What headspace were you all in when “No Reason At All” first began to take shape, and how did those early ideas evolve into the final version?
I was feeling fairly existential when I started writing the chorus. The lyric “I hope I feel like this for no reason at all” was floating around in my head and was included in a couple of different demos before being fleshed out into the song it is now.
The song speaks to a kind of generational fatigue and existential doubt. How much of that came from your own experiences over the past five years?
I think most people experience some kind of malaise in their mid-late 20s. Going through a global pandemic framed that period of my life in a really interesting way. When you couple that with the current state of the world, socially and politically, I’d be surprised to find anyone who’s not slightly fatigued.
Max mentioned that action is the ideal response to the state of the world, even when despair feels easier. How did that emotional tug-of-war influence the writing and performance?
I’m not as much of an activist as I wish I was and certainly not as much as some of my friends (who I respect a lot). Some of that probably comes from fear but I also tend to see the world through the lens of music. This song is my best attempt at capturing how I respond to the world around me.
The track has that nostalgic pop-punk energy but still feels grounded in something real and current. How did you find the balance between familiar influences and your own voice?
There’s a few subtle nods in this track to bands we love like Motion City Soundtrack, Hot Mulligan and The Story So Far. All of those bands have such unique sounds that we could never even try to imitate them. I’m fascinated by the idea of pairing elements of pop-punk with other sounds to try and create something that’s both fresh and familiar.
Lachy Pitcher came on board for production. What did he bring out of you that wasn’t there before?
Lachy has one of the best sets of ears in Australian music and he’s a huge asset to our sound. He and I tend to think the same way about music so collaborating in the studio is always really seamless and enjoyable. He’s basically a secret member of the band at this point.
The music video adds a cinematic layer to the song’s themes, especially with the imagery of the burning couch. What was the initial concept behind the clip, and how did it come to life?
We worked with the director Pete Williams on his film The Last Grind (out now on SBS On Demand and Apple TV). He and cinematographer Johanis Lyons-Reid did a tremendous job of capturing the messaging of this track for the music video. Pete’s concept of the burning couch is quite a resonant way of representing the struggle faced by many Australians to keep a roof over their head and stay afloat.
Your jazz backgrounds at the Elder Conservatorium plays into your songwriting in subtle ways. How does that training shape the textures or structures you lean toward in Superdose Gangway?
What I love about jazz is the way that musicians keep finding unique ways of interpreting familiar pieces of music. We try to do that when we pick a cover for our live set. For years, we used to do a punk version of Hollaback Girl which worked out great. To me, jazz music (and all music) is freedom of expression. Everything that Superdose Gangway does tends to follow that mantra.
You’ve experimented with unusual release approaches in the past, did that early hustle play a part in this release? Has it made it easier to connect creatively/write music together?
We did a project called ‘26 Songs in 2016’ which involved releasing a new song every fortnight for a whole year. Each song title started with a different letter of the alphabet and we tried to learn something new or do something different with every song. The biggest lesson we learnt from that process is never to be married to an idea. Everything is a placeholder until the song is released!
The new single captures a sense of tension and uncertainty that feels very of this moment. What do you hope listeners take away from it when they first hear it?
I hope this track helps people feel a little bit less alone and encourages people to be even kinder to those around them. I’d be happy with any result like that.
You’ve shared stages with an incredibly diverse group of bands over the years. How have those experiences influenced the direction of this single and where you see Superdose Gangway heading next?
Next year, we’ll be celebrating 10 years of being a band. We’ve played with so many incredible bands, toured some amazing parts of Australia, released heaps of music and had so much fun doing it. We’ve been pretty quiet for the past year or so but I’m looking forward to our 10th year as a band being a big one, hope to see you at a show!
