhythm guitar.
Where are you currently based?
Brisbane/Meanjin
How did you first start playing music?
I’ve been singing in choirs since I was like 5, but it wasn’t until my older sister bought me an acoustic guitar for my 14th birthday, that I started writing songs and playing music.
How did the band form?
I had a heap of songs that I’d written a while ago that didn’t fit with my other bands, so I was playing them solo for a while. One day I decided I wanted to record them with a band and set about finding some people to record with. I’d played with Caroline and Joe in other bands before so got them on board, then did a call out for a lead guitarist and Grace put her hand up and became our resident shredder. I missed my friend Finn, and thought if he joined the band I’d see him more regularly. He played drums, but the drummer role was already taken by Joe, so Finn agreed to come on board as our tambourine player and also filled the role of resident hype person quite nicely. It began only as a recording project, but then people asked us to play shows so we did, and that’s how we became Full Power Happy Hour.
What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
We didn’t see each other for about 4 months when we initially went into lock down, which was tough, but we were lucky that before Covid hit we managed to record our album. Basically the last 6 months or so have been all focussed in getting this album out. We signed with Coolin’ By Sound which was bloody amazing, and we are so grateful for their help with all of this. It’s been almost normal here covid wise, we are very lucky that we’ve been able to play some gigs to help promote the album, and we got to make a film clip a few weeks ago on a cute farm.
How did the transition from playing in the Brisbane punk scene into indie-folk/alt-country realms come about?
Folk and country were my first loves, I was a tween when I started listening to all the 60s folk songstresses like Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Peggy Seegar, which was probably really weird for a 12 year old in the 2000s but I was really into them so my songwriting was influenced by that whole vibe. So that was always at the back of mind, that one day I wanted to play that kind of music again. The only reason why I started off in the punk scene was because the first band I was in was a punk band. But in the background I’ve always been writing songs, and they just so happen to fit now into the folk/country genre. It wasn’t really an active decision. I suppose I don’t see that much difference between punk and folk except I was way more tired screaming in a punk band than I am now in Full Power Happy Hour!
Your album will be released on March 19, what’s it called?
Full Power Happy Hour
What influenced the sound and songwriting?
Friendships, growing up, getting rid of toxic people out of your life, nature, mental health, climate change, shit politicians. Musical influences include Joni Mitchell, The Clean, The Weather Station, The Pogues & Paul Kelly.
How was the album written?
I wrote these songs a while ago, over about 8 years. A lot of them started off as poems then I put them to music, and played them solo for a while. When I formed the band, I just brought these songs to the rehearsal room, and we spent a year working through them, we were really focussed on working hard on the songs for as long as it took for us all to be happy with them.
Please tell us about the lyrical themes/threads for the album:
Hmm there’s not really an overarching theme…I suppose what they have in common is that they all came about through my processing of various experiences of friendships, mental health issues, learning to grow as a person, and being absolutely sick and tired with the status quo in this country- the apathy and inaction on climate change, women’s safety and First Nations rights.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?
We recorded over a few weekends with Nell Forster at The Moon Room here in Brisbane/Meanjin. She honestly was kind of a producer too, she definitely gave us heaps of coaching during that time. Then we sent the tracks off to Chris Chetland, at Kog Studio in Aotearoa/New Zealand, who we got recommended by Holly Arrowsmith (who we played a gig with when she came here) as we really liked the sound of her album.
How did you approach the recording process?
We rehearsed for about a year and then when we thought we were happy with the songs, we went into the studio. Often you don’t really know what a song sounds like until you hear it recorded, so there was some tweaking that happened with the help of Nell, who was kind of like our band coach for those weekends as well as recording engineer!
How did the band end up with two drummers in the ranks with one (Finn) taking up the tambourine/backing vocals role?
So Joe was already on board as the drummer, but as Finn is a mate of ours, we wanted to have him in the band too, I think he was originally gonna to just come along as a back up vocalist, but I think he needed something to do with his hands, so we thought he could play some extra percussion. I think a tambourine was all we could afford to buy at the time, so that’s how he ended up with that role, and we haven’t’ really expanded since haha
Your live shows are really fun with a lot of laughs, is this intentional or just the band’s default demeanour?
We’re just vibin.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
The Stress of Leisure, Bad Sext, A Country Practice, Loulou, King Stingray, Madboots, Megan thee Stallion, JK-47, The Weather Station’s new album Ignorance.
What do you like to do away from music?
I’m at Uni studying Early Childhood education which I’m really liking, but I also like to go for walks to see some nature, reading books, eating food with friends, netflix & chill.
You’ll be playing in Ballarat and Melbourne this weekend, what do you most enjoy about playing interstate?
Playing to new people and making new friends, playing with bands we’ve never played with before, and just seeing what music scenes are like in different places, cold weather!
What’s planned for 2021?
Getting this album out, recording some new stuff, touring interstate some more, and fingers crossed covid pending an Aotearoa/New Zealand tour later this year!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
Burritos in my house.
@coolinbysoundAU
“A snarly, string-streaked rocker that sounds more like Queens Of The Stone Age than anyone could’ve expected.” – Stereogum on “Love In The Time Of Covid”
“Elfman has forged a lasting career on his singularly irreverent and offbeat compositions, and this one is no different.” – Rock Cellar Magazine on “Love In The Time Of Covid”
Clocking in at barely over two minutes, Danny Elfman has released “Kick Me” today, a swift and pummelling new track with lyrics that simultaneously dismiss and seek approval from their audience. Directed by Petros Papahadjopoulos and featuring animation by Joe Pascale, the song’s new video features Elfman – utilising inverted photography in many amorphous shapes and colors – delivering the track’s frenzied lyrics directly into the camera.
Watch it HERE.
“I was feeling particularly mellow one day last summer. I decided to write this very chill song for everyone who wants to put something on that will really help them zone out and relax. Enjoy!” Elfman explains.
Papahadjopoulos said of “Kick Me”: “This video is a statement on image and, to me personally, a fullfillment of seeing a wild, raw performance from Danny Elfman after a lengthy hiatus from the stage.”
“Kick Me” features vocals, guitars and synths by Elfman, drums by Josh Freese (The Vandals, NIN, Devo), guitars by Warren Fitzgerald (The Vandals, The Offspring, Dweezil Zappa), bass by Stu Brooks (Dub Trio, Lady Gaga, 50 Cent), percussion by Sidney Hopson (LA Philharmonic), Joe Martone (Hollywood Chamber Orchestra) and strings by the Lyris Quartet (Kraftwerk, Ben Harper).
Throughout this year Elfman will continue to release songs on the eleventh day of the month. The number 11 has always had significance to Elfman, with his name Elf meaning “eleven” in German.
Last month Elfman released “Love In The Time Of Covid”, a song that tells a bizarre story of longing for intimacy in today’s socially isolated world in a unique way. The song’s video features Scottish transgender performer Shrek 666 who wears extensive makeup and prosthetics. Elfman also appears in a few surprise cameos in the video. Directed by Sven Gutjahr, watch it HERE.
At the beginning of 2020 Elfman released “Sorry”. “The anger-fueled track pulls from industrial and prog-rock influences to create an uneasy atmosphere that’s made even more unnerving with a jarring video animated by Jesse Kanda,” said SPIN. Kanda (Arca, FKA Twigs, Bjork) originally created the video’s intricate animation as a visual backdrop for Elfman’s live performance of the song for the now postponed Coachella 2020. Watch it HERE.
A four-time Oscar nominee and Grammy winner, Elfman has scored over 100 films including: Milk (Oscar nominated), Good Will Hunting (Oscar nominated), Big Fish (Oscar nominated), Men in Black (Oscar nominated), Edward Scissorhands, Batman, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Spider-Man, Silver Lining’s Playbook and many more.
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Image: Aaron Marsh
Praise for ‘ERRA’ LP:
“This is the sound of a band on career-defining form.”
Metal Hammer
“Head-spinning, neck-snapping… packed with technical riffing and dynamic melodicism.”
Revolver
“ERRA have carved their niche on the veneer of metalcore. There’s a special madness here.”
Alternative Press
“…an atmospheric, escapist listening experience, even if the songs like ‘Divisionary’ are rooted in a very real dystopian fear.”
Consequence Of Sound
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Determination and steadfast dedication have defined ERRA’s path, forging a unique connection with an ever-growing audience, without the advantages of traditional recognition. On their career-defining fifth studio album ERRA, the band confront depression, anxiety and desperation throughout. They take listeners on a near-out-of-body journey to Aokigahara, the infamous Suicide Forest of Japan; into episodic storytelling that would make Black Mirror writers proud; and into the literary works of Cormac McCarthy and Hubert Selby Jr.
ERRA was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Grammy-nominated duo Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland. It’s a definitive mission statement for guitarist Jesse Cash, vocalist J.T Cavey, drummer Alex Ballew, bassist Conor Hesse, and guitarist Sean Price, each of them already well-respected players revered for their inspiring technicality and raw, natural talent.
Rising from Alabama, ERRA’s dedicated fanbase and online community organised around the band’s dense music and heady but relatable lyrics have helped further their mission, resulting in multiple No. 1 Heatseekers placements on Billboard. Previous ERRA albums Impulse (2012), Augment (2013), Drift (2016), and Neon (2018) saw the band spotlighted on tastemaker playlists, as the band’s Spotify plays soared past 72 million. And with vigorous worldwide tours under their belt, ERRA have rightfully earned a sprawling audience devoted to the Alabamians’ catalogue, eager for each new missive.
As their music finds the balance between the crushingly heavy and the headily melodic, its members seek to find harmony between the needs of the individual and the natural flow of this shared reality. ERRA, as a band of brothers and creative force, strive to live in alignment with the present moment. ERRA, the album, represents redemption for the band, who emerged from the creative process with renewed focus, confidence, and certainty of self.
Pre-order ‘ERRA’ album +
Stream ‘Shadow Autonomous’ now:
http://unfd.lnk.to/erra
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WATCH: ‘the craziest thing i’ve ever done’ (Official Video)
“When we were writing ‘the craziest thing I’ve ever done’, lyrically we wanted it to capture all this insane, extravagant imagery and then juxtapose that with something we usually see as ordinary, which is love,” Max says of the release. “The catch is that love IS the craziest thing we do. It’s painful and terrifying, and yet we put ourselves through it over and over again.”
Where the breadth of previous releases ‘5‘ and ‘Malleable‘ straddled contemporary music-making with old school influences, Leone’s new single is a leap further in pop stardom. Since emerging last year Max Leone has broken through as a rising star, boasting over 5 million streams to date; acclaimed by Billboard, Pigeons & Planes, PAPER Magazine, NME, Earmilk, Ones To Watch, Pilerats, and many more plus rotation at triple j for his discography to date, including ‘5‘, ‘Malleable‘, ‘The Beach‘, ‘Cautious‘ and ‘First Grade‘.
Throughout his debut EP, Leone tells his story of navigating a new city alone while chasing a potentially far-fetched dream. He explores themes of self-doubt, longing for anything familiar, and coping with ‘modern isolation’: keeping up appearances on social media while silently suffering. Max Leone‘s brand of pop represents the marriage of formal musical training with an affection for contemporary alt-pop and R&B, a craft honed carefully over hours spent uploading bootleg remixes to Soundcloud, based on YouTube tutorials he obsessively studied after school. Stay tuned for Malleable and its nine tracks that will land in the next coming month.
‘the craziest thing i’ve ever done‘ is out now via the Darkroom,
buy/stream it here.
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