What inspired you to write a love letter to the 2010s internet era, and why did that particular time feel important to revisit through “All I’ve Got”?
If you know me IRL, you will know that I am constantly shouting from the rooftops about how important that time was in culture and its impact on everything today. I feel like that time signifies a really formative moment not only in my life but so many of my friends’ lives and I feel like in the music I make it’s really important that I try and give it the respect it deserves. I feel like culture, especially the heavier side of rock music that we’re around, is constantly dominated with the important narratives in men’s lives and how their formative teenage experiences influenced them. I feel like it’s definitely my mission as an artist to offer up this perspective that a lot of women may have felt is both glazed over and sometimes just seen as a “silly fangirl experience,” and dive into how important it was to all of us.
How did your own teenage experiences online — Tumblr, fandoms, the scene — shape both the lyrics and emotional tone of the song?
I wanted to draw from direct experiences and try and be as specific as possible — for example, mentioning seeing a band on a Sunday night on George St (where the Metro Theatre in Sydney is), having New Found Glory on your playlist, reading Rookie magazine. I love the idea of including these references as a personal touch but also as something listeners can insert their own specific memories of the time into.
The track captures such a specific kind of nostalgia — how did you strike the balance between sentimentality and freshness in its sound?
There’s also a lot less purposeful decision-making — we’re not sitting there with a 00s moodboard on the wall going “how can we create this?”. We’re just recreating the music that has the strongest emotional pull to us and that also comes from pop, electronic, oldies, and a ton of other stuff which gives this specific result.
Your bedroom studio setup in Enmore sounds like a time capsule of the 2000s–2010s. How did that space influence the creative process behind the EP?
We lived at home while doing our previous band, so now doing this out of home helps you really get lost in it because you’re on your own schedule entirely, and you can be as free as you want. I can walk around our kitchen with a guitar trying to think of something while Bianca tracks vocals — there’s just more freedom to move around. We can also just create a world, put books next to us, have movies playing with sound off, just turn our whole place into the vibe of the music so we just live in it and it can come out naturally.
Recording and producing the music yourselves adds a real sense of authenticity — what does DIY mean to The Admired in today’s music landscape?
Recording this EP ourselves was initially both set out as a personal challenge (having only ever worked with producers in the past) and also allowed us the space to figure out what we wanted this band to be without having to work to someone else’s timeline. We honestly really enjoy collaborating with other people but it was important to give ourselves some space away from the world to figure it all out.
There’s a clear emotional through-line between “Dancefloor” and “All I’ve Got.” How do these tracks connect to the broader story of your upcoming mini EP 3 songs?
All of these songs were written with a clear intention of not wanting to write from a perspective that was overly angsty or, for lack of a better word, sad. I think in the past I’ve fallen into patterns of writing lyrics from this “I’ve been so hard done by” perspective that I was purposefully trying to avoid this time around. I wanted to write songs that were more about romanticising these elements of life that we both love and that fascinate us as concepts — fame, nostalgia, New York, etc.
Bianca, your lyrics often weave between personal memories and cultural touchstones — how do you approach writing something that feels so universal yet specific?
I think my experiences as a teenager were really universal and shaped who I am today. I wasn’t the “coolest” person and didn’t go to crazy parties and do stuff like that, but my life revolved around being as much a part of music as possible and I feel like that was the reality for so many people my age — either through going to shows or online through things like Tumblr. I feel like the cultural touchstones of our generation are starting to creep into pop culture more and more, which is something I’m loving (particularly with Ninajirachi’s most recent album).
The Admired’s sound bridges modern pop and emo nostalgia — what artists or eras have most shaped your identity as a duo?
In terms of sound, the main references would be pretty obvious — Jimmy Eat World, The Starting Line, Motion City Soundtrack etc. All that good stuff. But we’ve always loved trying to write the catchiest songs possible and be inventive with production, which pop music has always been a space for. There are also modern bands like Mannequin Pussy, Militarie Gun, Scowl, White Reaper who just are themselves — they don’t seem fazed by what’s “cool” and let their authentic persona deeply connect with people. That’s very inspiring.
You’ve both built strong roots in Australia’s alternative scene through Grenade Jumper and beyond. How has that history informed this new chapter?
Oh, it definitely thickened our skin. Coming off of Grenade Jumper where we had a record contract, a team, and several tours lined up that we’d worked years for — and then having it all kind of dissipate overnight — there’s nothing that can hurt us now (hahaha). But going through all that gave us a way stronger sense of who we are and why we do this, so we’re no longer vulnerable to making bad choices based on anxiety.
What do you hope fans feel when they listen to “All I’ve Got” — especially those who lived through that same chaotic, heartfelt online world?
I hope that people see themselves and their experiences in the song — even if they didn’t live that exact era, I hope they can tap into their own formative experiences with music and relate to it. Hopefully it makes them tap into that invincible feeling you get when you’re so passionate about something that it takes over your life.
Upcoming Shows
Friday 28th November – Kick Ons @ Bootleggers – Sydney, NSW
Thursday 11th December – The Vanguard – Sydney, NSW*
Supporting GRXCE*
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