A quick chat with Close Counters

What’s the songwriting process like on the average Close Counters track?

It changes every time! With most of the songs on the new EP we started from a blank canvas whilst jamming with our collaborators (JAYDEAN, Allysha Joy and Paul Bender). Then we’d come away from the jam with a really solid demo that we can then refine into a tighter track. Other times Finn or Allan might start an idea separately and come and pitch it to the other person and then it gets developed together. 

The latest single SOMETHING IN MY DRINK touches on classic R&B and disco elements, but has an undertone touching on a very prevalent issue of drink-spiking. Is there anything you’d like to touch on here?

Absolutely, when we started making the song we didn’t have the intention to touch on the issue, but when JAYDEAN started scheming lyrics he floated the idea of drawing attention to the experience of one getting their drink spiked and we were on board. It is a disturbingly common occurrence, as most of us know someone that has had their drink spiked at some point whilst trying to enjoy nightlife at clubs or venues. It’s also a gendered issue that overwhelmingly targets young women in Australia, with 4 in 5 victims of drink spiking identifying as female, and half of drink spiking victims are under 24. 

We loved your remix of Young Franco and Denzel Curry’s single ‘Fallin’ Apart’! How do you approach a remix for something as incredible as this?

That’s a great question as we’re such big fans of the original! We really aimed to make our take on the record a shift in genre and tempo. The production on Fallin Apart is very groovy but falls in to the realm of hip-hop and RnB feel - from the get go we decided to ramp it up in speed to the territory of classic house. We also made it as DJ friendly as possible, starting and finishing with the groove to help people mix it in to their dance sets! 

We saw your Meredith live stream a while back… How’d you make the shift from performing as a duo to a full live band?

Collaboration has always been a big part of our songwriting process, so as soon as we started to get booked for live shows we would usually bring a vocalist to sing the final few songs of the set to really get people going. Once we moved from Hobart to Melbourne we began to expand with friends performing as instrumentalists for the whole set. This included Elle Shimada on violin, and Lucky Pereira who at first played percussion for us, but then transitioned to drum kit! Through performing and hanging out at Section 8 in Melbourne CBD we met Maggie Zhu aka MaggZ who amazed us with her unique and fierce dance styles - she started performing with us at larger festival shows, including Meredith and Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Finn also performs with Melbourne collective 30/70, which includes vocalist Allysha Joy and bassist Matthew Hayes. As we started writing the FLUX EP we had Matt play on a number of songs and wrote SPEAK IN TRUTH in collaboration with Allysha - so when we started building the new live set for this year it was a no-brainer to include them in the live band! Allysha brings an incredible live energy to our set through her experience of performing.  

What should people expect on your upcoming FLUX EP Tour?

People can expect the full live band and then some! Plus the performance of the new EP, and possibly some new unreleased jams. We’re also handpicking local supports for each headline shows of acts that we’re really big fans of which is super exciting. 

CLOSE COUNTERS
UPCOMING TOUR DATES

SAT APR 10 | GREAT ESCAPE MUSIC FESTIVAL, MOUNT FIELD, TAS
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FRI APR 23 | MEADOW FESTIVAL, BAMBRA VIC SOLD OUT*
FRI MAY 07 | FRIDAY JUICE, WOLLONGONG NSW
Free Event - Click to RSVP
SUN MAY 09 | MARY'S UNDERGROUND, SYDNEY NSW
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SAT MAY 15 | ALTAR, HOBART TAS
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SAT MAY 22 | FELONS BARREL HALL, BRISBANE QLD
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FRI MAY 28 | 170 RUSSELL, MELBOURNE VIC
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SAT MAY 26 | THE TIVOLI, BRISBANE QLD SOLD OUT**
SAT JUN 05 | FORUM, MELBOURNE VIC* SOLD OUT**
FRI JUN 18 | ROUNDHOUSE, SYDNEY NSW SOLD OUT**

**Performing with Confidence Man