A QUICK CHAT WITH PRETTY BLEAK
Can you tell me a bit about your latest single ‘other people’s heads’?
I wrote this song about the feeling of being constantly perceived as a result of social media’s influence in modern society. I was thinking a lot about the world before the internet and something that stood out to me was that in the current day, if you have an instagram account then at any given moment someone could be perceiving you and creating a model of your personality in their minds that you have very little influence over. It seems that in the past it would have been quite unusual to meet someone for the first time just to find that they already know significant and intimate things about you, and have developed specific judgements about those things without ever having seen or experienced your presence first hand. The lyrics in ‘other people’s heads’ are designed to describe both the uneasiness that any individual might feel about being in a situation comparable to that, and the absurdness of the fact that this paradigm has become the expected state of our social interactions.
How did you meet each other?
Kyle and I met each other originally through a different band that we both played in when we were really young. Once that band ended, we decided to stick together and start a new project of our own. We ended up going to the same high school and Sanji and Cherie, which is where we all met properly and became friends.
What’s your creative process like when making music together?
Generally I will come up with a really basic song idea, and send that to the rest of the band and if anyone has any specific ideas then they will record them and send them back to me. Over time I will finish writing and recording a demo for the song and bring that back to the band where we’ll start working on it more at rehearsal. Most of the process is done in the demoing phase in my home studio, and then the details of each individual part develop over time the more we play the song in a full band setting at rehearsal.
What has been your favourite memory together as a band?
We’ve been making music together in different ways for a long time, so its hard to pinpoint one specific memory that is a favourite because we’ve had so many good and bad times together over the years. But I think one instance that stands out as being particularly significant is our first show of 2022, which was also Cherie’s first show after joining the band. It was such a great show, and in our minds it was the beginning of the really fun and validating period in our bands history that we’re currently in.
If you were a breed of dog, which would you be and why?
My girlfriend always says I’d be a border collie or a german shepherd, I have no idea why though.
What was the first concert you ever went to?
I think the first ‘big’ show that I ever saw was KISS when I was 12 years old. I was really into that band when I was a kid, so it was a massive deal for me at the time.
What have been your favourite album releases from this year so far?
Now and Then - Eliza and the Delusionals
Running with the Hurricane - Camp Cope
11:11 - Pinegrove
When you’re not gigging or making music, what might we find you doing?
I’m generally doing something to do with music 90% of the time, but if you catch me in that elusive 10% then I’ll probably be reading, training martial arts, or accidentally monologuing at a friend.
What song can you never get sick of?
if i was your girlfriend by prince.
Anything else in store for the rest of the year?
We have a huge show coming up on October 21st at Max Watts in Melbourne opening for BUGS which we are really excited for. We’re also hoping to play one last headliner of our own in Melbourne before the end of the year, and then we’ll be working hard behind the scenes to get some more music out into the world.