Bella Jessen 31/8/25 Bella Jessen 31/8/25

Shiver: Interview with Thom Johnston & April on their new single

This last Friday, Thom Johnston and April released their collaborative single, Shiver, a country-inspired folk indie track. I did separate interviews with Thom and April to learn more about Shiver, them as artists and their upcoming gig at Bar Open on September 4th.

April and Thom Johnston, Image taken by Jaz Cooper

So what exactly is Shiver about?

It was originally about, I guess, personal experiences with wanting to help someone who didn't really wanna be helped.

You know, when you've got that kind of relationship with someone that you're really close with, whether it's like a partner or, you know, a friend or family and they're in a tough spot and you wanna help them.

But they're not really ready to accept that help or they’re just denying it.

But you’re always there anyways, just in case they're ready one day.

But then again, I showed people and they're like, Oh, it's a love song!

And I'm like, Oh, I guess technically it's a love song because this is like for someone you love, but it's not particularly a romantic song.

Then there's been other people who are like, Oh, it's a road trip song.

And I'm like, okay. I guess it's a road trip song as well.

I’ve kind of loved hearing back from people and seeing what they think it's about.

Especially when like, you know, you can look into the lyrics and, I guess, it's maybe not completely obvious.

So sometimes they come up with a completely different interpretation of it.

It's kind of opened up a bit more because I've heard other people's interpretations of it, which is really cool.

It's like the face of love.

That's the basic description I can give of it.

Sometimes people just decide for themselves.

Exactly. Yeah.

I guess my experience may be different from someone else’s.

You know, I've been lucky enough or, maybe I'm not lucky enough.

Like my past relationships haven't had many vices.

It was just the actual relationship that didn't work out.

But I guess for a lot of people, their experience with this particular scenario would be associated with their past relationships.

So I can definitely understand how it's a love song.

And I kind of started seeing it more like that.

I even said to April the other day, I'm like, is Shiver a fucking love song?

Did we put out a love song?

She was like, I dunno, I guess I'll just keep wondering.

Did you have a similar interpretation of Shiver to Thom?

Yes, 100%.

What’s beautiful about Thom showing me this song and explaining that, was that I have lived that. And very recently as well.

So it kind of really reflects on a time of my life that wasn't even that long ago that, and I feel like I can really connect with those lyrics, in obviously my own individual way, but in the way that Thom was initially writing it too.

I'm always quite an empath and wanting to help people around me when I can sense things are wrong, whether they verbalize it or not.

So it's kind of just like, I guess, surrendering in a way to the fact that that's not always gonna be the case.

Like you can't always just help everyone.

But no matter what, you'll always be there anyway.

Like, even if it's just in the background.

And whether that means something to another person, that's what's important to me.

Always having that safety net kind of around, even if it can't be interpreted.

It's like just that underlying feeling of it's always gonna be there kind of thing.

Whether or not it works out.

And I know people are gonna interpret it in many different ways, which I love.

That's what the most beautiful thing about music is.

Once you put a song out there, it's not really just yours anymore.

It's kind of everyone's who listens to it and I think that's really special.

There's so much commitment and effort put into creating and performing and getting your music out there. Having to be the artist, market, email venues, record, etc. What motivates you to create and perform music?

I think when you first start playing music, it's very much you kind of go through this really weird cycle.

You start playing music 'cause you love music.

And then you go through the next steps of like, okay, I'm running songs, but they're not going particularly well in front of these crowds.

Maybe I'm running too many sad songs?

Or maybe I'm running songs that aren't good enough to be put in front of people?

So you start catering a bit more to the crowd.

Then you turn to a point where you're like, do I like my music?

And then you go back to just playing music 'cause you love it.

It's like a really weird cycle that once you've gone through the whole trials and tribulations of trying to figure out what your music means to you and what your driving force is, it always just comes back to being like, oh. I actually just like playing music, you know, at the baseline.

What’s your driving force?

For me, its wanting to be one person's favourite artist.

That's always been my goal.

Just to have one person who isn't either directly related to me or involved in my life to have me as their favourite artist.

If you have someone as your favourite artist, that's a massive deal.

‘Cause they prefer you over everyone else.

And my mother does not count.

She might be a bit biased, leaning towards me.

Mums are always your number one fans.

Yeah. It's gonna be really hard for someone to be a number one fan.

They'll have to probably birth me, um, which is not really possible.

Bit too late for that.

But I also just love the writing process.

It's a really cheap form of therapy.

Still get therapy, but it's a really cheap form of therapy where you can kind of express yourself in a way that you're proud of and you can share in front of people.

And just like have fun, you know.

Like, trauma to a backbeat.

What are you hoping listeners take away from you as an artist from Shiver?

Hmm.

I guess like, I want it to make people feel like they want to know who I am.

Lke, ohhhh, who is this April artist?

Like, what's she gonna do?

I want it to entice people with what my journey will be.

And I guess also, that on like more of a really personal side but maybe on more of a, you know, professional side, I would say It's a song.

It's not like a silly song, but because of the whole process we've had such a fun time and I really hope that that seeps through when you're listening to it.

Even if you wouldn't know all the effort we've been putting into this.

I would hope and like for people to take me seriously, but not like too seriously, if that makes sense.

For me right now, it's not the fame that I'm doing this for or even trying to get to that point.

It's passion.

It's something that brings me joy.

It's like clarity.

It's therapy.

It's just really fun

It's encouraging me to just start pushing some other stuff out there, you know, so people can be like, Ooh, like this April on Shiver.

What else can we listen to with her?

And then they go and there's nothing.

So I want that to kind of lead people into like being really curious and wanting to hear more.

So that's gonna encourage me to give that to them.

How did you get into music?

I'm from Geelong and my dad has been playing in these cover bands for years and years.

So I grew up in pubs surrounded by the same funny songs played each night.

Like Brown Eyed Girl, Eagle Rock

And I kind of resented music for a really long time.

I didn't even really listen to music, apart from the radio, until I was like, probably 18.

Which is just nuts.

Yeah, that's crazy.

People would recommend me a song and I’d be like, I don't really know it.

Unless it was like Bruno Mars.

Which by no means, is an influence on me.

As soon as I moved out, that was when I took a guitar and was like, you know what?

I'll take a guitar so when someone comes over to my house, they could play the guitar and we can all have a great time.

And then COVID hit and there's no one allowed to come to your house.

And there's a guitar in the corner staring at you.

That kind of forces you into it.

Then I got bored of just guitar for six months and started singing

I'm an attention seeker when it comes to like… I love public speaking and I just love being on stage in front of people.

Immediately, when I found music, it was like, oh, okay, this makes a lot of sense.

Like I can be creative as well as being on stage.

And as soon as I could get on stage, I just got on a stage

The more I say, the more stupid it sounds ahaha.

No, I reckon it makes sense.

It just kind of sounds like it was meant to happen to you.

I like rebelled against music rather than rebelling with music.

You see all these like seventies and sixties movies where they're rebelling against their parents.

Playing music that they don't like.

I just didn't play music.

I’m rebelling against my musical father with no music.

What inspired you to get into performing?

So it's actually a significant moment in time that happened that I can pinpoint.

It was like an epiphany.

I was at this natural, no-electronic festival called Confest.

I went there with a group of my girlfriends and it was like going into a brand new world.

'Cause I've been in the festival scene a little bit.

But I went there and the festival is really just about connecting with other people who have passions and are willing to share them with you.

And they've got all these like crazy different workshops.

There was a songwriting workshop.

One of my friends even held a workshop on how to like put on a performer persona.

It's about learning different things that you might be interested in.

I guess I was just in the perfect place within myself.

Coming back from the festival after having this amazing time.

That week I had gone to Bar Oussou.

That was the first time and I had seen people performing and I was like, you know what?

I'm just gonna get out there and I'm gonna sing an original song and I don't even really know how to play guitar that well, but I'm just gonna put myself out there and see what happens.

'Cause like what's the worst that can happen?

And that was the best decision I made.

Because a few months down the track, this is where I'm at.

So obviously there was a reason to do that because it got recognized in this great way with Thom and with other people too.

And I've had a lot of support and encouragement to continue to do what I want to do.

But obviously it's baby steps because it's all still quite new to me and I still have like, you know, those moments of anxiety around performing.

Once you kind of give yourself a name in that community, you feel like you have some expectations that you need to live up to.

Whereas when I did it for the first time, I knew no one.

And it had nothing to compare to.

So it was just very like, you know, on a whim, like freedom.

I also feel like, you know, things are meant to happen for a reason.

And I feel like because I'm so passionate about it and all the intentions are pure and I really care about it, that's why these things are unraveling.

And of course, you know, you gotta put yourself out there and you won't know until you try.

Yeah, of course. I think it's really great putting yourself out there on a whim.

And it's obviously worked out great for you, having a single now and I think you clearly do have a passion for music and for performing.

Yeah, exactly.

I couldn't be happier about that.

Like it feels like a dream.

It's like, oh my God.

Where I was literally a few months ago to this happening is like crazy.

What inspired the collaboration for Shiver?

It's an interesting one.

So we frequent a local bar on Wednesday nights.

And they do like an open mic slash jam night.

And April jumped up.

She borrowed my guitar.

It was her first time.

She was playing guitar for like maybe three weeks beforehand.

I was like, oh fuck, that person sounds pretty good.

I was like, you did really well, if you ever wanna jam let me know.

'cause you know in that scene, you're like, okay, I wanna write with people and collaborate but it's like trying to herd sheep.

You know? You go, okay, I want to collaborate.

And then you don't speak again,

and then you like meet up again.

You're like, oh shit, we should collaborate.

And then it's just a never ending cycle.

So I sent through a text.

And by the time we got home, we were already organizing a time to catch up and just play through anything we had to come to mind.

So she came ‘round, we played through a couple of songs, tried writing on the spot, but I'm quite an, um, assertive writer.

So if someone hasn't been writing very much or hasn't really done much before, I kind of get overexcited and start writing a whole song.

But I pulled out Shiver, which was actually just a song that had been put to the side.

I kind of hated the song. I didn't really particularly love it.

I played it once and then was like I feel like I've got better songs so I'm just gonna put this to the side and not use it.

But I'm like, oh, it might be an easy and good way for us to just get warmed up and get used to each other's voices.

So we played it and she changed the bridge.

So we went through that and then eventually just kind of organised how we'd sing the song.

And I think literally the next week we just went up and played it.

And people liked it.

I liked how it sounded.

She liked how it sounded.

And then from there it was a song

What inspired the bridge part that you've written?

I guess with the bridge, right, it's kind of a build up.

It's repeating the same verse three times, but every time it gets a little bit more intense.

And I think because of my feminine voice that's got a little bit of a higher pitch, 'cause Thom has this like great raspy kind of voice.

Mine's a little bit more, I guess dainty and almost like fragile in a way, but deep as well.

It kind of just added this layer of difference because I think when he sung it, it just felt like he was just singing the same thing and the song didn't really have different elements.

But then when he heard me sing it, he was like, this needs to be sung by a female and this needs to be sung by you.

And I changed the melody a little bit because I could reach a bit of a higher a note.

But I would say for me, out of all of the song, the bridge is the part that I resonate with the most because it feels the most like my part of the song, you know?

I came in and I sung the bridge and he was like, that's incredible. Like we need that. And then through that we were just working on it and performing it, sometimes kind of experimenting with it. And then he came to me one day and he was like, I wanna produce this song and I want you to be on it with me.

And for me that was like, you know, really amazing.

I feel really grateful for that because I hadn't had an experience like that before.

And it definitely helps that we created a friendship throughout this as well.

It was kind of just like we planted that seed and then, you know, in fruition, this is where we've ended up with it.

And it's beautiful because I feel like I also now have an attachment to a song that was never even really mine.

But just the whole process of doing it together has allowed me to feel it in my own way.

Is this single maybe leading into a bigger project you might have?

Possibly.

We're kind of working on a big goal.

We wanna do an East Coast tour in the summer.

Because I really love playing live and finding a new audience up in different states and I really want to establish myself in the Australian scene.

But there will be a next song.

We've kind of decided what the next song will be.

We've got some pretty iconic venues that we're playing soon too.

Nothing set in stone.

I'm just working on a few of my own originals that I'm also gonna be performing at our gig that's coming up.

And that will be my first time, like my first gig, my first time performing these songs properly to an audience that I'll know half of and potentially not know the other half.

But yeah, I would love to get back in the studio and record.

And also just work on some newer music and kind of experiment a little bit with the direction I want to go in.

Because I know for me personally, I am definitely a bit more on the, not so much country side.

Thom introduced me to country and it's been great because it's really helped with learning and navigating singing and songwriting.

'Cause it's very raw and real lyrics.

And that's where I feel like my lyrics are.

They're quite real. It's like really painting a story.

But I definitely like the more heavier sounds, because I've always been a little bit more into heavier music, like grungy kind of metal and rock.

So it would be really cool to experiment with that side of music within my own realm.

What was the recording process like then? 'cause from the sounds of it, it was very busy and quite a long process?

Well, we've decided now that we're gonna have the song recorded and produced before we start organizing release stuff.

It's was a learning process, recording this song.

It just became this whole ordeal of just going through every single hurdle that we could have gone through.

We hopped on one one day and like, God bless Ali (bassist & recorded Shiver), it was one of those things where it's just like the computer wasn't working for him and he was burnt out from the project as well.

So I just kind of went over to his house one day and ended up having a beer and watching the footy

We're just like, okay, we're not gonna record anything today.

We're already a bit off the mark from the start. And we just kind of sat there.

But the recording process was great because it was seeing the song come together and especially the last day or so was great just because we had a bit to play with.

So we came up with our lead guitar lines and the little backing guitar lines you can kind of hear sprinkled throughout the song.

And that drum fill right before the last chorus, which is the stupidest idea we've ever had.

But, so fun.

It felt like the first time that we weren't doing something exactly by the book.

It's one part of the song where it's like, it kind of doesn't make sense, but it kind of is still cohesive. Weirdly enough.

Those last days were pretty good just because like there was a bit more freedom.

And we included that inter-world part at the start which I thought was really important to create some texture in the song.

We had two and a half sessions.

The first day of recording we got down like all of the song.

And then when we got a mix back from that, there was a few things that Thom and I weren't super pleased about in regards to our voice. The way things sounded together.

So we went into the studio and we fixed those bits up and did some harmonies.

So it was really fun because it was like we're all working together as a group of friends.

And I guess for me personally, that first day going into recording, because I'd never done that before, I definitely had like an overwhelming sense of nerves and it definitely took me some time to warm into singing.

But because I was just surrounded by great people that are talented and have patience, it was encouraging.

So in the end I'm really pleased.

And I've been getting some like, really awesome feedback.

The feedback of just like, wow, your voice is beautiful April.

Like keep it up.

So yeah, it's nice.

And same with Thom of course, but because he's obviously got a little bit more of a profile and singing, people are really excited for him in the aspects of releasing a song.

You've got the single release show at the Bar Open, September 4th. What can people expect to see there?

You can see me, um, I'll be there hopefully.

If I'm not there, then there's something wrong or you came on the wrong night.

I think it's actually a really interesting lineup.

We've got Nic Bosnic’s band, Gardiner.

Well, two thirds of Gardener 'cause the drummer couldn't make it.

Nick is just an incredible talent.

He's been inspired by Jeff Buckley, that's how he learned to sing.

So he's just got this incredible range.

He has a like spooky, really rich emotional kind of power in his voice and his songs are emotionally powerful.

Then we’ve got Star Jock.

They're like a grunge band kind of, alt rock.

They are really raw, not in your face, but they definitely have that bit of punchiness to them.

And they’re just really talented, they packed up tote a few weeks ago for their own launch.

And they’ve played Fed Square, which is crazy.

And then we've got our band, which is the first proper time I've played a gig with a band behind me.

I guess I've played like different venues where people have jumped up with me, but this is a bit more cohesive.

So two-thirds of the show, there's gonna be me and the band on stage.

We'll go through some demo stuff I’ve released*

(*Barwon Bridge under the pseudonym Maxwell925)

Because those are the songs I wrote as I was kind of coming up through the open mic scene. And I like a lot of them.

We've got really talented musicians like Ali Harman on bass.

He comes from a bit of a jazz background.

He's just one those guys that like, he just picks something up and it's already good.

And then we've got Jack Paraiso.

He's recently come over from the Philippines to Melbourne.

Just like a really talented overall guitarist and songwriter as well.

And then Nic Murray, who's our drummer, he’s is also very good.

I mean obviously people should come to the gig, but why should people come?

First of all, the, the tickets are very well priced.

Everyone loves to go out for a little bit of a drink.

On a Thursday night, you know, it's like a student night so that's always encouraging.

Living in Melbourne, it's a very artistic city.

There's all sorts of things going on on all different nights, no matter what day of the week it is.

And I feel like people in that artist community, the local people, wanna support the community.

But I guess just support new and upcoming artists if you’re looking for something new and exciting to check out.

Because it's gonna be an awesome night.

Like, we've got some really beautiful bands as well that are gonna support us.

And then Thom's got this great presence on stage, so you know, he'll get the crowd kind of involved.

It's quite interactive.

So I feel like, you know, there's a lot of different elements to it.

It's not just a gig, like where you just sit and watch.

I feel like it's, it's a community thing.

So if people are willing to come and support that, that's awesome.

Stream Shiver & Stay in touch with the artists down below! Also head on over to Bar Open on Thursday September 4th to see April & Thom live!

Shiver - Spotify

TICKET LINK 4 SHIVER SINGLE RELEASE GIG

SUPPORTS MENTIONED

ALL IMAGES TAKEN BY Jaz Cooper (@jjazcooper)

Bella Jessen 24/8/25 Bella Jessen 24/8/25

Common Things: Kye Arnot Debut Single Release gig @ The Old Bar 16.08.25

The Old Bar, last Saturday evening, hosted a packed but intimate gig with a crowd fixated on all performers. The gig was contemporary folk-inspired artist Kye Arnot’s debut single release, Common Things, supported by Joely.

Kye Arnot is an insanely talented songwriter who is able to easily capture the crowd through his poetic lyrics put to beautifully composed songs. A lot of these songs were based on or inspired by quite personal stories and experiences in Kye’s life, yet they heavily resonated with listeners due to the core emotions tied to personal but universal experiences of coming of age, self-discovery, relationships and a few about the specific struggles in queer relationships. Creating an intimate atmosphere for the gig. For example, his song Unborrowed Time, detailed quite a personal experience, but at its core was about enjoying a relationship that you know is going to end. Or Be My Alter, also quite a personal story, but once again at its core a more universal experience of feeling like you are in a one-sided relationship and or unloved or unappreciated within a relationship, especially within the context of queer relationships and the struggles or pressures of outside influences against the relationship. These themes are only heightened through the song’s compositions, really emphasising the emotions of melancholy, wistfulness, resentment, yet hopefulness through the emotion in Kye’s voice and guitar chord progressions and dynamics. I think through the lyrics and song compositions, a larger theme of Kye’s music I see overall is experiencing all the feelings that come from more painful memories and moments in life, but also acknowledging that things will pass and it’s okay to let go. Ultimately, his live performance last Saturday really highlights the intimacy in creating and performing music, demonstrating the strong interconnectedness between vulnerability, emotions and music and its ability to transport others into exactly how you feel or want them to feel.

The gig was for Kye’s single release, Common Things, which I think is such a perfect example of his really personal songwriting that still manages to connect to others’ experiences and emotions. Common Things, according to Kye’s description, is “about the common experience of feeling sober and low-spirited at a house party, and feeling the need to clean up after the person you love. It’s about realising it’s time to move on, and mustering up the courage to finally let go of someone.” What I really love about the song is that it talks about a universal experience everyone wants, the common thing being love, as heard through the repetition of the lyrics “I need love” within the chorus. There’s this dynamic of wanting or craving this experience of love, yet in a way that is coming from a place of grief and feelings of neglect that the song highlights. Kye also uses the song’s composition to further emphasise the melancholic emotions of this experience through the haunting reverbed harmonies and piano, as well as an overall soft playing of the instrumentation that, when played together, creates a powerful sound. Once again, Kye does convey an overall hopefulness in this song too, especially through the crescendoing towards the end of the song and the repetition of the lyrics “I need love”. Really driving home once again the significance of going through the pain and hurt but realising it will pass and its okay and sometimes necessary to let go. Ultimately, I think Kye is able to really beautifully put these personal and vulnerable experiences to music in a way that is more than simply understood by listeners, but also deeply felt and related to.

Joely, a contemporary folk singer-songwriter, was the opener for Kye Arnot, who really helped set the atmosphere for the evening. Her songwriting and vocals were amazing. I really loved her americana style in her songs and in her inspiration as seen by her covers Something In The Orange by Zach Bryan and For Leaving by Jake Minch. Joely’s set was also quite personal and vulnerable as she talked with the crowd extensively about her experiences that inspired the songs she wrote. My favourite was her song (apologies I didn’t catch the name!) about the conversation she had with a random man named Benny on a night out, which finally inspired/convinced her to begin writing and performing music. In particular, I loved the line “I’m on stage and people are listening”. Apparently, this was only Joely’s second gig ever, which is crazy considering her talent. I’m sure there will be heaps more to come!

If you’re a fan of contemporary folk music, or even if you’re not, you should definitely keep up to date with Kye Arnot’s and Joely’s next gigs and music, which you can find below!

Kye Arnot - @kyearnot - Bandcamp - Spotify

Joely - @joelywlliamson7

Bella Jessen 17/8/25 Bella Jessen 17/8/25

1971: COOLDAD Interview & Album Launch @ Mamma Chens 09.08.25

If you weren’t at Mamma Chens last Saturday night, you definitely missed out. The band room was overflowing with high energy and colourful streamers and stars, as well as so so many people. The gig had completely SOLD OUT during presales. The gig being COOLDAD’s album launch, supported by My Giddy Aunt and The Robbies.

I was able to sit down and talk with Will Anderson, frontman of COOLDAD, all about their new album, 1971, where the inspiration came from and the unusual stories behind the songs. But, I feel it would be crazy not to discuss the album launch night itself as well!

COOLDAD at album launch, image taken by lu.med1a

COOLDAD performing at album launch, images taken by lu.med1a

If you don’t know, COOLDAD is a three-piece rock band from Geelong, made up of Carly Jorja, Kade Baker and Will Anderson, and their friend Jack Meredith joined them on stage playing the keys and harmonica. In their description on Spotify, their introduction starts: “Geetroit Rock City’s most colourful act COOLDAD are bringing stadium shows to the pub scene”. I know it’s a bit of fun, but I also think it’s such an accurate description of their band. I think COOLDAD is one of the most perfect examples of why people enjoy and or create music, for fun. In everything they do, from their song themes, compositions, bright colours, performances and crowd interaction, there is always 100% energy and an intention to have fun playing their music and performing to a crowd. For example, their crowd interaction engrossed everyone in a really entertaining way, whether it was through making them play Simon Says, performing their news segment This Week In The Scene (TWITS) or handing out handmade awards to the support acts and Will’s father - more on this later! And the crowd interacted right back, keeping up the high energy. While performing one of the new songs off 1971, Take Me Back, the crowd at the front threw bananas on stage during the lyrics “Take me back to when I was just a Chimpanzee. Somebody get me a goddamn banana.”

As well as an exciting performance, COOLDAD are excellent songwriters lyrically and compositionally. They really took their time with the album and ensured everything was exactly what they wanted, I got the idea maybe even a little longer than they had anticipated. Their music matches their fun and exciting energy, easily getting people dancing to classic rock-inspired tracks and at the same time relating to the lyrics about youth and figuring yourself out. There are a few slower tracks on the album too, but we’ll get into that later! Because their new album is inspired by Will’s father and his life, the last song of the night was a cover of Parklife by Blur sung by Will’s father, Brent Anderson.

The Robbies, image taken by Jeremy Jessen

My Giddy Aunt really helped set the fun and exciting atmosphere for the night. It sounds odd, but their performance and music had a warm summery or spring vacation feel to it. The songs were so upbeat and their use of incredible vocal harmonies, bright guitar harmonies, lively trumpet adlibs and catchy melodies just made the songs so exciting compositionally, especially on top of the instrumental twists and turns I didn’t expect but loved. My personal favourites from the night were Bugs, Dorian and It’s Rude to Stare, which is coming out soon, I believe. I also thought their cover of Vampire Empire by Big Thief summarised all these points too, performing the song within a full rock band and more so emphasising the anger within the song, giving it its own My Giddy Aunt twist.

The Robbies also opened, which is actually a band I play in. So thank you again to COOLDAD for having us on the lineup for such a fun night! And Ed and Cait killed it as per usual :)

I haven’t gone into heaps of detail about the COOLDAD album or music itself because of the interview! But definitely don’t miss out on either COOLDAD’s or My Giddy Aunt’s next gig for a really good time, which, you can avoid missing out on by following and staying in touch with their accounts linked below!

Inst @cooldadtheband - Bandcamp - Spotify

Inst @mygiddtauntband - Bandcamp - Spotify

Inst @_therobbies_ - Spotify

INTERVIEW: Will Anderson

Why 1971?

Well, the simple answer is that's the year *THE cool dad was born.

(*THE cool dad being Brent Anderson, Will’s dad)

He was born in good old 1971.

Your name is also kind of inspired by your dad, right?

Kind of accidentally.

Kind of accidentally?

We may have been listening to a song called Cool Dad.

Went Wow. Yeah, that's a really stupid name.

And then at some point, they were like, your dad's kind of cool.

I'm like, is he?

And it's like, “yeah, you know, he used to get invited to your friends' parties before you.”

And I was like, yeah.

I was like, that'd be a fitting name.

Would you say that maybe your dad has inspired you musically in any way?

Blur inspired merch and Park Life Cover image taken by lu.med1a

I mean yes and no.

Mostly yes. The first ever album he showed me was Blur’s The Best Of.

Which is why we ended up covering Park Life at the album launch with him.

And why we also decided to legally rip off their, uh, design for our merch.

Makes it a real full circle.

So in a way, he's made a great impact on this moment.

We wouldn't have had a sold-out show without him.

A lot of the songs in your album are quite retrospective. Did you work with your dad during the album? Or are these just stories that your dad's told you before?

It’s just stories my dad's told me.

My favourite one will always be Shakespeare Avenue.

Because he told me pretty much the entire story except for the ending for like 10 years.

So the real story behind Shakespeare Avenue is that he worked at this bar in Melbourne called The Village Belle, which I reference in the song.

And he realllllly needed to take a shit mid-shift.

Like he was desperate for a big old poop.

So he said to his coworker at the time, “Hey, I need to go poop out the back. Could you cover the front bar whilst I poop?”

He's like, “Yeah, sure.”

So my dad runs off for like two minutes to take a poop.

In that two-minute time gap, someone comes into the bar with a knife and shanks the guy at the front bar who was covering.

And meanwhile, my dad's fighting for his life on the toilet.

And then he comes out, you know, after a cheeky flush and whatnot, and he sees his friend just on the floor, bleeding out.

Which could have been him.

And that's where I heard the story end for 10 years.

Until, eventually, one day he went, “oh, by the way, that guy lived.”

I was like, oh.

Because in Shakespeare Avenue I definitely play it off as the guy dies.

So a lot of the stories are quite absurd about him in the album.

Is Now That You're 54 more from your perspective or your dad’s perspective?

I think my perspective on him being 54 and what he could have done otherwise if it wasn't for me.

Having a child makes it quite hard to be a famous rock star - but now he's doing it as per Park Life.

Although the song was technically written when he was 53. I just had great hindsight in knowing this album would come out when he was 54, a year later.

Also four rhymes with more. So it just worked better.

We already have a poop song, so we can't really do pee and three.

Where did the album cover art come from?

All of the single artworks and the album artwork I had found in this random box of old family photos he had, and I sifted through all of them.

There was a photo of him with an orangutan that was up there competing with the album cover.

But the album cover was the only one that had his whole family in a relatively close position, where you can fit it in the square format. I got my good friend Rory Willingham, from De Porsal, to add that little COOLDAD 1971 over the top, just to give it the final touch.

Self-acceptence and self-love seems like a major theme of many songs in the album, such as Take Me Back and Great Dane. Why was this a major focus in the album?

On the album cover, we can see there's my dad, he's got a brother, a sister and two parents. Funnily enough, there’s been so many instances where my dad has been reminded he is definitely the least favourite child.

One time we went to his brother's house. My uncle. Whose name is Dan, The Great Dan. E. Great Dane.

[My dad] was like, “Oh, I'm gonna read this book you have that, you know, our mother bought 'cause she never gave it to me.”

So he opens up the book, first page, signed by his mother: to my favourite son.

It's like, oh, yeah, I'm sure this is a one-time thing.

Then at his father's birthday, 60th or 70th?

We rocked up and the people there were like, “Oh, who are you?”

And [my dad] was like, “Oh, you know, I'm, I'm Robert's son.”

He goes, “Ohhhhh, you're Dan!”

He's like, “....No, I'm Brent.”

He goes, “What? But Rob only has two kids. He's got Dan and then he's got his daughter, Kim.”

…No, he's definitely got three.

He did get a Facebook comment on his reshare of the album from like a random family friend being like, “hang on, 1971? But your brother was born in 1972. I think they got the year wrong.”

As if it couldn't be about him.

So there's a, yeah, a few songs are themed around that concept of being the middle kid in the family. A few tracks about him being forgotten as a kid.

Hey, but he's grown, and now that he's 54, he's a rockstar.

When or why did you get the idea for this concept album?

Originally, we had written Major Sea and had not come up with the concept of doing all the songs about THE cool dad.

At some point after that, Lovecoin was the next song.

Lovecoin was specifically about my dad and the decision he made and about how my parents met - it's what the Lovecoin Music video is about too.

[My dad] was working an office job, minding his own business.

One day, my mother, unknowingly, calls up and is like “Hey, can you help me with something?”

He's like “Sure, I’ll head on down”

He goes down to Geelong. They hit things off.

He's like “Great. That's awesome. Geelong's a good place. I'm glad I'm never gonna have to go there again.”

Two weeks later or so on April 1st, she calls back up and she goes, “By the way, I am pregnant now.”

He decided to really be in the picture because of a coin flip.

Luckily it landed on heads or whatever he had chosen - so that's what the lovecoin is.

And now he has been a Geelong resident ever since.

After writing Lovecoin, I was like, that was pretty good.

I reckon I could write more songs about his weird life.

From there on, we got like a whole album's worth out of that.

And Major Sea is in there too.

I was gonna ask about that ‘cause you have a few singles that didn't make it onto the album. So why did you guys choose Major Sea?

I mean Major Sea is just good.

Also we didn't put any of the EP songs in because we just wanted to leave that EP as its own thing.

Kade Baker really wanted Major Sea to be on the ep, and I was like, nah, we're not ready for that. I swear, in two years we're gonna find a saxophone player. We're gonna find an organ player. This song's gonna be wayyyy better.

So due to my pushiness, we pushed it away until the album.

And I'd like to imagine it's about [my dad] being an octopus man or something, you know, a deep-sea sailor in an alternate life. Yeah.. I'm sure we have navy ties somewhere.

Part of his intriguing life

The album's very fun, upbeat and I think you're a very fun, upbeat band as well.

Hell yeah.

But you do have some…

Depressing songs.

Yeah, a bit slower songs. I think Mary Jane is a standout. From the single launch, I kind of got the idea that you, specifically, wrote it?

Pretty much every song on the album, except for Major Sea and Mary Jane are about my father.

Mary Jane shockingly is about my mother, whose name is not Mary Jane, but it sure is a metaphor.

I felt like we should get a depressing song on the album.

Honestly, I had just finished playing the Spider-Man game and so I had the name Mary Jane in my head, and then the metaphor clicked, and then the idea for a song clicked.

I was like. Oh yeah, it's time. Wrote it all at like 3:00 AM.

I went to a grand final footy party that day, and I acted like I knew what sport was whilst I was sitting there in my head, thinking no one knows what I did last night.

I wrote the coolest song.

And if anyone asks me to play it, I'm gonna kill the party.

There was one time we tried playing it live before we recorded it, and it was so depressing the entire crowd left.

Everyone was having the most joyously fun time at the front dancing.

And I was like, “Okay, this is a new one, Mary Jane.”

And they're like, “Yeah!”

We played it, and everyone left.

What do you want people to take away from 1971 and COOLDAD?

I just thought, I'll write some fun songs. Yeah, a bit of fun.

I mean, it's up, up to your own interpretation of the stories, I guess.

I'm considering making a playlist of the album in chronological order of the song time.

And see how different that is.

So for the official album release version, it's your own interpretation of the story.

My interpretation is more in the sense of epic dad vibes. *Shakas*

(It was important to Will I pointed out he did shakas in this moment)

Any last words you'd like to say?

Buy every COOLDAD merch you ever see, bootleg or not.

Yeah. Well, I think support Carly and her crafting. But also bootleg, a bit like the slightly ripped-off Blur T-shirts.

Yeah, support Carly 'cause I've heard so many swear words come out of her mouth when the yarn snaps.

All credited images taken by @lu.med1a & @photo_jerm

Bella Jessen 29/5/19 Bella Jessen 29/5/19

You & I: Mila + Lucas Single Launch @ Brunswick Artist Bar 12.07.25

Saturday night, the 12th of July, the Brunswick Artist Bar was absolutely packed with an excited crowd buzzing around the fairy lights and green streamers all for Mila + Lucas’ gig for their newly released single, You and I, supported by Thom Johnston and Mekky.

Mila + Lucas, Image taken by Lucinda Goodwin

Mila + Lucas’ performances are always incredible. There’s something so genuine and heartfelt in their music and performance that has everyone in the room captivated from start to end. Both artists are massively talented, and the messages, inspirations and themes of their songs are tied to such simple core experiences and feelings, such as books that stick with you for life, funny moments with friends, your love for your pet and dealing with grief. I think that is why they’re able to immediately connect to listeners and viewers with ease. I think this is also because of how beautifully the songs are arranged which are able to resonate and replicate these emotions and themes. One of my personal favourites is their original, Skin From Skin, which Mila had explained was inspired by a book she had read when she was younger that spoke to her, called The War That Saved My Life.

Mila + Lucas also played a few cover songs, and even these spoke to their love and passion for music, paying homage to their inspirations and music mentors including Breathe In Now by Katie Noonan, who they had performed that song with during one of Katie Noonan’s concerts last year, and My Favourite by Georgia Fields, who was actually in attendance at the gig.

Thom Johnston, Image taken by Lucinda Goodwin

Mekky and Bjorn, Image taken by Lucinda Goodwin

Opening for Mila + Lucas was folk/country artist Thom Johnston and indie pop/jazz artist Mekky, which really tied the whole night together. All three artists complemented each other so well.

Thom Johnston started off the night, creating the cozy and community feel that would remain for the rest of the night. He played quite a few originals, including a few off of his album Barwon Bridge under the pseudonym Maxwell925, and quite a few covers too including High and Dry by Radiohead and Blister In The Sun by the Violent Femmes, which saw everyone singing along, enjoying themselves, and even getting involved.

Mekky continued to captivate the crowd, singing and playing ukulele alongside her guitarist Bjorn. She had such a sweet and charming performance that was really beautiful to listen to. During the performance, I was thinking some of the originals sounded very Laufey inspired and then she actually ended up doing a cover of Beautiful Stranger by Laufey, which the crowd loved. I also loved the addition of the ukulele as part of Mekky’s instrumentation. I feel like you don’t tend to see the ukulele all that often as part of performances but it perfectly encapsulates Mekky’s aesthetic and sound.

Collage showing gig decor, all three performers and You and I lyric booklit

Arguably though, the best part of the night was when Mila + Lucas performed their new single, You and I. When the song was released, I immediately fell in love with it, the layered guitar lines, relaxed and catchy melody, and the fun piano adlibs really encompass Mila + Lucas’ overall sweet and alluring folk style. What I really love about the song though, is its inspiration and subject, Mila’s dog, Pepsi, which I am slightly biased towards as I also have a dog who I love lots. Prior to when the performances started, Mila and Lucas had handed out lyric booklets for You and I so everyone could sing along when they performed, and prior to performing the song, Mila had said how someone told her the booklets reminded them of church to which she replied: Well, yes its the church of Pepsi! Songs about love and heartbreak are so common that I think having a love song about something so different and personal to you, but, that others can still relate to so easily makes the song more special in a way. It really emphasises their inspiration for their music as the simple things in everyday life that sometimes seem trivial or are taken for granted because they’re the simple things everyone knows or always sees or experiences. But these are also the things that make us who we are and play such a massive role on who we will be.

Overall, the whole night had a very wholesome, warm community feel. All the artists were insanely talented, and there wasn’t a moment anybody wasn’t having a good time and wasn’t captivated by the performances. I think the You and I single launch was a perfect example of artist vulnerability and their ability to connect so strongly with an audience on an emotional and community level. All the artists expressed why they were performing the songs they chose or wrote and the crowd always responded back. It was such a beautiful night and I’m excited to hear what Mila + Lucas, Thom Johnston and Mekky have in store next.

If you’re interested in what these artists have in store next or their music links are below!

Inst @milalucasmusic - Mila+ Lucas Spotify

Inst @thomwmjohnston - Maxwell925 Spotify

Inst @m3kky.mp3

CREDITED PHOTOS TAKEN BY @lucindagoodwinphotography

Bella Jessen 29/5/19 Bella Jessen 29/5/19

MORE TO COME SOON…

About the blog!

Hi! My name is Bella and I’m the writer of LoveLetters.mp3. As someone who is personally entrenched in the Melbourne music scene and has a passion for music, I really wanted to create a way to share the stories of local artists and fans.

Since 15, I’ve been a part of the gig scene and a massive music fan ever since I can remember, which might sound silly to say because nobody really dislikes music. But truly, music has played a massive key role in my life. I really believe music helps shape people and is a major part of everyday life, that’s importance is so often overlooked.

I hope with this blog, I can reflect the importance of music in different peoples lives through their connection to the Naarm/Melbourne music scene, whether its artists or fans.

Kind of like a love letter to music.

WANT TO GET IN CONTACT?

Are you in a band, or are an artist, or a music fan or just have a story to share?

You can get in contact with me via:

Email: lovelettersmp3.contact@gmail.com

Instagram: @lovelettersmp3_blog