A QUICK CHAT WITH CRUSHER
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE NEW TRACK AND WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM IT?
Lyrically, ‘Twice’ is about that feeling when someone you loved starts to feel far away and you know they’re not coming back, and needing to be okay about that. It’s about when you’re so used to be intertwined with someone and then in an instant you’re not. You find yourself wondering how their day was; what they dreamt about last night. The lyrics are set over a tough but almost ballad-y instrumental, anchored by this recurring guitar riff (sampled from an Instagram video daine posted) and down-tempo drums we made out of a chopped-up break.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES AND WHY?
While making the Crusher record we were listening to artists who blend genres, and digital and analog sounds, in interesting ways. And more generally the record is a bit of a nod to pop-punk/alt-rock of the 1990s/2000s. There are also elements of funk and soul, particularly in the use of drum breaks, which we’d layer with live drums. That’s a big part of the sound - we really like what happens when you start playing emo guitars over breaks. Genre doesn’t really seem to be a ‘thing’ anymore - now you can just make stuff that you think sounds cool and feels good to you. The Crusher songs are like that. We don’t know if they’re pop or indie or whatever - it’s just music and we think it feels like something.
WHAT'S THE CREATIVE PROCESS FOR YOU, FROM WRITING THROUGH TO RECORDING?
The process felt really organic and the songs came together super fast. I would bring in a demo, Edvard would write lyrics, and we’d play, produce and arrange it together. With the exception of mastering (which was done by Andrei Eremin), we were able to keep everything ‘in-house’, which was nice. We’re lucky enough to have our own studios where we could lock ourselves away and work, unstirred by the outside world.
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GREAT SONG?
I’m a sucker for chords and harmony - I think it’s because of my background in jazz. So for me there has to be something interesting happening chordally. But a song can be great simply by virtue of you finding it at a particular time in your life; at a time when you were feeling something that the music represented. That’s really the dream as an artist - that your songs find an audience who will take/give meaning to them.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE THEMES YOU EXPLORE IN YOUR MUSIC?
The Crusher record is kind of a breakup record - it covers all the different things you go through: the angry bits, the crushing bits, the lonely bits, the how did we get here bits, and maybe the bit where you get some distance to look at it and say hey, I still care about you - I hope you’re okay.
WHEN NOT WORKING ON MUSIC, TELL US ABOUT ANY OTHER CREATIVE OUTLETS?
I’m a very amateur film photographer. I want to get better at manual photography, but my point-and-shoot take such nice pictures without me doing anything that it’s hard to tear myself away from it.
WHO ARE SOME LOCAL ARTISTS WE SHOULD CHECK OUT?
Our pals Phoebe Go, Juice Webster and Armlock have all put out incredible records lately.
WINTER OR SUMMER AND WHY?
Winter. You can always put on more layers if you’re cold; but you can only take off so much and you’re still hot.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR THE FUTURE?
We’re continuing to work on a broader body of Crusher work, and we’re excited to release more singles as we go!