A Quick Chat with GRXCE
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE NEW TRACK AND WHAT YOU WANT PEOPLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM IT?
‘Pretty Boy’ was super different when we first started playing it. The song bent more towards an RnB feel and definitely was more literal, lyrically. The more we played it live, the more we outgrew that sound and I think it was partially due to my personal confidence also increasing at the time. As soon as we got in the studio, the song transformed and immediately, as soon as we heard the punchy, chugging lead guitar line, we were hooked. The song is cheeky, sarcastic and pokes a lot of fun at the typical “pretty boy” stereotype. It’s an ‘F U’ to people who think they are too cool to give above the bare minimum. At the end of the day, I really want people to feel confident and sexy when listening to the song: it’s as relatable as it is empowering.
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR INFLUENCES AND WHY?
Across the band, we have so many different influences that play a part in our writing process and the sonic elements we end up choosing. However, for this particular track, I’d say we drew a lot from pop-punk artists; Paramore, Nessa Barrett, and elements of Olivia Rodrigo, mixed with some of our many beloved indie rock artists like Spacey Jane and beabadoobee.
WHAT'S THE CREATIVE PROCESS FOR YOU, FROM WRITING THROUGH TO RECORDING?
Most of the songs start with chords and lyrics written by Jamila and then they are brought to the band as a foundation to build upon. We then build from the drums which create the contour of the song and rhythm elements, adding bass and guitar afterwards. It’s a lot of experimentation and we treat every song like a work in progress no matter how long we’ve been playing it. Pretty much until we record a song and it’s mixed and mastered, it is still open to growth and change. Working with Fletcher Matthews, who has created some of our favourite tracks from artists such as CLEWS and The Buoys, also really shaped our sound. It gave us a clear path and really refined a lot of the ideas we had floating around, so we owe him a lot of gratitude for how our songs sound today.
WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES A GREAT SONG?
It really depends whether I (Jamila) am thinking with my ‘musician’ brain or my ‘listener’ brain. As a musician, I really resonate with the lyrics in a song. There is something so special about hearing someone capture the exact emotion you are feeling no matter how niche it is in a singular line. I have always been an English nerd, so I think lyrics are the first thing I latch on to when listening to a song. The more I resonate and go “holy shit I wish I’d written that line”, the more I love a song. On the other end of the spectrum, I think no one can deny that a catchy bass line or guitar hook can capture you in an instant and there are plenty of songs that are quite simple thematically and lyrically but are just straight bops cause of the instrumental. Basically, I think it's the sum of its parts that makes a song great, every instrument and sonic element is just as important in the process of making a great song that people love.
WHEN NOT WORKING ON MUSIC, WHAT OTHER CREATIVE OUTLET/S DO YOU HAVE?
As a band, we have quite a variety of interests outside of making music. Whilst Jamila & Freddy both study/studied Music, Emily studied Visual Arts and has been involved with many a creative project, even hoping to take up a tattoo apprenticeship in the future! Jono studies and works in Law while also taking up Armenian dance outside of the band to stay connected to his culture and Alex actually teaches Economics as well as playing as a session drummer in many other Sydney bands. Away from music Fredy spends most of his time exercising or socialising and Jamila actually trained as a competitive dancer before turning to music, she still takes dance classes in her spare time as well as being our resident social media manager, booking agent and PR extraordinaire.
WHO ARE SOME LOCAL BANDS WE SHOULD CHECK OUT?
Jam: Coconut Cream , Fripps & Fripps, CLEWS, Help Street, I could go on and on and on
Em: Body Type, Downgirl, Boycott are all icons.
Jono: The Grogans, The Immigrants, Scatterlight are three that come to mind.
Alex: DIVER and Last Dinosaurs
Freddy: Bloody Arvo, Cosmix, The Toothpicks, and False London are some pretty cool bands i've seen so far
WINTER OR SUMMER AND WHY?
Jam: Summer, I swear I’m coldblooded sometimes so I need the sunshine to keep me functioning, I grew up on the Coffs Coast so even Sydney winter is too cold for me haha
Em: I’m gonna be edgy and say autumn because it’s the superior season.
Jono: Winter without a doubt. Winter clothes are unmatched, winter foods slap and it’s optimal mulled wine weather. If you’re cold you just add another layer of clothes; you can only take off so many clothes in the summer to cool down until it becomes illegal LOL.
Alex: (This is Jam answering) As self-appointed ‘band dad’ Alex is apparently too cool to pick a season so I shall pick for him and add one more person to Team Summer.
Freddy: Summer any day! Nothing feels better than wearing shorts and a t-shirt, a pair of sunnies, going to the beach, getting an awesome tan and having a cold beer on a hot day.
WHAT ELSE DO YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR THE YEAR?
We are playing a Single Launch show on the 21st of October at Factory Theatre to celebrate this release which is gonna be a hell of a show (AKA you should definitely get yourself a ticket). After that, we will be looking towards our next release which will hopefully be in early 2023 and then getting some shows outside of Sydney so we can expand our audience. We are just super excited to have something tangible out for people to enjoy so we can play even cooler shows and keep writing, releasing and creating in general.