A QUICK CHAT WITH STREET LEGAL

Congrats on the release of ‘Cardio’! Can you tell us a bit more about the song’s meaning?

Thank you! Cardio is a response to feeling a bit disillusioned with societal expectations and feeling like I didn’t fit in my own skin. When I was writing the song I was reading a lot of nasty online hate about a pop singer and her body size. It wasn’t particularly fair and equally cruel - she was damned if she did anything about it and damned if she didn’t. I thought maybe we should just be celebrating her for who she is and the art she’s creating? People really need to get off the internet and touch some grass!

We hear this is part of a future EP! Any info you can share on that yet?

Yes! "Cardio" is the first single from our debut EP Bruxism. We've spent most of this year working on it with Adelaide’s Matt Schultz (The Empty Threats, Twine) and UK producer Hugo Nicolson. Hugo is best known for his engineering work on Primal Scream’s Screamadelica and has worked with artists like Radiohead, Father John Misty, and Beck. The process was both exciting and challenging, but we're really happy with the result.

Bruxism will be out early next year, with a national tour planned soon after.

What’s your favourite show you’ve played so far?

I had an incredible time earlier this year supporting Sparta on their Australian tour. Jim Ward was a teenage hero of mine, and At the Drive-In inspired me to create music that connected with my friends. On the other hand, playing our own headline shows in Melbourne to a packed-out audience during our last single tour late last year was equally wild. We love writing and playing songs that mean a lot to people.

Which album do you have on repeat right now?
I have fallen well and truly deep into Chappell Roan fandom at this point - that album blows me away in terms of songwriting and appeal. I love that queer artists are now well and truly established in the mainstream now and not being replaced on the charts by some tired old butt rock band. Other artists I’m loving also include Northern Rivers based artist GIMMY’s and her brand new album Things Look Different Now, as well as Naarm’s Gut Health.

What TV show are you bingeing at the moment?
Right now I’m watching The Curse with Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone - this satirical black comedy about an alleged curse that is affecting a couple trying to conceive a child while they co-star on this questionable TV show. It’s equal parts hilarious and uncomfortable. Turns out I’m really missing Succession.

What was the first gig you ever went to?
When I was thirteen, I snuck into my first gig—a Powderfinger show on their Internationalist tour at the Sundowner Hotel in Whyalla, this massive beer barn on the highway. They were supported by Swervedriver and Not From There, who I absolutely loved. After the show, a friend and I somehow ended up helping Bernard Fanning and the band by keeping an eye on their gear. It's funny to think about a shit-scared teenager on the lookout while the band probably went off to grab another beer.

 What are your plans for the rest of 2024?
We're playing our single launch next Friday, September 27th, at the Grace Emily, and we're really excited—with a few surprises in store! After that, we’ll be supporting Northern Irish legends Ash at their Adelaide gig at The Gov. I grew up watching "Girl from Mars" on Rage before Recovery on weekends, so we're all super pumped for this one!