The Buoys Interview
I think one thing that was really dawning on me when we were putting this album together was just how hard it is to fully, from start to finish, feel out your feelings because there’s always something to do. There is always a task that you’ve got to tick off. There’s always something that you can do around the house.
And then on top of that, look outside your own little bubble of the world, and the world is on fire and falling apart. That also makes it really hard to respect yourself and the fact that you do have emotions and that you are worthy of feeling them.
So I hope that people can listen to the album and give themselves permission to feel and allow themselves that short little break to pause and do that by listening to the album. We wanted to create a little world. It feels like a little bubble that you can kind of step inside.
Margo Mann Interview
It was mostly written from a place of shedding. Shedding expectations I’d absorbed that weren’t my own, shedding traumas or memories of events I was holding onto too tightly. This might sound dramatic, but I think I was standing at the finish line of what had felt like girlhood, trying to work out what I wanted to take into adulthood with me. The record speaks a lot to the different personas and protective masks we subconsciously adopt to fit in, or survive, and how they ultimately stop serving us.
June McDoom Interview
Essentially, the record started as this idea I had where I wanted to do some sort of fusion between folk music. I’m specifically a really big fan of late ’60s and early ’70s underground folk music, so I’m always writing from that inspiration era.
My family is Jamaican, so I grew up listening to a lot of Jamaican music, and I wanted to have elements of that in this record too. That was the starting concept.
I record my own music, so I ended up adding a bunch of other elements too. It’s a mixture of all the things I really love sonically in this project.
Frankie Venter Interview
I’ve been writing and releasing for like three years, and I think I fell into the trap of thinking about what’s going to do well on TikTok. You kind of subconsciously fall into that trap when you’re writing. It brought me down a bit over the past couple of months, and I was feeling a bit lost, not really knowing what to do.
I remember the day we wrote ‘Say It’, my producer was like, “Frankie, I think we need to write something that makes your heart and head happy. Don’t sit in this session thinking about what’s going to be good commercially. That’s just poisoning you at the moment. I can see it on your face.” So we started having a jam and playing some random stuff. I was playing guitar, he was drumming, and the song kind of just came out naturally. What’s funny is that the moment I stopped trying to be commercial, I ended up writing my most commercial song so far. So that was really cool.
Crawlers Interview
I think these songs have a little bit more of a political edge, as well as battling the inner problems that we love writing about so much. It’s quite dramatic and has those ins and outs, so I imagine it as one of those films that has like 12 different climaxes. You think it’s over, then another thing happens and you’re like, “When does the main character get a break? This bitch needs a break.”
Right at the end of the EP, we end with this extremely cathartic screaming, vocally and musically, and then end in the quiet. There’s something about that conclusion of solace and calm after the storm. It’s like when the credits roll on a film and you’re like, “I’m not satisfied, but I’m glad it finished there.”
Blondshell Interview
I started the record in late January of this year, and it took us a little less than four months to make. I feel like I came into making it with a different sort of writing perspective that I didn’t know I had until I started writing.
There’s a lot of stuff having to do with the body, and not just body image, but actually becoming comfortable with living in a human body and all that comes with that. That’s one of the central themes.
Another thing is trying to balance how ugly the world can be with how beautiful it can be, and trying to make sense of all that.
Michael Marcagi Interview
It’s been a dream. I’ve done some shows with Noah before and it’s always amazing. His band is so good and the show is incredible. I’ve wanted to do a proper tour with him for so long, and the fact that it finally happened is a dream come true.
I’ve gotten the opportunity to come down here before and play some headline shows, and I just had so much fun. The crowds are so engaging and fun down here. We’ve also been having so much fun hanging out in the cities, exploring and doing new things.
Playing for that many people, especially that many nights in a row, is pretty wild. It’s insane to see the reach that Noah’s music has. It’s really a dream come true kind of tour. It’s been so fun.
Asha Jefferies Interview
We went over to London to make the album, which was very beautiful and special. I think it was important to leave Brisbane and make music in a completely different place. What I found really special was coming back to Brisbane and I recorded a bunch more stuff by myself at my parents’ house in the lounge room. That was very fun and a very special part of making the album.
Maia Toakley Interview
Everything On Fire is about trying to accept the gravity of walking away from someone who you still think so highly of. Having a baby together feels like one of the most trialling things you could do in a partnership and also the most shatteringly perfect thing to romanticise if you’re yearning for someone.
Searows Interview
I write a lot of metaphors about chasing or being chased. They always come up, and then I have to retroactively analyse what that means. I think there’s also this idea of never fully being able to understand or put into words what anything means, what your life is, and what your relationships mean. It’s all so nebulous, and I write about that a lot.
Jess Humphries Interview
Jess Humphries is one of Australia's most exciting emerging musicians, known for her honest (and often devastating) lyricism, infectious pop hooks, incredible production (shout out Josh), and refreshingly hilarious, down-to-earth personality. With her latest single, Juliet, Jess turns heartbreak into an empowering anthem, as she does best, blending the perfect combination of humour and vulnerability. I caught up with Jess to chat about the story behind the track, navigating the pressures of social media, her creative journey, and what's next.
Neish Interview
Neish has a reputation for writing some of the most gut-wrenchingly honest and vulnerable songs in the Australian music scene, and her latest single, want, is no exception. want revisits a deeply personal moment from her teenage years, capturing the complexities of first love, mental health, and growing into yourself. I caught up with Neish to chat all about the track, finding confidence as an independent artist, the challenges of the modern music industry, and where she's headed next.
Lara Buchanan Interview
I’d tell people that if they’re tortured by their own reminiscence, they’d probably really like my music.
Anybody who’s deeply sentimental, deeply affected by nostalgia, their memories, and the concept of “what if”, I think they’d really like my music.
Budjerah Interview
Gentleman, my debut album, is inspired by performing and up-tempo music. I went into the studio just thinking that I wanted everything on stage to be so high energy, kicking, fun and joyful. That’s how we ended up with all these up-tempo songs.
PEACH PRC Live Review
Walking out of the venue, I kept thinking about how much Peach has grown as a performer. Her vocals have improved so much, she's so much more confident on stage, and her connection with her fans is something really special. The little chats between songs were funny and genuine, and you can tell she genuinely loves the community she's built.
Holly Hebe Interview
All of the songs have really potent and direct emotions for me. I’m excited to see how people interpret that themselves, which colours they gravitate towards, or whether a song represents a different colour for them.
George Alice Interview
I think social media virality has replaced radio and it’s also backing up the sync world. Movie and TV soundtrack discovery is happening a million times heavier now because we have virality on our side. Kids are constantly talking about things online while also finding all these shows on the internet. It’s so accessible now, whereas before it maybe wasn’t.
Willow Avalon Interview
He was the dumbest man alive. He was unable to spell anything, including his apology note to me for being the most despicable human of all time. He wrote me this note saying it was the lowest point of his life, and he said, “You’re my dream girl”, except he spelled “your” wrong. So, I took a picture of it, and that’s now the cover of Hex.