Tell us a bit about the new singles.

Musically, to me, "Big Talk" sounds rich with what I was obsessed with during 2020-21. Gold Class' "Drum," Tommy Keene's "Songs From The Film," and Unknown Pleasures - these are albums that I come back to a lot. I actually took them all into the studio with me during the session.

The words - it's about a certain type of person. A larger than life, charismatic, highly persuasive, addictive, big talker - sometimes narcissistic. I've known a few of them. They're not to be trusted.

I wanted "Rose In Wire" to be AM Reruns' comeback single because I don't hear anything like it around in modern guitar music. It's a glam rock shuffle beat beamed in from 1958-via-1986. It's classic new wave. It seems crazy to put this out as a single in 2023. So it had to be done.

Who are your biggest influences, who will you always look to for inspiration?

My biggest influence is Johnny Marr, and I'm very proud of that. He's influenced me not only as a guitar player and songwriter, but as an aesthete too, by pointing me in the direction of other life-affirming music. Were it not for Johnny, I wouldn't have discovered the Stooges, VU, CHIC, the Shangri-La's, Wire, Aldous Huxley, A Taste Of Honey... even The Stones... it goes on. That said, I'm not a total retrohead.

For inspiration to hit you, you need to be busily working on something already - that's Johnny Marr quoting Picasso. I have a lot of favourite music but I'm not even sure if that's where inspiration comes from exactly. What I can say is that the albums I cherish are typically a world unto themselves - putting them on transports me to a different place where real life disappears and all that there is is the world of the songs and the band who made them. Recently I've rediscovered "Youth Of America" by Wipers. That's a good example of an album being a passage into a unique world. A lot of Melbourne guitar players are fans of Wipers, which I think is because the world they project is very relatable for people living here. On a cold Melbourne morning at 2AM, in July.... driving along the empty roads with just the street lights for company, a song like "No Fair" goes really well.

How does it feel to be releasing this music as a double A side 7 inch record?

It's exciting. I love the format and I think our songs are fantastic. In our minds they deserved a physical release.

If you could collaborate with any artist, either on a track or for a split single, who would it be?

I feel that collaborations between acts, or y'know.... "collabs", have taken on a fairly cynical significance - like they're meant to boost your algorithm and that's the main purpose. And if that's the case, then it's a sign of artists adopting the expectations of the music industry, which is frankly not the job of the artist. Maybe that's not it, but it's not a trend I relate to. You'd never see "The Smiths ft...." As a guitar player I've played on other people's records, with Nat Vazer, Jim Lawrie, Jess Locke, and I love doing it, but I'm traditional with the band. I like to keep AM Reruns singular - as its own body of work. You'll never see "ft" on either side of our band name. If I want to have a collaboration with someone, I'd usually want to start a band with them, so I'd try for that.

But to answer the question, I'd like Nick Launay to produce an AM Reruns record.

Do you have any shows coming up in support of the release?

Friday 2 June at the Bergy Bandroom, Brunswick (Melbourne). With The Maggie Pills, Francis Glass Band, DJ Shauna Ceratops (from Cable Ties), and a raffle in support of Switchboard Victoria.

A Quick Chat With AM Reruns