‘Out Of My Head’ is described as a playful and danceable track with underlying themes of relationships, career, self-doubt, and mental well-being. Can you share more about the inspiration behind the song and the decision to explore these themes in your music?
The idea wasn’t so much to explore these themes specifically or exclusively, but to explore all themes at once and let the listener decide what it means to them. To one person, the song can be about the love of their life. To another, it’s about the voices telling you you’re not good enough, and to someone else, it’s about head lice. The beauty of it is that none of these answers are wrong. We wanted to make a song that could always feel relevant to the listener, no matter when or where you hear it, when and where you are in your life. Good, bad, or indifferent, it can have relevance to you.
Following the success of your debut single ‘We Are Not Your Friends,’ how does ‘Out Of My Head’ build upon the band’s evolving sound and style?
‘Out Of My Head’ takes the energy of the first release and doubles down on it. Shorter song, just as fun. We wanted to take the same sound and give it more meaning with less lyrics. We are pretty stoked with how it turned out.
The upcoming performance at The Best Night Ever on December 30th at Miami Marketta boasts an impressive lineup. How does it feel to share the stage with renowned bands like Dune Rats, The Smith Street Band, WAAX, Bad//Dreems, and Pist Idiots, and what can fans expect from your live performance?
It’s still only just sinking in, hey. Kind of crazy to be thrown in with all the big fish after only a handful of live shows. The team working with us to make this all happen is really on their game. So obviously we’re over the moon. It’s a huge privilege to be able to get on that stage and help set the tone for the day to come. That’s what we’re all about.
The debut single ‘We Are Not Your Friends’ was featured on Triple J’s short, fast, loud program. How did this recognition impact the band, and did it influence the creative process for ‘Out Of My Head’?
‘Out Of My Head’ was already recorded long before our debut release came out, so the creative process had happened before Triple J chucked us on, which we were stoked about. It’s not so much of a ‘react and adapt’ situation for us. We’re just sticking to our guns about what we think is fun. If people like it, then hell yeah. But the message from short, fast loud was definitely a very welcome surprise to wake up to one morning. Appreciating the connections we have made from that opportunity.
The Sex Guys are known for their high-energy performances and raw garage punk sound. How do you translate this intensity into the studio when recording, especially for a track like ‘Out Of My Head’?
There’s only one way to translate that. Drums. The drums have to be hit really hard, and Geordie hits the hardest. Screaming helps, and distortion, and blah blah blah. But if the drums hit hard, the song has energy, no matter the genre. The rest just builds from there.
The themes of ‘Out Of My Head’ cover a broad spectrum, inviting listeners to contemplate various aspects of life. How do you approach songwriting to ensure that the music remains danceable while addressing deeper themes?
Great Question! Major Scale Chords. You can make anything sound fun with the major scale and the right phrasing. We also trialed a few tempo changes to get the right feel.
Can you take us through the creative process of developing ‘Out Of My Head’? Were there any challenges or surprises along the way that shaped the final product?
We had a general skeleton for the song when we first jammed it. Geordie messed with the tempo until it had the right feel. Jordan and Dennis cut more and more lyrics from the song. We’ve written songs in the past and ended up getting so bogged down editing an idea or concept for so long that we would get bored of the whole project entirely. Feeling the right tempo and keeping it simple are probably two of the most important factors for us.
In your own words, how would you describe the sonic journey that ‘Out Of My Head’ takes listeners on? What emotions or experiences do you hope your audience feels while listening to the track?
I would describe the track sonically as ‘High Danger, Low Risk’. Kind of like drinking 9 beers and then driving a golf buddy.
With a focus on relationships and self-doubt in ‘Out Of My Head,’ how do you balance the personal aspects of your lives with the universal themes that listeners can relate to?
It’s always been difficult to write about personal experiences and throw them out for the public to digest in their own way. The idea of writing for the listener, rather than about ourselves, gives the opportunity for others to experience it alongside, rather than us judging how you interpret it. It’s a nicer way to go through things separately, together.
As a band that embraces a lighthearted and fun approach, are there any amusing anecdotes or stories from the recording or production of ‘Out Of My Head’ that you can share?
To be honest, when it comes to the studio or recording, we all lock into a pretty solid groove. It becomes about using the time wisely and getting the best performance out of each part. But I guess the whole recording process for our past few songs did come about in a pretty whack way. Ant Vallone from Wave Form Studio was about to rip down his old space, and Geordie has just booked an impromptu surf trip overseas in 4 days. So we booked one in, got to work over 2 days, and hammered out a bunch of solid work. Ant quickly recognized the zone and locked in with us to get shit done, so massive shout out to that guy for making it all happen. The fun parts are still to come, though.
Looking ahead, what can fans expect from The Sex Guys in terms of future releases or projects, and how do you envision the band’s trajectory in the coming year?
We have every intention of releasing a bunch of new music next year, and we’re organizing some shows interstate. There are a couple of other things cooking for next year that we can’t talk about yet, but Big Things are definitely Coming.
If you had to pick one word to describe the overall vibe and message of ‘Out Of My Head,’ what would it be, and why?
Labyrinthine: Because hopefully people will have to look that word up, and then re-listen to the song to see if they can try and understand the connection. It’s basically a self-fulfilling prophecy. If we can’t use that, just say ‘Energetic’.
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