Describe your sound in 5 words or less?
“Music you can imagine to.” (Indie Shuffle)
If your music was an artwork what would it look like?
Hiroshi Sugimoto’s photographs of bodies of water.
Who’s your favourite artist/artwork?
Jaye: At the moment, Vivian Maier, whose lifetime’s work was discovered posthumously, by accident, in a thrift shop in Chicago: http://www.vivianmaier.com/about-vivian-maier
Virginia: Merrick Belyea: http://merrickbelyea.com.au
What’s your favourite gig you have played to date?
Hard call… Our album launch for The Wolves at the Northcote Social Club earlier this year was definitely a highlight. We played as an eight-piece, so were able to realise a good deal of the arrangements on the album live. That said, supporting Martha Wainwright on her recent Australian tour was more than a bit special. Being called on stage by her to play a song in the middle of her set at The Sydney Opera House is not something we’ll forget in a hurry. Playing in that room was everything we imagined. (Backstage was another thing. We got lost numerous times. It’s like some kind an elaborate tunnel network designed to confuse enemies.)
What inspires/influences your music the most?
Jaye: Stuff of the heart. The oldest inspiration in the book, and a total softy, I know, but in the end, if that isn’t there, there’s no song. Nor would I want there to be. There’s a lot of songs in the world. If you don’t feel it, why add another? For me, there has to almost be an urgency about it. If it’s going to stand up amongst them all, it has to insist on being.
What part of making music excites you the most?
Getting lost inside a song – in the writing, and then together, in the playing. It’s even better when you’re all lost in the same place!
What can a punter expect from your live show?
Anything from a three-piece to an eight-piece, depending on the gig. Three-part harmonies. Hushed choruses. Rousing choruses. Ineffable sounds. Wind across a snowy tundra. Jaye bumping into microphones. Bent casio riffs. Nocturnal stirrings. Pastoral stirrings. Virginia’s signature melodic bass lines. Sean’s signature mesmerising drum moves. “Dreamy brilliance” (HCM). “An elegantly arranged universe” (Rolling Stone). Lyrics to take home.
Tell us about the last song you wrote?
Jaye: The last song fully completed was ‘The Woods’. It was the first single we released. It was one of those songs that came out almost fully-formed, riffs and all. I wrote it while I was visiting the goldfields region of Victoria one winter. It covers a bit of ground but mostly, it’s about coming out of hibernation, (which has to happen eventually but can be a very difficult thing!). There’s something very visual about the song and we felt it was begging for a video clip. When the time came, we worked with a truly talented illustrator, Polly Dedman who did the most beautiful work on it. I love her slow reveal. You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLd3Gi6sp24
What song do you wish you’d written?
Virginia: ‘Motion Picture Soundtrack’ by Radiohead
Jaye: Ok, sorry, I’m kind of piking on this one. I come across a song that fits this category about once a week. This week: anything by the Cocteau Twins.
What is most exciting thing happening now in the Melbourne Music scene?
Pony Face. Lower Spectrum. Dead Forest Index. Where to begin? This city is full of so much sung and unsung extraordinary talent. Also: Melbourne’s awesome community radio stations. They’re not new, we know, but they’re what constantly invigorate the local music scene and keep it breathing.
Brighter Later will be performing this week at Friday Nights at Monet Garden. To book click here.