A Quick Chat with Pretty Talks

Can you tell me a bit about your inspiration for your single ‘Hurt Me’?’

It was kind of our first venture into introducing pop elements to our music. Liam took inspiration from Lauv’s “I like me better” while writing the pre-chorus. He tells a story about writing the pre-chorus melody whilst staying up at his mum’s house on the Central Coast and sneaking away to the beach at night to smoke cigarettes. That became the basis for this song. From there we dived lyrically into feelings of inadequacy in relationships and that brought up a bunch of shared experiences that we built on.

What are your influences and how do they affect your songwriting? 

Simply from a music perspective, some of our big influences are The 1975, Nightly, MUNA, Valley. They carry a lot of influence in our sonic direction. Especially The 1975’s musical flexibility, lyricism and capability for world-building. We don’t just want our art to be contained within our songs, we want to create a layered universe in which we can express ourselves in different mediums.

What’s the creative process like for you?

Quite often Liam and Tommy will bring melodic or lyrical ideas to the table which we then expand and add to as a band. Over the last few years, we’ve actively been working on our ability to produce our own music. That being said, we love to work collaboratively with friends and fellow artists who we’ve forged strong connections with.

If you could change something about the Australian music industry what would it be?

We’ve noticed within the Sydney-scene, which is all we can really speak on, that there’s a lack of medium-sized venues for up-and-coming artists to use as a stepping stone from playing pub gigs to playing large rooms. Dedicated places for newer bands to really stretch their legs and level-up to playing big headline slots.

What do you think life would be like for you if you didn’t have music as an outlet?

It’s so cliche but I don’t think any of us could imagine our lives without music. Pretty much everything we do has that goal in mind in some way. Literally the fact that we’re sitting here answering these questions on a couch, in a house that the three of us live in together, has come out of our pursuit of music.

Is there anyone you would like to collaborate with?  Why?

Liam: Andrew Farris (INXS). I think his ability to create emotions musically and his revolutionary writing inspires me constantly.

Tommy: Daniel Johns. His records are amazing and the diversity he’s found in his music has been inspiring. 

Hadi: I’d really love to work with Glass Animals. Would love to see how they create in a production sense and I think their energy in live shows is incredible.

What’s your advice to young people who want to make a career for themselves in the industry?

Honestly just gig. There’s always going to feel like another piece of equipment you could buy, post you could make or song you could improve, but eventually everyone has to take that plunge and there’s really no way to get anywhere without throwing yourself out there in front of a crowd.

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve worked with/met?

We shot our music video with a lot of help from The Million’s frontman Jacob Thomas. He was already a good friend of ours before we brought him on as Director of Photography for that shoot and we were constantly amazed by how much energy and positivity he brought to the project. It really couldn’t have worked any other way than having him on board.

Favourite hangover cure?

Tommy: A really good Bloody Mary and/or yoga.

Hadi: Drink lots of water before you go to bed and grab a “Hair of the dog” with your mates when you wake up.

Liam: Never stop drinking. Or maybe a BnE.

Any plans for a tour on the cards?

Right now we’re heavily focusing on writing, recording and releasing songs. We’ve got one more single that will come out before the end of the year that we’re really excited about.