Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: Long story short, I’m actually a Kiwi who moved over here about 5 years back and never left! This city (Melbourne) pulled me into its magical orbit of passionate, driven artists and a risk-taking musical scene. I actually lived in London thinking it was going to be the live music mecca it once was before moving here and was actually jaded by the lack of creative/music opportunities. Big love Melbourne. Growing up in NZ, early on I was exposed to some pretty out-there and darkly psychedelic bands through Flying Nun records like Headless Chickens. As for my teenage years, seeing monstrous live acts emerge like The Datsuns really threw me into the deep end beginning my lifelong love of raw frenzied punk music.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “MILKSICK”?
A: I feel Like the band has a pretty solidified goal of playing as many shows as we can over the next year opening for bands we love to create a sort of hype in the local scene here but we are also pushing to record a proper ep next year at a studio to really get serious. Maybe even some small tours in Victoria would be nice. I feel like the band is starting to take its own unique shape and people are responding to it. It’s exciting! I guess my message would be this. Every single we are putting out really challenges genre and we are so excited to see how people react to it. It’s all unmistakably MILKSICK, but aims to surprise/test our audience.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: For me, Melbourne has some of the most exciting and inspiring acts around at the moment. You can go see top-tier acts almost any night of the week and I do! So much of it feeds into what I’m doing. One band that I can’t get enough of is Dr Sure’s Unusual Practice. They consistently release large bodies of work each year that can range from Devo inspired 80s synth rock to heavy relentless krautrock akin to the Osees.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Midas.”?
A: Midas actually grew out of a jam we had in our rehearsal space. The band had this long pummeling groove going and I had no lyrics to test over the top so went into the notes tab on my phone and when I created a new note it had this default text saying “This is a welcome message” which sparked my interest. I started riffing on that and played around until a melody emerged. As more lyrics took shape I realized I was writing about scam calls/texts and the mimicking language they use in their messages to trick their victims. I had recently had a run-in with a very eloquent scam caller pretending to be from the ATO (Our IRS) and almost gave them some personal information so I drew from that a lot! I guess the song is just a take on how far scamming intelligence has come in recent years but also how their professionalism can come unstuck when they think they are losing you. As the song progresses the lyrics become more manic and aggressive which fits the tense nature of the music.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Unsettling
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Midas”?
A: After playing the song live a few times I began to realise the verse melody was not very lyrically engaging or complex, just felt a bit dry. I decided to rewrite the verse before we recorded the track and had to listen to the music with fresh ears and an open mind which is hard to do once you’ve already road-tested a song at gigs. In the end, we came out with something that really added to the narrative of the song and I’m super happy with it.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I think music can be totally demonic in its sound and still spout words of wisdom or at least be intelligently articulate in surveying the world. Our music is darkly agitated and screeching punk music, but lyrically we put forward reflections of modern life that can be overlooked or misunderstood. I’m trying to make you think. We are trying to make you take another look. Seemingly Silly, boring or mundane parts of normal life can have a lot more weight to them if we take a step back.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: 100% would be the OSEES. They fit our vibe and energy. We would probably blow the PA in the jam space though haha.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Be prepared to take small wins when you can and do it for the love. Even in the most inspiring and supportive scenes in the world, it’s hard work to get noticed but persistence and uncompromising creativity always wins the day.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: All of the above would apply here but I would also say “People will like what you have to give if you are honest and relentless with your passion. People respond to authenticity. Keep trying.”
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