A Quick Chat with Joan & The Giants
Alt-pop indie darlings Joan & The Giants are due to release their debut EP on September 23. They’ve just dropped another slice of it with the single ‘The Weekend’ - a rebellion against modern grind culture and the mentality of 'living for the weekend'. Ahead of the EP release, we’ve caught up with the band to chat all things from their influences to their big plans.
Can you tell us about the new track and what you want people to take away from it?
'The Weekend' was a pandemic baby, written just after coming out of lockdown and going back to work. It was a crazy time, because amongst all the chaos and fear there was a sort of relief that hit me at what felt like "the end of the world".
I think I am someone who is always grinding, and I work a bunch of jobs and put a lot of pressure on myself and for the first time in a long time there was some relief, like the weight was lifted for a second.
During the 'end of the world', we just became really rebellious and every day was fun, we'd have friends over (when the government allowed) on week nights, and go out skating and I was exploring a lot about myself during this time.
When we all went back to work and reality sort of hit again, I went back to grinding and living for the weekend, which was frustrating - so this song is all about rebelling and not wanting to live for that pure relief of a Friday afternoon.
We just want to enjoy our existence and that's what 'The Weekend' is all about really.
Who are some of your influences and why?
Ooooh, we have so many! My influences change a lot - depending on what I'm obsessing over, but when we were producing this song I was obsessed with Maisie Peters (still am!) and her production and lyrics are just so darn intimate but also the hooks are huge and the choruses always feel really exciting and uplifting to me. I think from a production standpoint, we were also really inspired by Olivia Rodrigo's Driver's Licence at the time, I just think that song is incredible and the production approach inspired this one a lot.
We also love Holly Humberstone, Dizzy, Maggie Rogers, Phoebe Bridgers, Taylor Swift, Daughter - omg I could go on and on and on. Aaron also grew up listening to a lot of punk, so there's definitely flavours of some Blink 182 in this, in some of the heavier more rebellious moments.
We almost gave up on this one from a production point of view, it took us a few days in the studio with our producer Dylan Ollivierre (who we love) to really get the drum feel right, and the synth layering // figuring out how to build into the big chorus - it took some time, but when it came together we were so stoked.
What's the creative process for you, from writing through to recording?
To be honest this changes all the time, but we usually start acoustically and then go into our little home studio to build a demo.
I personally have to write from either memories or something I am going through at the time as it always feels cathartic to me - 'The Weekend' came really quickly lyrically and our demo was a lot slower than the recording now, but the grass roots were there.
Aaron and I wrote this one together, he came up with a demo and the lyrics were written in about half an hour, which was wild.
I think it's magical going into the studio and working with a producer - especially with someone like Dylan who challenges you to think differently and bigger when it comes to production.
We are so open minded now, and have definitely learned to let go and open the studio space to creativity and ideas.
What do you think makes a great song?
I always think a great song can be performed with the bigger live or studio production, or completely stripped back and acoustic - I think if it works acoustically, it has a great foundation.
I think you can always feel a great song - when someone has captured a moment in time, and takes you as a listener into their world - it can be completely transcendent.
To me personally the lyrics are always my favourite part of any song, and if I feel they are genuine and well written and then the production supports the lyrics - that to me is great.
The band's debut EP is set for release on Sept 23, can you tell us about some of the other themes you explore in it?
Our debut EP was definitely written and inspired by relationships; it has themes of love, heartbreak and what comes with that.
It was also written around a time of self exploration, and for me personally I was opening up to myself in new ways like exploring my sexuality and parts of myself that were repressed for years, and it all felt really exciting and new, but also heartbreaking too in some ways.
The reason why it's called 'Me & You' is because that really sums it up - whether that's between me and whoever the song is about, or me and the listener - I hope the EP can connect to others and relate.
If you could collaborate with any artist, who would it be and why?
For me (Grace) I would love to collaborate with Maggie Rogers, I think she is such a deep thinker and intelligent person. I love the way she talks about music, and writing and the creative process and I would love to just learn from her and soak in her energy if we ever wrote together.
That would be a dream. I also think her voice is so unique and she's not afraid to lean into different genres and experiences and I think that's powerful in this day and age.
When not working on music, what other creative outlet/s do you have?
I adore filmmaking, which is why I directed the music video for 'The Weekend'. I've been working in film for years now on ads, short films, actors showreels and more. I also teach kids and adults acting, and it's something I'm really passionate about.
I think acting is an amazing tool for building confidence and getting out of your comfort zone - would strongly suggest giving it a go haha.
Who are some local bands we should check out?
We absolutely love King Ibis and Young Robin (who are both supporting us at our launch at the Rosemount September 30th - comeee). We love Green Pools, Stacey Ann, Ribs, Helen Shanahan, Siobhan Cotchin, Noah Dillon, Angie Colman, Veruca Moon, Cecelia Brandolini, Sophian, Dulcie, Goldie (ahhh there's so many!) - just a couple of amazing acts for you to check out - do ittttt. There's so much talent in Perth and it honestly blows our minds the supportive community we have here.
Winter or summer and why?
Winter for sureeeee! There's something about the rain that gets me so inspired. I think it's a comfort thing as well, when I was a kid I grew up on a farm and when the rain hit it was the end of dry summers which are so hard to work in.
Winter smells so nice and it's exciting, and dark and I think the rain and driving goes well with our music haha.
What else do you have planned for the year?
We have our launch at the Rosemount September 30th which is exciting, then we have a bunch of shows and festivals over the next few months - you can check out socials for more infoooo.
We're really excited to get into the studio to work on new music at the end of the year, which will be through our label 'Tomboi Records', who are an independent label backing women, LGBTQIA+ artists and POC. It's exciting to be part of such an inclusive label, and we're keen for 2023.