A Quick Chat with Mayzie
How did your journey as a solo artist begin? How did you end up collaborating with Oceans?
I have always had my solo work in the background, but probably started taking it more seriously about 4-5 years ago. My last project VHS Dream (we released a record “Departure” in 2016) had kind of wrapped up and I was aimlessly writing in the background. In 2021 a friend reached out to ask if I wanted to play bass for a little run of Melbourne shows by NZ legend Hamish Kilgour (The Clean), RIP. I’m a massive fan of his playing but was obsessed with the EP he did with fellow NZ artist Tiny Ruins – so obviously jumped at the chance. The shows were crazy, chaotic, wild, but wonderful! No set lists, random covers at any moment, but so alive and brilliant. Despite pretty turbulent personal circumstances he was just such an incredible musician. Anyway he handed me a guitar at one of the shows, and jumped off to have a ciggie or whatever, an intermission of sorts. I played One Track Mind (one of the songs off the album actually). I just remember him saying “that’s a really good song”. Look he probably said that to all the girls but it was pretty inspiring. I kinda took it and ran with it I suppose.
That same year, an old friend (Dwayne Pearce aka KIGO) flicked me a message and asked if I wanted to do some vocals in a band he was playing in. I came along for a practice, and wasn’t really into it, but it was nice hanging out with Dwayne and the rest of the band so I came back. I absolutely hated Tom [founding member of Oceans] though, I thought he was SO CONDESCENDING. Not sure when that changed but fast forward six months, somehow Tom and I got together and basically haven’t been apart since. We got married after about a month just for lols, but it seems to be working out! Anyway just by virtue of being around it a more I muscled my way in I guess. And the rest is history?
Tell us a bit about the new album. What does it mean to you?
I think overall the album is the story of Tom and I. It’s quite sequential. ‘Luminosity’ (the song) is about how you have to find yourself before you can really fall in love with someone else. ‘Sun to Stars’ is the drunken bliss of new love. ‘Mess You Up’ is the fear of failing before you give it a chance. ‘Forest of You’ is the turning point where you discover that the other person has flaws. ‘One Track Mind’ is the wonder of how someone can continue to disappoint you when you have set it up so perfectly for them to succeed. ‘It’s Always Raining’ is about the turbulence of discovering the other person’s humanity, and how perfection is an illusion, to be challenged is mandatory. Maybe that’s my favourite song on the whole record actually. I just love the feeling I get listening to that last little bit “It’s a beautiful day/you look beautiful in it/it’s a beautiful day/and I’m glad you’re here”. I think this really encapsulates the kind of conclusion which is that even though love is like constant war, it’s worth it and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Are there any inspirations you look to beyond music when writing or performing?
My music is really inspired by the people around me and my experiences. Real life I suppose! I write a lot out of emotion and so any kind of strong emotional feelings are going to spark creativity in that way. I wish I could say I was inspired in a more intellectual way! But for me music is an expression of my inner landscape. It’s not really fictional, it’s like painting a still life of a moment in time. Probably sounds a bit wanky doesn’t it.
I think that’s why this record really works though, because Tom works in such a different way. He’s an engineer, by trade and by personality, and I think his approach to music really reflects that. He is so meticulous, so detail oriented, and so fascinated by things I find trivial and mundane. I guess the flip side of that is that sometimes he is very focussed on the trees, and can kind of come as a bit cold or emotionless. I, on the other hand, have terrible attention to detail (funny because I’m an accountant) but probably too much emotion. It’s bloody hard working together sometimes because we are so different in our approaches but we are getting better at it for sure, and I think when it works it REALLY works you know?
Name the five songs that have informed your song writing more than any others.
Julia Jackin – Hay Plain – simple chords, a lyrical gut-punch, and totally unassuming. I think it’s brilliant.
Roy Montgomery – Six guitar salute to Peter Gutteridge – Roy is just a master of emotional instrumentation. I’m astounded by how much feeling he can put into a bunch of layered guitar chords. It’s incredible.
Cocteau Twins – Seekers who are Lovers – The vocals, the guitar tone, the sadness, what more can I say?
Slowdive – Alison – Probably an earlier inspiration. A shoegaze staple for a reason but also I love how melancholy it is.
The Boxcar Rattle – Who is God in this Picture? - A tiny NZ band, I think only available on Bandcamp, but this song absolutely tore me to shreds when I heard it for the first time.
Honorable mentions:
Courtney Barnett – Depreston – genius songwriting
Sid O Neill – I Don’t Believe Anymore – the best live performer I have ever or will ever see.
Micah P Hinson – Close Your Eyes – absolutley miserable, I LOVE IT
What Australian bands are you listening to at the moment?
Always Sarah Mary Chadwick – “The Queen Who Sold The Sky”
I’ve been obsessed with a Brisbane artist called Aren’t - their 2021 EP “Creatures of Habit” is so beautiful. Roland S Howard – Pop Crimes – a classic I’ve been thrashing lately. Recently returned to Mary Glenn’s self-titled EP, which is a real delight. Pretty in Pink, Passat Act, Vital Sparks.... I have a little cassette label (Cerine Ruby) and I release mixtapes of cool shit by cool bands I’ve seen, and everything on there is brilliant so shameless (not-self) promotion to listen to the mixtape releases because it’s all local and it rocks.
How do you hope your music might impact listeners?
Gosh that’s a loaded question! For this record, I suppose I hope it reaches someone who needs to hear it. Relationships are hard work but if you love the other person, no obstacle is insurmountable. Media gives us this totally false impression of how love should look – that it’s mild and meek and kind of unchallenging but that’s not the reality (well for me at least). I guess to be honest and to quote myself (cringe) ‘In love it’s sad and messy, it’s lust and it is loud!’
Love gives purpose to the struggle, to our hardships, it gives us a reason to continue, to push ourselves to endure more than we think we are capable of, for the greater good. Hopefully someone can feel as inspired by that as I am. I dunno is that too gushy?