What is your name and role within Rat City?

 My name is Lasse Michelsen, and I’m a producer/songwriter and a member of Rat City.

Where are you currently based?

 Oslo.

What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?

 Right now, I’m on daddy’s leave, so it’s all about getting through the day with my nine month old daughter. It’s a lot of fun! Covid-19 hasn’t really affected our daily work as much as other businesses. We’re used to being stuck alone in the studio.

Your new single ‘Rather Be’, a collaboration with Isak Heim, is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

 The sound is based on what we have released earlier, horns, live bass etc. Kind of an organic sound mixed up with house/disco-vibe. I have no clue what to call it… Since there are so many songwriters involved, I can only speak for myself, but I think it’s about cutting loose from a bad relationship or person.

How did you come to collab with Isak and how was the experience?

 We have worked with Isak on several previous releases, so it was very natural for us to ask him to sing on the song. He has an amazing voice!

Where and when did you record/produce/master and who with?

 All recordings are done in our own studio in Drammen (Norway). Phil Tan (U.S) on the mix and Sing Master on the master.

How did you approach the recording/production process?

Like we always do, press record and use your imagination.

What does ‘Rather Be’ mean to you?

 A lot! It’s one of a few records that we still love to listen to.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

 Kamara, she is really talented.

What do you like to do away from music?

 Fly Fishing, hunting and hiking in the mountains.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2021?

 Make more music!

Favourite food and place to hangout?

 A nice meal in the tent on the tundra after a long day of fishing.

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Where are you currently based?

 Hollie – I live between two places – Northcote and Ocean Grove, Victoria. Basically, part time city, part time coast life.
Joe- I am based in Brunswick, Victoria. I made the move to Melbourne almost five years ago from rural NSW.

How did you first start playing music?

Joe – I was always fixated on music from a very young age. I’d set up pretend microphones and make my family gather around for living room concerts, singing along to CD’s. When I got my first guitar, I was about eight years old. I’d lock myself in rooms and just listen to notes ring out for hours.

At the age of thirteen I began teaching myself songs on the guitar and jamming with a friend from high school, he was becoming a great guitarist, so in order to start our band I scored a drum kit scholarship at the Clarence Valley Conservatorium to be able to afford lessons and got my chops up on the kit.

Hollie – Yeh! I was pretty similar actually, I grew up in a family of performers so I was always surrounded by people performing music, dancing etc, basically a lot of big personalities. I started learning the piano with my Nanna, but quickly became uninterested in playing covers and wanted to write songs of my own. I would have books and books of little poems with this monophonic 80’s Casio that only played one note at a time but it had a recording function so I would layer parts for hours over the best/worst beats you’ve ever heard. I was probably 13 when I started having a crack at writing songs on guitar, dad bought me an SG shaped black Ibanez electric guitar but I never played it because I had my eye on his 70’s acoustic guitar that I still play to this day.

What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?

Joe – As you know Melbourne has just endured it’s fourth lockdown. This time around I have personally lost one The Stained Daisies show, of which we rehearsed for months in advance training extra band members, one Tug show on the 12th and we are still holding our breaths about whether we will be able to do the launch for DEA on the 18th of June.

Covid sucks.

Hollie – Thank goodness for the daily quiz.

Your new single ‘Dea’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

Joe – I was at the back end of writing my last album “Songs to Track Down To”, a very mellow bunch of folk songs, when I decided to start writing and recording something that completely polarised what I was pushing out at the time. I began working on the “Queen of Smiles, Blues & the Devil” concept. I had planned that it was to be a straight up rock album with the same kind of poetic value that the previous album had, only yelling it this time. So I guess the sound and energy I was pushing in Dea was a product of me somewhat challenging myself to embrace an essence of anger whilst I worked on something very peaceful.

How did you approach the song writing process and how did you come to work together?

Joe – I approached Hollie online with the instrumental version of the track and asked if she would like to contribute some kind of vocal layering to flesh out the groove. Once she had done that we decided it wasn’t finished and Hollie agreed to throw some words at it. She was given the album name “Queen of Smiles, Blues & the Devil” and came back with what is now “DEA”.

Hollie – I remember constantly sending you updated versions of little clips being like, “do you like this?” “what about THIS?” until I realised you just wanted me to do my thing haha.

Joe, how was the experience working with Hollie?

Joe – Working with Hollie was everything you’d hope for in a collaboration. It was a great mix of fun and serious as we dipped into each other’s worlds for a moment.

Hollie, how was the experience working with Joe?

Hollie – Same! Working with Joe was just so easy considering we didn’t really know each other before this. I agree, a healthy amount of being ridiculous and then working hard.

Where and when did you record/produce master and who with?

Joe – The Instruments were all recorded and mixed by myself at my home studio in Brunswick. All of Hollie’s parts were recorded and mixed by Hollie on top of the instrumental track. It was then mastered by Aidan Bateman.

How did you approach the recording process?

Joe – My zoom R24 is my writing tool. I’ll have a riff or a groove and just keep adding layers of instruments into the recording device, and that is the product you hear. That’s how Joe Terror music has always worked.

Hollie – I basically imported the track Joe sent me into logic and just wrote everything directly in producing and mixing as I went along.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

Joe – This week I have been listening to “Still Sad”, a playlist by Mikey Young & Anthology records, a follow up to the 2019 “Sad About The Times”. It’s brilliant. Also, Big Thief Live at Bunker Studio, Pig Lib by Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Hurtsville by Jack Ladder and a heap of Sarah Mary Chadwick.

Hollie – I’ve been getting stuck into the album “On” by Altin Gün, Pete Drake, but mostly the song “forever”, The Kevin Fingier Collective and Imarhan.

What do you like to do away from music?

Joe – I enjoy working in the country and being in the bush. I have also recently taken a liking to bartending. It can be a fun social environment and somewhat keeps me out of trouble.

Hollie – I’m usually chipping away at something, whether it’s in the garden, or writing something, painting, drawing, cooking etc. I also tend to plant my feet either in the dirt or by the water.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2021?

Joe – I’ll be trying to tackle as many Joe Terror shows as I can in the next couple of months along with another few singles from the album. For the majority of September, I will be back in the country looking after a bunch of goats and recording some new stuff. Most of October I’ll be touring the East Coast with The Stained Daisies. Then maybe in November I can finally have the full album out and see out the year with Joe Terror shows.

Favourite food and place to hang out?

Joe – Space food sticks. On the moon.

Hollie – Wait woah, I want to be on the moon too so naturally I’ll also need some space food sticks, if you have any.

Joe Terror IG HERE

​Hollie Joyce IG HERE

Spotify link HERE