PREMIERE: Thea Fitzgerald CLOSES OUT THE BUILDING BLOCKS ERA WITH TWO FRESH VIDEOS

Thea FitzGerald closes out the Building Blocks era with two fresh videos, and we’re pumped to be bringing them to you here first! Better late than never, 23 year old Melbourne singer-songwriter Thea FitzGerald has two brand new videos to round out her debut body of work - Building Blocks.

Adding to the stunningly vibrant visuals previously released for ‘Stuck’ and ‘Holding Your Hand’, the killer team at Thick Heart Productions have worked with Thea to add to the collection with videos for ‘Breathe’ and ‘Higher Ground’. With a huge focus on colour to build the emotional narrative of each story, these new videos are absolute eye-candy.

The new videos add aesthetic and emotional symmetry to the body of work - the upbeat playfulness of ‘Higher Ground’ bears resemblance to the somewhat chaotic mix of cheek an pain in ‘Holding Your Hand’, whilst the solitary power of ‘Stuck’ is mirrored in the confined discomfort of ‘Breathe’. There’s a stellar cast involved too - Stephanie Wall, Ed McCullough and Sarah FitzGerald beautifully execute the story of Higher Ground, and Tamara Bailey nails her performance in Holding Your Hand.

WATCH THE NEW MUSIC VIDEOS HERE!

If you haven’t yet sussed the Building Blocks EP, you’re bound to love something in there – it’s a catchy fusion of pop, indie and R&B with infectious hooks, and will not disappoint! These new videos are the perfect ending to the Building Blocks chapter, making way for the release of Thea’s highly anticipated second EP later this year!

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INTERVIEW: GRACE FARRIS - ‘ALL THE PEOPLE’. GRACE TALKS HER WRITING PROCESS, GROWING UP WITH FAMOUS FAMILY, AND THE STATE OF THE WORLD

What inspired you to write ‘All the People’? 

‘All The People’ was one of those songs that came to me so fast that I even and often asked myself or the universe where did this come from? It came through within an hour and then I had a full song. Including the feel, the groove, the bass, melody and lyrics, the arrangement followed soon after. I feel though that I was tuning into the worldly events happening at the time that really affected me in one way or another and ‘All The People’ came through as almost a song of reassurance for me and for my greater community being the people of the world. We all have our darkness and our lightness to face every day and I feel ‘All The People’ is such a beautiful and very much a uniting song of strength and love. When I wrote my song ‘All The People’ it was one of those rare songs I knew was meant for others to hear and not just for me. Some songs and art is just for myself and some songs I know is for other people to listen to and to share. 

Was the idea of the track a slow process or was it something that came to you quickly?

I did not have an idea before writing ‘All The People’ which is unique for me. Some songs I have a feeling about what I am going to write about or a certain emotion I honour while I am writing. Although ‘All The People’ came into my life and through me like a beautiful gust of wind. I wrote it so quickly that the minutes felt like hours and seconds felt like minutes. It is still to this day one of the most awe inspiring songs I have ever written and I still wonder where the understanding for exactly how it wanted to be came to me so quickly. Around an hour to be exact and then the arrangement followed soon afterward.

In light of the recent world events it seems that the notion of coming together is incredibly important right now. What message are you hoping to reach your audience through the lyrics?

My biggest message in my lyrics and music is to come back to yourself and who you truly are and what is your own path in life is as a person as well as coming back to how I can serve within my own community. This is my biggest message that I feel shines through in ‘All The People’. This is usually the place I come from when I am writing. I never write music because someone wants to hear something in particular. I write from the heart with the intention that it will help me find solace in processing these emotions as well as help others in finding and feeling the same emotion and feelings I felt or feel. Which is something that happens naturally because It comes through very naturally. Which is such a beautiful feeling. ‘All The People’ is all about uniting and coming together to do the best we can and to be the best we can for our family, friends and others we meet along the way. I knew it was a very grand song when it came through and I knew where it needed to go as soon as it came to me. The music and the feeling is the most important component to me when writing a song. This came through very strongly for my song ‘All The People’.  

The track is incredibly funky, it has effortless amounts of groove brought forth by the combination of drums and the sax. Has the track changed considerably from its conception? What was the recording process like with Tony Buchan?

I knew as soon as I wrote ‘All The People’ that it would be a heavily funky, groove based song. I felt its power and its heart the minute it came out. I had the song two years before I went to record ‘All The People’ so I knew it better that I thought anybody ever could. So when I approached Tony and I was wondering for a long time who to choose as a conscience and producer. I decided Tony could grasp what was going on in my head the most after all of these years. Tony was amazing and his musicianship and knowledge is so incredibly wide. I knew exactly what I wanted for all of my songs and compositions as well as the arrangements on my album ‘Grace’ so to have someone that understood this was a very important and a wonderful feeling. ‘All The People’ was one of my songs I spent the most time on in terms of sound and feels, especially the bass throughout and the way it felt was so important to me. I spent hours and hours and hours getting the bass just right and one day I finally heard it. I would be up all night long figuring out all of the layers, vocals, bass. I wanted to work on ‘All The People’ in the studio as long as possible until I heard in the studio what I could hear in my mind. I was so strict and so focused and firm on creating what was in my head for so long for each of my songs on my album ‘Grace’. I am very much so happy and proud with how each of my songs and compositions turned out. My song ‘All The People’ is one of my greatest songs and I am so proud and so glad it is now there for the world to listen to it.

You have been surrounded by music from a young age, having a father renowned for his songwriting talents with INXS. What was growing up like in such an artistic family?

I was raised in a very normal way. Although we were surrounded by beautiful artwork and beautiful architecture and went to some of the most amazing schools in the world. I think at the end of the day my experiences in nature are what grounded us as a family and me as a child. My father and mother made sure that our childhood was as protected as possible and that nature influenced us as much as possible. If we felt like making art we would. Although I enjoyed history and science and geography so much. I painted a lot growing up and started writing at a very young age. I thought most families were as creative as my family, although this was not always so. I was surrounded by nature everyday growing up. This is the foundation of life and I really honoured this as well as the innovative nature of mankind, which I had a huge appreciation for. I had written over 2000 songs by the age of 18 as well as poems and stories. This came to me so naturally and very much so by my own will and joy for writing. 

You seem to be extremely passionate about the environment, being an ambassador for both Sea Shepherd and the Jane Goodall Institute. What is it that inspires you to take environmental issues into your own hands?

I have always been surrounded by nature in its natural state and all at once I find mankind's ability to be creative and innovate equally fascinating. I have found many moments of solitude and some of the greatest moments up until now have been in nature in its natural state. I find you are able to listen to the real rhythms of the earth and your own self rather than others or other people's inventions. I feel that so many children grow up without being in the natural world and the beauty and peace it can bring to someone's life. Being the ambassador for “The Jane Goodall Institute” I am shining a light on her program “Roots and Shoots” which involves families and children and anyone who wants to be involved in growing their own plants and food and growing their awareness of being more connected to the natural world and its need for us to honour it. I believe that Jane Goodall’s work along with many other scientists and people of this nature provide information that is just so wonderful and so integral in the health of our amazing home. My awareness of the natural world has come from many different sources. I grew up around and surrounded by the traditional indengous Aboriginal people of Australia both up in Arnhem land and in Garma festival as well as in my home all of the time. Weaving baskets and learning about the knowledge of the Aborgininal elders and in particular about the plant  medicine in different parts of Australia that have influenced me greatly. I grew up on a working farm and near the ocean which brought a lot of solace and comfort to me when I felt I needed it, which also led me to become the ambassador for “The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society”. I garden and bush walk a lot and enjoy looking and being around trees for long periods of time. Listening to the birds and other creatures and the elements is the most uplifting and peaceful feeling to me. My own organisation “The Grace Earth Organisation” will be launched in November/December 2020. My organisation will be a place for people to come and find out more information on the many different ways to help us all to be much more mindful about our footprint and the health of our local environments. It will cover many different topics and areas and will have information from other institutes and organisations as well as there being events to help raise awareness about our connection to the natural world and our place and impact on our ever changing home. 

Your debut album, titled ‘Grace’, is set to release later this year. What can fans expect from the new music?

My album ‘Grace’ is one of the proudest moments in my life and I already had 6 of the songs for around 15 years and 4 of them around 2 years before I went on to record my full album ‘Grace’. When a song comes to me I can hear what it wants very clearly and quickly. I listen to the song and what I feel the song is asking to sound like once recorded. This is something I thought very long and hard about for each song I wrote. I consider myself a writer first and foremost and I write everything from the heart, including the arrangements and each layer for each song has its purpose and its place. I loved writing each and every song for my album ‘Grace’. It is one of the greatest achievements of my life and I am so looking forward to others being able to enjoy and listen to my music, dream and find a world of their own within the music. 

What are your favourite Aussie artists? What music inspires you?

I really enjoy Australian music. There is so much art and amazing music in Australia that I have so much respect for. I enjoy ACDC, INXS, The Seekers, Paul Kelly, Nick Cave, Slim Dusty, Yothu Yindi, Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu. The music that inspires me the most and I always seem to come back to is classical and traditional indigenous music from all over the world. It feels so beautifully raw and so wonderfully uplifting to me. I have always gravitated towards this kind of music. Hymns and opera music inspires me greatly too and always has. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart inspires me greatly. When I first heard ‘Clarinet Concerto in A major and A minor, K.622’ I felt it’s lightness, darkness, softness and suspense he carries throughout these entire pieces in particular. So many times these pieces of music have brought me great solace. It is so brilliant and has inspired me more than I can even say. I do not know how to not think of Mozart’s music when reflecting in particular on my own musical arrangements to bring my writings to an accompanied setting.

When I first heard ‘Four Seasons’ by Antonio Vivaldi I laughed and cried with happiness and all of the emotions one might have in each season going about their daily life. I could feel in his compositions the very essence of our natural world and how we change and turn to move with the beautiful season’s we all adjust to through every year. I love how the leaves on the tree’s turn red and yellow in the Autumn and bare in the winter, and how all of the animals and land gets quieter and much more silent, there is a median feeling in this section of ‘Four Season’s’ that is just so incredibly beautiful. Then in Summer and Spring everything feels bright and warm and passionate and so sensual. This very essence is found so deeply and so beautifully in ‘Four Seasons’. This Artist has inspired me so greatly. 

“Jules Massenet” When I first heard ‘Meditation From Thais’ for violin and piano. This artist has inspired me so much and I will forever be learning from and unveiling the incredible intricate writings and compositions of Jules Massenet. 

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INTERVIEW: FUTURE STATIC - ALL ABOUT ‘FATALIST’

“Where the previous release 'Want' expressed a need for answers, 'Fatalist' - produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Christopher Vernon (Belle Haven, Better Half) with help from Darcy Handley (Terra) - is fury and confusion. 'Fatalist' is the realisation that just because you want an answer, doesn’t mean you find one, and as Future Static emphasise, "If you can’t get even, just get mad."

The group released singles "Choke" and "Dead End" a few weeks ago and have had a massively positive response, beginning with a SOLD OUT "Choke" single launch show, plays on Triple M's Hard N Heavy, triple j Unearthed love, both added to rotation on The Faction, Spotify playlisting on Homegrown + Heavy and Rock Out., a number of shares across social media and national publications as well as worldwide with a spotlight from Kill The Music.”

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We chatted to Future Static about the response to and creation of Fatalist, their mission as a band, their biggest influences, what cats dream about, their top 5 isolation bangers, and whats up next!

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You’ve had a fantastic reception to Fatalist, was this something you expected? What has been the best/favourite word of praise?
As artists, you always want your work to be recognised and reviewed positively. We hoped that it would be received well, and we had a pretty good feeling about the whole process. But we had no idea that the record would resonate with people the way that it has, both in publications and in our general listeners. It really blew us away, and we’re so grateful for the warm welcome that the EP has received from so many people.

In terms of words of praise, our personal favourite has to be, “I struggled writing this up because I just wanted to listen and listen and listen, and that was it.“ 

Fatalist is a collection of emotional, rather angry (head)bangers - what was the songwriting process like, and given the angry, honest, emotional nature of the tunes, was it taken from personal experience?
Lyrically, the EP dives into some pretty heavy places, and whilst this sometimes meant emotions were running high, we were fortunately surrounded by great people through the whole process. Every day involved a lot of laughs and funny stories, which we definitely needed to get us through it.

The lyrics are definitely taken from personal experience and then expanded on. This is something we have always wanted to be a part of our music; we wanted it to be a cathartic experience for us as well as something our listeners could relate to and feel a part of.

Musically the record also comes from a dark, angry, nihilistic place. It was a definite experience of catharsis for us, every chord or note is played with a ferocity and anger that we’ve never really utilised until now.

Fatalist’s release day, April 3rd, was also National Chocolate Mousse Day, National Find a Rainbow Day, and World Party Day! Did any of you inadvertently celebrate any of these? We were partying because of the release of course.
Definitely sad we missed those! We had a little zoom party with some friends and drinks as it rolled out.

 Favourite track on the EP?
BM: My favourite track would have to be The Fatalist. Lyrically, it’s quite heavy and it’s a song that a lot of listeners have resonated with. It’s got this absolutely huge feel to it, and I feel like it’s the perfect ending for the record.

RQ: Defs “Never Miss” It’s just flat out riffs from start to finish, a challenge to play live, but one that I’d be happy to take on again and again.

JT: Dead-set, Dead End. It’s my absolute favourite track to perform live. I’m a hardcore kid at heart and Dead End scratches that itch with it’s dark and edgy sound

KN: For me it’s The Fatalist. After the huge journey the EP takes you through, to have this big, emotional epic finale to tie everything together is something I’m really proud of, and always hits me hardest when we play it.

JS: My personal favourite from Fatalist is Adaptive Manipulator. It’s succinct and undeniably aggressive, a thematic turning point and will leave a mark on anyone who hears it. 

What's something you'd like listeners to take away from your music/your message in general?
Our main mission in Future Static has always been to instil a sense of strength and unity in our audience. The main thing that we’d like listeners to take away from our music is the fact that you are not alone, and that with the help of the people around you, you have the power to get through whatever it may be you are struggling through.

You had a sold-out show for the single launch of ‘Choke’. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it, but we hear it was awesome - how was that for you guys?
Ridiculously good. We pulled together an incredible line-up with Stand Tall, Furious George and Excuse for an Exit, had an amazing audience of familiar faces and new supporters, and it honestly felt like our strongest show yet. Not knowing how serious the lock down would be at that point, we’re incredibly lucky to have that show be such a high point, and selling it out was the cherry on top of what’s turned out to be an awesome release cycle. 

Biggest influences - personal and/or professional/musical?
KN: It definitely helped that we wrote and recorded this record with Christopher Vernon, but Belle Haven are a huge influence for me. From how they interact with each other and their ability to have fun with each other while being able to write such high quality music with a huge spectrum of sounds, they’re definitely people and musicians I look up to. 

BM: Yungblud is someone I look up to on a personal and professional level, probably because those two worlds seem to overlap seamlessly for him. His energy onstage is nothing short of electric and his shows are so much fun, but he also speaks out about real issues and uses his platform to inspire real change.

RQ: Definitely Lee Malia from Bring Me The Horizon, he’s an incredibly versatile guitar player with a great knack for playing to suit the song. He’s also a great riff writer, something I aspire to be.

What 5 songs would you put into a Top 5 Isolation Bangers playlist to perk up your day?
Want you in my Room- Carly Rae Jepsen

Hard Times - Paramore

Sell Out - Reel Big Fish

Allergic To The World - Sleep Talk

If I Fall - The Story So Far 

What are your plans once we’re allowed out of isolation? What have you been missing most during this time?
BM: I miss just going outside. I’m someone who lives life spontaneously, so not having the freedom to just go out and see what the day brings is kind of excruciating. I can’t wait till I can hang out with my friends at gigs again, sometimes I feel like it’s the only time I feel alive.

JT: I miss my friends, hanging out at shows and being up on stage performing our music together. My fondest memories were created in and around shows; either the ones we produced or the ones we go to. I miss the atmosphere at live venues.

KN: Definitely friends and shows too. We were so lucky to have our last pre-isolation show be our incredible single show, and it’s definitely a memory I’ll treasure until we can get back out there again. There are a lot of people getting a lot of hugs when it’s safe to give them!

JS: Saturdays with the boys; what else are Saturdays for? 

RQ: Being able to kiss the homies goodnight

What do you think cats dream about?
RQ: Electric Sheep.

KN: Electric Mice.

Seriously though, final question; what now / what’s next?
More music, exploration of new and exciting sounds. We’re not a band that likes doing things twice in a row, comfort is complacency, and we’d rather be pushing ourselves outside our comfort zones in terms of our capabilities in a live or a studio setting.

Thanks so much to the guys and gals from Future Static for their time, and don’t forget to check out the new EP if you haven’t already - and check out our own review of the EP HERE!

The 'Fatalist' EP is available now to stream and purchase at all good online outlets and streaming platforms!

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GROOVY LOCAL GALS - YERGURL

Victoria’s teen queen, yergurl AKA Fae Scott, is a songwriter, vocalist and producer, making dreamy pop beats in her bedroom.

Yergurl describes the moments of growing up as a rebellious teen and explores the power emotions have over hormonal adolescents, through confronting, raw and honest lyrics. Yergurl’s unique story-telling is paired with atmospheric synths, lo-fi beats and layered, reverb-laden vocals to create pop you could swim in.

Yergurl’s unique sound is derived from her life-long appreciation for pop music, and takes inspiration from the 80s, to horrorcore, alt rock, and the works of The 1975, Charli XCX and Lana Del Rey.

Most recently, yergurl has been peppin’ it up at St Kilda Fest 2020, just before her featured release with Mars And Bones, her announcement of her place on the bill for Grampians Music Festival, and (the part that we think is the coolest tbh) her feature on the cover of Beat Magazine.

“It’s a sound that’s dreamy, atmospheric, other worldy and heavily rooted in pop. It’s a fully immersive and emotive ride that has darkness, radiance and everything in between. If you were to look into space with a ritzy telescope, you’d see yergurl in the middle of the galaxy, lounging on the rings of Saturn.” -Declan Byrne, Triple J

Starting out as an independent bedroom creative from Bendigo, Yergurl has been slowly but surely making her way up the rankings, becoming a Triple J Unearthed finalist, scoring various festival performances and her first headlining show in late 2019, and regularly updating her socials with new covers (including her latest dreamy cover of Metro Station’s ‘Shake It’) and original songs to keep us comin’ back.

You can catch her tracks also featured in our Spotify Playlist dedicated to all Aussie (and a few NZ) acts!

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