Where are you currently based?
We’re currently a bit scattered! We’re all originally from Sydney but Henry (drums) and Alex (vocals and guitar) buggered off to Melbourne and Tasmania about 1-2 years ago. Zach (vocals and bass) and Ben (guitar) are still kicking it in Sydney.
How did Subrosa form?
We’ve been making music together on and off for about 5 years. We spent a good portion of 2021 jamming and performing around Sydney once Covid had simmered down a little. We were keen to head to the studio to capture that period of time before a few of us were due to head back overseas. As we worked on the songs we arrived at a place that felt new and different to how we’d been playing live and so it felt fitting to start a new project – thus SUBROSA was born!
What’s been happening recently?
We put out our first single – GALAXY – at the end of last year and have just released another – NO COMPLY. We’ve been starting to play live again and managed to squeeze onto Beastmode’s ‘Back on the Map’ Pre-show back in June which was a lotta fun. Currently we’re getting things into gear and trying to prepare for our EP Launch show that’s round the corner!
Your latest single ‘NO COMPLY’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?
A couple of us are big fans of DIIV and the very first jam that sparked the original ideas – the bones of what’s now the verse – felt to us to have come from that inspiration (enough so that we saved the scratch recording of it under that name). A few of us grew up on punk and hardcore so I think we have a tendency to want to want to bring that energy in at times and the chorus was one of those times.
This energy also kind of naturally influenced the initial angst and anti-establishment nature of the lyrical content. At the same time coming out of COVID as we we’re heading back to parties and raves we found ourselves thinking about the importance of community and places of gathering that we’d so missed and so all these influences and sounds kind of collided.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
We recorded with our dear friend Elliot Gallart at The Chameleon Studios. We’ve worked with him in the past and he’s definitely got a knack for bringing the best out of us. This was towards the end of 2021 and we spent about a week or so in there with him. He recorded and produced it for us and we sent it to the don Alan Douches of West West Side music to get mastered.
How did you approach the recording process?
We came in with around 8 demos with the intention to record 5. We showed them to Elliot and asked his opinion of what he thought could work well as a cohesive piece of work. Refreshingly some of the tracks that we thought were shoe-ins weren’t at the top of his list and he was keen to strive towards a more concise and bigger sound to what we’d planned/anticipated.
This led to the recording process being a lot more dynamic and collaborative and it really brought the best out of the tunes (whilst being a hell of a lotta fun). Elliot works with a lot of heavier bands and he was able to tap into that heavy influence that we grew up on but often keep a little too at bay. It was super gratifying to lean back into that side of things.
What does this single mean to you?
It’s a really great summation of our sound and where we’re at. It has this nice balance of our eclectic influences whilst still being all tied together in a cohesive way to a degree that we’ve always kind of wanted to achieve. As for the meaning of the track itself, whilst definitely a reaction to some pretty oppressive times a couple years back, it also represents a message looking to the future to keep fighting for our passions and the things that make us feel connected and free.
Please tell us about your upcoming EP:
We’re super excited to finally have it out there as we’ve had it sitting now for a little while. We titled the record ‘SPACE ON EARTH’ as each of the tracks felt like their own little worlds to us. Whilst inspired and set in places of familiarity, they also ponder what things could be like ‘elsewhere’ and the notion that this elsewhere may not be as far away as we think. Similar to each of the singles, the record as a whole branches off in a few different directions and we can’t wait for people to join us for the brief but packed little ride.
Where and when will the EP launch show be and what can we expect?
EP Launch is on the 28th of August at the Botany View in Newtown! Our friends Dead Routes and Sprinter are opening for us and it should be quite the evening. We’re itching to go so one should expect some kind of release of pent up energy.
Who are you listening to at the moment?
A couple off the top of our our domes and in no particular order…Nabihah Iqbal, Kali Uchis, The Smile, Yves Tumor, Larry June, George Clanton, Beach Fossils, Fliptrix
What’s planned for the remainder of 2023?
After the EP Launch we’re playing another couple of shows here and there til the end of the year. We’re also trying to squeeze some more time back in the studio before the year is out to keep the ball rolling!
Favourite food and place to hangout?
We do tend to give the Marrickville Bowlo a lot of patronage as it’s just round the corner from where we rehearse – it would be patronage to say anywhere else really but if there was a gun to our heads we may blurt out something along the lines of Pastizzi Cafe…